Thread: How can you tell if your blade is sharp?

Originally Posted by jdizzle707

I saw this one video on you tube where the guy sliced off a strand of hair he was holding. I tried it but I just can't get the same effect :-)

Anyhow, I think my stropping skills need to be improved because I can't get a smooth glide when going against the grain around my chin. As far as my stropping technique, I've watched quite a few videos on youtube. I do about 20 cycles every time before I shave. Holding the strop tight with a light stroke of the blade up and down, and flipping it on its spine.

Questions:

1. How do you test to know your blade is the sharpest it can be?

2. How many times do you run the blade on the strop before you shave?

3. When do you use the stropping paste?

4. When do you use the linen side of a two-sided strop?

Thanks!

The real answer to the question of tests is this .....

Sharpness test are for people that hone razors, to be used as we hone them to make sure we are hitting the levels of sharpness through the honing process... and even then they are subjective

Doing all those tests... Dulls the edge... why do you think we follow a test with a few laps on the hones...

Many of your other questions have been answered already....

Here is the best test for a new straight user... that I can think of

Lather up and shave one smooth perfect stroke from the sideburn to the jawline... Stop and rinse, feel that one spot is it smooth??? then you are probably OK....
The other tests are not all that reliable, honestly I can pop arm hairs at 1k in the honing process but I ain't shaving with that edge... Some of us can pass an HHT at the same level but again I ain't shaving that edge on MY face......

Just to make myself very very clear,, A TNT WILL dull the shaving edge...
Using the TPT WILL dull the shaving edge....
The HHT IS NOT a reliable sharpness test..... Unless you have made it into one through quantitative testing...