Tcheon Fung Sing (“TFS”) Classic Almond Shave Soap (sometimes listed by vendors as Ciotola Rossa–literally Red Bowl–or, somewhat inaccurately, Torino for Turin, Italy, the company’s location) has been around since the late 1940’s. It seems to be one of those products that performs exceptionally well, for an exceptionally low price, yet is still somewhat unknown to many wet shave enthusiasts. Let’s change that.
My Experience With Tcheon Fung Sing Classic Almond Shave Soap
[Note: I received a sample of TFS classic almond shave soap from Super Safety Razors without cost. But the opinions below are mine and have not been reviewed or approved by Super Safety Razors. However Sharpologist links to Super Safety Razors are affiliate.]
Presentation
TFS Classic almond shave soap is sold in a 125 ml (~4.2 oz.) red plastic tub. I find the soap quite soft, putting it squarely in the “croap” (somewhere between a cream and a harder soap) consistency to me.
Ingredients: Stearic Acid, Aqua, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Parfum, Potassium Carbonate.
Scent
The scent of this soap is moderately strong off the tub and of straight-up almonds to me and my uneducated, notoriously insensitive nose. If you like the scent of almonds, you’ll like the scent of this soap. If you don’t, you won’t. Some reviewers give the soap an additional mild fruity under-note, but I don’t get it. The scent softens somewhat when lathered to the face but I find it still quite noticeable.
Almond is one of the most popular nuts in the world. In Italy it is grown in the southern part of the country (and in Sicily). The scent of almonds is generally described as sweet, warm, and nutty. Some also say there are hints of floral and citrus notes that can make almond a more complex and unique scent. The almond scent is the classic scent of the Italian barbershop (quite different than their US counterparts).
Lather
Although TFS’s ubiquitous plastic tub is only about 8 cm (about 3 inches) in diameter I find I can still load a shave brush from the tub without trouble.
And it lathers very quickly, easily, and voluminously for me, even with my “hard” water. I find this soap very tolerant of the water-to-soap ratio.
The lather I get is initially a bit “softer” or “foamier” than other shave soaps I use, but definitely quite usable. A little extra time lathering with a decent brush can bring the lather consistency to a somewhat thicker, creamier level.
Performance
Holy moly, TFS classic almond shave soap performs exceptionally well for me, given its simple ingredient formulation and low price. In fact I think it approaches some of the best shave soaps that cost much more and have far more sophisticated formulations.
Cushion/protection, lubrication/glide, and post-shave moisturization are all solidly in the very good (or better) range.
Tcheon Fung Sing Background
Tcheon Fung Sing was born in China but moved to Italy in 1930. After World War II (where he was interned in a refugee camp) he married an Italian woman and started a small company in Turin that made vegetable-based shaving soaps in the artisan tradition.
The business continued over the years and has been handed down three generations: first the daughter, Gabriella Tcheon, and most recently a niece, Paola Barile. The TFS product range of scents was originally very Italian-traditional: almond, sandalwood, and tobacco. However in recent years the fragrance range has expanded to include Bergamot & Neroli, citrus peel, and cologne-like scents.
TFS has an excellent reputation within the wet shaving community, with very “value-oriented” pricing.
Summing Up
Tcheon Fung Sing classic almond shave soap is something I had not tried when I recently wrote about good shave soaps under US$10. After using it I am going to have to edit that post to add this shave soap to that group. Given its simple set of ingredients and low cost I am amazed it works as well as it does. Even if you’re not a big fan of almond scents I think it is worth spending a modest amount to give it a try.
This is one of my all time favorite cream.
I used to get emails with Sharpologist new reviews but for some reason I am not and can not figure out how to get back on the mail list.
As always thanks for the great years of reviews.
Hi Fred, you’re still on the email list. There was a temporary problem with sending emails which has just been fixed. Expect new emails shortly!
How does it compare to Cella?
I’d say they were similar. I will have to do a head-to-head comparison review of them!