Since I am pretty much a beginner myself having owned two straight razors less than a year, I thought I would just record my journey in getting both of them passing HHT here for the benefit of others.

Firstly, is HHT important ? I would say here yes and no. Yes when you feel that your razor really is not giving you the closest and most comfortable shave it can. No when it already is doing that. I initially found both of my razors just either nicking me sometimes or just leaving something to be desired in terms of getting really close.

So here are my steps:

1. The first and most important point. FIND A REFERENCE POINT. I was thought this on the forums. If you do not have any straights that pass the HHT yet, use the test hair you have on DE razors and see if it passes that. If it passes then you know that your hair can be used in the HHT. If not then probably find someone else's hair that will. Here the hair should just be placed on the edge and not sawed, jerked or yanked through. Just lay the hair on the edge and it should just break into two.

2. Find a video on youtube about stropping then: Strop -> Test -> Strop -> Test. Most of the razors that you buy from people are normally shave ready and normally if these razors do not initially pass the HHT, a little refreshing using the strop will usually bring it to that. BE PATIENT. Stropping should be relaxing and therapeutic. Not something to be rushed through. This is important. If you feel yourself in a rush to do something else. Just stop stropping, go and do that then come back to it. Your shaving hobby and your straight razor's edge will thank you for this in the long run.

3. If #2 fails then cautiously proceed on to honing with stones. Here, the first time I got my straight razor to pass HHT was using the ultra fine stones of Spyderco's Sharp maker sharpening system. Consistency is important in honing. Always be consistent about how you hold your blade during honing and it's just a matter of time before you get the edge you desire. However here I want to add that although I initially got it to pass this way, the shave was still not comfortable and the blade felt abrasively sharp, so I used a Naniwa 8k on it and really slowly over the course of a few days to get it sharp. After that it was sharp but not abrasively so. I did not really had to go beyond that. There are a lot of videos on youtube about straight razor honing using stones. Check them out. I gained all my knowledge from there. After this point your razors should be passing the HHT, if not go back re-evaluate your steps and try again. Try not to take this too seriously and you might even pass this stage with a smile on your face thinking what's so hard about this test and really it is not. It is easier to hone a straight razor compared to a Benchmade or a Spyderco actually.

4. Finally after passing the HHT, remember to strop your straight razor. It will give the edge a really smooth feeling when shaving that is the real reason why anyone would want to start honing their razors.

5. Finally, lather up and get ready for a whole different shave!

In summary, what I understand now is that while achieving the passing of the HHT is not the be all and end all of our hobby, it nonetheless is one of the more enjoyable task in this hobby and keeps it alive in our lives by giving us something to strive for. It should at all times be something that you do for yourself, not really something to brag about on a forum after achieving it, so enjoy and savor your journey in bringing those sharp bad boys to passing the HHT. Remember, it can be done and it's not even as Holy Grail as you think. Hell, I could do it ...