Oh no! Another HHT thread! This time with a poll!

[Chaloney]

So after the last couple HHT threads I was inspired to try again. I've never been able to get anything other than hht-1 (violining). A couple days ago I plucked out a hair right after a shower and much to my surprise it actually cut! I think this is partially due to sharper razors but also due to getting a freshly cleane hair to use. I have since used it with good indications of usefulness: 1. Improved eagle shaved great after hht 4-5 across the while blade. 2. Hargreaves near wedge hht-1 to 2= Not shaving well, switched to another razor. 3. Union cutlery hht-2 to 3 pre stropping, after stropping, 4-5, fantastic shave.

Obviously I need more data to really tell how well it predicts shave quality, but this got me wondering, for those of you who use the hht, how do you use it? After honing only? Before every shave?

im pretty sure I'm not going to use it before every shave, but I'm just curious what others do.

the other option is for hht-haters because I know I usually answer polls before I get around to reading the first post

 

[Acmemfg]

Whoever came up with the idea of using a badger hair for this procedure nailed it.

 

[jpcwon]

I usually will do the HHT right after I hone on the stones, then again after I strop. I just like to confirm that the stropping is actually doing something. The HHT for me is not really an indicator of smoothness; I rely on just shave-testing the blade for that....

 

[Attila]

I usually will do the HHT right after I hone on the stones, then again after I strop. I just like to confirm that the stropping is actually doing something. The HHT for me is not really an indicator of smoothness; I rely on just shave-testing the blade for that....

Ditto. I will also occaisonally do an HHT test on a blade to see how the edge is faring after a few shaves. Just as a general indicator.

 

[Steve56]

I usually will do the HHT right after I hone on the stones, then again after I strop. I just like to confirm that the stropping is actually doing something. The HHT for me is not really an indicator of smoothness; I rely on just shave-testing the blade for that....

I do exactly the same, but not to see how good the stropping is. I do it because I can test the edge right off the stones. My personal off-the-stones "pass" criterion is that the edge will pop a hair cleanly, with whatever effort or angle it takes. If it won't pop at all or takes 5 or more tries to get much of a response, back to the stones.

I repeat after stropping, along the edge to determine the toe, heel, and middle are all about the same and pops hair easily and cleanly.

its interesting since I only started honing razors (vs knives) a few months ago, so I've been figuring out ways to measure how good my honing is and how those tests relate to a good shave result. Then throw in I've had to re-teach myself how to shave properly with a straight after a 30-year absence. But it's coming along well, and HHT helps.

But keep in mind that HHT is only a relative test, not an absolute one.

Cheers, Steve

 

[otto76]

I use it when I am honing, after stropping. Everything prior to that I use arm hair, no HHT.
I don't think I've ever had a good shave off a razor I honed that didn't pass HHT, I don't even try it anymore til it does. I have had some irritating shaves off razors that passed the HHT due to needing to be a little smoother, bad lather, lots of variables.

 

[Doc226]

I use it when I am honing, after stropping. Everything prior to that I use arm hair, no HHT.
I don't think I've ever had a good shave off a razor I honed that didn't pass HHT, I don't even try it anymore til it does. I have had some irritating shaves off razors that passed the HHT due to needing to be a little smoother, bad lather, lots of variables.

Agree.

 

[blackman]

I use it when I am honing, after stropping. Everything prior to that I use arm hair, no HHT.
I don't think I've ever had a good shave off a razor I honed that didn't pass HHT, I don't even try it anymore til it does. I have had some irritating shaves off razors that passed the HHT due to needing to be a little smoother, bad lather, lots of variables.

Agree.

Same here. If the blade doesn't pass my HHT, it will not touch my face.

 

[shaverjoe]

If the blade doesn't pass my HHT, it will not touch my face.

This.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Case in point of HHT being useful.

Honing junker razors right now. One has that problem that most people might think of as the "GD problem" (IE stabilizer/shoulder keeps heel off the hone). It's easy as pie to work around on stones. On strops however, it usually doesn't need any workaround... unless you happen to be using a 3" wide strop... like my 3" wide TM. So I am doing HHT on a razor I stropped before my shave and the heel is completely dead. This is not right. I know the heel is honed as well as the rest of the blade, so I ponder what could be wrong. Sure it has something to do with stropping, so I restrop on a different strop. Suddenly heel is as good as the rest of the blade. Go back to the 3" strop... heel goes back to failing HHT. Realize what's going on and adjust my stropping on the 3" strop. Problem solved without shaving with a partially rolled edge... thanks to HHT.

 

[Thomas Martin]

HHT has it's merit but it's largely overrated IMHO. The "Over the arm floating test" is a better test for me to asses the shave ready ness of an edge. But each his own.

 

[oakeshott]

Those of you in doubt, have not had access to my daughter's "Miracle Hair".

 

[Shave Ready]

This.

This +2.25. I use it after every stropping, so before every shave, to tell me whether or not I need to go back to the strop, or put it aside for a touch up on the stone. Occasionally I will break that rule to see if I have come across a case where the HHT fails but still delivers a great shave.

 

[Alum of Potash]

Is anyone actually responding to the poll directly? Or does the whole "going public" with it scare people away? Maybe it was better in the old days when polls like this were anonymous? In any case, my response would probably be, "only after [final] honing [and stropping as an aid in determining] if the edge is [ready]."

 

[Attila]

Doesn't scare me. My opinion is my own.

 

[rockviper]

My option: "I try, but my results are inconsistent as my hair isn't long enough and SWMBO colours hers" isn't on the selection list.

 

[Chaloney]

I hadn't posted a poll before--it gives you the option of public or anonymous. I was curious who uses it before every shave vs who only uses it after honing. The non-users were pretty predictable based on other threads (I would have been one of the until very recently, and may still end up in that camp) but it was never clear how different people used the hht. Plenty of responses though.

Thanks to all who have participated.

 

[phane10]

HHT only after honing in my case.
After a few uses (months sometimes), I Know when I must hone again.

 

[daflorc]

I use the HHT with piano wire instead of hair to make sure my blades are REALLY sharp

 

[PapaFish]

I usually try a HHT after honing on stones only. If it won't pass off the stones, usually I get a bad shave out of it. HHT3 off a stone is always a good sharp shave (but no indication of smoothness). I have said to myself a number of times when the razor would only muster HHT1, maybe HHT2, "This stone must not conform, I know the edge is done." only to get a bad shave out of the deal. Sometimes I can't do a HHT simply because my hair is too short at the moment, but I normally at least try.