Since his face is pre lathered, does that benefit the shave after you've shredded it? 
? about Arko
- Thread starter Razorburn92
- Start date
At under $2/oz it will be around for some time to come. It out performs other higher end soaps that I have used.
Arko is something that is becoming rarer all the time; an extremely inexpensive product that out-performs many of the best names in its' class. I got an old friend started DE shaving, and to begin with, I gave him a tube of Proraso red cream and an inexpensive brush, along with a Merkur 34C and a few dozen blades.
He has taken to traditional wet shaving and seems very interested in shaving soap, as opposed to the Proraso. I gave him a stick of Arko and he's having no trouble getting great, luxurious lather quickly and easily. Arko makes a perfect way to "graduate" to soaps because there's little to no difficulty -- almost guaranteed success! Also previously mentioned; you can smoosh it into a bowl or mug, if that's what you prefer. Very versatile stuff indeed.
An earlier post mentioned having a stockpile -- I've just ordered a box (one dozen) because I gave my friend the last un-opened one I had.
They're so cheap that I give them away to the curious. I even had one recipient who said he used it for shaving without using a brush -- claims it worked fine!
He has taken to traditional wet shaving and seems very interested in shaving soap, as opposed to the Proraso. I gave him a stick of Arko and he's having no trouble getting great, luxurious lather quickly and easily. Arko makes a perfect way to "graduate" to soaps because there's little to no difficulty -- almost guaranteed success! Also previously mentioned; you can smoosh it into a bowl or mug, if that's what you prefer. Very versatile stuff indeed.
An earlier post mentioned having a stockpile -- I've just ordered a box (one dozen) because I gave my friend the last un-opened one I had.
They're so cheap that I give them away to the curious. I even had one recipient who said he used it for shaving without using a brush -- claims it worked fine!
That's great!
I love Arko, best performance for the price, about equal to Stirling (also excellent) IMO in terms of price vs performance, but I think Stirling performs better at a very slightly higher price point. As discussed before, I cut mine into little disks and press them into the bottom of a tin to pick the soap up on my brush.
True, the Turkish stink stick is like the cockroach, it will survive.
when I tried it , I just molded the stick into a bowl with my thumbs. Took some effort but it's not that hard a soap that you can't do it.
I decided I can't deal with the scent to it's permanently off the rotation and on my 'never buy again' list.
I decided I can't deal with the scent to it's permanently off the rotation and on my 'never buy again' list.
ARKO is great and easy to lather.
I just tried my first stick, £2 off eBay inc p+p! I was sceptical about how fast people had lavered, but was surprised to see how quickly it happened even in our hard water area.
To me it smells like imperial leather soap which isn't too bad and I think the stick will last an age! Can't wait for the next shave.
To me it smells like imperial leather soap which isn't too bad and I think the stick will last an age! Can't wait for the next shave.
It does last a long time. I'm just now finishing up a stick I started maybe 4 years ago. I don't use it all that often but when I do, it never fails to give me an outstanding shave. Lately, I've been keeping it on my bathroom sink and I use it twice a day to wash my face and hands, whether I'm shaving or not. If I do shave that day, I choose my cream du jour and lather right on top of the Arko.
I had about 2" of stick left when I started using it as a face-wash, that was about 3 months ago. I've still got about 1/2 inch left. I've got a spare one in the drawer that I'll have to crack open in a month or so, and at this rate, I'll probably need to buy a new stick around the middle of next year.
Here is what I did and it worked out nicely.
I opened a stick and using my trusty pocket knife I turned the soap into a pile of shavings and put into my bowl.
Then I grabbed a bottle of Watkins Mint Extract and a bottle of Watkins Citrus Extract and put about a Teaspoon or so of each into the bowl and on top of the shavings.
Then I heated up a cup of water to a boil in my microwave and then dumped about two Tablespoons of water evenly over the shavings.
I let the whole thing set like 2 minutes and then took a Tablespoon and mashed the hot, wet shavings into one solid cake in the bowl.
Now I get a really great lather that smells of a mix of Mint, Lemon and Soap and gives my face a bit of a tingle when I apply the lather/
I opened a stick and using my trusty pocket knife I turned the soap into a pile of shavings and put into my bowl.
Then I grabbed a bottle of Watkins Mint Extract and a bottle of Watkins Citrus Extract and put about a Teaspoon or so of each into the bowl and on top of the shavings.
Then I heated up a cup of water to a boil in my microwave and then dumped about two Tablespoons of water evenly over the shavings.
I let the whole thing set like 2 minutes and then took a Tablespoon and mashed the hot, wet shavings into one solid cake in the bowl.
Now I get a really great lather that smells of a mix of Mint, Lemon and Soap and gives my face a bit of a tingle when I apply the lather/
It is the easiest shave stick to use. When I was having trouble getting shave sticks to work for me, Arko always worked just fine. It's in a class all by itself. I don't know why guys press it into a bowl. It's so easy to use as a stick.
I tried Arko for the first time today. Here are my thoughts:
Smell - The first whiff took me back to 1978. I was working as a groundkeeper/maintenance guy at a trucker motel in North Carolina. It was a hive of debauchery and sin. Arko reminded me of the soap we put in the bathrooms at the motel. You need an intense scent to cover up the funk of fornication. I would say it was too intense.
Lather - it took a while. I had pressed it into a glass bowl I purchased at the thrift store for 25 cents. My brush was too wet but when I went to shaving, this soap went to work. Lots of lather and slick as snot on a doorknob. This stuff really works.
Smell - The first whiff took me back to 1978. I was working as a groundkeeper/maintenance guy at a trucker motel in North Carolina. It was a hive of debauchery and sin. Arko reminded me of the soap we put in the bathrooms at the motel. You need an intense scent to cover up the funk of fornication. I would say it was too intense.
Lather - it took a while. I had pressed it into a glass bowl I purchased at the thrift store for 25 cents. My brush was too wet but when I went to shaving, this soap went to work. Lots of lather and slick as snot on a doorknob. This stuff really works.
I thought about adding some Palmolive to the bowl of Arko
I just used arko for the first time last night, got it in a PIF. The scent was fine to me, great performer. I think I'll get some more and experiment with some essential oils.
*I also used it to shampoo my beard, very nice
*I also used it to shampoo my beard, very nice
OK I'm sold. I've had a stick of Arko around for past year... going to definitely use it on my next shave... it may indeed smell like a urinal puck, but what the heck
This gives me an idea for a new line of artisan shaving soaps: Ye Olde Limburger, Manly Cheddar, Bygone Brie, Jarlsberg Fjord, Gallant Gouda, and (of course) All American Aroma (I suspect this one will simply be called AAA when it becomes an internet forum standard).
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