Thread: HHT failures

There must be something about the hanging hair test that I'm not doing right, even though I've read about how i'ts supposed to be done and I've watched demonstration videos, because I have several str8s that were professionally honed, and though they shave just fine, none of them, even when brand new and fresh from the honemeisters, were able to pass the HHT.

I would like to know how to correctly do the HHT so that when attempting my own honing I'll be able to judge my progress.

I would really appreciate any help anyone might be able to provide.

Your not the first to say that they can't pass the HHT. No worries, though. Really, How does the razor shave? I know that may not be the answer you would like, but that's the true test my friend. I have had some razors pass and some not. Judge your razors by the shave they give you....Lest not ye be judged....

The HHT remains one of the great mysteries here. The venerable Bart has written a short essay which might provide a bit more insight than the videos: Hanging Hair Test, from trick to probing method - Straight Razor Place Wiki.

I have seen him use this test, and it works. Why quite a number of knowledgeable members get by with razors which do not pass the HHT remains, well, a mystery to me.

The HHT has to be developed there really is no fool proof method, read Bart's thread and understand this, what he does might not work for you, but read between the lines, and develop something that does...

My personal HHT is something that works 99% of the time it's really simple I let the wife brush her hair with a special purple hair brush in the shave den , that's her brush, and it is my HHT brush.... If I can slice and dice those baby fine hairs I know the razor is ready for the shave test...

There are even some people on here that the Arm Hair Test won't work for, this is what I mean, everybody has to develop their own working tests...

I read Bart's essay, That's pretty amazing. He's my go to guy for all things "Coti" I often wondered how much the individual's hair comes into play in the test...

Originally Posted by zib

I read Bart's essay, That's pretty amazing. He's my go to guy for all things "Coti" I often wondered how much the individual's hair comes into play in the test...

Quite a bit, in fact I can pop my hair at 1k with ease... It means absolutely nothing to HHT with my hair...

This is why so many people call it a parlor trick, it has to be developed to mean anything, and it only works for that person and that hair..

I think your absolutely right Glen.....

Bart,

I love your article, really I do. My problem, and it seems that others can't seem to understand what I mean, is that so far, despite all the testing that people on the forums have done, there is no standard "test" that can be performed by everyone and come up with the same results. I keep reading "you just have to figure out your own way to make it happen", "your hair is too thick", "your hair is too thin", etc.

IMO, that is not an adequate "test." It is just a bunch of people finding several different ways to get the same result. That proves NOTHING other than these people can get the same thing to happen with different methods. I could cut a hair in half many different ways; I could burn your house to the ground in several different ways; I could give you the same haircut using several different ways, but it proves nothing.

The quote below (and several other posts that I am not gonna waste my time looking up) tells me that the HHT, as it stands, CANNOT without a doubt, prove that one razor is "sharper" than another.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Quite a bit, in fact I can pop my hair at 1k with ease... It means absolutely nothing to HHT with my hair...

This is why so many people call it a parlor trick, it has to be developed to mean anything, and it only works for that person and that hair..

Unless you STANDARDIZE the test so that ANYONE, ANYWHERE, with ANY hair, can get the same result with the SAME edge, there there is no way you can really say that a razor is sharper for having passed the HHT. I can't seem to get anyone to understand this. But if you want to say "my razor is sharper than yours cause mine passes the HHT" then fine. Go ahead. But you are only blindsiding people, and deceiving them.

I can cut a dog in half with my chef knife, can you?

My kitchen knife is sharper than yours! SO THERE!

You can't get a razor as sharp as I can, so sod off!

It's not a standard, so it means nothing more than someone can cut a hair, which any halfway sharp razor can do.

Bart carries a box with very thin hair from one person. Makes sense.

+1 to all the above.

Forget the HHT! Don't even try it, it's pointless.

TNT, TPT, Marker test, and shaving are the way to go.

*EDIT* Personally, I think the HHT should be removed from the Wiki, or at least a note placed next to it stating it is NOT a reliable method of testing a razor. Too many new people are getting hung up on it, as evidenced by the number of "can't pass HHT" posts I've seen.

Come on mods, let's clear up some of the confusion