Thread: HHT off the Coticule

Thanks - I was doubting this myself. Together with what I saw in the straight section - I wonder now how much credible the Schick part is, too

Cheers
Ivo

Ivo - the dry human hair is tougher than copper wire of the same diameter - but when wet it is much softer. Hence all the hullabaloo about lather, softening the beard, method shaving etcetera. Of course that can be taken too far, since once saturated, the hair really cannot hold any more water. So beyond a point, all that stuff is just hot air... errr... water... ummm... lather.

And even khukuris are convex ground; I cut myself once on one as sharp as a razor - well - not shave ready straight razor, but say a used DE blade. They are incredibly tough knives too, and at least in Nepal, there is a lot of mystique that surrounds them. Unfortunately they don't yet have the western exposure of the katana, so they are inexpensive.

See http://www.himalayan-imports.com/ for khukuri info.

Vijay -

this may make sense for Schick then - because their users mostly use some crap from a can for several seconds before the edge hits the hair, not real soaking

Thanks for the info - I am fascinated with Everest, sherpas, etc. The fact that these khukuri are inexpensive is not unfortunate But I am not sure what I would use one for... Maybe hiking and stuff?

Cheers
Ivo

You make some interesting points. Let me weigh in.

First, the HHT has not been dismissed lightly. It hasn't really been dismissed at all, at least by me. It's one test of an edge that tells you something about the edge. A thumbnail test is another test. For me, shaving is the best test. The HHT has rightly been put in its place though as a subjective test. It was used for a long time because it was the easiest test to perform, anyone could do it, and because it gave a pretty good indication. It still does with many folks. It's also fun to do.

Second, because an edge is super sharp doesn't mean it is the best edge. The trick is in the word "best". When edges are super sharp they tend not to stay that way very long. It's a tradeoff or compromise. Double bevels will get you an amazingly sharp edge if you do it right. The edge also won't last very long! There's just not enough steel to support the edge. This is not a problem for many as their goal is a super sharp edge and they don't mind honing and stropping. Others only want to hone when necessary and a great edge is good enough.