Thread: HHT

To the OP where did you get the idea that the HHT means anything to anybody except the person who honed the razor ...maybe?????

I am interested to know that, being as you are pretty new to the hobby...

Originally Posted by gssixgun

To the OP where did you get the idea that the HHT means anything to anybody except the person who honed the razor ...maybe?????

I am interested to know that, being as you are pretty new to the hobby...

Yes I am new and I looked over this forum and other info about straight razors on the web...I saw several videos about a hht and because I am new at this I assumed it meant that every straight razor user strived to achieve a sharpness to do a hht. I am NO WAY saying that I got a bad razor, the razor shaves my face well. Just trying to learn all I can.

Somebody else may be able to get the HHT to pass on that same razor. They might have thicker hair than yours. My hair is thin, so I can not get any razor sharpened by anybody to pass the HHT with a strand of my hair. As was already said, if you get a good shave, you have a sharp enough razor. If you search the forum, you will find that the only true test of a razor being shave ready is the shave test. I am learning as well and there is a wealth of knowledge on this forum. And, believe me, no question is stupid.

Oh no problem it was something I was curious about because this forum has experienced huge growth over the last few years, and one of the things that we have continually tried to squash, is that myth of the HHT, but it seems to persist.
There are several threads about the HHT on here but the very few things everyone agrees on is that the HHT is for the people who hone razors, and even then only after developing it into a semi-reliable test for that person ... The other thing is that the HHT is in no way a test for testing the shave worthiness of the edge, only the shave test can do that...
If it shaves yer fine, other than that leave the HHT for when you start learning to hone, if at all...
Thanks for the info, and welcome to SRP...

+1 on what has already been said. I have purchased a few shave ready razors from both members here and SRP's sponsors and let me say that none of them pass the HHT with my hair, but guess what? They all give excellent shaves as the shave test is really the only test that matters. Since you purchased your razor from SRD, then you have a shave ready razor that probably couldn't be honed to be any sharper. So just relax, lather, and enjoy the shave.

thanks for all the input! I'm glad I asked the question. Now I know that I'm not doing my stropping wrong.

The bottom line is if it shaves good then it is good..!

A story I use all the time is my Boker Edelweisse which I got from SRD and is a stellar shaver. It passed the HHT for me about 60% of the time, for my dad all the time and a friend of mine couldnt get it to work at all. The reason for this is that all of our hairs are different, so the test only means something if you've calibrated it for your hair.

The golden rule is, until you get into honing and all that good stuff, dont worry about any of the tests other than the shave test. All the other tests are ways of gauging how an edge is progressing as you hone it.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Sometimes I can have some really tough steel on the hone and can't get any HHT of the stone for the life of me. When that happens I'll alway test shave with it just to see what it needs and occassionaly the razor is fine.
I gotta say though every razor that has ever give me an exceptional shave has always passed the HHT easily (any hair).
That said I've had razors that were face harsh but good HHT.
I just find some edges are a delight to hone whilst others are SOB's, to me I need to match the hone and approach to the steel and some razors will never give a good test result but shave fine.
I also find pastes will get me there most of the time if I'm struggling especially stainless which in my opinion don't quite get as keen as my best carbons.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

one of the things that we have continually tried to squash, is that myth of the HHT, but it seems to persist.

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!

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.