Yeah, when I wrote that I was afraid you might think it was directed at you. It absolutely was not. I just used that as an example of how a beginner can mis-use the HHT. My point for you simply was to not worry about the HHT. I'd suggest you try to perfect your TPT instead. If you don't feel any improvement as you move up the hones, maybe your bevel is not fully set. That's by far the biggest problem for getting the hang of honing.