Ridges on knife steel?
I understand that the ridges just make the honing process faster

You can hone a knife with more or less anything. Preferably with material of a similar nature so as not to "grab" the knife edge and pull chunks off it

For a quick test, take a knife that needs honing, and use the back square edge of another knife to hone it with

The square edge bites into the burrs faster than a round edge, but can also "grab" and damage the edge

Honing is a gentle process, you are straightening the edge, and removing burrs, not really grinding the edge

Honing with material that is softer than the knifes edge, will just take longer, but generally produces a better result

The same processes are happening when a barber runs the blade over a honing leather strap, particles in the leather gentle grab the edge, and straighten it out. Any bad burrs will catch on the leather and be torn off