Arko is one of the best values in shaving, that's for sure. It always makes a decent lather. TBH it is so easy to lather that I have to adjust my lathering method a bit, since I'm used to having to work a lot harder to get lather. It's the go-to soap for my travel kit, too.
I keep two sticks in my travel bag arko and palmolive for the same reason. They have never let me down.
Johnny, thanks for the great post! Question -- what did you do between step 2 and 3 to make the shavings smooth out in the beechwood bowl?
Dumped the shavings in the bowl and started compacting with my thumbs. After that, put a little hot water on top and finished smoothing it out. My thumbs were washed and cleaned before I started the process and they were darn sure clean when I got through.
