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ARKO shaving soap in a bowl, 90 gr

Tallow based, hard shaving soap

Item Description

A hard shaving soap, as classic as classic can be, with a scent that divides the shaving community.

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Good and cheap, but there's better and cheaper...
Pros: Cheap, good lather, handy bowl
Cons: None to me
I've been wet shaving for just over two years now, and finally I got myself this little puck of 'mythical' Arko shaving soap. (Can you really be a member of the wet-shaving community without ever having used Arko???)

Opening the bowl, the scent immediatly threw me back in time... We used a Belgian/Dutch cleaning product 'groene zeep' (green soap), a dark golden semi translucent paste, originally made from hemp oil that came in 5 kg buckets. Yes there's a hint of lemon and yes there's a hint of laundry soap. I do NOT consider the smell as offensive as some people do who even compare it to urinal cakes. Is it the most appropriate scent for a hygienic product? Maybe not...
Lathering up was effortless, but not better or worse than the majority of shaving soaps, industrial or artisan. (I use very hard water.) After shave feel was also average.

Maybe the fairest comparison to make is to compare Arko with Proraso.
Arko comes in a 90 gr bowl at $7.70/100 gr (3.5oz), Proraso comes in a 150 gr bowl at $6.66/100 gr (3.5oz). Arko-Proraso 0-1.
I consider Proraso's lather slightly superior to Arko's, both in ease of lathering as in density. So for me: 0-2.
Proraso (soap in a bowl) comes in 3 scents. I especially like the Proraso White's lemon/apple-ish scent. I also believe it's a more appropriate scent for a hygienic product. At least the scent is less divisive ;-) So: 0-3.
After shave skin feel (compared to Proraso White) is ±equal to me. Draw.
Proraso is a glycerine/coconut oil based vegan product while Arko is a tallow based product. For some this is 1-3, for others 0-4, I guess?

So to me, while Arko is a cheap, good, honest industrial product, Proraso is cheaper and better.
Price
4.00 star(s)
Scent
3.00 star(s)
Lather
3.00 star(s)
Quality
4.00 star(s)
Efficacy
4.00 star(s)
Moisturizing
4.00 star(s)
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Ebberman
Ebberman
I have found in the last year that Amazon is cheaper than shaving sites and ebay. It has a finger on the pulse. It even badges razors whilst many shops think we still use plastic sticks with cartridges. It sells Dorco Titan blades @ £2.99 per 100.
Yes, bulk buying brings down the price, but 900 grams for the same price as 90 grams?
Ebberman
Ebberman
Yesterday I bought, through Amazon, 10 tubs of Arko soap for £22.95 That works out at £2.30 per tub. Tub, not tube. P&P free.
Kent Kimmons
Kent Kimmons
I find the soap produces a good lather and lubricates the face quite well for the razor. The puck/plastic case is on the small side and so I do lose a lot of lather as waste each time I shave, still, it is cheap enough that I'm not too concerned about that. The scent goes on and outright slaps your nose around. I find the initial scent actually a bit uncomfortable. I do put up with it because the performance on my face is so good. I would have to compare the performance favorably to my Proraiso cream!

After a 2 pass shave and polishing, the scent does fade rather quickly and by the time I am out of the bathroom in the AM, what is left is not at all unreasonable and SWMBO loves the smell so there is that. Still, if you have allergies or strong perfumes simply get to you, this may be one you want to think twice about.

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JanVanDerVoort
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