Thread: Pass the HHT after shaving?

I'm at the stage where I can get a really good shave and my honing seems to be OK. I can get the razors to pass the HHT before stropping, but they do much better afterwards. My HHT technique is to pass the razor about 1cm above the hair on my leg. After honing and before stropping, an "OK pass" is catching and cutting about 5 hairs. After stropping, it will cut almost every hair.

Randy has mentioned that the razor should pass the HHT before stropping, and mine now do, but my question is how well should it pass before stropping? Randy, what exactly is your HHT technique?

Also, after shaving, my razors do not pass the HHT. They will catch maybe one hair, but that's about it. If I strop them, they pass very well again. Is this what I should expect?

Much Thanks,
Eric

Randy will give you a very detailed description of the HHT, although I would imagine you could search for it. I would think the blade would be misaligned after the shave and wouldn't do as well.

I can sortof understand Randy's point of view that a razor should pass the HHT before stropping. As a definition of sharpness its a great test. But I'm really lost on the point of doing a HHT after shaving. Although stropping is really designed to just make the blade smooth enough to shave with, it should also align the teeth and edge into a straight line. I have much better results after stropping, but I can't hone at his level either. His blades are wicked sharp.

My experience doesn't match yours but perhaps you have a heavy beard or are using an aggressive angle shaving.

Given that the T in HHT is for test. What is the objective of doing the HHT after the shave? I would suspect a stainless blade would have a different reaction than a carbon one as they wear slower.

Although my experience isn't the same as long as your razor is commited to passes the test before you shave I'd be reasonably satisfied by that for now.
But unless your not prepping your beard really well I would think it would still cut well after the shave, although I've heard some guys even have to strop mid shave.

I don't think there will be one answer for the edge reaction after shaving, lots a variables there.

Here is Randy's description:

"Blade is stationary, do not move the blade.
Hair is held root end out. 1/2 to1 inch
The curve of the hair is down
Slowly bring the hair down over the edge of the blade
The less resistance you feel the sharper the blade"

I have very fine hair as I suspect do you if you're doing the arm hair test on your legs. The arm hair test isn't the HHT really. I'd say it's a quick and dirty version, but not difinitive. As a fair haired guy I couldn't get the HHT to work off the stone for me so I stopped trying. I shouldn't have. I recently got back to it with coarse hairs mined from my wife's hair brush and it gave me enough feedback to begin using my own hair for the HHT off the stone. Needless to say my edges are improving.

I can't get either hers or mine to work after the shave either.

X

The reason I ask is because I'm curious how well my edge is "holding up". I suppose I should expect some degredation of the HHT after shaving, but I'm curious how well a blade works by somebody with much better honing technique and experience.

From what I've been reading, razors prepared by Lynn and Randy and a few others are much sharper than the average well-honed razor. I find this extremely interesting and wish there were a more quantitative way to test sharpness. I would also love to see a video of Lynn or Randy or some of the other Honemeisters honing. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth a few million!

E

I'll add what I did in the other area. Buy a cheap boar bristle brush and pluck it to use for your HHT. I find that my hair is also too fine for the test while the boar hair equates well with your facial hair.


PS I never have tried after a shave.

One of the major drawbacks to honing a straight razor (or a knife) is that there is no objective test that we can use to determine if the edge is "ready". Because of that several subjective tests have been developed.

The thumbnail test for judging the edge for roughness (nicks) and to see if a bevel has been developed.

The thumb test where you run your wetted thumb ACROSS the blade to see if it grabs.

The HHT to see if the blade cuts the hair easily.

The skin hair test, using either your arm or leg hair.

When I started I used the arm hair test and developed a bad case of bald forearms! Then I learned about the HHT and started using that. For each of us we will develop a test that suits us. But... in each case there will be a learning curve. It really does not matter which test you use, but it does matter that you stick with it and use it consistently and learn from it. All that being said it still boils down to the fact that only a shave will tell you for sure if the razor is ready for you.

There is also the subject of "reasonable expectations". I will admit that to this day I seldom am able to get my razor's to my standard of sharpness with just one session on the hones. It almost always take two or three sessions and then two or three shaves after that before the razor becomes both "smooth and sharp".

The HHT uses the hair from your head, not your arm or leg hair. The hair should "Jump!" off the edge of the blade or close to it. To get to this point takes some gentle repetition on the hones. Patience, practice and persistence are all necessary. You are not going to learn this overnight.

Don't even bother with the HHT after stropping or shaving. A well develop bevel created on a 4000 grit hone then stropped will pass the HHT but shave you poorly. The process of shaving does misalign the razors edge so why bother?
Using the HHT after the 8000 hone tells you that you are finished with the 8000 and can go on to even finer grits and//or your razor is now ready for a shave test.

Hope this helps,

Originally Posted by ericm

Randy has mentioned that the razor should pass the HHT before stropping, and mine now do, but my question is how well should it pass before stropping? Randy, what exactly is your HHT technique?

Also, after shaving, my razors do not pass the HHT. They will catch maybe one hair, but that's about it. If I strop them, they pass very well again. Is this what I should expect?

Much Thanks,
Eric

Thanks for the info and advice!
Eric