Thread: Simple Question: Can a Norton 4K/8K produce a blade capable of passing the HHT?

I shaved off an 8K for years. The HHT test is useless in my opinion. My hair will not pass the HHT on any razor I have handled and that includes some done by well know honers. I will not even pass on a new DE or SE blade. Maybe a guy could make a living selling his hair which could become the gold standard for the HHT test and will allow direct comparisons among all shavers

Originally Posted by gssixgun

First test your HHT,, take a fresh DE or SE and see if your hair passes with that...

Learn the test first, the Norton 8k is capable, but you don't know if your hair is

So what does it mean if my razor will pass with dog hair, but not human hair?

Originally Posted by jgjgjg

So what does it mean if my razor will pass with dog hair, but not human hair?

I think it means your shave will be a bit "woof"

Originally Posted by jgjgjg

So what does it mean if my razor will pass with dog hair, but not human hair?

You know this is actually an interesting question

Animal and Human Hair Evidence | Forensic Science


What all that means to us I have no idea, I guess you have to reverse engineer the DHHT to mean something

Yes, with 2k to spare.

I ask because my dog has short, thick hair. My honed edges will generally cut them. My daughters all have very very soft, very very fine and floppy hair.

I haven't been able to hone or strop and edge yet that will consistently cut my daughter's hairs. I don't have any hairs long enough to keep my finger tips clear of the action.

Originally Posted by CrownCork

I will not even pass on a new DE or SE blade.

Wow! That is some amazing hair. I would love to have a sample of that hair. I have heard mystical rumors about hair that not even a feather blade can cut but have never seen this. Can you tree top your arm hair with a new razor blade?

This is a quote from SRP's WIKI. "The HHT is one of several sharpness tests frequently used by those who hone straight razors. In order to gain the benefits of using the HHT, one must understand what the HHT can and cannot do."

It can cut hair
It cannot cut your hair. Lol.

Originally Posted by JohnGalt131

I have a very simple (almost yes or no) question. That is the following: can a Norton 4K/8K get a razor to a point where it can pass the HHT?

Not such a simple question. 3 possible answers.

1. If Heisenberg was uncertain how would I know.
2. No the 4k/8k will just sit there until you push the razor on it
3. Yes you can HHT @ 8k, maybe even at 1k.

Originally Posted by jgjgjg

So what does it mean if my razor will pass with dog hair, but not human hair?

That would be for you to find out.

The sharpness tests all work the same way in principle:

1: Hone blade;
2: Test blade;
3: Shave with blade;
3.1: Assess edge in light of 3.
3.2: Compare results of 2 with 3.
4: Repeat the above 5 steps until the shave in 3 is acceptable.

At the end of that process, repeated over many razors and many honing sessions, you should have developed a very good map of how your chosen test relates to an edge that gives you a good shave.

In addition, if you are lucky you will also during the process develop a good idea of what kind of test result will relate to bad edges of various kinds.

Consistency of the process is important of course. Anything you change in any of the steps is basically a new situation that will need to be recalibrated using the process above.

But that process should work regardless of the test (thumb pad, HHT, etc). The only thing that is required is that the chosen test will produce a result. For example, a hair that will not cut when an edge produces the kind of shave you want is of course useless as a test.

James.

As already stated - depends on the hair and the honer.

My hair will rarely pass the HHT on a professionally honed blade - nor with that blade tree top my thin wispy arm hairs. I still find the HHT useful but I mostly use SWMBO's hair at the very end of honing and after stropping. Since I always use pretty much the same progression on the same hones (Shaptons) I know the final edge will be pretty much the same. I find the HHT more entertaining than anything - just knowing that I've succeeded in creating a very sharp edge is all that it tells me - I like to make the HHT as high a bar as possible - holding the root end of the hair and gently probing the edge from 2 inches out to see if it silently cuts. If it does, I giggle and shave with the razor knowing that it's sharp and if the shave doesn't go well, I know there is something else that I'm missing. As time goes on and you get better at honing the shaves get better and better and the HHT becomes less and less a test and more of a novelty.

-john