Thread: HHT Levels?

So I didn't really know where to post this so I figured the beginner area is as good a place as any. I don't really get into the HHT to much and really I only do it because it is fun or I am showing it to someone. I have been reading though in some posts that people will say that they honed their razor on whatever rock and then did the HHT and got a "HHT 4" or "passed level 3 HHT" or something like that.

As far as I have understood it, the HHT was when you took a hair brought it down to the blade and if it cut the hair then voila your blade or hair passes the test. I didn't know there were levels or variations. So what am I not getting here?

Originally Posted by cosperryan

As far as I have understood it, the HHT was when you took a hair brought it down to the blade and if it cut the hair then voila your blade or hair passes the test. I didn't know there were levels or variations. So what am I not getting here?

You tell me ..... ..... and we'll both know ...... I never could make sense of that ..... I think you might say folks who rate the HHT numerically are splitting hairs .....

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

You tell me ..... ..... and we'll both know ...... I never could make sense of that ..... I think you might say folks who rate the HHT numerically are splitting hairs .....

I see what you did there.

Cos,
HHT is controversial, so if we get some excited posts - you'll understand. Some do, some don't - ya picks yer poison.

Most would be quick to say (I agree) that the test has to be calibrated to *your* hair or some known constant.

As to degrees or variations - this might be helpful. Mods - if this is frowned upon - just delete.
http://coticule.be/hanging-hair-test.html

I noticed that this was in the beginner's forum - FWIW, I couldn't get any edge to pass HHT when I started - including one shapton 30k edge from Glen. Let's say it wasn't the blade's fault

Or you can research it in the SRP Library.

Well I just put it in the beginners because I didn't know where else to really put it and I figured maybe it would help some other guy who is just starting out and getting excited about the HHT and this is were most of the newer members first post and look for advice. Unfortunately Pinklather, it seems that page does not like safari or vice versa.

It's somewhat controversial because there are two camps:

(A) those who think that there is enough variability in hairs that two different hairs can show different interactions with the same blade, therefore HHT is not transferable between different hairs. I.e. me telling you how my choice of hair interacts with my razor is not going to tell you anything about how your choice of hair interacts with your razor (or my razor for that matter)

(B) Those who think that 'hair is hair' and me telling you how my choice of hair interacts with my razor means that you could reproduce the exact same behavior with your choice of hair, and therefore judge the same edge the way I judged it. (Or may be they mean a weaker transferability that if my hair interacts in a certain way with my razor, then if you make your hair interact the same way with my razor or another razor you will have very similar shaving experience.)

My body grows at least 5 different types of hair, and they interact differently with the same razor edge, so I fall in camp A and think my HHT result is completely meaningless to you because you do not have access to the same hair I am using, or if your hair happens to behave with the one I'm using it's a pure coincidence.

Of course, few years ago the biggest hurdle to people was to realize that HHT is not a yes/no test, but rather a nuanced test where one observes how a strand of hair interacts with the edge of a razor. So, attaching numbers to HHT is a progress in the sense that now people know to look for something meaningful, but as far as I am concerned there is no a priori transferability between people.

Originally Posted by cosperryan

So I didn't really know where to post this so I figured the beginner area is as good a place as any. I don't really get into the HHT to much and really I only do it because it is fun or I am showing it to someone. I have been reading though in some posts that people will say that they honed their razor on whatever rock and then did the HHT and got a "HHT 4" or "passed level 3 HHT" or something like that.

As far as I have understood it, the HHT was when you took a hair brought it down to the blade and if it cut the hair then voila your blade or hair passes the test. I didn't know there were levels or variations. So what am I not getting here?

The HHT "levels" were originally invented (I think) in jest and was just supposed to be a bit of fun. Somewhere along the line it took on a life of its own and guys started to take it seriously.

In other words, don't worry about it

At this point in time the HHT thing is bullshit JMO

Alright I wasn't sure. I would have to say that I too fall into camp A. I really dont use any tests but the shave test and thumb pad test. I never really paid to much mind to when people would put numbers to the HHT but I only saw it sporadically and then I started to see it more and more and was confused.