I shave off a piece of this the size and thickness of my thumb nail, dip my brush in hot water and can quickly lather up plenty for 3 passes. I find the scent strangely relaxing tho it took a few shaves to love it like I do now

Best value-for-money shaving soap you can get. Super slickity, rich lather. The rumors about the smell are absolutely demented; it smells like soap! No fancy fragrances, just plain old utilitarian soap smell. If you happen to get an over-scented stick, just open the wrapper and leave it in the fresh air for a few days, it'll settle down. The best way to use this soap is to mash the soap stick (it's quite soft) into a small bowl or shaving mug, generously load your brush, then lather it on your face, adding water to the brush as needed. If you can't get a good lather with Arko your water must be harder than diamonds. Even with hard water, I've never had any difficulty. I love this stuff, it's one of my old favorite go-to products.

Wimpy lather, poor wetting ability. Will be OK for camping a occasional road trips. Would not want to use it for more than a day or two. The odor while not unpleasant is somewhat overwhelming and persistent.

What’s with all the drama about the scent?!?! So you don’t care for it. That doesn’t make it “stinky” or mean that I shouldn’t like it. I think ARKO has a clean and “soapy” smell. It's, perhaps, a little industrial. But I have worked with those “urinal cakes” that some have mentioned. It’s definitely a different scent. But then, I’m not trying to describe the smell with a pejorative adjective to make you hate it. In my review I only gave it four stars because: *1. It is a terrific value *2. It lathers well *3. It works marvelously *4. Great feel on my face post shave -5. After all these years they could’ve given the scent an upgrade. I don’t dislike it but it doesn’t make me feel like a dog that just HAS to roll in it, and get that on my skin.