Thread: To HHT or to not HHT? That is the poll...

Originally Posted by Lynn

You guys know my vote Lynn

Lynn said it, I believe it , and that settles it. This debate makes me think of my surprise when I had been shaving with a DE for a while and participated in shave forums where guys rated their DE blade preferences. I loved Gillette Swedes and Feathers and could live with Derbys, IPs and Merkurs but a Dorco was garbage to me. Some guys love them.

The varying opinions on which blades were good, better, best amazed me. If you have experience with the various DE blades you know what I am talking about. One fellow might love the sharpness of a Feather while another might find it too harsh and prefer the milder Derby.

All I am saying is that I have shaved with razors that do not pass HHT comfortably and closely. I have also shaved with razors that do pass HHT and also got a comfortable and close shave. So I go back to the statement that it is fine if you get it there but it isn't necessary. At least not for my skin and beard. YMMV.

OTOH, I am pleased when I am done honing and stropping and I get the effortless HHT successfully but it took me months of honing to regularly achieve that level of sharpness. So if you're new to honing and straight razor shaving don't get bummed out if your edges aren't "there" yet. As long as the shave is good that is what matters.

...seems like at least part of it is havingthe right hair and knowing how to get an hht to pass. I have tried with one hair and got nothing but from another part of the head get it to go without touching the razor.

with HHT I know it is very sharp, but no passing does not mean to dull.

it is a little tough for me to keep hht passing razor and not ruin the edge via hard beard or poor technique.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

The varying opinions on which blades were good, better, best amazed me. If you have experience with the various DE blades you know what I am talking about. One fellow might love the sharpness of a Feather while another might find it too harsh and prefer the milder Derby.

All I am saying is that I have shaved with razors that do not pass HHT comfortably and closely. I have also shaved with razors that do pass HHT and also got a comfortable and close shave. So I go back to the statement that it is fine if you get it there but it isn't necessary. At least not for my skin and beard. YMMV.

This is what has caused me to wonder more than once: what general sharpness are hone-for-hire guys after? Most customers will not say "I want it sharp like a Dorco DE" or "I want it sharp like a Merkur DE". Maybe the difference is subtle enough that it doesn't matter all that much to a lot of guys?

OK now I am going to really mess with ya... If the HHT does not pass, how many of you have tried reversing the hair????
Just turn the stupid thing around so that the end you were holding is now the end you are trying to cut... if possible hold onto the follicle end

Just try it !!!!

I think this is ripe for exploitation. An entrepeneur could find a source of bristles of some sort, call it standardized hair, shear it, wash it, dry it, bundle it, and sell it to honers around the world. Then we could all talk about our HHTs and in comparing notes would be able to refer to how the razor passes or fails the standard test. This could even be better than the honing competition. For a couple of bucks and some, e.g. golden retriever hair, we could not only talk about our razors, our hones, our strops, our soaps, our creams, our bay rum, but also how our razor passed the STANDARD HHT with that standard strand just laying on the edge: no pull, no tug, just laying on the edge momentarily and then - snick - it's now two pieces with only the help of gravity.

I envison and new forum topic: Does the hair lie, or does it only lie there for a trice and then it's twain?

Oh, this is exciting

Don't know I dont have any hair. I sometimes run the blade up my arm but I generaly use the taught scalp test. This seems to work for me.

Don

Originally Posted by Bruce

I think this is ripe for exploitation. An entrepeneur could find a source of bristles of some sort, call it standardized hair, shear it, wash it, dry it, bundle it, and sell it to honers around the world. Then we could all talk about our HHTs and in comparing notes would be able to refer to how the razor passes or fails the standard test. This could even be better than the honing competition. For a couple of bucks and some, e.g. golden retriever hair, we could not only talk about our razors, our hones, our strops, our soaps, our creams, our bay rum, but also how our razor passed the STANDARD HHT with that standard strand just laying on the edge: no pull, no tug, just laying on the edge momentarily and then - snick - it's now two pieces with only the help of gravity.

I envison and new forum topic: Does the hair lie, or does it only lie there for a trice and then it's twain?

Oh, this is exciting

any natural material will vary, even off the same beast. monofilament?

Originally Posted by kevint

any natural material will vary, even off the same beast. monofilament?

Awhile back Randy and I were talking about the HHT and the variability of a person's hair. Randy suggested that monofilament might be the way to go. If all of us used the same diameter material of the same composition it would be a more dependable measure of sharpness in terms of a comparison of one to another. I don't fish so I don't know if it comes in a fine enough gauge.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Awhile back Randy and I were talking about the HHT and the variability of a person's hair. Randy suggested that monofilament might be the way to go. If all of us used the same diameter material of the same composition it would be a more dependable measure of sharpness in terms of a comparison of one to another. I don't fish so I don't know if it comes in a fine enough gauge.

i know there is at least a 2 pound tippet for fly fishing. maybe even smaller but at least a 2#

The curious reader may find even more information about proposed standard materials and their importance for the revered and disdained hanging hair tests here:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/newbi...-hht-test.html