Bo

Eight fine batches at the default is not a failure to learn. It is the default being sensible.

Two practical consequences worth knowing before you start moving the number, because both have caught people out.

High superfat and rancidity. Those orange spots people find on old bars are oxidised free oils, and the more free oil there is, the more there is to oxidise. Pushing superfat up shortens shelf life, and it shortens it most with oils that are prone to going off in the first place. If you make in batches and use them slowly, this matters more than it does for someone who makes monthly.

Fragrance and additives eat into your margin. Anything you add that contains oil is effectively adding to the superfat without appearing in the calculation. Same for milk, cream and anything with fat in it. If you are running high already and add something rich, you can end up well above where you intended and get a soft bar that will not release from the mould.

Also worth being deliberate about: if you change superfat, change nothing else that batch. The whole reason people cannot answer this question for themselves is that they change the number, the fragrance and an oil at the same time and then cannot tell what caused the difference.

Make the same recipe twice at five and eight, cure both properly, and use them side by side. That comparison teaches you more than any recipe's stated number.