Thread: Hanging Hair Test

Ok, so I've been shaving with a straight for a couple of months. I've stopped giving myself grievous wounds but still can't get a very close shave. I'm sure my technique can be improved but I'm also wondering about the sharpness of my blades (a Dovo 5/8 singing and T/I 6/8 Sheffield) -- so can someone please claify the hanging air test for me? Is the hair supposed to cut at the lightest touch of the blade or do you swipe at it? Neither blade will do the former, but both cut a hair if I swipe at it.

Thanks!

If it is cutting the hair by swiping at it the blades sound sharp enough to me.

Close shave? I think of it like a balancing act between a sharp blade and a good smooth edge. If you run the razor over the very ends of the hair on your arm does it catch on all the hair? I believe that the blade should cut the hair with the least amount of effort, in the end you'll have to shave with the blade ya got though. I continue to sharpen and lightly strop until I reach a great shave then stop and often start over once I over hone. A close shave for me though comes only with practice with a sharp blade, pulling the skin, finding the right angle and finally hitting the face from the right direction. All of this practice becomes easier once you have a sharp blade. I would try a little sharpening and patience.

For the HHT: Might I suggest a slow movement without swiping, but not the lightest touch either.

Here is a gif of the HHT.
Balde is stationary, do not move the blade.
Hair is held root end out. 1/2 to1 inch
The curve of the hair is down
Slowly bring the hair down over the edge of the blade
The less resistance you feel the sharper the blade

Hope this helps,

It's that gif that got me wondering actually because that looks like a pretty stationary razor. I'll see just how much effort it takes to cut a hair -- and keep working on my shaving technique. Thanks all.

I think the Hanging Hair Test is pretty worthless. It's more for show. I simply touch the edge lightly with my thumb. This tells me pretty much everything I need to know. A little arm shaving is telling, too.

Originally Posted by Blade Wielder

I think the Hanging Hair Test is pretty worthless. It's more for show. I simply touch the edge lightly with my thumb. This tells me pretty much everything I need to know. A little arm shaving is telling, too.

Both hair test have not worked for me, even with razors I've received from the experts. I think my hair is too fine. On the arm test, I kept looking for popping hairs, and all I found was some remnants on my edge.

Like you, I learned the thumb test and the thumbnail test and they seem to work consistently for me. The shave proves it. Plus, I can tell the differenece between my edges and Lynn's. That gives me a thumbtest goal. The fresh razor blade edges are just too sharp to match, but they're good for practice and learning the touch.

This just goes to show the variances of this fine art

I prefer the hanging hair test and can tell the difference between a sharp razor and a shaving sharp razor by the amount of “pull” the hair experiences and the sound (if any).



A sharp razor will have a little resistance and you’ll hear a slight, very faint “ting” when the hair severs. A shaving sharp razor will have no pull or resistance and no sound at all.. the hair seems to sever almost willingly (suicide? haha)



Of course the thickness of the hair does make a huge difference, and that has been discussed with some recommending that you use a lost bristle from your have brush for a more “beard like” comparison. Thin hairs do react very differently, I’ve tried the test with my wife’s hair (very thin) and it’s a chore to get the hair to even hang up on the edge even when I know the blade is sharp enough to shave.

Again, Kelly hit it right on the spot... One thing I would like to add is that I have read in some manual or razor broshure not to cut dry hair with the razor cause it destroys the edge. I think that hair "hair" and arm hair would be fine, but dry boar or badger hair indeed may damage the razor's edge.

Nenad

Ok, so Kelly has me thinking...

By his definition both pf my blades are “sharp.” They'll cut a hair, but I can feel the blade "hitch up" and there's a tiny *ting* when it cuts. But I'm curious about that "shaving sharp" that he mentioned (not that I don't shave with the blades as is but if I can do better, well…).

So, what gets a blade "shaving sharp" per the standards laid out by Kelly: hitch/ting vs. silently parting hair? Is it initial honing? Stropping? Stropping with paste? What gets a person from sharp to shaving sharp?