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

As simply stated by Utopian, “You are chasing the wrong thing”. A test is just a test. It may or may not have meaning for you. The goal is not to cut hand held or arm hair, but to shave… your face.

Many a race car performs superbly on the Dyno, but fails miserably on the track. Why?

The Dyno only gives you a result of one factor, as may do a hair test and that one section of the edge that did or did not cut hair.

It also says nothing of the main factor… the driver.

Can one hone an edge with a 4/8K Norton and achieve a very shaveable edge? Yes, absolutely… very well.

Cut your hair? Maybe…

so t recap, yes it can... maybe you can't (just yet) but be as consistent as possible with everything you do ( tape/no tape, circles/japanese/back honing, you name it) and eventually you'll get there,provided your hair is suitable and your technique is adequate, the most important thing is the sensation of the shave itself.

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Originally Posted by Euclid440

Many a race car performs superbly on the Dyno, but fails miserably on the track. Why?

The Dyno only gives you a result of one factor, as may do a hair test and that one section of the edge that did or did not cut hair.

It also says nothing of the main factor… the driver.

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Good analogy!

I'm a big fan of coticules - the yellow stone sets bevels well and the dark side refines the edge nicely. I have a double sided coticule and it's now the only hone use. (Unless there is serious corrective work that needs doing)

With practice, a 4&8k hone should give a good edge.

I, like many others don't have any scalp hairs long enough to HHT, so we AHT mostly and almost exclusively after 1k.

When I acquired my coticule (from retired barber-who was not a honer) i didn't know how to use it. I had been shaving off 8k, tried the Coti, and preferred the 8k edge.

Then i learned to use the Coticule. Oh better. ;)

And I regularly test shave off the 8k, just to be sure an edge is ready for finer work.

I have thought of getting some hair from the salon, from when some gal gets a few inches knocked off. Should i get brunette or blonde or RED? :p Seems better than plucking them from my lab and jrt.


But then I've learned to hone and shave quite satisfactorily w/o any HH's, why complicate the program? :thinking: