Thread: HHT

Originally Posted by Slur

The problem is that the shaving test is not objective as believed, but highly subjective.
This is the reason why many straight shavers, and especially newbies, are looking for a more objective manner to judge the quality of the edge. Most straight shavers had the query in their first shaves: “Was this poor quality shave due to a problem of my razor, or due to a problem of my technique?”. And many of us have wondered: “Is this the best shave this razor can give me, or there is more?”.


The HHT many not be answering these questions, however it is logical for straight shavers to search for a test other than the shave test.

As somebody that hones razors professionally I guess I should just keep my big mouth shut and encourage needless testing ...After all, I am pretty sure I could make money that way... But that is not what SRP is about...

The problem with any other test than the shave test for a Newb, is that it leads to them doubting the edge, instead of doubting their technique..
You can't judge a shaving edge by any other means, I am sorry, but that is the truth..
Oh now don't get me wrong there are some of us that hone a ton of razors that can pretty much tell you when an edge is going to shave but most of us use the TPT, and the feel of the hones, to judge and it takes even more experience to know ...

Simply put, every single sharpness test, other then the shave test was developed by those of us that hone razors, to judge the development of a keen edge during the process... We spent countless hours getting those tests to speak to us as we sharpened the razors... For somebody that has no clue to what things should do, or feel like, everyone of those tests is completely useless...

With help from a member/mentor here, I have found a way to personalize/customize the HHT so I can use it in my honing progression to see where I am. I had never been able to get it to work with any blades or even known to be sharp DE blades, Feathers.

I was able to use hair from my chest (and no, it is not yet bald) and, with some advice and considerable practice, find a way to make it work with blades that are ready to shave with. The blades I shave with now all pass it. What I have learned:

1. I have yet to find a "shave ready" razor that passes the HHT the way I have personalized it. I can usually strop that blade on linen, then on leather, and get it to pass the test.

2. The HHT, again as I use it and with my hair, tells me when I can stop honing and stropping, when I have a blade I can shave with. It also tells me which blades I have further work to do on. For example, I got out my Hart Steel blade last night and tried it on the HHT. It was tugging at the hair, catching it, but it wasn't cutting it. Twenty passes on linen, then 30 on leather, later and it was passing.

3. It is important to find some way to gauge how your progess is going with honing and stropping. The shave test is no more objective than the HHT. In fact, in the shave test, there are so many variables (prep, technique, whisker type, etc.) that objectivity is not achievable. If you can customize the HHT to your circumstances, then it is not only more objective (in your own subjective use of it) than the shave test, but it is also much easier to do while honing/stropping.

4. Prior to finding a way to personalize the HHT to my own needs, I had no way of knowing when to stop honing and when I had done enough stropping. Now I can use the HHT every 20 laps on the strop and find out what kind of progress I'm making and know when the blade is ready to shave.

5. The way I use the HHT I've never had a blade pass it that didn't shave nicely. I haven't shaved yet with blades that failed, but I might try it for kicks. If the blades that fail it shave better than the ones that pass it, then I'll give up on it.

6. The HHT isn't really a test but a 'technique' for gauging blade sharpness. It isn't an objective test because it has to be customized to your hair, the way you place the hair on the blade, how you hold it, and how you gauge what happens when the blade and hair meet. Until one becomes proficient at making the HHT operational in his environment, then it isn't really meaningful.

7. But if you do find a way to make it work for you, a way to personalize it so that it does show you something about the sharpness of your blade, then it is extremely helpful.

Warning: If I get any complaints about this post, I will not only start a thread on taping spines, I might even throw one in on "over-honing".

Originally Posted by gssixgun

As somebody that hones razors professionally I guess I should just keep my big mouth shut and encourage needless testing ...After all, I am pretty sure I could make money that way... But that is not what SRP is about...

The problem with any other test than the shave test for a Newb, is that it leads to them doubting the edge, instead of doubting their technique..
You can't judge a shaving edge by any other means, I am sorry, but that is the truth..
Oh now don't get me wrong there are some of us that hone a ton of razors that can pretty much tell you when an edge is going to shave but most of us use the TPT, and the feel of the hones, to judge and it takes even more experience to know ...

Simply put, every single sharpness test, other then the shave test was developed by those of us that hone razors, to judge the development of a keen edge during the process... We spent countless hours getting those test to speak to us as we sharpened the razors... For somebody that has no clue to what things should do, or feel like, everyone of those tests is completely useless...

The shave test is useful only for regular straight shavers and not for beginners. You have to be confident with your technique in order to be able to judge the performance of the razor in every shave.

The HHT has a simplified outcome, the hair is cut, or the hair is not cut, but the shave test is not so simple.
The newbie will doubt the edge if the razor doesn’t pass the HHT, if it passes it, he will focus to the technique.

I am only saying that it is normal for a new straight shaver without experience to doubt everything, the edge, the razor, the technique, the whole straight shaving concept.
The only way to be sure that the edge is not the problem is to buy the razor, or send it to a highly experienced razor honing expert, and leave the tests, including the shave test, for later.

Warning: If I get any complaints about this post, I will not only start a thread on taping spines, I might even throw one in on "over-honing". [/QUOTE]

Originally Posted by Slur

The shave test is useful only for regular straight shavers and not for beginners. You have to be confident with your technique in order to be able to judge the performance of the razor in every shave.

The HHT has a simplified outcome, the hair is cut, or the hair is not cut, but the shave test is not so simple.
The newbie will doubt the edge if the razor doesn’t pass the HHT, if it passes it, he will focus to the technique.

I am only saying that it is normal for a new straight shaver without experience to doubt everything, the edge, the razor, the technique, the whole straight shaving concept.
The only way to be sure that the edge is not the problem is to buy the razor, or send it to a highly experienced razor honing expert, and leave the tests, including the shave test, for later.

The same problem a newbie has with the shave test they will have with the HHT though.

They have no idea how the HHT will react to their hair or how to even interpret the results.

Basically. Newbies are buggered until they figure things out and this is why you see people push for someone to buy their strop and razor from a trusted source to reduce variables.

Buy a razor from Lynn,glenn,etc... You will probably be good to go.
But a "shave ready" razor from ebay or someone that just bought their first hone a week ago, it is a crap shoot.

Hmmmmmm..................

The true test is when you are trying the HHT and you slice the tip of your finger off. Then you know your razor is really shave ready.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

The true test is when you are trying the HHT and you slice the tip of your finger off. Then you know your razor is really shave ready.

LMFAO That will let you know it's shave ready for sure!!!

Originally Posted by terryearp

I bought my razor and strop from straight razor design. Brand new it wouldn't peform the hht. Even after stropping it still won't cut a hanging hair. The razor shaves my face good, I think, but since this is my first razor, should I be trying to achieve to get my razor to peform a hht? Is it possible that I could be getting a better shave if the razor was sharper? I mean how sharp can a straight razor get?

My razor has never passed the HHT. I get good shaves with it, so i ain't sweating it.

Originally Posted by HNSB

I'm tellin' ya... Flashing banner on the front page!




terryearp: I am by no means picking on you here. I'm glad you asked the question, and I wish you the best of luck with your shaving!

HNSB,

I love it!

Glen, are you and the other powers that be paying attention to this flashing oughtta be sticky??

---the curmudgeon