Hi Jeff,
I certainly don't want to be giving out bad advice to other members, so help me out please. In the wiki, under "Sharpness tests explained," in talking about the TNT - Thumb Nail Test, it states:
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Finer points
1. This test will damage the shaving edge so it should only be done on an edge that you intend to keep honing on the 4000 level hones. Its primary purpose is to determine whether the bevel is set properly.
2. This test is sometimes seen as the least useful of the tests in this article as it is the most dangerous to the shaving edge and the results are also the most vague to interpret.
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A couple of things come to mind. First, it's obvious we aren't cutting *through* our thumbnail when performing a TNT, we're just gently drawing the edge -- that has not yet progressed past a 4000 hone -- across the surface of our thumbnail just to get an idea as to whether the bevel is set yet or not. Folks who know honing better than me state that "This test will damage the shaving edge" and "is the most dangerous to the shaving edge" that is not yet shave ready sharp. So how is it that taking a shave ready sharp razor -- whose edge is much finer and more fragile -- and using it to cut through a sheet of paper *won't* damage the edge?
The other thought that pops up is that most of us go through an extensive pre-shave ritual to soften and moisten our beards that includes shave oil and lather to keep our beard and skin lubricated, moist and cushioned. Yet the edge still needs to be stropped before the next shave.
So is slicing through a dry sheet of paper with a shave ready sharp razor like shaving a properly prepped beard? Or is it more like performing a *very* aggressive TNT with a much more fragile, easily damaged edge?
Please don't misunderstand me; I'm not arguing with you. I don't care about being "right." My concern is that a new member reading your post might get his freshly honed razor back from a honemeister, slice through a couple of sheets of paper to "test" it, not get the shave he was expecting, and complain in a thread that so-and-so did a lousy job honing his razor. How does that help him?
Your thoughts, please?