Thread: Sharpness tests for beginners

Originally Posted by tfrod

Im glad I understood this when I first started shaving. I didn't worry about the razor passing ____ test, instead I just shaved with it and everything worked out great.

Agree, I wasted a lot of time trying to get HHTX differences when the baseline varies with each persons individual hair. Still, it is nice to have some measurable form of comparison.

My hair will NOT pass the HHT. Period. It's like silk. It's maddening because I have a full head of it. I have no arm hairs to speak of... not any I can see with natural light. I can take off my shirt and find a few wild hairs on my chest... but I'm not doing that! LOL!

If I'm wearing shorts I have a few hairs on my legs I can shave to check for a bevel. (Spare me, LoriB)

When I'm closing in on it... I wear a white goatee and mustache... I can pass the blade, hovering over my goat hairs... they pop and I get a HHT.

I don't really have to do that, but the "ping" I get from those restored hollows of mine is quite good.. and I didn't have to shave the 4 hairs on my chest.

Early on, reading the tutorials, I used the tests a lot while honing. The longer I honed the less I used them. Now, once I've looked at the edge under magnification, and I'm satisfied that there is no damage, I just go to honing. In setting a bevel I will still do a TNT. Every once in awhile I may do a TPT or pop some leg hair, as I progress, but not often. I sort of intuitively know when it is 'there' and the shave becomes the test.

Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

... Every sharpness test out there, including the shave test, requires previous experience to create a baseline...

I am glad you included the shave test. So often it is stated that "the only true test is the shave test." While we all know what is meant, and all agree with the statement, the statement often causes problems as interpreted (as is being stated above.)

I think we were talking in the chat about this the other night. I agree 100% with this. I think us beginners get so hung up on certain tests but really what are we comparing it to? Do we know the difference between biting the thumbpad vs sliding. All I knew was it felt sharp no matter what.

I think this is where actually getting together with other people makes a world of difference. You have the more experienced person being able to say do this, now feel how that is. Now compare to this one. What do you see/feel different. As great as SRP can be and the advice is second to none the learning curve drops dramaticly with an hour or two face to face with people.

Man, I wish all newer folks would forget about the "tests" and just learn to shave. You have to know what the end result "should" be before you begin the test & that's an acquired skill. It all starts with knowing how to shave, then the "shave test" works & so on. Unfortunately many newer members unknowingly get hung up on these tests and loose focus on the shave.

As mentioned above, getting together with an experienced SR user for just a little while will shorten all of the learning curves of knowledge & application.

Actually, I would love to see this thread inserted into the beginner's sticky section & hope that it gets read...

Sticky this under the title NEWBS READ THIS.

Wish I had seen this a few months ago lol. Well said.

As a beginner I've just accepted that I will probably get some good shaves and some bad shaves for a while. My average shave keeps getting better! I'm experimenting with honing, stroping, soaps, preparation, etc and I'm learning what I like and dislike. My strategy is to have one of my razors professionally hone after about 20 shaves to keep a baseline. I hone the others and compare.