As you all know, I use 3 terms for describing the results of perfectly finished, yet somewhat different edges from varying Coticules: "brisk", "mellow", and a kind of in-between those two: "engaging".
In my book the brisk edges shave with the least resistance. The glide through stubble with next to no effort on behalf of the user. The effect on the skin is that of a mild peeling. If you have very sensitive skin, or if your skin is already irritated by some other cause, a brisk edge might result in a burning sensation, that may last half and hour or so.
A mellow edge, feels somehow "dull" on the face, and very forgiving, as if it would be impossible to cut yourself. It's a strange sensation the first time you ever feel it, but those who have will surely recognize what I'm trying to describe. The razor shaves without any sensation of pull, but their is definitely a tad more resistance than shaving with a brisk edge. The mellow edge leaves the face as if you haven't shaved at all, with the exception that your face is smoothly shaven. If you rub with an alum block over the wetted face, it feels as if you're running an ice cube over the face, no stinging or burning sensations whatsoever.
An engaging edge fits the bill somewhere in between.
Why am I telling this?
It is my experience that among all Coticules, the "mellow" finishers are the most challenging to reach a high HHT. I have always assumed that the amazing smoothness of these edge also required exceptional keenness to perform well. The HHT is typically a performance test. It measures how well the edge can sever a given hair. If the keenness isn't spot on, the performance stays behind, and the agreeable resistance I mentioned above will turn into a pulling sensation. That is why the mellow finishers are the most challenging. But I wouldn't go as far to say that they are "new user unfriendly". Dilucot can take a bit more figuring out, but Unicot works just the same and there are other ways to up the keenness. E.g. most La Petite Blanches are bonded to an excellent BBW, that mustn't be underestimated for keenness. And, as PinkLather suggested in the thread starting post of this thread, their are other solutions for chasing keenness as well.
The brisk Cotcule are generally easier to yield promising HHT-scores. The majority of La Vertes comes to mind here. I believe that the resulting edges are slightly more jagged, which allows these edged to penetrate the shaft of a hair better. Hence they perform better at a slightly lower mathematical keenness level. But they will also be prone to remove more skin cells during the shave.
This perfectly explains why refinishing a La Verte edge with a La Petite Blanche will initially reduce the HHT score with about 1 point. You have already implied the smoothness, but not yet the keenness needed to make such an edge perform at its peak.
Kind regards,
Bart.
