diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 97f0d434..7c6b5393 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -1521,7 +1521,7 @@ qrsequence_test_LDADD = $(ABSEIL_LIBS) $(TESS_LIBS)
 
 recodebeam_test_SOURCES = unittest/recodebeam_test.cc
 recodebeam_test_CPPFLAGS = $(unittest_CPPFLAGS)
-recodebeam_test_LDADD = $(ABSEIL_LIBS) $(TRAINING_LIBS) $(ICU_I18N_LIBS) $(ICU_UC_LIBS)
+recodebeam_test_LDADD = $(TRAINING_LIBS) $(ICU_I18N_LIBS) $(ICU_UC_LIBS)
 
 rect_test_SOURCES = unittest/rect_test.cc
 rect_test_CPPFLAGS = $(unittest_CPPFLAGS)
@@ -1529,7 +1529,7 @@ rect_test_LDADD = $(TESS_LIBS)
 
 resultiterator_test_SOURCES = unittest/resultiterator_test.cc
 resultiterator_test_CPPFLAGS = $(unittest_CPPFLAGS)
-resultiterator_test_LDADD = $(ABSEIL_LIBS) $(TRAINING_LIBS)
+resultiterator_test_LDADD = $(TRAINING_LIBS)
 resultiterator_test_LDADD += $(LEPTONICA_LIBS) $(ICU_I18N_LIBS) $(ICU_UC_LIBS)
 
 scanutils_test_SOURCES = unittest/scanutils_test.cc
@@ -1580,7 +1580,7 @@ tatweel_test_LDADD = $(TRAINING_LIBS)
 
 textlineprojection_test_SOURCES = unittest/textlineprojection_test.cc
 textlineprojection_test_CPPFLAGS = $(unittest_CPPFLAGS)
-textlineprojection_test_LDADD = $(ABSEIL_LIBS) $(TRAINING_LIBS) $(LEPTONICA_LIBS)
+textlineprojection_test_LDADD = $(TRAINING_LIBS) $(LEPTONICA_LIBS)
 
 tfile_test_SOURCES = unittest/tfile_test.cc
 tfile_test_CPPFLAGS = $(unittest_CPPFLAGS)
diff --git a/unittest/mastertrainer_test.cc b/unittest/mastertrainer_test.cc
index 7694359e..47b64462 100644
--- a/unittest/mastertrainer_test.cc
+++ b/unittest/mastertrainer_test.cc
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@
 #include "trainingsample.h"
 #include "unicharset.h"
 
-#include "absl/strings/numbers.h"   // for safe_strto32
 #include "absl/strings/str_split.h" // for absl::StrSplit
 
 #include <string>
diff --git a/unittest/recodebeam_test.cc b/unittest/recodebeam_test.cc
index cda970b4..0fc73857 100644
--- a/unittest/recodebeam_test.cc
+++ b/unittest/recodebeam_test.cc
@@ -22,8 +22,6 @@
 
 #include "helpers.h"
 
-#include "absl/strings/str_format.h" // for absl::StrFormat
-
 namespace tesseract {
 
 // Number of characters to test beam search with.
@@ -160,9 +158,9 @@ protected:
       if (u_decoded.size() < truth_utf8.size()) {
         const char *str = ccutil_.unicharset.id_to_unichar(unichar_ids[u]);
         total_rating += ratings[u];
-        LOG(INFO) << absl::StrFormat("%d:u_id=%d=%s, c=%g, r=%g, r_sum=%g @%d", u, unichar_ids[u],
-                                     str, certainties[u], ratings[u], total_rating, xcoords[u])
-                  << "\n";
+        LOG(INFO) << u << ":u_id=" << unichar_ids[u] << "=" << str << ", c="
+          << certainties[u] << ", r=" << ratings[u] << "r_sum="
+          << total_rating << " @" << xcoords[u] << "\n";
         if (str[0] == ' ') {
           total_rating = 0.0f;
         }
@@ -184,11 +182,9 @@ protected:
           }
           w_decoded += word->best_choice->unichar_string().c_str();
         }
-        LOG(INFO) << absl::StrFormat("Word:%d = %s, c=%g, r=%g, perm=%d", w,
-                                     word->best_choice->unichar_string().c_str(),
-                                     word->best_choice->certainty(), word->best_choice->rating(),
-                                     word->best_choice->permuter())
-                  << "\n";
+        LOG(INFO) << "Word:" << w << " = " << word->best_choice->unichar_string()
+          << ", c=" << word->best_choice->certainty() << ", r=" << word->best_choice->rating()
+          << ", perm=" << word->best_choice->permuter() << "\n";
       }
       std::string w_trunc(w_decoded.data(), truth_utf8.size());
       if (truth_utf8 != w_trunc) {
diff --git a/unittest/resultiterator_test.cc b/unittest/resultiterator_test.cc
index cf9cd250..15d66c82 100644
--- a/unittest/resultiterator_test.cc
+++ b/unittest/resultiterator_test.cc
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 #include <string>
 #include "scrollview.h"
 
-#include "absl/strings/str_format.h" // for absl::StrFormat
 #include "include_gunit.h"
 #include "log.h" // for LOG
 
@@ -99,7 +98,7 @@ protected:
       pixWrite(outfile.c_str(), pix, IFF_PNG);
     }
     pix.destroy();
-    LOG(INFO) << absl::StrFormat("At level %d: pix diff = %d\n", level, pixcount);
+    LOG(INFO) << "At level " << level << ": pix diff = " << pixcount << "\n";
     EXPECT_LE(pixcount, max_diff);
     //    if (base::GetFlag(FLAGS_v) > 1) CHECK_LE(pixcount, max_diff);
   }
@@ -293,7 +292,8 @@ TEST_F(ResultIteratorTest, EasyTest) {
   // Test baseline of the first line.
   int x1, y1, x2, y2;
   r_it->Baseline(tesseract::RIL_TEXTLINE, &x1, &y1, &x2, &y2);
-  LOG(INFO) << absl::StrFormat("Baseline (%d,%d)->(%d,%d)", x1, y1, x2, y2) << "\n";
+  LOG(INFO) << "Baseline ("
+     << x1 << ',' << y1 << ")->(" << x2 << ',' << y2 << ")\n";
   // Make sure we have a decent vector.
   EXPECT_GE(x2, x1 + 400);
   // The point 200,116 should be very close to the baseline.
@@ -315,9 +315,9 @@ TEST_F(ResultIteratorTest, EasyTest) {
     float confidence = r_it->Confidence(tesseract::RIL_WORD);
     EXPECT_GE(confidence, 80.0f);
     char *word_str = r_it->GetUTF8Text(tesseract::RIL_WORD);
-    LOG(INFO) << absl::StrFormat("Word %s in font %s, id %d, size %d, conf %g", word_str, font,
-                                 font_id, pointsize, confidence)
-              << "\n";
+    LOG(INFO) << "Word " << word_str << " in font " << font
+      << ", id " << font_id << ", size " << pointsize
+      << ", conf " << confidence << "\n";
     delete[] word_str;
     EXPECT_FALSE(bold);
     EXPECT_FALSE(italic);
@@ -372,8 +372,8 @@ TEST_F(ResultIteratorTest, SmallCapDropCapTest) {
                              &pointsize, &font_id);
     char *word_str = r_it->GetUTF8Text(tesseract::RIL_WORD);
     if (word_str != nullptr) {
-      LOG(INFO) << absl::StrFormat("Word %s is %s", word_str, smallcaps ? "SMALLCAPS" : "Normal")
-                << "\n";
+      LOG(INFO) << "Word " << word_str
+        << " is " << (smallcaps ? "SMALLCAPS" : "Normal") << "\n";
       if (r_it->SymbolIsDropcap()) {
         ++found_dropcaps;
       }
@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@ TEST_F(ResultIteratorTest, SmallCapDropCapTest) {
       while (s_it.Next(tesseract::RIL_SYMBOL) && !s_it.IsAtBeginningOf(tesseract::RIL_WORD)) {
         if (s_it.SymbolIsDropcap()) {
           char *sym_str = s_it.GetUTF8Text(tesseract::RIL_SYMBOL);
-          LOG(ERROR) << absl::StrFormat("Symbol %s of word %s is dropcap", sym_str, word_str);
+          LOG(ERROR) << "Symbol " << sym_str << " of word " << word_str << " is dropcap";
           delete[] sym_str;
         }
         EXPECT_FALSE(s_it.SymbolIsDropcap());
@@ -433,8 +433,7 @@ TEST_F(ResultIteratorTest, SubSuperTest) {
       result = r_it->GetUTF8Text(tesseract::RIL_SYMBOL);
       if (strchr(kAllowedSupers, result[0]) == nullptr) {
         char* word = r_it->GetUTF8Text(tesseract::RIL_WORD);
-        LOG(ERROR) << absl::StrFormat("Char %s in word %s is unexpected super!",
-                                    result, word);
+        LOG(ERROR) << "Char " << result << " in word " << word << " is unexpected super!";
         delete [] word;
         EXPECT_TRUE(strchr(kAllowedSupers, result[0]) != nullptr);
       }
@@ -445,8 +444,8 @@ TEST_F(ResultIteratorTest, SubSuperTest) {
     }
   } while (r_it->Next(tesseract::RIL_SYMBOL));
   delete r_it;
-  LOG(INFO) << absl::StrFormat("Subs = %d, supers= %d, normal = %d",
-                          found_subs, found_supers, found_normal) << "\n";
+  LOG(INFO) << "Subs = " << found_subs << ", supers= " << found_supers
+    << ", normal = " << found_normal << "\n";
   EXPECT_GE(found_subs, 25);
   EXPECT_GE(found_supers, 25);
   EXPECT_GE(found_normal, 1350);
@@ -528,7 +527,7 @@ TEST_F(ResultIteratorTest, DISABLED_NonNullChoicesTest) {
   do {
     char *word_str = r_it->GetUTF8Text(tesseract::RIL_WORD);
     if (word_str != nullptr) {
-      LOG(INFO) << absl::StrFormat("Word %s:", word_str) << "\n";
+      LOG(INFO) << "Word " << word_str << ":\n";
       ResultIterator s_it = *r_it;
       do {
         tesseract::ChoiceIterator c_it(s_it);
@@ -571,7 +570,7 @@ TEST_F(ResultIteratorTest, NonNullConfidencesTest) {
         const char *char_str = s_it.GetUTF8Text(tesseract::RIL_SYMBOL);
         CHECK(char_str != nullptr);
         float confidence = s_it.Confidence(tesseract::RIL_SYMBOL);
-        LOG(INFO) << absl::StrFormat("Char %s has confidence %g\n", char_str, confidence);
+        LOG(INFO) << "Char " << char_str << " has confidence " << confidence << "\n";
         delete[] char_str;
       } while (!s_it.IsAtFinalElement(tesseract::RIL_WORD, tesseract::RIL_SYMBOL) &&
                s_it.Next(tesseract::RIL_SYMBOL));
diff --git a/unittest/textlineprojection_test.cc b/unittest/textlineprojection_test.cc
index 2595b574..90ed8cc3 100644
--- a/unittest/textlineprojection_test.cc
+++ b/unittest/textlineprojection_test.cc
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@
 #include <allheaders.h>
 #include <string> // for std::string
 
-#include "absl/strings/str_format.h" // for absl::StrFormat
 #include "include_gunit.h"
 
 #include <tesseract/baseapi.h>
@@ -114,13 +113,12 @@ protected:
                    const char *message) {
     int value = projection_->EvaluateBox(box, denorm_, false);
     if (greater_or_equal != (value > target_value)) {
-      LOG(INFO) << absl::StrFormat(
-          "EvaluateBox too %s:%d vs %d for %s word '%s' at:", greater_or_equal ? "low" : "high",
-          value, target_value, message, text);
+      LOG(INFO) << "EvaluateBox too " << (greater_or_equal ? "low" : "high")
+        << ":" << value << " vs " << target_value << " for " << message << " word '" << text << "' at:";
       box.print();
       value = projection_->EvaluateBox(box, denorm_, true);
     } else {
-      LOG(INFO) << absl::StrFormat("EvaluateBox OK(%d) for %s word '%s'", value, message, text);
+      LOG(INFO) << "EvaluateBox OK(" << value << ") for " << message << " word '" << text << "'";
     }
     if (greater_or_equal) {
       EXPECT_GE(value, target_value);
@@ -136,14 +134,14 @@ protected:
     int true_dist = projection_->DistanceOfBoxFromBox(box, true_box, true, denorm_, false);
     int false_dist = projection_->DistanceOfBoxFromBox(box, false_box, true, denorm_, false);
     if (false_dist <= true_dist) {
-      LOG(INFO) << absl::StrFormat("Distance wrong:%d vs %d for %s word '%s' at:", false_dist,
-                                   true_dist, message, text);
+      LOG(INFO) << "Distance wrong:" << false_dist << " vs " << true_dist
+        << " for " << message << " word '" << text << "' at:";
       true_box.print();
       projection_->DistanceOfBoxFromBox(box, true_box, true, denorm_, true);
       projection_->DistanceOfBoxFromBox(box, false_box, true, denorm_, true);
     } else {
-      LOG(INFO) << absl::StrFormat("Distance OK(%d vs %d) for %s word '%s'", false_dist, true_dist,
-                                   message, text);
+      LOG(INFO) << "Distance OK(" << false_dist << " vs " << true_dist
+        << ") for " << message << " word '" << text << "'";
     }
   }