Arko August is upon us and I've always been curious as to the proportion of folks that actually do or do not smell the urinal puck type odor from an Arko stick. Since our individual sense of smell varies due to genetic and other differences, let's see our collective responses. I do smell it, but have a stick on my counter anyway.
Arko shave stick- urinal puck smell for you or not?
- Thread starter RenoRichard
- Start date
Sometimes, because there is no 'kinda/sorta' choice lol.
I can certainly understand why people say it smells like a urinal puck but I cant say I really got that from it. Maybe, way down deep, I sensed a slight resemblance to one but it was quickly overpowered by lemon and citronella. More like a lemony mosquito repellent than a urinal puck. I do remember thinking that if I had been shaving with it all those years Bass fishing on those hot and humid August nights, I may not have needed as much Muskol as I've used.
I dont mind the smell. It brought me back to the 1970's for some reason. Not sure why, but thats what it conjured up.
I can certainly understand why people say it smells like a urinal puck but I cant say I really got that from it. Maybe, way down deep, I sensed a slight resemblance to one but it was quickly overpowered by lemon and citronella. More like a lemony mosquito repellent than a urinal puck. I do remember thinking that if I had been shaving with it all those years Bass fishing on those hot and humid August nights, I may not have needed as much Muskol as I've used.
I dont mind the smell. It brought me back to the 1970's for some reason. Not sure why, but thats what it conjured up.
Grande/Polsilver (6)
Arko?
22mm Maggard synthetic.
I dropped the puck into my hand and rubbed it all over my face and neck ATG until I saw lots of white and figured that would be enough. Wrong.
I tried building the lather but the best I got was very light foam and shaved first pass N>S with it anyway. Mediocre first pass but, I've had worse...
Then I squeezed out about half of my brush, dropped the puck in my left hand and loaded Maggards lil devil like that. When I had a bit more resistance than I usually feel I wet my face and had at it. I loaded far too much and had to add quite a bit of water but that told me I had also loaded Cella too lightly. Anyway...
As I was working the lather it hit me. From that point on, all I could think about was the movie Reservoir Dogs and K-Billy's Super Sounds of the 70's while remembering spending almost every day of the summer at a pool through the 1970's.
The Wonderland Gardens.
Guy Lombardo used to play at the band shell there all the time, right at the pools edge.
Memories of being a little kid, taking the bus all the way across town to the nicest pool in the city. We use to spend the day listening to the radio and having fun knowing we'd be going home to a BBQ. I havent thought about that for 40 years and that scent brought it all home in a flash but I'm not sure why. The scent of the 70's maybe.
Starting the second pass ("Ooga chucka ooga ooga ooga chucka" c'mon you know it lol). It all made sense. Great lather. An oddly and incredibly familiar scent. Lemon with a background of the 1970's? Great slickness. Great cushion. I really couldnt ask for a better lather and none better is needed.
After an ATG pass and another clean up ATG I have as good a shave as I've ever had. Slight burn on my left jawline where I overdid it but I blame it on the music in my head haha. Post shave feel isnt Wickhams class but certainly acceptable and improving as I type this.
$4.95 for two sticks from Maggard that I could slice and add to my Old Spice mug. Its a no brainer.
Arko? Arko!
I like the fresh smell and more importantly so does my wife......
Nope. Soapy, lemony, citronella...Yes.
Owen Bawn
Garden party cupcake scented
No. I've said this a dozen times but Arko smells like the soap often found in school, workplace, or public washrooms.
- Thread starter
- #6
Thanks for your input! To you perhaps a smell of soap, which was the point of the poll. Our perception of smells vary quite a bit by individual. During college I worked nights in a fast food burger joint called Burger Chef. One of my jobs was to mop up the store on closing and clean the restrooms- I also refilled the paper towels, the soap dispensers, and replaced the urinal block. The initial impression I had when I peeled my first Arko stick and took a whiff was of those unused blocks, not the hand soap, or the industrial cleaner I mopped with. Nowadays apparently blocks come in a variety of scents, but I was reminded of the strong industrial scent that accompanied those old blocks. Don't get me wrong, I like Arko- for the price it's a decent performer. I'd place it above current Williams, Van Der Hagen, and the canned stuff I've tried. Arko doesn't have the great post-shave feel I get from some other soaps, but it does have good slickness and enough cushion to do the job well.
I dont find the scent offensive at all. To me, it kinda smells a bit medicinal. Or if you've been in the US military, a bit like issued soap or cleaner. Regardless of the smell I love the performance, slickness and lather.
I've never stuck my face into a urinal, so can't say Arko smells that way in particular, but compared to every other shave product I've used, the industrial scent of Arko is more at home among other items in the cleaning supplies section as opposed to the shaving one. Once rinsed off, Arko gives me a fresh laundry vibe, which is cool with me.
Arko smells soapy and a little lemony to me.
Not this old chestnut again 
I only use Arko, it does not smell like a urinal freshener. It's got a mild, citrus aroma. In my opinion at least
I only use Arko, it does not smell like a urinal freshener. It's got a mild, citrus aroma. In my opinion at least
I like the smell of Arko, smells clean and fresh to me. I'm looking forward to Arko August, will be using it for every shave during the month.
whatever, enjoy my stick of Arko!
Great lather, acceptable scent!!
Overall, super shave!
Great lather, acceptable scent!!
Overall, super shave!
A fresh stick of Arko is fairly potent. They do fade with time. I don't think people making urinal cakes are trying to make things smell bad. To me the urinal cakes smell more like pepsin whereas Arko is lemony to me. Probably depends on brand.
Also, the scent fades away over time after opening the wrapper.Not this old chestnut again
I only use Arko, it does not smell like a urinal freshener. It's got a mild, citrus aroma. In my opinion at least
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Not a urinal puck scent. It is more like the soap the school janitors used to mop the floors where I grew up. In some parts of the world, this is similar to the scent of household products used for laundry.
I dig Arko! I dig the smell! A clean soapy citrus smell! I dig the way it lathers! I dig the handsome fellow on my tub with his face all lathered up with sweet smelling Arko, ready for another awesome shave. You can see it in his eyes.....knowledge. I dig the fact that tomorrow is August 1st, the beginning of a collective Arko odyssey.
I love the smell of Arko. I think it fades too soon.
No, to me it smells like a citronella candle.
Yes, but:
Urinal pucks really improved the last decade so i would say
that Arko sports a vintage urinal puck smell.
Reminds me of highway diner toilets in the 90s, right after cleaning and refilling then urinals.
Still, nothing i want to be reminded of when shaving.
Urinal pucks really improved the last decade so i would say
that Arko sports a vintage urinal puck smell.
Reminds me of highway diner toilets in the 90s, right after cleaning and refilling then urinals.
Still, nothing i want to be reminded of when shaving.
No.
The Veg, on the other hand ...
AA
The Veg, on the other hand ...
AA
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