Thread: Is my razor sharp enough? HHT says NO! Your thoughts?

Originally Posted by fccexpert

The HHT says nothing. It is a parlor trick that has very little if anything to say about how well the razor will shave.

Parlor tricks take skill to perform properly
The TNT & TPT also say little about how the blade will shave & people have difficulty performing those too but a lot of us use them.
All these tests are simply gauges to determine levels of sharpness before you try a shave test.
May I ask how you determine if a razor is ready for a shave test & how often would you return to the stones from a failed shave test ?

I think the HHT is valuable for me. However, I have calibrated the test to such a degree that it yields meaningful results for me. HHT3-5 has shaved well for me (usually a HHT-4 guy). That's not to say that razors that won't pass the test won't shave well. I just use that as an indicator that I'm ready for a shave test.

I think it can be something that you work back to as well. Develop a procedure with a great shaving razor that yields positive HHT results and then you might have a meaningful test for you.

Obviously, it's not the be all end all, but I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss it either.

EDIT: I calibrated it based on a little help from my friends

I have not honed a super lot but I have found that the hairs on my arm will literally fall with a slight jump when my razors are really sharp. They cut the hair on my arm at the 8K point but after 30K they cut the hair on my arm very differently. I don't stop at 30K but that is another story. Cutting the hairs on your arm is just a gauge that is different for everybody but gives that individual a feeling of sharpness compared to what he has experienced in the past. Did that make sense?

Take Care,
Richard

You know we talk about all the tests TNT TPT HHT AHT etc: etc:,,,

Let's tell the truth here ok...

The simple fact is, these tests are designed for and by the people that are honing the razor, that it that who they work for... They are not to judge shave worthiness by the person doing the shaving pretty simple really that is what the "Shave Test" is for...

Every single time I read about somebody "testing" their razor when the are not honing said razor I just shake my head....

When you want to learn to hone a razor learn the tests, until that time just shave the razor....

Originally Posted by gssixgun

You know we talk about all the tests TNT TPT HHT AHT etc: etc:,,,

Let's tell the truth here ok...

The simple fact is, these tests are designed for and by the people that are honing the razor, that it that who they work for... They are not to judge shave worthiness by the person doing the shaving pretty simple really that is what the "Shave Test" is for...

Every single time I read about somebody "testing" their razor when the are not honing said razor I just shake my head....

When you want to learn to hone a razor learn the tests, until that time just shave the razor....

That's a good point. I just assume that every SR user does, or at least will, maintain their own razor...eventually.

Originally Posted by honedright

That's a good point. I just assume that every SR user does, or at least will, maintain their own razor...eventually.

That is the ultimate goal,, And aint it fun

Here is what I read about though time after time..


IIRC Alan wrote something similar or maybe another of the Ole' farts...

1. New shaver gets razor
2. New shaver immediately strums thumb across edge
3. Ooooooo Sharp !!!!
4. Newb quickly lathers face
5. Lather half dries out as Newb takes 10 minutes to figure out how to actually touch razor to face
6. Newb finally does a half hearted attempt at the Side-burn to Jawline stroke (The Shave Test) this attempt is done with zero confidence in the half dried lather at the wrong angle...
7. This sux, the razor must be dull..
8. Newb strops razor and re-lathers
9. Tries the "Shave test again after of course rolling the edge with that great half a$$ed stropping attempt...
10. God this razor really sux, it is so dull...
11. Posts all this...
12. Gets 20 posts explaining every test there is... and GO READ THE WIKI from Robin...
13. Reads and asks more and starts to learn all the mistakes that he made..
14. Learns to strop gently and slowly and gets a semi sharp edge back on the razor and manages to get a real shave in....
15. Has the razor re-honed and realizes that it is him not the razor...He is then solidly hooked on straight razors, and starts posting advice to other Newbs...



16. Starts to hone Muhahahaha and starts the curve at the bottom again

This of course was written in all humor and does not reflect on any one person ....

Glen aka Joe Friday

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

...I can tell by a TPT and by popping hair on my arm or leg, without touching the skin, where my keenness level is. For so many new guys if a razor doesn't pass HHT they are convinced that it isn't shave ready and that ain't , as George Gershwin said, necessarily so.

I'm still trying to figure out if I have enough sensation in my thumb pads to determine anything beyond a binary "sticky or not", but that arm/leg hair test is definitely the method that was the easiest for me to calibrate. Does it seem like every hair is being grabbed and cut, or just some/most of them? How much resistance do I feel with the blade going through thicker areas of leg hair? How much resistance do the hair follicles register? -- these are the tests that most accurately reflect how my shave will go.

After doing it hundreds of times while fiddling around with different hones, I can get a pretty good idea about how I'm doing with one quick "tree top" swipe up the side of my leg.

* * *

Since we're talking about calibration and whatnot, there's something else I'd like to throw out there: cutting thread. If you have a spare spool lying around, this can make for a good test, too. The goal is to loop the thread around the razor and hold the two ends together between thumb and forefinger. The test is how easily the blade cuts this loop. With a sufficiently sharp edge, there is very little resistance, but it gets much more noticeable if the edge isn't quite there yet.

Of course, like any calibrated test, it means nothing the first several times you do it, but after a while it works pretty well - especially since the thread is always the same.

Two things I'd like to point out for anyone who might try this:

1. like hair, not all thread is alike. If you find that the thread cuts too easily, get slightly thicker thread.

2. when the edge of the blade makes contact with the inside of the loop you're holding, it's likely that it won't be at *exactly* the opposite point of the loop from your fingers. This can result in a slicing action and skew your results. The way around this is to let the blade make contact while you're holding the thread loosely in your fingers, and then to tighten your grip on the thread only once the blade has taken the slack out of the loop. In other words, let the blade's contact point determine where you end up gripping the thread. See here for a visual.

Originally Posted by northpaw

I'm still trying to figure out if I have enough sensation in my thumb pads to determine anything beyond a binary "sticky or not", but that arm/leg hair test is definitely the method that was the easiest for me to calibrate. Does it seem like every hair is being grabbed and cut, or just some/most of them? How much resistance do I feel with the blade going through thicker areas of leg hair? How much resistance do the hair follicles register? -- these are the tests that most accurately reflect how my shave will go.

After doing it hundreds of times while fiddling around with different hones, I can get a pretty good idea about how I'm doing with one quick "tree top" swipe up the side of my leg.

* * *

Since we're talking about calibration and whatnot, there's something else I'd like to throw out there: cutting thread. If you have a spare spool lying around, this can make for a good test, too. The goal is to loop the thread around the razor and hold the two ends together between thumb and forefinger. The test is how easily the blade cuts this loop. With a sufficiently sharp edge, there is very little resistance, but it gets much more noticeable if the edge isn't quite there yet.

Of course, like any calibrated test, it means nothing the first several times you do it, but after a while it works pretty well - especially since the thread is always the same.

Two things I'd like to point out for anyone who might try this:

1. like hair, not all thread is alike. If you find that the thread cuts too easily, get slightly thicker thread.

2. when the edge of the blade makes contact with the inside of the loop you're holding, it's likely that it won't be at *exactly* the opposite point of the loop from your fingers. This can result in a slicing action and skew your results. The way around this is to let the blade make contact while you're holding the thread loosely in your fingers, and then to tighten your grip on the thread only once the blade has taken the slack out of the loop. In other words, let the blade's contact point determine where you end up gripping the thread. See here for a visual.

I like the idea... I'm thinking more heading toward a standard type monofilament of yet to be identified gauge or spec to replace each of our individual arm/head/leg/pubic hairs being used in each of our own hard-worn processes. This would effectively kill all argument surely.
Not sure if I want that really