What we look for in a bar of wax:

The perceived quality of any wax is, to a large extent, subjective. One man’s bar of soap can be another man’s sticky icky, as they say.

Personally, I prefer a wax that is of medium firmness and mid-to-high stickiness.

The wax should feel soft under my feet without caving in or sliding when pressure is applied.

I should be able to lift my foot off the wax, but not slide it directly across the top layer.

The wax should feel like the board is naturally following my movements, rather than me having to actively embrace the board with my toes.

At the same time, it shouldn’t feel glued to my feet.

I realize a lot of those characteristics may sound contradictory, probably because they are. This is why I place so much value in the artistry of wax-making – it’s really fucking difficult to produce a great bar (as you’ll learn from our winner), and those who do so should be sufficiently lauded.