We are just back from Israel, and here's what I found.
AHAVA: Before I left on my trip, I looked up prices on AMAZON for the products I was interested in, and saved them on my phone. While we were at the Dead Sea, I checked out the fully stocked Factory Store. There were some specials on prices for specific products, but since all included the 17% VAT, they were, for the most part, about the same as on Amazon. Since the prices were in shekels, and the the USD/Shekel rate fluctuates, it was cumbersome to compare. Yes, you can get the 17% back, if you spend more than a certain amount (I think it was 420 shekels), but they don't do it there, at the store, which means standing in line at the airport.
At the Duty Free shop, at the airport, prices were in dollars, and did not include the VAT. They also had several specials going. Here it was easy to compare the Amazon price, and even before the specials (buy 3, get 1 -lowest cost- free) the prices were several dollars cheaper. For example: the most expensive product I bought was $57 vs. Amazon's $66. Less expensive products were only a few dollars cheaper ($21 vs. $24) but getting one of the items free, brought down the overall cost.
Advice to bargain hunters: If you're going to Israel anyway, do your homework before you go, and try to figure out the Amazon price in Shekels. If bringing back the products you want doesn't cause overpacking, go for it. But the savings are not fantastic, unless you're buying some expensive stuff.
NAOT:
We happened to be spending 4 days within a few miles of the NAOT Factory Store in the Upper Galilee. Naot shoes work really well for my problem feet, and cost $170-210 online in the states. I've come across some fantastic bargains on a few pairs ($19 on a closeout rack about 10 years ago, in Charleston, SC!) but nothing recently and my old ones are finally wearing out. My host said that the factory store was definitely worth a look, and said their family goes a few times a year. I was surprised by the large selection and the reasonably good service from the staff. Closeouts were displayed on back shelves (like at TJ MAXX), by size, with a mens, women's and children's section. These were mostly priced at 199 shekels (about $55). New models were displayed in front of the store, and one brought them to a counter, or showed them to a salesperson, who brought the requested size. The new models )for women) were priced at about 380-420 shekels (about $115). These prices included the 17% VAT, and theoretically, one could get this back at the airport, if you don't mind the forms, lines, etc.
The company also makes TEVA, and we also saw these, AND KEENs in the men's part of the store.