Thread: "honed" razor still failed HHT-3?

Originally Posted by elgeeno

just a further thought on my....... thought......

so i guess the begginer, in essence, needs to purchase 2 blades even before their first straight shave. 1 for calibrating, and 1 for shaving?

Certainly not. The only thing a beginner needs to worry about is getting a properly shaving razor. And attempting stuff like HHT that a beginner thinks is simple, is not going to ensure that.

Since, obviously the important part is the suitability of that razor/edge for shaving, the only way for a beginner to do it right is by getting a razor that has been tested by somebody who knows what that is. So, instead of spending all this time reading about stuff like HHT and what not, a productive use of a beginner's resources would be to research the person(s) they intend to purchase their razor from. Seems pretty simple to me, which may be because that's exactly what I did, so I didn't have to rely on 'luck'.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Nope

What I meant was why did you test the SR when you haven't tested your Disposable???

If you test your disposable then you would see how your hair reacts.. As mentioned in my first post I have actually asked some of the DE guys to test their blades and and found that there is no correlation to the blade being sharp and the HHT... Let alone how those blades shave

The trick or calibration to HHT is in knowing how your hair reacts to a known sharp blade, if you haven't figured that out then the HHT means absolutly nothing.. Once you have figured that out the HHT means simply "Next to nothing"

So you did what most newbs do, they blindly poke at the blade with a hair that they don't know jack about, and come to the conclusion that the edge is either good or bad from this test..


I cannot make it any more clear than that and I mean no offense by being blunt, keep in mind I am only discussing the HHT nothing else here

i had imagined that the SR would have been much more sharper straight out of the box than the SE. it just didn't seem obvious to me to HHT the disposable. i actually did a small test when i woke up today with my hair on both blades and the SE cut the hair first go with a 'chop' sound. my SR also passed but after 2 tries, with a 'singing' sound.

quite true in the fact that i am still a white belt but i'm learning a lot about the HHT, and shaving in general. it seems to be very structured (it has all its elements, procedures and resulting tests eg thumb, treetop etc), but yet it is very complex. small variables such as hair type, hair strength, hair treatment will affect the overall outcome. i've discovered a new admiration for the art which only furthers my interests

Originally Posted by Joed

Sorry but I don't completely agree with this statement and it's reference to shaving. True, you wouldn't test print all 275 pages but you might print the first page as a test. This would test all the software, OS and drivers. A shave test does not need to be your whole face, just a small part to start with, say your left cheek, or just your sideburns.

I really can't believe this thread is still going. Thank you GSSIXGUN for your patients and effort in this thread to maintain a true course. The issue As I see it is the noobie using this test to gauge someone else's honing or the factory edge on a razor. The test will not give good results in a noobie's hands. For the rest of you that have calibrated the test, have fun.

not only the thread, but the whole interpretation of the HHT and how to use it will still rage on! just browsing through google and there are many other threads in other forums about this topic. at least this newbie (me!) has reached a pinnacle of this subject. i guess the next phase of HHT for me would be honing, but i'm going to leave that one right alone

now that my shaving brain has grown substantially larger, i must now return to my den and contemplate the next journey. thank you to all for sharing your thoughts and information and especially those who invested much in the topic

This has been an interesting and informative thread. The most useful application of the HHT I've experienced is during the honing process, to get an idea of how the edge is progressing. But I also admit that I do it compulsively after stropping, just because it's satisfying in an OCD sort of way.

Originally Posted by mainaman

Shavette and straight razor are not the same animal when it comes to shaving. Disposable blades are much sharper, that being said a well honed straight razor should feel very comfortable when shaving. How shave ready the razor is heard to tell, a way to know is to shave with a pro honed razor so you have some baseline to compare against. As said above apart from the blade, there are other factors that can affect the shave, stropping, technique, prep etc.

How close to the sharpness of disposable blades can a straight razor get? Are there any advanced or alternate honing methods that challenge this limitation?

My best straight is as sharp as a shavette and has a more comfortable edge.

Originally Posted by dinnermint

My best straight is as sharp as a shavette and has a more comfortable edge.

That is encouraging to hear. I'll keep working on what I have and see how it progresses.

I remember when transfers from a shavette to a straight. My thoughts at the time was my pro honed straights from bob keys ain't as sharp as shavette. Took me a thew weeks and I simply adapted to straight razor. The more I put into the straight the better it was. I don't think you can compare the two. I hav,nt used anything but a straight razor now for 8 years .

They perform just as well and it's the real thing.