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What's the correct way to do the HHT?

I've wondered if there is a certain technique required for this. I have 2 straights that if I just try to push the hair down on the blade it won't cut. However if, once I feel the hair catch, I pull the blade up and on a slight angle the hair pops right off. So I'm curious if there is more technique required than just pulling a hair down on a blade or if there is some kind of quirk to it? Is the idea that no matter what you do, the hair should pop right off regardless. Or is there a certain technique that is required when doing it?
 
That isn't quite the way I do it ... I rough up some arm hair and move the blade through it, perpendicular to and above the skin. Like many tests, this one takes some experience - how the hair cuts tells you a lot about the edge.

Really, it is more of a gimmick. The TPT is much more reliable.
 

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
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that isn't quite the way i do it ... I rough up some arm hair and move the blade through it, perpendicular to and above the skin. Like many tests, this one takes some experience - how the hair cuts tells you a lot about the edge.

Really, it is more of a gimmick. The tpt is much more reliable.

+1
 
Hold the hair vertical and slice it right down the middle, so that each side curls away from the center. That is how it is done on some videos I have seen.
 
So this TPT you run your finger along the blade, as if you were intentionally trying to cut yourself :blink:? It scares the bejezus outta me just running my thumb perpendicular to the blade as I can feel it grabbing each individual ridge of my finger print.
 
So this TPT you run your finger along the blade, as if you were intentionally trying to cut yourself :blink:? It scares the bejezus outta me just running my thumb perpendicular to the blade as I can feel it grabbing each individual ridge of my finger print.

Thumb pad test ... I very lightly touch the edge and then move my finger mostly perpendicular to the edge. Think of trying to pluck the edge with the ridges of your fingerprint. A sharp edge feels quite distinct ... almost sticky.
 
Some good info on the HHT here. I think it can be a gimmick, but if you use hair from the same source so that it's consistent in it's reactions, and you learn how they behave with different edges, you can use it as a decent test to know if you are making the edge sharper or not. But YMMV. TPT lets me know that it's sharp yes, but how it acts on hair it doesn't say to me.

I also like a similar test as mentioned above but with my leg hair, as it's longer and I have more of it. (my arms are almost all bald now... lol)
 
I'm pretty new to straight razor shaving, but I've found although the HHT gives no indication of shave smoothness or quality, it gives me a pretty good idea of what's going to happen when hair hits the edge. If I know it cuts hair without much effort, that's at least a good starting point.
 
I'm pretty new to straight razor shaving, but I've found although the HHT gives no indication of shave smoothness or quality, it gives me a pretty good idea of what's going to happen when hair hits the edge. If I know it cuts hair without much effort, that's at least a good starting point.

I agree. It is not a predictor of shave quality, only the shave test will do that. But for me it is an indication that it is sharper. I use hair from my wife's brush, they are all of relatively equal thickness and properties. This gives me fairly consistent fodder for testing. I am learning how they react to edges, and that lets me predict whether or not I have an edge worth trying a test shave with, and one that isn't at the shave test stage yet.
 
I can pretty much make any razor cut a hanging hair, in fact, i can make my pocket knife do so as well. The trick is in how you contact the hair and the edge. As I have said before, it's a parlor trick. I can also bend a spoon with the power of my mind (that's a parlor trick as well).
 

Legion

Staff member
I actually find the HHT a useful guide (and that is all it is. Just a guide) to sharpness, providing;

1. you always use the same type of hair

2. you always hold it the same way

I also use the TPT, and I run the razor through my leg hairs, about 5mm above my shin. Using all these tests I can determine when a blade is about ready to do the shave test. If the razor does not pass the first three tests to my satisfaction I will usually keep working on it until it does. Only then will I attack my face with it.
 
I actually find the HHT a useful guide (and that is all it is. Just a guide) to sharpness, providing;

1. you always use the same type of hair

2. you always hold it the same way

I also use the TPT, and I run the razor through my leg hairs, about 5mm above my shin. Using all these tests I can determine when a blade is about ready to do the shave test. If the razor does not pass the first three tests to my satisfaction I will usually keep working on it until it does. Only then will I attack my face with it.

Ditto for me.
 
I do something similar but with no leg hair to speak of I use chest hair. I'll never run out of that :lol:
 
I've wondered if there is a certain technique required for this. I have 2 straights that if I just try to push the hair down on the blade it won't cut. However if, once I feel the hair catch, I pull the blade up and on a slight angle the hair pops right off. So I'm curious if there is more technique required than just pulling a hair down on a blade or if there is some kind of quirk to it? Is the idea that no matter what you do, the hair should pop right off regardless. Or is there a certain technique that is required when doing it?

If you want to tell something from the HHT you should "standardize" your test method as much as possible. Then do the test often with edges that shave well and those that don't so you see how the HHT results vary. Pay attention to the way the hair is severed and try and correlate that with shave results. The test doesn't mean much if you don't go to the effort to refine it.

There are many factors that can work against you. Coarseness variations, wet versus dry, humidity, clean versus oily, etc. Also, test results coming off different hones and different grit levels may seem conflicting. Tiny chips or flaws in the blade can snag the hair and pop it. Also, a sharp but poorly formed or overhoned edge may pop hairs easily but shave badly.

As mentioned above, tree-topping arm hair is a similar test that some prefer.
 
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