Arko Soap Stick

turkish · Apr 24, 2010

I just used Arko's Shaving Soap Stick for the first time. Wow!!! I got a fantastic shave with zero irritation. I was a littlle hesitant at first. It seems like Arko products generally don't get a lot of praise, except for their soap stick. I was amazed at how easily it lathered. I've tried more expensive soap sticks that were much harder to lather. I've been happy with the Arko products I've used. So far I've tried Arko Moist and Commando Shaving Cream, Cool Aftershave Cream and now the Shaving Soap Stick. It seems like most of their products are under $5.00 which is another plus. :thumbup:

Matt P · Apr 24, 2010

Glad to hear you like it. The Arko stick is a great product! I enjoy the old school smell and it lathers perfectly every time. You can't beat the price either. I cut two sticks into small discs and pressed them into a lidded tin to use like a soap cake. It works great. When I travel I take an Arko stick. Either way, it gives a great shave. :thumbup1:

Vlad · Apr 24, 2010

I like the creams better than the soap. Only on account of the scent, though.

ShaveAddict · Apr 24, 2010

Vlad said:
I like the creams better than the soap. Only on account of the scent, though.

Me too,
i prefer the scent of Arko creams better than the stick, but the stick provide a better lather.

Savor the Stick · Apr 24, 2010

I'm fixing to buy and have on hand some 30 sticks of Arko. It is a great product and a great PIF for new wet shavers. it's very easy to get a good thick, rich, and creamy lather for the beginner...and that's one last variable to have to think about when learning.

For me I just plain love the stuff...a little bonus is that it is so cheap.

Glad you had a good experience with it.

BroJohn · Apr 24, 2010

I'm quite a fan of the shave stick --it is an excellent product. I also think quite highly of their shave creams. Recommended.

-- John Gehman

blade08 · Apr 25, 2010

BroJohn said:
I'm quite a fan of the shave stick --it is an excellent product. I also think quite highly of their shave creams. Recommended.

-- John Gehman

+1 Arko soaps and creams are excellent products. The soap is tallow based or not?

LinuxMintyFresh · Apr 25, 2010

blade08 said:
+1 Arko soaps and creams are excellent products. The soap is tallow based or not?

Yeah it's tallow.

Am I the only one that thinks the Arko stick is a terrible product? I got terrible lather, a rough shave, and smelled like bug repellent. Two thumbs down.

Trawlerman · Apr 25, 2010

I just ordered three of these Arko sticks. I intend to use them in an OS mug that I just won on eBay. Heard a lot of good reports about these sticks so looking forward to seeing what all the hype is :thumbup1:

BurkDarkpatches · Apr 25, 2010

LinuxMintyFresh said:
Yeah it's tallow.

Am I the only one that thinks the Arko stick is a terrible product? I got terrible lather, a rough shave, and smelled like bug repellent. Two thumbs down.

I'm new to the Arko stick, but think the lather is pretty good and scent is fine. Some soapy scents I love (e.g. American Palmolive), but the Arko's is just okay. However, the taste if any lather gets in my mouth is the worst of anything else I own; to be honest I hardly ever even notice other soaps/creams. The Arko has a very strong soap taste. Blech.

Steve

Rudy Vey · Apr 25, 2010

LinuxMintyFresh said:
Yeah it's tallow.

Am I the only one that thinks the Arko stick is a terrible product? I got terrible lather, a rough shave, and smelled like bug repellent. Two thumbs down.

...could it be you mixed the Arko up with Williams :001_tt2:

BurkDarkpatches · Apr 25, 2010

Rudy Vey said:
...could it be you mixed the Arko up with Williams

They're actually a good combination.

Steve

Defcon5 · Apr 25, 2010

I still have one I havent tried yet. I was a bit put off by the scent. I'll try it tomorrow unless I don't.

SiBurning · Apr 25, 2010

LinuxMintyFresh said:
Yeah it's tallow.

Am I the only one that thinks the Arko stick is a terrible product? I got terrible lather, a rough shave, and smelled like bug repellent. Two thumbs down.

No. A lot of people don't care for it. Some more than others. I only tried it once for [thread=141516]Shave Stick Month[/thread] and then posted the following. Not review worthy, since it's only a first impression, so I'll just copy it here.

SiBurning said:
So I tried the two new sticks I picked up for this. Only tried each of them once, but there's my first impressions.

Palmolive
This is an excellent yet inexpensive soap, with good protection and slip and a luxurious lather. The toilety scent is the worst thing about it. I'll be using this again, and think it might find a place in my rotation.

Arko
It's cheap, but that's the best it has to recommend it.

As with most softer soaps, it doesn't seem to be very soluble, so it doesn't work into the beard well, and ends up more fluffy than lubricating and softening. All the soft soaps seem to be like this. Tabac is somewhat in the middle and the baseline, by which I mean it's the worst soap I'd ever want to be stuck with. Arko isn't up to Tabac, so I'm rating it subpar.

I find Arko a bit finicky with water. It lathers easily enough, but the sweet spot is pretty small. Some soaps work well from dry to very wet. Arko seems to work well in a smaller sweet spot. For the record, NYC water is one of the softest in the world with a very low mineral content.

Arko provides some measure of protection, but not as much as better soaps. My face feels just a little scraped. Perhaps I missed the water sweet spot, and that explains the lack of protection.

My face feels really nice after using Arko. The soap seems to clean off easily, with no greasy or slimy feeling afterward, yet it leaves a nice moisturizing layer behind, so my skin feels soft and moist.

The scent isn't to my liking, but like many soaps, it only really smells when first making the lather, so it's a temporary thing. Once it lathers, the smell dissipates, and it isn't disagreeable, so I'll give the scent a pass.

With limited wettability and mediocre protection, Arko isn't suited for the masses. I'm sure some people who can find the lather sweet spot and don't need more protection can make good use of this soap and save some money. For the rest of us, there are better products.

As you can see, I don't so much dislike it or think it's bad as think there are a lot of better products.

Left Coast DJ · Apr 26, 2010

I love the lather Arko sticks make. But the scent reminds me of Dodger stadium after downing a few Coronas and sneaking in some King Taco!

talibeard · Apr 26, 2010

turkish said:
I just used Arko's Shaving Soap Stick for the first time.

With your username I would expect Arko to be the first one on your list!! :biggrin:

turkish · Apr 26, 2010

Good Point.

gaj90027 · Apr 26, 2010

LinuxMintyFresh said:
Yeah it's tallow.

Am I the only one that thinks the Arko stick is a terrible product? I got terrible lather, a rough shave, and smelled like bug repellent. Two thumbs down.

This was the only shaving product I trashed after 1 shave - sorry guys.

The lather was passable but the scent was just :thumbdown

I'm really not a scent snob at all but the scent of the arko stick is just too much.

funkyb · Apr 26, 2010

I get absolutely huge amounts of delicious slick and cushiony lather from ARKO, and I even like the lemony fresh scent.

+1 to ARKO, a great shave soap.

Pescara · Apr 26, 2010

If you find the smell initially off-putting, it will eventually go away. I'm about a third through a stick and the scent is almost gone.

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Arko Soap Stick

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Vlad

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Savor the Stick

BroJohn

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LinuxMintyFresh

Trawlerman

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Rudy Vey

Shaving baby skin and turkey necks

BurkDarkpatches

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turkish

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funkyb

Pescara

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