Standardizing the HHT (Hanging Hair Test)

[Lord Fatboy]

I think that there may be another aspect of this topic worth considering. Please keep in mind that most vendors that sell razors whether new or used do not shave with the razors that they hone due to practical liability reasons. With this in mind HHT is probably the next best alternative. Now this does beg the question about consistency of the test hair chosen and I suspect that companies like Dovo use synthetic hair for the sake of consistent & repeatable test results. Whether certain individuals might embrace HHT testing or not I think it’s value is significant when shave testing isn’t really an option.

+1

 

[stone and strop]

Now this does beg the question about consistency of the test hair chosen and I suspect that companies like Dovo use synthetic hair for the sake of consistent & repeatable test results. Whether certain individuals might embrace HHT testing or not I think it’s value is significant when shave testing isn’t really an option.

I'm not sure I would consider the value significant when Dovo uses this as their test and nobody thinks a factory Dovo is shave ready
I still think too much emphasis is put on this test. Yes, it is an indicator of sharpness but I have had many fail at this and shave beautifully.
Practical usefulness of this is debatable as Dovo has shown.

 

[Lord Fatboy]

I'm not sure I would consider the value significant when Dovo uses this as their test and nobody thinks a factory Dovo is shave ready
I still think too much emphasis is put on this test. Yes, it is an indicator of sharpness but I have had many fail at this and shave beautifully.
Practical usefulness of this is debatable as Dovo has shown.

The synthetic hair acts nothing like real hair. It's arguably a different test, and - as illustrated above - done in a different way.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I am considering how this sort of purchased hair might be useful (or might not) in the Edge On Up instrument.

I believe it might work and be useful. I've already emailed the manufacturer with my suggestions and to solicit their comments and advice as follows:

So, this may be a crazy idea, but I'll share it.

I'm not entirely sure if I understand how the instrument works but I think it records maximum applied force in which case I think maybe this idea would work.

It has been mentioned on B&B that the strongest thing a straight razor blade cuts is hair. Guys do tests (the hanging hair test, etc) with human hair (sometimes purchased in bundles). Human hair is not going to damage any edge!

Link to the Edge On Up (photos, etc, for B&B readers to get the picture).

Anyway, it occurs to me that the aluminum AFT-10G could maybe be modified to make it work with human hair (thus I'd call it the AFT-10HH). I think the modification could be done simply by making both of the top screws work like the screw which is angled upwards. Then a piece of hair could be easily secured at both ends of the device, just like it is currently secured at one end. If a guy were using a long piece of purchased hair he could either cut off and use the right length or leave one end hanging off the edge and pull it into place for the next cut.

Maybe the same thing could be done, sorta kinda, without modification of the AFT-10G using the existing screws? I'll have to look at the non angled screw more carefully to see what I think about the idea.

I have no idea if this is a stupid idea or crazy but it might work for the purposes most straight razor guys use the instrument and it might be easy enough to implement. It might also not be as scientifically accurate, but it would be close enough for many of us SR guys I think.

Crazy idea?

I'm also interested in what others using the Edge On Up have to say about this proposal, so I solicit their opinions on the thread devoted to the device.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I had meant to start a separate thread on this topic, and have mentioned it here & there before, but didn't think there would be much interest. I don't know if mods will want to move this post to a more relevant area.

Anyway, I did some research - and with a few hints from Lady Fatboy - found that I needed
- Pre bonded human hair extensions -
So, we hit ebay looking for what was on sale.

They come in lengths - say, 12 to 28 inches - and are sold in numbers of "Strands" (smallish bundles with hundreds of hairs per 'strand'). The 'strands' range from around 5-50 in number. You can, of course, also select the colour.

These are all taken care of in ebay's drop down menus, so I just went for what was the cheapest option.
That turned out to be "16 inches", "25 strands" and "Strawberry Blonde". It was easy to do and came out to 7 quid, that's about 10 USD. (Should even be cheaper in the USA). On colour, I assume a lot of people prefer dark hair, so it shows up on a white surface, but for whatever reason I like light hair on a black background. So, strawberry blonde was fine for me, and it was a bit cheaper.

Simultaneously, I tried synthetic hair - both 'true speed' synthetic and 'high temperature silk' (don't ask...) - attempting to follow Dovo's hair test. Though it was a bit cheaper by volume than real human hair it wouldn't 'cut' in the conventional HHT fashion, not at all. The only way to get close was to attempt to do it as they do at the Dovo factory, trapping the strand between thumbnail and edge (see pic - a hair test, but not exactly "hanging"). I just couldn't get that right, not like the Rasiermesser Frau at the factory, had a few spoiled GD edges, and some deep breath near-misses.

View attachment 939890
Once the bundles of real hair arrived, I realised just how long they would last. The first three months I got by on just the hairs that were shed as I took the elastic band off the gathered bundles. The hairs, in their separate bundles, are joined together at one end with a hard waxy type plastic which contains keratin. For storage, I considered hanging them up, but didn't want dust and debris to get into them, so I threaded the hard ends through some rubber anti-slip mesh - which does a good job keeping them separate- folded the hair carefully and put them in a plastic bag that I put in a dry drawer with a few silica packs. The vendor recommends taking them out once a year and washing / conditioning them, but I just check them now and again, and they seem fine.

View attachment 939894

One separate bundle lives in my workshop, and another - chopped into 2 inch pieces - lives in a match box in the living room. Chopping them into pieces is convenient, and also allows you to match up thin and thick parts from different hair strands, so you can see if a razor passes a thick HHT and a whispy HHT and so on. This is all good for HHT haters as much as HHT lovers I believe. The haters tend to dislike HHT as a sharpness test because of the real problem of inconsistency - differing hair types, particularly thicknesses, potential product coatings, technique of user etc.

It makes things so much easier, and I think it's worth the cost. Next stop, B & B group buys ! That seems like a joke, but imagine if we all on B & B settled on the same hair from the same vendor. Yes, there would still be variations in technique (though that could be minimised in time), but it would mean a pretty danged consistent test from one end of B & B to the other, one which newbies could be introduced to. That might seem a bit Soviet - of course it would be voluntary, lol - and maybe it's too much to hope for, a pipe dream... But maybe one day...

Would you mind posting or sending me a link to where you buy this hair (or the best hair you've found at a good price). What I'm finding on eBay is way expensive which likely means I'm looking at the wrong stuff.

Thanks and happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Lord Fatboy]

Would you mind posting or sending me a link to where you buy this hair (or the best hair you've found at a good price). What I'm finding on eBay is way expensive which likely means I'm looking at the wrong stuff.

Thanks and happy shaves,

Jim

I'm in the UK and mine cost about 7 pounds - maybe 10 dollars.
I just searched for -

'Remy Pre bonded human hair extensions' and follow the instructions in my original post as what to look for.

Had a look on US / World ebay, which is not as easy to use as I don't know how to make it "US only".

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I'm in the UK and mine cost about 7 pounds - maybe 10 dollars.
I just searched for -

'Remy Pre bonded human hair extensions' and follow the instructions in my original post as what to look for.

Had a look on US / World ebay, which is not as easy to use as I don't know how to make it "US only".

Thanks. It is more expensive. But at least I know what to look for, exactly what.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[bluesman 7]

It sounds like one order would be enough for life time supplies to 25 of us.