Arko.possibly the best soap for beginners

Hi All,
This morning I had my first shave with Arko. I was shocked by the amazing performance and the easy of use. I rubbed the stick on my face, and then followed by a damp brush. After adding a little water, it exploded into an amazing lather. Easy to use and performs awesome.

The scent is not great, actually a bit boring. But it fades quickly. For two bucks a stick just buy this stuff; cheap and easy to use for new guys.

It's great stuff! I don't use it often (hardly ever) but I think it was the first good lather that I ever got. From there I knew what I was looking for.

You're correct. In terms of ease of lathering and protection, Arko definitely runs with the big dogs. In terms of price, it absolutely can't be beat.

It's definitely a good beginner soap, cheap, easy to use, and performs well. As a bonus if a new guy decides that traditional wet shaving isn't for him (that happens right???) then they're not out a lot of $$. A lot of folks complain about the Arko scent but if you just leave the stick open it'll air out and tone down the smell substantially. Personally I don't mind the smell as it reminds me of an old school soap type smell, like something my grandfather would have shaved or bathed with. Are there better soaps out there? Of course, but for the money Arko is very hard to beat.

dexutter said:

It's great stuff! I don't use it often (hardly ever) but I think it was the first good lather that I ever got. From there I knew what I was looking for.

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Yeah, if you want to know how a good soap behaves, Arko rocks.

In all honesty Arko is not my cup of tea, but I agree that it's great for beginners. Other excellent options to consider are La Toja, Palmolive and Proraso.

xxvaleria said:

You're correct. In terms of ease of lathering and protection, Arko definitely runs with the big dogs. In terms of price, it absolutely can't be beat.

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My take on Arko also. An excellent first soap.

Bob

It's a great daily soap for me and my son's. No complaints, last a long time and is cheap.

-Stephen

Arko was all I used until I joined this forum. Now I spend big bucks to get the same results.

The first soap I bought to replace a 15 year old, well used and well past it's best Crabtree & Evelyn Sandalwood shaving soap bowl when I started DE shaving in November 2014 was an Arko puck.
I was blown away by how good it was, I loved the fresh, clean scent, and although I've since got back into aftershaves, I especially liked the residual scent of Arko after I'd finished shaving - when I smelled the clean, fresh, lemony scent on my skin, I recalled a long forgotten memory of my Mum telling me when I was about 5 years old "Men shouldn't smell of perfume, men should smell of soap"
IMHO, Arko is one of the basics when it comes to trying out different soaps, by all means check out your local supermarkets and chemists for great products like Boots shaving soap, Palmolive, La Toja, Lea, Tabac and Williams, all shaving soaps in their own right, but don't forget the Arko.
And if Arko floats your boat - just wait 'til you try Derby shaving soap !!

I use Arko in stick and puck form. Great soap either way. When I first tried using a shave stick I was having a hard time getting the hang of it. Then I used Arko and wow! That soap made it so easy. It's a hard soap to beat at any price.

It's a benchmark soap, like Cella or Proraso. If you can't get whatever "fancy" soap you buy perform better or at least as good as those three put it on the B-S-T.

Yup it's some pretty good stuff! I personally like the scent...but as stated, the scent doesn't last that long.

Been toying with the idea for a while now. I too am trying my level best not to get pulled into the "collector's" trap. Thus far I've managed to stick to my Fatboy and 34C. Between the two, I can get all the shaving I need done. All I change are my blades and my soaps...but good ones last so long. As the Arko is cheap, will probably get it just for the heck of it. Thanks for starting this thread. Cheers mate!

matwho said:

Arko was all I used until I joined this forum. Now I spend big bucks to get the same results.

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LMAO. I did the same thing.

Arko is a fine shaving soap that has an okay scent. It's a very good performer with a synthetic, (to my nose) lemony scent. My only disagreement with some of the above posts is characterizing it as a beginner soap. It's a regular part of my rotation and reminds me that wet shaving doesn't have to involve a lot of money.

The scent is probably the only thing I dislike about it. Other than that, it's amazing. I keep some around for when I'm on a tight budget and can't afford to buy new soaps.

matwho said:

Arko was all I used until I joined this forum. Now I spend big bucks to get the same results.

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ackvil said:

LMAO. I did the same thing.

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redrako said:

Arko is a fine shaving soap that has an okay scent. It's a very good performer with a synthetic, (to my nose) lemony scent. My only disagreement with some of the above posts is characterizing it as a beginner soap. It's a regular part of my rotation and reminds me that wet shaving doesn't have to involve a lot of money.

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I believe what was meant that its a good starter soap as it is more forgiving and easier to build a lather than others. Not to say it cant be used by a wet shaver all through his life. Some soaps require a little more skill than others to master, a great choice being MWF. Great stuff but needs a bit of doing

I like Arko and it has a consistent spot in my rotation. It works very well.