Arko Shaving Cream Soap Stick - 12 Pieces by EVYAP

Very nice replacement for Williams shaving soap, which supported for the last 41 years. Pleasant odor, nice lather, smooth shave, and pennies on the dollar compared to everything else except dry-shaving...By my calculations, 1 stick can be cut into 3 pieces, each piece should last me ~1 year, meaning I will never buy shaving soap again in my lifetime.So, both a smooth shave AND a healthy dose of life/mortality salience, depending on whether you're glass half-full or a glass half-empty kind of feller... or gal, I don't judge.

Lots of complaints on the scent, while there is there definitely a hint of citronella, this smells exactly like powdered laundry soap or plain bar of soap. Not irish spring more like dove bar soap.Doesn't bother me personally.Texture is nice and soft, you can mold it into the bottom of your lathering bowl.Lathers up quickly and provides a slick, slick, slick feel on your face. The product does not irritate your face, or dry it out. It Did start to dry up in the bowl while shaving. (I have very sensitive porous skin). It does a great job for the price.Picture shows arko(white) and van der hagen shaving soap(pinkish) side by side. They both lather up very similarly, the arko is $.47/oz van der hagen is like $.95/oz.Arko is much slicker, while VDH has a better scent.

Had been using Colonel Conk Amaretto for a few years but lately noticed I wasn't getting any kind of close shave despite killing my wrist with the brush in the mixing bowl trying to whip up a decent lather. Changing my double-edged Wilkinson's frequently didn't help, either.Arko soap sticks came in a completely broken up thin cardboard product box inside the actual Amazon shipping box. I was aware this oddity had been remarked upon by earlier reviewers, so was prepared for it when it happened and the sticks were all over the shipping box. The sticks themselves were fine, however, with no damage.I then attempted to determine the location of manufacture, since I always am curious where stuff comes from, and the packaging had very little English language on it, but what appeared to be a lot of printing and detail in foreign ones.I eventually found with the help of a a magnifying glass, that this is a German product, manufactured in, of all places, Berlin. I then sought out an old empty wooden Dunhill cigar box in the garage, within which the twelve soap sticks fit perfectly. I figured that was a pretty good omen.After watching the YouTube video here on Amazon showing the method to use the stick, I tried to emulate those instructions. But rubbing the stick on my face and then using the shave brush to work up the lather on it, failed completely. And I had washed my face in the shower a few hours before.Instead, I took the moistened shave brush and rubbed the bristles several times over the soap stick, then added a few drops of hot water to my shave bowl, and, mirabile dictu, was able to quickly whip up an amazing quantity of thick and concentrated lather. I had plenty of it to apply liberally to all the cracks and crevices of my old stupid face. So what I will say here is, forget the video, you must have a shave bowl for your brush, in order to get the most benefit from this soap.By the time I was ready to shave, the lather had done its job and I got the smoothest, slickest shave I've just about ever had, with only one pass with the blade, okay, two passes under the chin and under the jaw. This stuff is fantastic. And twelve sticks will probably last me forever, as being retired, I only shave once every two or three days anyway.Some reviewers mention the scent the sticks give off. I found it to be basically clean and fresh, and perfect for what it is. So no worries. My smelling like a chocolate-covered maraschino cherry isn't going to improve my chances with the women shoppers at Walmart anytime soon, anyway.The only other time I think I got a shave this close was many years ago from an Italian barber at a shop in Rome. Arko is now my go-to shave soap. I just hope they don't discontinue it. This seems to happen a lot to me with good products. Guess it's the price I have to pay for getting old.Which makes me wonder, if it isn't being hoarded by some, as when I started to place my order, I got the "notice" there was only "one" box left. I'm like, c'mon guys , you always tell me that, after your logarithm figures out I've been loitering, going back and forth over the few products I've kind of settled on. So who knows if the scarcity is real, or just a ploy to get you to hit the "order" button sooner, rather than later?Amazingly, the product arrived ahead of schedule, so kudos to Amazon for that as well.

I've been "wet shaving" for over a decade, and for the majority of that time I used Williams Shave Soap. It was available in my local stores, was affordable, and I was happy with how it worked. When Williams discontinued it, I purchased a box of 12 Arko Shave Soap sticks.It took me a few uses to get used to a shave stick vs. a puck, but I purchased some plastic holders that work really well and make using the stick sort of like using a deodorant stick. People have mentioned the scent but I find it's light and non-intrusive.Arko lathers quickly and makes for a great shave! The sticks last a long time and in a year and a half I have gone through 2 sticks! When you factor how expensive some of shave soaps are vs. this box of 12 Arko shave sticks, you have to ask yourself why isn't this already in your cart?

Bar code had the wrong address and had to chase pkg down. The Proraso smells great and goes on smooth. The Arko also has a classic, clean scent. Having it in a stick, is so convenient for a trucker to.

Great vaue for the money. I shave every day and have only used 4 of these sticks in one year. I made my own plastic base from a medication container. Works a treat.!These are the classic shave sticks of my fathers day. Ive wasted a lot of money using creams and foams, before coming back to the best by far.Ignore the negative reviews. If you want a no nonsense classic shave with a brush like your father used to use. This is what you want to be using