Thread: cutting paper to test sharpness??

Now my wife used a few of my DD's about 2 years ago to open some boxes..... So does that count as the paper test?????

I have finally sort of forgiven her for that.... sort of... not completely....


I think Mark might be right I think I remember something about wet tissue paper

That wasn't the thread I was thinking of Mark.... The one I remember was talking about cutting a wet kleenex IIRC....

when i worked in a warehouse, shipping/receiving, i was told that cutting cardboard was one of the quickest ways to dull a razor (short of smashing the blade with a hammer).....my experience has been that this statement is more or less true.....I would imagine paper to have the same effect.

Short of examination under microscope, I think the HHT is about the closest thing we'll get.

cutting paper=dull but thats already been said. through my xperience it will destroy the edge of a knife which is much thicker than that of a razor

The way I look at it is that paper is made from wood. Paper is after all just a bunch of wood fibers smooshed together. So ask yourself, would you like someone to take your razors edge to a lump of wood?

Amen! I too wish there were some objective way to test sharpness. The problem is there are too many variables. They range from the type of steel of the razor to the heat treatment of the steel, the angle of the bevel, the degree of sharpness of the edge, etc. and that's just on the equipment end! The HHT is notoriously subjective as everyone's hair is different in thickness and has different structure. Curly hair, for instance, has little bumps on the side of the hair which take up water differentially to the rest of the hair and make the hair curl. No bumps = straight hair. Problem: the bumps can catch the edge of the bumps and cut differently from the straight hair.

The best test I've found is how your razor cuts your beard.

Howard

This is exactly what my straight razor teacher taught me to do.

MY ZEEpk WILL CUT PAPER, BUT I DO NOT DARE PUT IT TO MY FACE. GOOD FOR CUTTING TAPE TOO.

I think it is for sure subjective between users- you can/I cant- but we both love the shave.

However, for those who do use it- It seems like they take it as an objective measure. To wit -if your control razor will /and the variable wont...then what?

but maybe your asking because neither will- you did not say.

you dont need a whole beard, you should be able to tell with just a little 'stache stubble what's it gonna be

My fave test I believe is called the "standing hair test": skim the blade above your arm without touching the skin. If the edge catches the hairs & feels very grabby, it's sharp. If the hairs bend out of the way & don't get caught, it's not sharp. Caveat: a blade can be sharp but not polished, in which case it will be very grabby & will shave, but will give you razor burn like you wouldn't believe. This test only tests sharpness.