Thread: Hanging hair test from Norton 8k

I have been practicing honing for about 2 months now (mainly smiling wedges) and I believe that my bevel setting is decent. The blades that I have honed are full restoring jobs. I usually start with the 1k and once the razor cuts arm hair I move to the 4/8k and do a pyramid. The thing is that I never get my razors to pass the hht except for a filarmonica 6/8 and an 8/8 henckels that are full hollow. Now here is the kicker after about 40 passes on the linen strop and about 20-30 on the leather and voila hht pass. My question is this normal? And would a finishing stone like the yellow Belgian and or the Chinese would help me?

I don't pass HHT after honing without stropping first. A wedge requires more metal be removed and is a more difficult task IME. I've read of some guys who succeed at HHT off of a 1k, or whatever, but I gave up trying. I found in years of doing this that I suddenly began to have a higher ratio of success with honing/HHT whether with a wedge or a full hollow. To all intents and purposes it seemed to me that I was doing the same thing in terms of my honing technique. Obviously I was doing better, but I can't strictly put my finger on what or how.

For me a chosera 1k followed by the norton 4/8 is what I do. If I can't get HHT (following stropping) after the 8k I don't move to the Escher or the Coticule until I do. You can get a coticule of a Chinese phig but IMO a naniwa 12k would be a better investment for a close smooth shave. Our razors can cut all the hanging hairs we want but the shave is the important thing. A razor that does HHT every time but doesn't shave smooth is as bad as a dull one AFAIC. Just IMHO.

I agree with your assessment on but, but since sometimes I run out of facial hair. I was afraid that you might recommend something out of my budget. So you strop before you move to a finishing stone of an 8k?

I have never been a huge fan of the HHT, just way to many variables.. If you can calibrate it out to mean something at a certain spot in your honing system that is great.. Always keep in mind that is an individual thing..

When I used my form of the HHT in the past I was like Jimmy I could only get the wife's hair to pop after stropping on the 8k, my hair was useless, as it will pop after 1k..
So when I used the HHT I knew that after the 8k and Stropping I had a positive HHT and I had found that more importantly I had a nice comfortable shave.. I combined those two as a solid test base... My finisher of choice after that was strictly a "Finisher" I didn't really NEED it...

I haven't used an HHT as anything more than a fun test in a few years now...

Originally Posted by rocarule

I agree with your assessment on but, but since sometimes I run out of facial hair. I was afraid that you might recommend something out of my budget. So you strop before you move to a finishing stone of an 8k?

Early on I had the 12k so I would go right on up to it. Then Randydance told me to strop and shave after the 8k ..... to make sure I was ready to go to the 12k. I started doing that and found I can get a really DFS at the 8k level. Anyway, if it is a good shave at the 8k it will improve in smoothness and maybe some in sharpness off a higher grit finisher. If it isn't a good shave at the 8k it isn't ready to go to the finisher.

As so many of us that are traveling the journey with shaving with and maintaining straight razors I read all I could find at SRP and watched every online video I could find about honing a straight!

I eagerly watched and took a mental note of every ‘test’ as each individual progressed to their shave ready edge.

I found some of the tests helpful while others were confusing or contradictory.

After quite some time I’m finally confident with my honing results, I’ve gotten some nice compliments on my humble efforts.

With that said here are the only tests that I do:

I seldom use a 1K these days but if I do I do the Thumbnail test/to see if the entire edge is catching. END OF TESTING

On the 4K level after honing I test with arm hairs, if I’m pleased with how they ‘pop’ I go to the 8K level.

On the 8K level after honing and my regimen of stropping after honing, I could live with that edge for the rest of my life!!! It should be smooth and comfortable!

The one thing about this Art of shaving with a straight razor is that there is so much ‘personal’ preference!

I hope this helps!

Originally Posted by cudarunner

As so many of us that are traveling the journey with shaving with and maintaining straight razors I read all I could find at SRP and watched every online video I could find about honing a straight!

I eagerly watched and took a mental note of every ‘test’ as each individual progressed to their shave ready edge.

I found some of the tests helpful while others were confusing or contradictory.

After quite some time I’m finally confident with my honing results, I’ve gotten some nice compliments on my humble efforts.

With that said here are the only tests that I do:

I seldom use a 1K these days but if I do I do the Thumbnail test/to see if the entire edge is catching. END OF TESTING

On the 4K level after honing I test with arm hairs, if I’m pleased with how they ‘pop’ I go to the 8K level.

On the 8K level after honing and my regimen of stropping after honing, I could live with that edge for the rest of my life!!! It should be smooth and comfortable!

The one thing about this Art of shaving with a straight razor is that there is so much ‘personal’ preference!

I hope this helps!

The thumb nail test is the only test that I use anymore while honing. If the TNT checks out the way I like it to, and the edge looks good under magnification, I don't do any more testing of the edge until the test shave. With the Shaptons, it's easy enough to tell when it's time to move to the next stone without having to give myself a case of hone mange.

I have to follow the consensus above in that none of the tests mean anything until you understand how they work and feel for you, Oh and a quality loupe is your friend.


I only use the TNT on a full bevel reset,

Minor bevel work (If I need to expand on this let me know) and if I have to drop to the 5k it is TPT and arm hair.

I still use the HHT post strop as I have very fine head hair I will not get an HHT prior,

I also have to watch where on my head I pull it from as it makes a difference in the result.

In all honesty all the HHT tells me anymore is that I have it consistent from toe to heel I do not use it to tell me if the blade is sharp,

Testing the bevel told me it was sharp.

Then it is on to the shave test, I had one the other day that performed satisfactorily,

but I felt I could get more out of it and went back to hit the 5k with 5 very light passes just to set up a scratch pattern to watch through the re-progression on the way back up.

There is some nice sharing here, but as has been stated hairs are variable and potentially so are the observations while doing the test.

I'd suggest that first you need a razor that works the way you like it, then you develop an ability to observe HOW that razor performs in the testing (whatever the test may be). Then you know what to look for.

Personally I use arm hair. I pick one hair and cleave it 5-6 mm above the skin. I watch closely how the hair behaves and also feel how much tug there is from that hair on my arm. I then use this "data" to test the other portions of the blade (heel, mid-heel, mid-toe, toe). This is a reasonable test for me for uniformity.

I'd like to say I somehow calibrate this, but I don't. I usually wear long sleeves, so my hair is usually warm and moist...but not always. I'm not really gauging sharpness as much as I am uniformity. The shave is where I decide if its sharp enough or not.

Originally Posted by unit

I watch closely how the hair behaves and also feel how much tug there is from that hair on my arm. I then use this "data" to test the other portions of the blade (heel, mid-heel, mid-toe, toe). This is a reasonable test for me for uniformity.

The more I think about it,

I don't think the uniformity of the edge is stressed enough,

we talk about the marker/sharpie test to make sure you are hitting the length of the bevel.

Or looking at the scratch pattern, and please don't get me wrong it is important,

but the quality/uniformity of that contact is critical to setting the bevel and a good shaving edge.

I know it has been mentioned but not stressed as much as I think it should be.