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Hanging Hair Test

I have been honing a spike for a while, and haven't been able to pass the Hanging Hair Test with it. I could, however, shave with it-albeit with great care. Recently, Ivo sent me a shave ready razor-an excellent shave, though I speak without experience-but when I got it, I couldn't get it to pass the hanging hair test. After shaving with it once and stropping it, still nothing. Any ideas, comments, or helpful hints? Could it just be my hair? (fine and blond)
 
The only test I rely on to determine whether a razor is shave ready is to SHAVE with the razor. It generally will let you know if not honed enough or honed to much and alot of times to what degree on each. If the razor tugs a little or a lot, take it back to the hone and DO NOT continue to shave with it. If it glides over the beard with no hair removal, it needs a trip back to the hone. After a while you will really develop a feel for this.

Have fun.

Lynn
 
I have been honing a spike for a while, and haven't been able to pass the Hanging Hair Test with it. I could, however, shave with it-albeit with great care. Recently, Ivo sent me a shave ready razor-an excellent shave, though I speak without experience-but when I got it, I couldn't get it to pass the hanging hair test. After shaving with it once and stropping it, still nothing. Any ideas, comments, or helpful hints? Could it just be my hair? (fine and blond)

Yes, your hair is a factor. It's much easier to pass the HHT with thicker hair because it doesn't bend as much when it makes contact with the edge.

Ivo likes to use super fine, natural hones, too, and it's a little harder to get these smoother edges to catch and cut a hanging hair. A lower grit, more aggressive hone will leave more teeth, so it'll cut hairs like no tomorrow. Ivo's blade will shave better, though. :)

Josh
 
Your hair is a factor finer hair would be more difficult to split using the HHT. Ultimately as others have said the shave test is the only good test.
 
If you want to rely on the HHT try using a fallen hair from your shaving brush. Only used as a tool to see if you are making improvements to the edge, the true test as noted above is the shave.

Glen
 
I started honing my own about 6 months ago, and within 2 weeks I could get a decent shave off the blade. That being said, it wasn't till roughly a month ago that I passed my first HHT-5. Like Lynn said, a shave test is the best test. If you're happy with your edge, HHT or not, go with it.
 
HHT is not a reliable test for the shave readyness of an edge . It does not even remotely reproduce the situation at which a razor must perform to shave well. I mainly use it to check when an edge is ready for a shave test. I would not testshave a blade that does not pass my HHT but an HHT 4 does not guarantee a fine shave.
 
HHT is not a reliable test for the shave readyness of an edge . It does not even remotely reproduce the situation at which a razor must perform to shave well. I mainly use it to check when an edge is ready for a shave test. I would not testshave a blade that does not pass my HHT but an HHT 4 does not guarantee a fine shave.

This. Although I can get a pretty good idea from how the hair falls.
 

Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
Well for me I can tell exactly what kind of shave I am going to get depending on how my HHT test goes. Testing your blade would tell me nothing, however.
 
What Jimi said.

The funny part is, I can flip the hair around so that it's root out and get good passes off unstropped razors, unfinished razors, razors I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. But a proper test that I've tuned in for my hair, root in, the right distance from my fingertips, the right draw, a nice hair without any curl or kink or twist in it will tell me virtually EXACTLY where the edge is it. But remember, you're tested a hairs breadth (literally) of the edge. So use that knowledge for what it is worth. I can't just do one HHT at the dead center of a blade and declare the edge shave ready, certainly not if I didn't hone the razor (or if I did hone it but I don't remember honing it).

And Disposable DE blades are absolutely GODAWFUL compared to a properly done straight edge. I don't know if disposable straight blades are any sharper than DE's and if so by how much, but I can get better cutting properties off a 1k stone than I can get with a fresh DE blade, so I could easily see others not passing HHT on disposables. Hell, a butterknife is as likely to pass a HHT for me as a DE blade.
 
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