Thumb pad test?

I've done some reading on the TPT but yet when I try to employ it I just don't understand what it is I'm suppose to be feeling. I have 4 different razors that I have set the bevel on and to me they all feel that same. I don't feel that "sticky" feeling I read about. They all will shave arm hair also.

Under the 30x loupe they look nice and clean with an even bevel. What is it I'm missing? I don't want to have to shave various parts of my body to check for the correct bevel.

Wid said:

I've done some reading on the TPT but yet when I try to employ it I just don't understand what it is I'm suppose to be feeling. I have 4 different razors that I have set the bevel on and to me they all feel that same. I don't feel that "sticky" feeling I read about. They all will shave arm hair also.

Under the 30x loupe they look nice and clean with an even bevel. What is it I'm missing? I don't want to have to shave various parts of my body to check for the correct bevel.

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If it feels likes like your running your finger over a ballpoint pen its a Fail.If you can feel it slice your skin without a scratchy feel its a Pass.

Thumb pad test? This one takes some practice to get the feeling down.
Some folks on SRP suggest you try it with a DE blade.

Basically you roll your thumbpad onto the DE blade, you should feel the edge gripping into the ridges of your fingerprint. Needless to say you need a stead hand and light touch to do this test.

If you are uncomfortable doing this just do a test shave and see how it goes, that's the best way to tell if you did a sufficient job of honing anyways.

IMO if you want a test there isn't anything better than a shave test.

But Superbleu has a wise point of a "light touch."

azmark said:

IMO if you want a test there isn't anything better than a shave test.

But Superbleu has a wise point of a "light touch."

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No doubt about it but it will be nice to have some kind of guide along the way.

superbleu said:

If you are uncomfortable doing this just do a test shave and see how it goes, that's the best way to tell if you did a sufficient job of honing anyways.

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You can always do what I do- use someone else's thumb.

Seriously, I think it's one of the best tests for sharpness, even though I find myself completely unable to adequately describe the sensation.

It's almost akin to a magnetic attraction between blade and thumb, and occasionally feels like the blade wants to slowly sink into the pad, as into quicksand. Godawful descriptions, I know, but when you feel a really sharp edge, there's just something about the sensation that you'll be able to recognize and, hopefully, replicate.

superbleu said:

If you are uncomfortable doing this just do a test shave and see how it goes, that's the best way to tell if you did a sufficient job of honing anyways.

Click to expand...

You can always do what I do- use someone else's thumb.

Seriously, I think it's one of the best tests for sharpness, even though I find myself completely unable to adequately describe the sensation.

It's almost akin to a magnetic attraction between blade and thumb, and occasionally feels like the blade is slowly sinking into the pad, as into quicksand. Godawful descriptions, I know, but when you feel a really sharp edge, there's just something about the sensation that you'll be able to recognize and, hopefully, replicate.

And a big +1 one on " just do a test shave and see how it goes".

ouch said:

It's almost akin to a magnetic attraction between blade and thumb, and occasionally feels like the blade is slowly sinking into the pad, as into quicksand. Godawful descriptions, I know, but when you feel a really sharp edge, there's just something about the sensation that you'll be able to recognize and, hopefully, replicate.

And a big +1 one on " just do a test shave and see how it goes".

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I'd say that's pretty accurate. I also get a slight sinking feeling in my stomach, like if I went a tiny bit more it would be too late.

Yeah, this is a hard one to describe. I guess I'd call it a very slight dragging sensation as the blade cuts into the very top layers of skin. If the blade is not sharp it just rides over the skin without cutting and "digging in". Very subtle, though.


The wrong answer; The thumb pad test is just like the thumbnail test, except instead of the blade catching as it drags across your wet thumbnail, it catches as it drags across the wet bone of your thumb. Then you know the blade is really sharp.

legion said:

Yeah, this is a hard one to describe. I guess I'd call it a very slight dragging sensation as the blade cuts into the very top layers of skin. If the blade is not sharp it just rides over the skin without cutting and "digging in". Very subtle, though.


The wrong answer; The thumb pad test is just like the thumbnail test, except instead of the blade catching as it drags across your wet thumbnail, it catches as it drags across the wet bone of your thumb. Then you know the blade is really sharp.

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Thanks for pointing out the difference.
Crucial information to aspiring honers


Best advice is to try it on a brand new DE-blade.
That will give you a good feeling.

I rely on the TPT alot when I hone myself.
But it takes some time to get it "right"

There are two different type of answers to your question about the TPT. The first type of answer, and the specific answer to your question is to try to describe the sensation. That has been done well above.

The second way to answer your question is to answer how to answer your question.

You often read about the first time someone saw an airplane in the early 1900s. They were standing in a field and heard a sound they had never heard before. The sound meant nothing to them, not equating to anything in their sensory input world. Then, the plane came into view. At that point, they mentally equated the sound of the engine with the reality of the plane.

When you drag your thumb pad along the edge, it is the sound of an airplane engine. You have know idea what that "sound" - the feel of the blade - means. But, as you continue to hone, you will eventually produce better and better edges. As you do, your mind will automatically start synchronizing how the blade felt during the TPT with the good edge.

If you never read anything on these forums, and didn't have a clue how to apply the TPT, your mind would automatically answer your own question. But, you have to apply the TPT! (You can't win the lottery if you don't play.)

When learning...

Whether it means anything, apply the TPT after after every hone, and maybe between. Apply it throughout the entire process. Don't worry too much about how it feels. Let your subconscious mind do what it does well.

LarryAndro said:

There are two different type of answers to your question about the TPT. The first type of answer, and the specific answer to your question is to try to describe the sensation. That has been done well above.

The second way to answer your question is to answer how to answer your question.

You often read about the first time someone saw an airplane in the early 1900s. They were standing in a field and heard a sound they had never heard before. The sound meant nothing to them, not equating to anything in their sensory input world. Then, the plane came into view. At that point, they mentally equated the sound of the engine with the reality of the plane.

When you drag your thumb pad along the edge, it is the sound of an airplane engine. You have know idea what that "sound" - the feel of the blade - means. But, as you continue to hone, you will eventually produce better and better edges. As you do, your mind will automatically start synchronizing how the blade felt during the TPT with the good edge.

If you never read anything on these forums, and didn't have a clue how to apply the TPT, your mind would automatically answer your own question. But, you have to apply the TPT! (You can't win the lottery if you don't play.)

When learning...

Whether it means anything, apply the TPT after after every hone, and maybe between. Apply it throughout the entire process. Don't worry too much about how it feels. Let your subconscious mind do what it does well.

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As always, Larry delivers some really sound advice!

Re: the bold part, I did just that when I started out honing.
I only had a coticule & was determined to get the dilucot to work.
It was a lot of trial&error & one night I decided to do the TPT after every dilution (~10-15 laps), just to get a better feel for what was going on.

I learned a great deal about my coticule that night & after washing my hands I learned another thing. I had gotten myself a coticule tattoo
Since I was doing the TPT so extensively Ihad my thumb soaked in coticule slurry & got a lot of very small, shallow marks or cuts filled up with the steel-blackened slurry that seeped into the epidermis.

It disappeared after a week or so, but it was a nice reminder on what I did learn for as long as it lasted