What is Arko hated so much for?

[chrisf8657]

I've never tried Arko, so I'm wondering why people hate it so much.
Is the scent of it THAT bad? What does it smell like? Butt????

Seriously though, is this a scent that sticks on your face after shaving, or is it just lathering/shaving?

 

[ackvil]

You either love it or hate it, for the most part. For me it performs well - but the scent is not the best. I remedy the scent problem by putting it in a bag with some coffee beans. Others leave it out for a while.

No doubt you will get some vivid descriptions of what it smells like.

 

[Matt555]

It is the scent. Some people just cannot stand it. I have not heard too many complaints about its performance. Especially for $2 a stick.

 

[Evbo]

Smells like a urinal puck to me -- the smell actually makes me gag. I can't go near it. But other guys love it.

Behold: the mystery of scent perception. Go figure. The only way for you to know how you feel about it is to try it for yourself.

 

[Haggises]

Scientific poll suggests 6 out of 7 nose owners say their nose prefers it.
Try it and see and make up your own mind.

 

[dalecooper51]

It is the popular thing to do now.

It is an inexpensive soap that works very well.

 

[attime6]

Some people can't get past the smell but it performs great. I don't mind the smell.

 

[Niles]

Scents are very subjective. Opinions always vary.

 

[Antares600]

For the most part, people hate the smell which in my opinion is not really that bad. It smells like cheap lemon industrial cleaner.

Either way, the lather is worth the cheap cost.

 

[mikelz777]

The smell doesn't really bother me but it does smell like the urinal cakes or the deodorizers used in many public bathrooms. I ended up PIF-ing all my ARKO. It lathered well and worked just fine but it dried my skin out a bit and was about 4th or 5th in line of soaps I tried that liked better so it wasn't worth hanging on to for me.

 

[Lmarkow]

I don't mind the smell, as much as it dries my skin. I swim in a chlorine pool 3/week and cannot shave with this soap after a swim.

 

[chuckr9]

Scent was the problem for me............

 

[BDF]

It certainly does seem to generate a powerful response. I have not tried it yet but after reading about it on this forum it seems I am being forced to get some just so I can test smell this stuff. The other one that gets a lot of press about the smell is Tabac- I wonder if I can get both delivered in the same box or if it will cause a black hole or choke postal workers or something?

This whole discussion reminds me of Vegemite. I used to have a small jar I kept around just to show people how bad a food product could be. If Arko is that bad it is worth having a sample around just to prove what a bad smell really is.

Brian

I've never tried Arko, so I'm wondering why people hate it so much.
Is the scent of it THAT bad? What does it smell like? Butt????

Seriously though, is this a scent that sticks on your face after shaving, or is it just lathering/shaving?

 

[oldtrout]

Quite simple really, it's all about love.

Some people love Arko and others love to hate Arko.

 

[JRL]

I'm a serious penny pincher -- started DE shaving to save money. So I was really motivated to like Arko. It really did perform well for me. It made awesome lather. I've done my share of experimenting, and I haven't found another economy-priced soap or cream that beats Arko. Unfortunately, I also found the smell intolerable. Even after it was exiled to the garage for 2 months, I couldn't take the smell. I haven't tried the coffee bean trick mentioned by Ackvil, but with the price of coffee these days, I'll have to think about that for a while.

 

[BubblesTGB]

I love the smell and love the performance.

I think there are just certain polarizing scents out there. My wife likes the smell of The Veg and I get a hint of cat urine. Everyone's nose is a little different and I think there are probably some receptors that have 2 reactions. Good or bad. I think Arko and Lilac Vegetal trigger these receptors.

 

[blade08]

I'm an Arko convert. I used to hate it, but these days I just like the scent for some unexplainable reason. It's a very simple scent which reminds me of some sort of kitchen cleaner.

 

[Puerco]

If you don't like the scent of Arko but you do love the performance read this and participate: LINK

 

[mmack66]

I don't care for the scent, but I love the price and the performance, and in my experience, the scent doesn't linger on me after I am done shaving.

 

[bluepunk18]

Its much like Tabac, you either love it, scent and all, or you can't stand it. It is a cheap, good-performing soap. I'd say it smells similar to new Williams pucks when you first unwrap it. Mine hangs out in a vintage shave-stick tin, so the scent has calmed down a bit...Its worth a try for a few bucks, and if you hate it, PIF it away! YMMV, of course!