Arko is great stuff -- can't beat it for the price. The scent puts a lot of people off, but there are apparently many folks who can't bear the scent of Tabac either.
I love 'em both, and they are both champion latherers IMO. I will never stop loving the huge variety of soaps/creams out there, but I have to say I will never be without a stick of Arko in the rotation (given a choice).
Of all the descriptions of the Arko scent, I think the one that reflects my associations for that peculiar smell is Ivory soap. Growing up in the sixties, that was the only soap my parents bought. I never liked the smell and, when I bought my own soap, I became an adherant to the anything except Ivory school of thought.
Years later I read about Arko shaving soap and tried some. WOW -- a blast from the past indeed! Strangely though, I enjoyed it as a trip down memory lane. I think that I've become fond of the scent in a nostalgic way.
Anyway, 'tis a great soap with a polarizing smell. At 2-4 bucks a stick (70 grams), it compares VERY favorably with another terrific shave stick, D. R. Harris.
The Harris sticks are 40 grams and come in a lovely twist-up container. Wonderful fragrances!
cost = about 18 bucks.
So....do the math -- those Harris scents are wonderful, and wonderfully expensive!
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