Experienced wet shavers will immediately ask this question, and we are here to make our case. There are many factors in judging a shaving soap, but we will narrow it down to the most important five. Of course, depending on who you ask these are not the most important five, but generally speaking these are the main things you look for when making your next purchase. Scent is excluded due to its subjectivity.
Factor One: Price.
Most artisans charge between $3 to $5 per ounce. Most of this is due to the scale restraints of shave soap making, which basically just translates to labor. Occasionally you will find some artisans using exotic oils like argan oil and kokum butter that drive up the cost. TFSS is as minimal as possible to maximize quality, but also to shrink these labor costs. We experimented with exotic oils as part of our R&D, and found a steep diminishing return when it came to the end result. At $2 per ounce, TFSS is highly competitive against other artisans.
Factor Two: Solubility.
Solubility is just how quickly the soap dissolves in water, and in general higher solubility is more expensive to accomplish on the artisans end. Also sometimes referred to as "speed", high solubility cuts down lather building time, and results in a softer soap. TFSS is made with the maximum possible solubility.
Factor Three: Glide or Slickness.
This one is simple. Glide refers to the natural resistance you may feel from the shaving soap during your razor pass. The lower the resistance the better, meaning your blade doesn't "hang" or snag your skin or hair. Also often called "slip". TFSS uses a trade secret saponification method to add substantial slickness without the need of introducing an exotic oil or additive.
Factor Four: Lather.
A good lather adds some protective cushion to your skin to prepare it for sharp steel. For artisans, balancing a lather is the biggest challenge. It needs to be big or fluffy, slick and not drying, stable, and not too thick to the point of choking the razor or drain. This is where TFSS is the most unique. It's lather is light and fluffy, yet stable. It is protective and slick, yet has amazing anti-clogging properties.
Factor Five: Quality.
Quality is arguably the factor with the widest range aside from scent. You can make an overkill top of the stack quality, and you can make a bottom of the barrel quality depending on the oil makeup and batch size. TFSS excels in a minimalist recipe, just two base ingredients. TFSS also excels in grade, with organic coconut oil as the primary ingredient and with natural essential oils instead of synthetic fragrance oil.
Combine all these factors, and it is hard to beat TFSS. The naming reflects our endgame, there is really no advantage left in trying to improve the recipe any further at this point. The marketing side is granted a bit debatable, being "It's the final shaving soap you'll use", however we are confident that it has a high chance of becoming your favorite.