Well, what can I say?
The HHT is not a goal, of course. It's just a method to know how to proceed during a honing job. So is the TPT, a test of which we all accept that it is highly individual. I believe the same can be said for the HHT.
One thing that makes tremendous difference is the condition of the hair.
Try a freshly washed and conditioned hair, when you just left the shower and compare its HHT behavior to one you plucked of your scalp
before you entered the shower. The difference will be very striking.
If you are planning to turn the HHT in a successful method for probing the edge during a honing job, then start with using the same hair in the same condition each time you perform the test. I keep repeating myself that I use hairs from a small and short (8cm) strand that I keep in a small box, just for that purpose. I traveled all the way to Berlin 3 weeks ago, for some honing demonstrations, and the only honing related object I took with me, was that small box of hairs.
My personal markers for the HHT are published in this article:
http://straightrazorplace.com/srpwiki/index.php/Hanging_Hair_Test,_from_trick_to_probing_method currently only hosted in the wiki of StraightRazorPlace.
Those markers will be different for other people.
I have witnessed a few times how pretty inexperienced guys managed to reproduce my HHT results (with my HHT source of hairs) with the Unicot method. That makes me believe that you should be able to calibrate your markers with that method, even if you don't regularly like to use the procedure. (For reasons that completely escape me, many people remain opposed against the secondary bevel introduced by the Unicot procedure.)
One final remark I like to add, is that the first stropping of blade after honing is very important. I often see Straight razor users that strop with far too little attention for the craft it is, to really get the best from that important part of using a straight razor. The first stropping needs to bring a extremely narrow strip of steel at the very edge in alignment, that was still left erratic, regardless how excellent a honing job you might have done. The edge off a Coticule must improve considerably during that first stropping session. If not, either your stropping is sub par, or your honing was not top notch. (If you came very close, 5-10 laps on CrO will help the alignment of the edge. Yet if the honing and the stropping was excellent, this will have no effect at all - and it won't be necessary either).
Excellent stropping starts with a good strop, by the way... There are a lot of well crafted strops out there with unsuitable leather, and even worse ersatz linen. They yield mediocre results at best.
Just some random thoughts about this interesting topic,
Bart.