I could never get the HHT to work. On my third week of bad shaving, I decided to grab the brand new Atra and clean up my remaining stubble. It shaved so nicely! I had never used it as it came free with my brush and I am transitioning from electric to straight. I then decided that the razor I was using was NOT sharp. Since I ordered this shave ready, I then started to question my stropping. After revisiting the stropping technique here is what I found out.

- Stropping does matter!!!
- Bad stropping dulls the blade.
- The sharpness may be recovered from good stropping.
- A slightly curved strop means little blade contact. (across the width)

I decided to slowly strop on the linen side, watching the edge and making sure I did it right and with NO pressure. I switched to the leather side and saw the strop was curved. I then worked it over, bending it LIGHTLY to get something that was more flat. I did the same on this side. I found my left hand liked to loosen the strap and so I kept needing to retighten it. The right hand was ever so loose. After doing this process about 200 times each side (blocks of 50/50), I can now pass the HHT at the heal of the blade and almost pass it near the toe. At the toe, it will cut, but then peel.

*** HHT works!
*** Good stropping matters!!

Good luck.