After having numerous boards shaped and having shaped a few myself I like to get the whole picture. Admittedly, I can't tell the difference of a 1/4 inch here or there but 3/4 inch of nose makes a difference in the way a board rides. Volume seems to be the safest indicator for me. Keeping my boardswithin a 10 percent range of each other seems to serve me well. Pretty stoked on the HF...will be adding one to the quiver soon.