Thread: The HHT test

I know that this topic has been discussed, please forgive the compulsive scientest in me! I also know that there is no place where one can buy standard hair with which to perform this test in a reproducible and consistent fashion! And I know from what I've read that the test is very operator dependent. Many use a ladies' hair, others use their own and still others talk of boar bristles and the like. Then there is the length, weight, diameter and other variables of the hair as well as the practice of doing the test, how the hair is presented what force is applied etc. I'm trying to come up with an HHT that is less subject to wide variations so please tell me how you perform the test and what type of hair you use. It's no wonder that for some the test is a great indicator of shave readiness and for others a crushing dissapointment.

I try a sample of both my hair, which is thick and dark, and my wife's which is fine reddish blond.

I let about 3/4 of an inch of hair protrude beyond my finger tips. I lower the hair down onto the razors edge and lightly pull the hair downward and across. I do this again and again from point to heel.

What I look for is a smooth slicing sensation, all along the blade, with little to no resistance. I don't want the blade to grab and pop the hair away. I don't consider that a pass on the HHT. It's a sign that I'm getting close, but not there yet. Sometimes I get the hair to slice right up the middle and that, I find, is also preferrable.

If the razor passes the HHT with my hair, but not my wife's, I can usually solve that with additional stropping.


Scott

Don't know if my hair is weird or not, but i can only get the HHT to work with my very fine hair, if i hold the hair in one direction.
That is, gripping the tip of the hair and allowing the root end to dangle over the razor. I have never managed to do it the other way around
Maybe it is my hair, or maybe it is just that my razors are not sharp enough!

My hair is very fine and will respond to HHT only responds badly to this test. I also believe that the most important stone for building the edge is a fine hone (Norton 8K in my case). For that reason I use my wife's hair to perform the test off the 8k.

I hold the blade up to the sky and the hair horizontal with the root out and typically cut about 1cm out from my fongers. I bring the hair down gently on the edge.

Originally Posted by rgdominguez

.... the test is very operator dependent.

This is very true. Becaue each of us has a different beard and uses different honing and shaving practices, I ultimately believe that it's up to each man to see his own way through this test. Even if you can determine a more standard set of conditions, what it will mean will be different for each shaver.

X

Originally Posted by xman

different beard and uses different honing and shaving practices, I ultimately believe that it's up to each man to see his own way through this test. Even if you can determine a more standard set of conditions, what it will mean will be different for each shaver.

Hear hear! The hair test isn't a pass/fail test, it's more of a grade, and exactly what it means varies from person to person. I use the hair on my arm, and find that the first hair to pop is the stuff on the underside of wrist. Then as the edge gets more refined it will pop armhair closer to my elbow joint. Once it will pop the softest hairs on the inside of my elbow then its ready to shave, and it's rare for a razor to fail to shave well at that point. I figured this out in an hour using a DE blade, a Feather AC blade, a Joe Chandler blade, and a few of my own. Getting my honing skills up to the point where I could get them there myself took somewhat longer :-)

I also find that being able to fillet a hair is a really good sign.
(edit: the "also" comment is indeed seconding honedright's reference to this)

mparher762 said"

"I also find that being able to fillet a hair is a really good sign."

Honedright also alluded to this. Now we have something that we might standardize! Do we mean here that the blade is held at an angle, say about 30 degrees, and the hair which is perpindicular to the blade is drawn across the blade? The purpose is to see if the razor will slice the hair "in half", or fillet it as mparker put it. Is this correct?

Originally Posted by rgdominguez

mparher762 said"

"I also find that being able to fillet a hair is a really good sign."

Honedright also alluded to this. Now we have something that we might standardize! Do we mean here that the blade is held at an angle, say about 30 degrees, and the hair which is perpindicular to the blade is drawn across the blade? The purpose is to see if the razor will slice the hair "in half", or fillet it as mparker put it. Is this correct?

I can't speak for mparker or what he meant by fillet, but I took it to mean splitting the hair lengthwise.

But, I think there are different types of standardisation, which I think Xman and others alluded to. Individuals vary in many ways, particularly in our context with regards shaving, honing, hair and beard type etc. The HHT is just a way to assess whether your razor is getting sharp enough - you never know how this translates into a shave for you until you put blade on skin, which of course must be the ultimate test. Once you get to a point where you know that you'll get a good shave by splitting a certain type of hair (for me it's either my wife's or my dog's "down"), then you have your individually standardised test.

James.

I simply grab a chest hair and when it gets cut I know the edge is responding. It is by no means sharp enough to shave with. It is only an indicator to me to move off the 4k and focus on polishing. It has essentially proven that the bevel is sharp, that is all. I might consider test shaving if the edge passes a HHT but most of the time its still underpolished, in my book. I can read the edge a little by the resulting sound or authority the hair gets shaved but test shaving is more indicitive.

I will not test shave if the edge can't cut a standing hair though. For me, that would be silly. But its hair dependent. I think too many guys think they can pluck hair from their head. I'd suggest finding a more "curly" hair like a chest hair or the more traditional . . . ummmmmm, other curly hairs.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

I think too many guys think they can pluck hair from their head. I'd suggest finding a more "curly" hair like a chest hair or the more traditional . . . ummmmmm, other curly hairs.

I tried that. Apparently that's where she draws the line...

Hi Rich,

I use the hair on my chinny chin chin......hahahahahaha

Lynn