Quote Originally Posted by jeffegg2 View Post
I'm still not understanding how you can learn to hone a straight razor while comparing to a shavette. A shavette and a straight are different animals. Get a shave ready straight razor and learn to shave with it, and then you can start to learn how to hone a straight razor. HHT is nonsense. You only have the shave test to truely test a straight.

I have a shavette and a bunch of straights. There is definitely some merit to owning both. There's no doubt, imo, that if you can shave with a shavette (which are usually like shaving with a straight that has *two* spike points on it, one at the toe and one at the heal of the shavette blade), you can shave with a straight. Shavettes can be tricky, and much less "forgiving" of user error than a real straight. The blades are also quite a bit sharper than a real straight. Improper technique will be rewarded with irritation, weepers, and a sink full of red. Shavettes also give you the feel for what a truly sharp blade feels like.

And while it's true that the only "real" test for a blade is the shave test, the various sharpness tests (TPT, TNT, HHT, AHT, etc) all have their merits: TNT (and AHT) useful for determining when a bevel is right, TPT to test the sharpness along the length of the blade, AHT and HHT are useful in determining how close to the shave test you are. In my own little honing method, I know that I need to get an AHT that feels like a velvet squeegee and an HTT test on certain hair before I'll even send a blade to the final shave test. I'm certainly not going to send a razor to a shave test off of each stone to determine if I'm ready to go to the next stone. Each test has it's own value in determining where you're at as you head toward the final test (shaving).

Some guys use some of these tests, others use another set. Sure they all work toward the ultimate goal of a good shave test, but to discount one as nonsense isn't quite accurate. For *some guys* each test is accurate as *they* use them in their own technique.

Shavettes have their place for some, as does the HHT. None of them are without value. Some are just not valued by some people.