Quote Originally Posted by Bruno View Post
The main problem I have with the HHT 1-5 nonsense is that there so much variation in human hair between people doing the test, that the actual numbers mean absolutely nothing in terms of being able to compare your HHT with someone else. A person can only compare results which are done by the same person using the same hair. Any other comparison is by definition completely meaningless.
I've found the variation in human and even canine hairs valuable in using the HHT. Different hairs can be used to refine HHT results and improve edge calibration. While the results ultimately are shown in the shave itself, it is useful to have a way to check edges without having to shave while doing it, especially during honing. As Glen points out, calibration is the key, and this takes time and effort. It took me a month to get the test calibrated to my use in honing, but now I can use it starting at 8K and get an idea of how the edge is doing. With practice, I've now gotten to the point where I can reliably predict shaving results with the HHT. The value is that I can now determine whether a blade is shave ready without shaving with it. It's worth working on because it can be such a reliable test, but you can't expect to just give it a try with some random hair and learn anything from it. It takes work.