HHT problems ...

I am a little confused ATM. I just finished honing a Thistle. It pops hairs off my arm, at skin level and above. However, when I try the HHT I cannot get it to cut ... I even tried to position the hair just like I do when it's on my arm. I know that the test does not confirm that the razor is shave ready, only a shave can do that. But it's irritating that I cannot complete this test. I should mention that I'm using hair off my head for the HHT, could hair from my head be that much different that my arm hair? Now that I said that, I just tried to use an arm hair for the HHT and no cut. :mad:

Just a question but if you know that only a shave can tell if a blade is shave ready then... why is it bothering you?

... only because it's something that I haven't been able to do.

The first time I heard about the HHT it reminded me about the movie Bodyguard. It's been a very long time since I've seen it but, the scene where Whitney takes the sword and the scarf falls on it and slices in two pieces. I have always wanted something that sharp. So I guess in the back of my mind, the razor isn't sharp enough until it can do that ... but with hair. Make sense? Probably not.

I know, if it shaves ... comfortably, then be happy.

No I get it! I kind of obsessed about it once as well. Then I went through a strop without as much as a tug. It shocked me! Shocked me scared lol! Never did bother with the test again. Though I do test on my wrist.

As for Hollywood's depiction of sharp - there are allot of "sharp" guys on this forum who might correct me but I think a falling scarf being as light as it is; short of falling on anything other than a laser would never be cut in half. Though the notion is really cool and the reason I keep buying different knife blades lol :).

Good luck! It is cool when it works!

Flip the hair around
Try somebody else's hair

I have posted this before, but will again

When I first learned of the HHT I tried it and Wow I was god's gift to honing every single razor popped hairs , I was pretty impressed with myself :)
Then something happened all of a sudden I couldn't get any to pop I tried and tried a I honed, and honed but nothing..
Finally I gave up and went forward to a shave test and it was flawless so I backed up and re-stropped and bam the hair popped but barely.. Nothing like in the past..
It took a bit of time but I realized the problem one morning as I saw the wife using my hair brush, it was her hair that would not pop off the hones..
So back to testing.. I learned my hair is about useless for HHT it pops at a very good 1k bevel, hers however won't pop until a perfectly honed edge has been stropped and even then not easily..

The HHT has to be calibrated before it means anything, and even then it basically says the edge is sharp nothing much more

I have never attempted the HHT, but have honed my razors to comfortable shaves.

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Originally Posted by Hirlau

I have never attempted the HHT, but have honed my razors to comfortable shaves.

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I don't know why - but that's kind of funny Hirlau.

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Try somebody else's hair

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That could be awkward ... "Excuse me ..." :D

That was it! Went to the bathroom, got the gf's brush and sure enough ... it popped right off.

:bow gssixgun :bow

Wish I would have seen that other post ... thanks for posting again!

Just in answer to the original question. Yes, head & arm hair can differ radically.

I always try to get my razor to pop arm hairs at the 1K level, once and a while the best I can get with some razor is that it will just shave the arm hairs well but not grap them above the skin level, but most of the time they will still polish up very well and give a decent smooth shave, so, so much for test's, their good and useful, but not always the "Bees Knees" endall of honing,, just in IMHO though.


tinkersd, undermedicated once again!!!

And then SWMBO goes and gets her hair coloured and blows the whole calibration thing out the window

Different hairs actually are a problem, but you are predominetly experiencing "catch" issues. A poorly honed razor will be sharp, but it'll catch whiskers. This is great for the HHT, not as much for shaving. Smooth the edge, more, and more, and the razor will have less catch. It'll still pass the HHT test even after some stropping. It's really sharp. At some point the hair will need to be oriented correctly because you will have to get the edge to slide in between the hairs "plates". The outer bark . . . I forget the technical term. this is a really smooth edge, and very sharp. Finally, at some point you'll achieve great smoothness. Then failure of the HHT. This is a great sign though, cuz this be da shaving edge, or close to it, that yar looking for!

Anyway, I'm a busy guy, so I'll only say this once. The Thumbpad test is the only pre-shave test that measures shavability, without actually shaving. The HHT is NOT a shavability test, it is only a sharpness test. Sharpness and smoothness must both be present. And they can be present in a variety of mixtures. A very smooth edge can shave as well as an ultra sharp edge. The optimum edge you produce will often NOT pass the HHT.

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Originally Posted by mhenson

the scene where Whitney takes the sword and the scarf falls on it and slices in two pieces.

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If it makes you feel any better, it doesn't work like that in real life. :)

Sorry but how do you do the HHT?

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Originally Posted by ccase39

Sorry but how do you do the HHT?

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Slowly... & with the finest hair possible .... Then if it fails you go & shave test anyway.... ;)

But what do you do?

Just messing with ya.
I don't have long enough head hair, I just use arm hair. If it cuts & falls over without tugging I go & shave test.

The HHt is really only of any use to someone honing & even then it's optional. If someone were to donate a hair I would turn it root out then again try to cut it slowly by pressure in one spot. The hair should be clean & dry or oils could mat down the cuticles preventing the edge from slicing in between. Only the sharpest of blades will cut the finest of hairs & that's not a guarantee either.

I have been checking my edges by passing them over my forearm 1/4 inch up off the skin. If it cuts but the hairs jump and ping, edge is good. If it cuts quietly and the hairs lay on the razor, it's very good.

I have no idea how that relates to HHT. I've never tried it.