I love my "urinal puck".
Arco who loves it, who hates it. Why?
- Thread starter Dan05
- Start date
Nothing under $15? So no Cella?
No Cella any more. I tried quite a few cheaper soaps when I started. MdC is $48 with shipping and lasts me a little over a year. That's my go to. I'm also using WK, which is a little more expensive per year, but pretty nice stuff.
Cella was nice, but I find so many of the new artisan soaps are considerably better.
For me MdC is over $90 once I pay all the charges (duty, tax, shipping and exchange), so Cella is much more of bargain at $10 (+tax and free shipping if I order enough other items), although MdC is certainly nice it's just not as economical for me as many other soaps.
Many of the new artisan soaps are much more expensive for me and just not that much better than Cella IME, but I certainly buy a ton of them so price isn't the issue for me.
I hadn't used Arko in a couple of years, but I was inspired to pull it out of the closet as I read this thread.
Man, it lathers great. The shave is very good, too. If you're fixated on "post-shave," this doesn't do much for you. I'm not a post-shave guy. I find that soaps other guys say have good post-shave really just have lots of unsaponified fat that leaves my face greasy. I throw on a good aftershave everyday anyway.
The scent: I love it, generally. It's just supercharged in its strength. For me, it smells like wetshaving, the same way sandalwood and the old T&H Luxury soap and Harris Almond and Old Spice and Speick do.
Man, it lathers great. The shave is very good, too. If you're fixated on "post-shave," this doesn't do much for you. I'm not a post-shave guy. I find that soaps other guys say have good post-shave really just have lots of unsaponified fat that leaves my face greasy. I throw on a good aftershave everyday anyway.
The scent: I love it, generally. It's just supercharged in its strength. For me, it smells like wetshaving, the same way sandalwood and the old T&H Luxury soap and Harris Almond and Old Spice and Speick do.
- Thread starter
- #66
Since starting this thread, I’ve used arko quite a few times. I’m in love for such a cheap soap. Also realised it’s written arko not arco.
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For me, Arko is a great shave soap! At first, I had some issues face lathering with it (tended to be too dry), but now that I've pressed a stick into a container, I'm able to properly hydrate the product and it performs amazingly well. Nice and slick! I find the scent inoffensive, more like regular hand soap than urinal cake\mint.
A week ago, I ordered a dozen stick of Arko, on a whim, hoping I would like such an inexpensive soap, they came in on Sunday, and I've been using it all this week, rubbing it on my face and then building the lather from there. WOW! For me, it's a direct comparison to vintage Williams - it lathers easy, it's a good, cushiony lather, and provides a nice glide for the razor.
The smell, while strong when first opened the wrapper, just smells like strong soap to me, or baby ointment, and it seems to have dissipated pretty well after sitting open a few days.
I'm going to enjoy working through these 12 sticks.
The smell, while strong when first opened the wrapper, just smells like strong soap to me, or baby ointment, and it seems to have dissipated pretty well after sitting open a few days.
I'm going to enjoy working through these 12 sticks.
Arko, is number 1 in my book!
Arko is great stuff. Slick, protective, easy to lather, and inexpensive. It is old school. If you want vetiver lilac scent with shea butter and organic argo oil, go ahead and pay for it. But if you want a good clean shave, you can't beat Arko. Go ahead and moisturize when you're done. I won't judge you.
The scent is a deal breaker for me. Reminds me of industrial solvents.
...for me, Arko is one of the best performing soaps I have used; it remains in my regular rotation after having tried many, many other soaps including artisan offerings. I grate 3 sticks at a time into a screw-top tub. The lemony smell, what I can smell of it, I find find pleasant and not that different to D R Harris' Arlington. If you are over 35, your sense of smell is likely blunted anyway so Arko's assertive lemony scent maybe welcome. A top soap, regardless of price, for me it matches other tallow mainstream offerings such as Valobra, Haslinger, Tabac, D R Harris, Cella. Every time I use Arko and Palmolive, I wonder why I pay over 20 times the price for other 100g shaving soap pucks; it is not because they offer better performance...
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Love Arlo, the soap more than the stick for what it's worth
Great lather, quick to build smooth and cushiony.
The smell... Well, nobody is perfect
Here in Italy that scent is known as sapone di Marsiglia (Marseille soap), and yes people either love or hate it, it's pretty strong to be sure
Great lather, quick to build smooth and cushiony.
The smell... Well, nobody is perfect
Here in Italy that scent is known as sapone di Marsiglia (Marseille soap), and yes people either love or hate it, it's pretty strong to be sure
Reminds me of tabac in its performance through the shave. Arko is better post shave though.
Both stink lol
Both stink lol
For the price Arko is an excellent performer I like the scent and it works really well. Would I buy it?? no because its normally given away as a freebie with 100 astra blades from amazon and I prefer the palmolive shave stick, which is only 49p in Asda.
Great soap. Especially for the $$. I like wholly kaw and B&M reserve better but if I had nothing but arko going forward I’d be ok with that. Actually looking at the 12 sticks of arko I got for $13 on Amazon I may have enough to last me going forward
I like it because it works. Rub it on, lather it up. Nothing to it. Very simple, effective, easy to generate lather soap.
Arko produces a good lather. Slick and cushioning. It does lack post shave feel. Also it does have a minor dring effect on my skin. But for the price you won't find a better soap. I like it better than Williams. Williams is not bad eather.
