It can be made more reliable with time. I remember my early forays into HHTs - my best ones were when the razor was quite ragged actually: shaveable but not that comfortable. As time progressed and I got better equipment and better at honing, I got what I now know to be better HHTs.

But the thing is that now, and I am by no means trying to pass myself off as some kind of honing savant or anything, I don't really need tests anymore - I know when a razor is ready off the hones somehow. I think it has to do with using essentially the same honing setup for the past several years, and just pure repetition. I still do the tests, but I'm basically always right. I've even been tempted on occasion to forego the shave test and just send the razor out, but you can bet the first time I do that the edge will fail...

James.