Reddit reviews Arko Shaving Soap Stick, 70 Gram
We found 22 Reddit comments about Arko Shaving Soap Stick, 70 Gram. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Arko Shaving Soap is a very Rich Lathering shaving soap with fresh scentProvides close shave, fresh scentBeauty Products
Amazon is a minefield for the uninformed and/or unwary, but you can do okay. For that budget I would get:
That's $24 and change. You're overpaying for the Arko, but that's because shipping is "free." You can get it for about a buck a stick when you buy in bulk.
You're also going to need a blade sampler, but I have yet to find a blade sampler on Amazon that doesn't suck. Go to tryablade.com and get two each of the ten or so most popular blades (except Derby - you'll get 10 Derby blades with the razor).
Basic Kit - under $50:
Razor: $10.99
Brush: $10.69
Soap - $3.59
Blade Sampler - $22.99
Nivea shave balm for sensitive skin - $5 at walmart
Typically canned stuff contains a lot of artificial ingredients that most people agree takes away from a good shave. This is necessary to keep the contents under pressure and preserve it. That being said Barbasol is one of the "better" cans.
If cost is your only concern, consider picking up something like an Arko stick for a few bucks. Honestly the thing will probably last you more time than it takes you to go through 2 or three cans of Barbasol.
A good quality brush can be had for under $10 and that's a one-time investment.
Fair enough but I would price what amazon gives you against one of those sites. I would suggest getting an Edwin Jagger DE89, really good starter razor, or a parker though you will need someone else to tell you which one to get.
You will need a brush so look for omega brushes, these are boar brush that are cheap and once broken in can become as soft as a silvertip badger brush. As for shaving soap there is a vast array to choose from but I have been using proraso which is easy to get a nice lather from. Though if you are on a tight budget get arko, though be warned that some people hate the smell of it (it does die down after a few weeks).
As for aftershave you can pick up nivea aftershave balm from your local drugstore or supermarket. You will also need an alum block and styptic pencil, just get the cheapest ones you can find. Though you could use a healing cut gel instead of a styptic pencil, which would avoid the milky white marks the styptic pencil leaves behind.
edit: forgot to say about sample blades. Most sample blade packs on amazon are ridiculously priced so use try a blade to get a selection of sample blades. Start of with 5 different types of blades
The blades I would suggest are:
Palmolive shaving stick is good. However $7.35 for it is kinda steep. They sell that stuff for under $1 in the UK, and typically in the US it's under $4. It's a 50g stick.
Arko stick is 75g and costs little bit less. Nothing wrong with the Palmolive stick, and $7 isn't a huge sum of money, but if you wish to save couple dollars and get more product, pick the Arko stick.
The problem with the sampler you have picked is that it only has 1 blade per brand. This doesn't really offer much room for experimenting.
I don't really like the blade sampler selection that Amazon has. They are almost all overpriced. And the fine print says that they can switch out brands if certain brand in the sampler is out of stock. I'd suggest that you order your blades from Maggard Razors. They have the option to build your own sampler, and they also offer regular samplers.
Edit: Read this post about DE shaving. That post contains useful information links, especially the ones under the "here" link.
Aside from what everyone else is saying as to why, you don't need expensive or fancy equipment. This setup is effective and as cheap as you can go while getting decent stuff:
Razor
Brush
Soap
Blades
Oh, links...
Silvertone double edge razor http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0050HO9MI
Arko shave stick, easy to lather, and a pretty decent smell www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002A5OLHQ
There are all different kinds of brushes, here are a few
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003BWNR9A/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1377634966&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000G647Y8/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1377635019&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001PDDEVS/ref=mp_s_a_1_13?qid=1377635056&sr=8-13&pi=AC_SX110_SY165
Also, for $26 is a good brush, from Larry at whipped dog.
www.whippeddog.com/products/view/silvertip-badger
Blades, well look on amazon for a sampler pack , or try maggard;
www.maggardrazors.com/index.php/product-category/razor-blades/
Make your own, or choose one of theirs!
That's going to be an excellent razor. If you can afford it, go for it. I got the same deal from SRD, except I bought the 6/8 instead, and 3 inch strop. The 5/8 is much better suited for beginners, as it's easier to handle, so go with that.
As a great alternative, I recommend you get a restored vintage razor from MaggardRazors.com, and buy the strop separately. I've only had great experiences with MaggardRazors.
I don't really like Col. Conk soaps as they don't go well with my water (I'm in the Chicago area). I always had a hard time shaving with my SR when I used Col Conk soap. Instead, I recommend you go with some shaving creme. Proraso sandalwood works like a dream. If you really want shaving soap, Arko is the only one that truly works with my water for SR shaving. I can use all other soaps just fine with my DE, just not with SR. I actually use Arko 70% of the time, and the remaining 30% I use some sort of shaving creme, or other new products I want to try. It's that good.
Another thing I found helps is some form of pre-shave oil or creme. I've tried regular olive oil from my kitchen, and it works great - no need to spend tons of money. The trick is to use a small amount on your wet face before you start lathering (I lather on my face); too much, and you'll start to experience drag. I'm currently using Proraso pre-shave creme which is excellent.
The alum block you're getting is also a must in my opinion (I have sensitive skin), but I would also recommend getting an actual styptic pencil on the side, because you WILL cut yourself in the beginning. The alum block isn't too effective for larger cuts.
Good luck and keep the cartridge handy for the chin area in the beginning! :)
This is all great stuff to try if you haven't already.
Geo F Trumper Coconut shave cream
Geo F Trumper Coral skin food
D.R. Harris lavender shave stick
Arko Shave Stick
Speick Shave Stick
Musgo Real Soap on a Rope
I wouldn't buy a ready-to-go kit, especially from a supermarket-type store like Target. However, you can find countless combinations of razors, brushes and soaps all over the internet. My preferred razor is the Edwin Jagger DE89lbl. It is a fantastic razor with great weight distribution, blade expoture and it looks great too. I'm not sure how much you've looked into the different types of brushes but a few good brands that I like are Simpson (pretty pricy), Omega (better price for starters), and Edwin Jagger (in-between the two). For soaps I'd recommend TOBS Sandalwood. You can't go wrong with the scent of sandalwood IMO. If you want to spend less for soap than go with Arko. It's very cheap and will last quite a while because it is hard. Speaking of which, if you have hard water than don't go with the Arko and go with a softer soap/cream that comes in a tub like TOBS. You'll have a tough time trying to create a lather with a hard soap if you have hard water. That's all I've got for you, I don't use any pre-shave oils. One last thing, some antiseptic wouldn't be a bad idea. I hope this was helpful for you and good luck!
If I had to guess it isn't your brush so much as your soap. Williams has a reputation for being very difficult to for a good lather, especially for beginners. I would check out some other soaps. When I began I liked Col. Conks glycerine soaps. I found them easy to lather and had some nice scents. Now I mainly use Arko shaving sticks, mainly because I got a box of them for my Cake-day last year. Both soaps are very easy to get a good lather.
As far as badder brushes I have a Col. Conk that, I first want to from boar, I still use in my rotation. It is a work horse. And I have the Van der Hagen badger as well that isn't bad either. Both are between $15-$25 so if you still wanted to upgrade you're not putting much in.
edit Put in the correct "you're"
Its $0.85 with them now but, shipping is $4.19 so nor really worth it unless you getting it in bulk. Its a pound on amazon.co.uk with £1.95 shipping. bestshave.net is up for me at least and its $1.95 + shipping. Finally on ebay its $4.49 for a single or $24.45 for 12 with free shipping which seems like the best deal to me unless something else comes up.
An Arko shaving soap stick could do the job easily.
Swap that Col Conk soap for an Arko stick $4.60 and way better in my opinion.
Thanks for the advice! I was looking at samplers, but the price of those Personas are appealing, so I had to ask.
This is what I was looking at for a kit:
I know this stuff probably isn't the best (I was only looking at the under $50 section for this stuff), but I wanted to try things out before I spent more money. Are there any big issues with this potential kit?
As for the aftershave, do I have to use it, or can it just be a lotion, like Aveeno? It's what I currently apply after shaving right now.
Also, I noticed some people get bowls and stands. Are they necessary? Can I just use a small glass that I wash now and then instead?
Looking at the DE starter kit in the suggestions on the side-bar. The Sodial came down to $2.75 on Amazon, so I'll start with the full basic kit. Gonna grab a brush from Wal-Greens on my way home from work and wait for the rest of the stuff to come in haha!
Current shopping list:
All I need now is a soap cup for lathering...
I'm a fan of not having to buy things very often. How would I go about applying a "shaving stick" before a shave?
http://www.amazon.com/Arko-Shaving-Soap-Stick/dp/B002A5OLHQ
I use Taylor of Old Bond Street or Arko Shave stick to shave, and each lasts at least half a year.
Canned shaving cream dries the hell out of your skin. That's the exact opposite of what it's supposed to do. A stick of Arko will last you over 70 shaves at $3.65 on Amazon right now. Buy it in bulk and it's even cheaper. You can get 15 sticks for $21
Arko. It's extremely effective, makes a great lather, tolerates bad technique, and smells great (like an old fashioned plain soap, though some people hate the smell and liken it to artificial lemon scent, a scent that I am unable to pick up in it). It comes as a stick and I prefer face-loading it and face-lathering, but since you mentioned that you use a scuttle, it's easily mashed into a mug or bowl (no need to grate it or anything, just give it a good shove with your hand).
http://www.amazon.com/Arko-Shaving-Soap-Stick/dp/B002A5OLHQ
https://www.amazon.com/Arko-Shaving-Soap-Stick/dp/B002A5OLHQ
I used a Lord L6 for over a year before upgrading. Surprisingly good razor for $12. Omega boar brushes are cheap and perform really well. I actually prefer my Omega Pro 48 to my more expensive badger brushes. Arko is dirt cheap and ridiculously easy to lather. Buying bulk blades is the most cost effective and you can trade them for other brands at /r/shave_bazaar.
I recommend skipping stuff like preshave oil, alum, and styptic pencils at the beginning. It's arguable whether or not preshave oil even does anything, let alone being an "essential" item. Alum I would also consider pretty non-essential. It's main function was to prevent infection back when shaving cuts could be fatal (pre-penicillin) so I've never understood its place in modern wet shaving. I think you're better off with a cheap balm. Styptic pencils are for stopping the bleeding when you cut yourself and are another old timey disinfectant. Luckily, it's the 21st century and I'm guessing you have some Neosporin in your drawer which will do fine.