Arko vs Mogno: The Konomi Code Challenge

[RumpleBearskin]

Sorry if I misled anyone. I do not find Arko drying at all. I've done the last two Arko August events and had no problems with 31 consecutive Arko shaves.

But that said, I found the post-shave feel of Mogno to be better.

 

[thombrogan]

@hairless wonder I’m very sorry to read ARKO! provided irritation to your skin and drying when it was being charitable. Have you used the Ach Brito Mogno?

 

[hairless wonder]

@hairless wonder I’m very sorry to read ARKO! provided irritation to your skin and drying when it was being charitable. Have you used the Ach Brito Mogno?

No worries, different people react differently to different soaps. Still, I'm happy to use Arko, I just need to use an aftershave balm afterward. That's not a big deal, as I enjoy rubbing in some Nivea or other balm.

As for Mogno, I've not yet had the pleasure. I've thought about picking some up from mens room barbershop, but I'm not interested in enough of their other products to qualify for free shipping. Neither do I want to pay for shipping for just a bar of Mogno.

I'm hoping to see Mogno in the wild at a local store. Preferably ata discount store like Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshall's, or Burlington Coat Factory.

 

[thombrogan]

The Ach Brito Mogno didn’t burn last night!

Nicking a page from the @Dovo1695 handbook, I hand lathered. An enthusiast from Romania confided Mogno works well if used very soon after application and not heavily worked into the face with a brush.

I probably can’t use the soap every day for now, but I was able to enjoy it last night and look forward to enjoying it again in the future.

 

[Dovo1695]

The Ach Brito Mogno didn’t burn last night!

Nicking a page from the @Dovo1695 handbook, I hand lathered. An enthusiast from Romania confided Mogno works well if used very soon after application and not heavily worked into the face with a brush.

I probably can’t use the soap every day for now, but I was able to enjoy it last night and look forward to enjoying it again in the future.

That's good news. Hopefully it will continue to get better as the stick airs out. I initially had problems with irritation from Arko, and I still unwrap a stick several months before I put it into use.

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on hand lathering. I've been doing it for 5-6 years at this point, and I consistently have less irritation from handmade lather than brush made lather. There's a good chance that's just because I'm hopelessly clumsy with a brush though.

 

[alin]

I suffered the same at the first use! It was because of me, I rubbed too much soap on my rough beard and too much soap was loaded, then I sat with too much foam on my face to soak my beard. Try to load a synthetic slipper from the bowl, and do not stand with foam on your face for soaking (not necessary). The soap is very good and softens the beard almost instantly! I wish you success !

#thombrogan, Sir, we expect good news from you about Mogno. Tip do not use excess soap directly on the face, do not leave foam on the face for more than 1 minute because no more is needed to soften the chin, use synthetic pamatuf if you use foaming on the face. I learned my lesson, and now Mogno and Musgo are my favorite soaps (it's true that I don't even have many soaps). Foaming in the hand is also very suitable but isn't it a shame for so many brush bought? Better foam in the bowl, not directly on the face and use a synthetic brush for a start, until you get used to the soap.
I even used Mogno daily and I didn't have any problems from the beginning. Good luck!

 

[thombrogan]

Thank you, @alin I have been using an ARKO! shave stick, but will use the Mogno again. The shave stick is almost used up.

 

[mtcn77]

I initially had problems with irritation from Arko, and I still unwrap a stick several months before I put it into use.

Hi, I had a similar displacement towards Arko, but I got away with it using successive hot water blooming cycles. It helps if I cut it into sections and press it, this way it takes less attempts to break down the chemicals. Hot water can penetrate a thin strip much more easily, so I suggest you try both hot water loading and blooming to take care of the problem. It will feel and smell nicer.

 

[Dovo1695]

Hi, I had a similar displacement towards Arko, but I got away with it using successive hot water blooming cycles. It helps if I cut it into sections and press it, this way it takes less attempts to break down the chemicals. Hot water can penetrate a thin strip much more easily, so I suggest you try both hot water loading and blooming to take care of the problem. It will feel and smell nicer.

I do cold water face lathering for 99% of my shaves. If a soap can't handle that requirement, I drop it in a mason jar of lye that I keep next to all my other shave soaps. Even MWF will lather in hard water with a 1 haired badger when it's nervous. More importantly though, a frightened soap is a terrified whisker.

 

[mtcn77]

I do cold water face lathering for 99% of my shaves. If a soap can't handle that requirement, I drop it in a mason jar of lye that I keep next to all my other shave soaps. Even MWF will lather in hard water with a 1 haired badger when it's nervous. More importantly though, a frightened soap is a terrified whisker.

It is not such a disconcerting soap when prepared using the traditional Turkish Barber manual code.
More humorously stated: failure to comply will result in skin irritation and post shave hives.
Also, I cannot dose it properly when not doing it so. It gets thick and doesn't rinse as good.

 

[Tanuki]

I should test Tabac vs Mogno. I think that Arko outslicks Tabac, but Tabac just goes on and on and on. I'll be lucky to be able to wash it off my slick hand. Gotta get some Mogno first.

Got the Mogno a week or so back. I stickified it right away, but also did some hand lathering with the remains on my grater.

Impressions:
>A.B Mogno is my 'waxiest' stick.
>Face feel is great both in application/lathering and post shave.
>No irritation for me.
>Hand lathering Mogno ain't worth it. Boar, baby, boar!
>Scent beats both Arko and Tabac, and I like the scent of both of those soapy soaps.
>Slickness and protective qualities are just slightly below A and T.

Bottom line: I am slightly habituated to A.B Mogno just now. Hard to reach for anything else!

 

[Burundian Hawk]

Got the Mogno a week or so back. I stickified it right away, but also did some hand lathering with the remains on my grater.

Impressions:
>A.B Mogno is my 'waxiest' stick.
>Face feel is great both in application/lathering and post shave.
>No irritation for me.
>Hand lathering Mogno ain't worth it. Boar, baby, boar!
>Scent beats both Arko and Tabac, and I like the scent of both of those soapy soaps.
>Slickness and protective qualities are just slightly below A and T.

Bottom line: I am slightly habituated to A.B Mogno just now. Hard to reach for anything else!

If i may ask, sir, what is A and T? I know of an artisan called A&E, but who is A and T? Thank you.

 

[Atlantic59]

If i may ask, sir, what is A and T?...

Arko and Tabac.

 

[Burundian Hawk]

Arko and Tabac.

Ah, i see! Thank you, sir!

 

[RumpleBearskin]

Second Mogno shave today. Used the bar directly on my face to start each of the three passes. Wonderfully slick with great residual slickness. And the post-shave is the best of anything I have tried to date. This stuff is great!

 

[dieselfuel79]

Fantastic post. I’ll have to give Mogno a try one of these days.

 

[Dovo1695]

Fantastic post. I’ll have to give Mogno a try one of these days.

Like anything else, Mogno is sure to be a YMMV thing. I like that it's a hard soap, easy to lather, has great residual slickness and is pretty inexpensive at $6.00. It's definitely worth a try.

 

[Tanuki]

I'm pretty sure that Arko and Tabac have the edge in effectiveness, but I am having great difficulty setting down the Mogno and picking up the Arko to do more testing. Let alone pulling the Tabac stick out of the soap refrigerator.

Face feel and scent - I'm ensnared! Only my flibbertigibbet core will give me the strength to move on! In a while... maybe next month... or after spring is over...

 

[Nick Obermire]

Even though the sent is a bit heavy for me, I like Mogno a tiny bit better than Arko.

 

[RumpleBearskin]

Mogno shave #3 (kinda by accident)

I was all queued up for a W&B Frameback with XPEC Original this morning. Just didn't happen.

By 5pm I needed the whiskers off my face and reached for the Old Type / Astra SP I keep around for just such an occasion. But the soap... It's been close to a year since I last used a DE, and there was the wonderfully slick Mogno... Perfect!

Three passes. No post-shave but a rinse and the Clubman. Like I said... Perfect!

(But I do not recommend the Maggard's Black and White for face lathering.)