Arko-like product?

[stickjr25]

Forgive me if this has already been asked. I tried Arko for the first time today and was pleasantly surprised by the shave I got. What I didn't like (kill me now I know) is the smell. Is there a shave stick out there that is similar to Arko but doesn't have the smell? For me Arko has kind of a chemical tinge to it... Thanks folks.

[SiBurning]

Closest I can think of is Irisch Moos. After than, maybe D R Harris.

Have to laugh how such a cheap product is in such good company. Arko is kind of unbalanced IMHO, being a bit too heavy on the softer vegetable-heavy tallow end.

[QuarkVI]

there are other turkish sticks like derby and g.z.d. - Malocchio feels that the g.z.d. is even better than Arko - that are cheap too, I have some winging their way to me as I type.

[barsuk]

+1 on the Moos, also try Palmolive.

[Debrushman]

There is a shave stick similar to Arko, but many would say with a better scent. It's called Arko.
Take your Arko stick and completely unwrap it. Allow it to air out, unwrapped, for days or weeks. The fragrance will mellow to a pleasant lemony ivory snow scent.
Try it, it works.

[tattewell]

but then you'de ruin the wonderful scent

[billyboy]

+1 GZD (just excellent)

[StuMcB]

There is a shave stick similar to Arko, but many would say with a better scent. It's called Arko.
Take your Arko stick and completely unwrap it. Allow it to air out, unwrapped, for days or weeks. The fragrance will mellow to a pleasant lemony ivory snow scent.
Try it, it works.

Derby stick is possibly the closest to Arko in terms of lather with a lesser scent

[Wetshavemike]

I am a huge fan of the Speick stick. It costs a bit more, but the scent is awesome and the performance is better IMO.

[OldGreyGuy]

there are other turkish sticks like derby and g.z.d. - Malocchio feels that the g.z.d. is even better than Arko - that are cheap too, I have some winging their way to me as I type.

I bought some blades recently and I got a free GZD stick in the package. I have too many soaps and samples open so I am waiting until my current Arko stick is used but I plan to use the GZD next. If it is good I may want to order some sticks, never know when that shave-apocalypse is going to hit.

[Acmemfg]

Think Arko=think stick with polarizing smell.

Anyone ever try Arko Cream? This stuff is pretty good and a hell of a value. The scent in their "Basic" cream is subtle if at all noticable and the performance is quite good. About $2.50 a tube if I recall.

[StuMcB]

Tried the Arko moist cream. nice and had a slight cooling effect. Lathered well.

[Mandina]

+1 on other budget sticks such as Palmolive. While I haven't yet tried budget options Derby or GZD, Wilkinson Sword (which contains lanolin) generally gets excellent reviews and is part of my rotation (along with Arko and Palmolive, as well as La Toja, which, however, is considerably more expensive than Arko, at least for us in the U.S). The Erasmic stick with tallow re-added yields unstable lather, but the very newest Erasmic stick may be worthwhile. There are excellent reviews of the newest version of LEA stick (made in Spain).

[stickjr25]

In regards to budget sticks we are looking at:
Palmolive stick
GZD
Derby
Wilkinson Sword

Am I leaving any out?

[InHotWater]

The first time I tried it, it did smell pretty strong to me too. The more I used it though, I did not mind it so much, and now I like actually like it a bit.
Also, the arko stick is 75 grams, while many of the others are only 50 grams, which makes it look like even more of a bargain.

[OldGreyGuy]

In regards to budget sticks we are looking at:
Palmolive stick
GZD
Derby
Wilkinson Sword

Am I leaving any out?

The first time I tried it, it did smell pretty strong to me too. The more I used it though, I did not mind it so much, and now I like actually like it a bit.
Also, the arko stick is 75 grams, while many of the others are only 50 grams, which makes it look like even more of a bargain.

Noted the following prices at Bestshave.net for the following:

Arko $1.95
Derby $1.85
GZD $1.75
Tweex $2.25


All are 75gr sticks.

[jsj_297]

Nothing is like arko.

[the_edski]

+1 on Derby Shave stick if you want Arko performance without Arko smell!

[fcdiscus]

Take a puck of williams mug soap- moisten it for a while -say, while you shower and then rub it on your face like a shave stick. Has a fesher scent than arko and works almost as well.