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Commercial vs. Artisan

CVargo

CVargo

“Ya… Chris, Dave, It really is my fault"
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So here is a topic I have been thinking about as of late. Is it really worth it to spend the extra money and get a commercial aftershave or fragrance? Or should we just buy artisan? Here is my thought process.

Commercial:
  • The original
  • The true scent
  • Usually consistent across batches
  • Going to pay a premium
  • Shipping can be slow
Artisan:
  • Unique
  • Price lower
  • Dealing with the artisan usually
  • Can have more skin conditioning properties
  • Longevity better (in my experience)

Okay so full disclosure I about a month ago decided to use some of my annual bonus and purchased a bottle of Creed Aventus and a bottle of Creed Green Irish Tweed. Well it has been lost in transit, coming from Europe. I am assuming that a customs agent is smelling pretty good right about now. Well I opted to just receive a full refund. Which was finally processed yesterday. Now I was left to I try and order again from someone in the states? Or do I just stick with my WSP version of GIT and my Fine version of Aventus... Especially now that Fine sells Fragrances.

I have to be honest I don't think the premium is worth it any longer. What say you?
 
The way things are going, I think that going with the Artisan versions of the frags is the way to go, from a price perspective. The performance might not match up to the originals, but are the originals going to perform anywhere from 5-10x better than their artisan counterparts? I don't think they do. What you will get with the original frags are the complex evolution of scent as the day goes on, (top, middle, base notes), and in some cases much better sillage and longevity. This is why I'm looking at getting the Fine AB instead of the YSL Rive Gauche, as it's about 1/4 the price, and why I went with WSP's Matterhorn vs. Creed Silver Mountain Water, almost 1/6th the price.

There are other pros and cons to going artisan vs. originals, such as using the actual brand name frag, quality of the oils that are used, etc. IMHO it's all about what you are wanting out of your particular fragrance choice. Are you wanting that extra sillage/longevity that the original often provides along with being able to say that you are using that brand, or do you want the same/similar scent profile for a fraction of the cost with some degradation in scent evolution and performance? I've noticed that to get similar performance out of artisan frags, I have to use more of the juice, so a bottle will not last nearly as long.
 
Dagwoodz said:
The way things are going, I think that going with the Artisan versions of the frags is the way to go, from a price perspective. The performance might not match up to the originals, but are the originals going to perform anywhere from 5-10x better than their artisan counterparts? I don't think they do. What you will get with the original frags are the complex evolution of scent as the day goes on, (top, middle, base notes), and in some cases much better sillage and longevity. This is why I'm looking at getting the Fine AB instead of the YSL Rive Gauche, as it's about 1/4 the price, and why I went with WSP's Matterhorn vs. Creed Silver Mountain Water, almost 1/6th the price.

There are other pros and cons to going artisan vs. originals, such as using the actual brand name frag, quality of the oils that are used, etc. IMHO it's all about what you are wanting out of your particular fragrance choice. Are you wanting that extra sillage/longevity that the original often provides along with being able to say that you are using that brand, or do you want the same/similar scent profile for a fraction of the cost with some degradation in scent evolution and performance? I've noticed that to get similar performance out of artisan frags, I have to use more of the juice, so a bottle will not last nearly as long.
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I know it isn't the best example to use. But Old Spice from the store doesn't last as long as compared to Stirling's version of Old Spice.

I do suppose that the only benefit I really see is the evolution of the scent. I don't know if quality of oils really warrants that drastic of a price difference. But then again I am not a frag expert.
 
If money wasn't a consideration, I would go for original. However, I will be going with artisans.
 
TBH, if you look at the price difference between the artisan and originals, the majority of that difference, for the most part, is due to the name on the bottle. With the possible exception of using real ambergis or agarwood (oud) extract oils, there is not that much difference, price wise, in a low or high quality essential or fragrance oil from what I've seen.

real ambergris oil is ridiculously expensive...and high quality oud extract can run upwards of $2500 for very small amount, less than 1 Fl oz. but those are the Rolls Royces of the fragrance world. Most are very reasonably priced for the amount you get.
 
Quijote said:
If money wasn't a consideration, I would go for original. However, I will be going with artisans.
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Interesting Don. Would be just because it is namebrand? Or another specific reason?

Dagwoodz said:
TBH, if you look at the price difference between the artisan and originals, the majority of that difference, for the most part, is due to the name on the bottle. With the possible exception of using real ambergis or agarwood (oud) extract oils, there is not that much difference, price wise, in a low or high quality essential or fragrance oil from what I've seen.

real ambergris oil is ridiculously expensive...and high quality oud extract can run upwards of $2500 for very small amount, less than 1 Fl oz. but those are the Rolls Royces of the fragrance world. Most are very reasonably priced for the amount you get.
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I honestly had no idea that some oils could cost that much.
 
Dagwoodz said:
The way things are going, I think that going with the Artisan versions of the frags is the way to go, from a price perspective. The performance might not match up to the originals, but are the originals going to perform anywhere from 5-10x better than their artisan counterparts? I don't think they do. What you will get with the original frags are the complex evolution of scent as the day goes on, (top, middle, base notes), and in some cases much better sillage and longevity.
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That's the argument for almost anything that has different levels of production or quality. I don't think you can objectively argue if something is 5x or 10x better than something else. The argument really is, is the difference in performance worth the difference in price to someone. Getting a razor sent off for powder coating doesn't change the shave you get out of it. So is it worth it? To some, not to me. But I'll pay for high shave soaps where others won't.

But these cost differences might relate more to the wine world because we're talking big swings in price. When I first started getting into wine I thought "This $20 bottle is pretty good, how in the world would could anyone justify paying $100-200 for a bottle??" After time and more experience the nuances are worth it to me and I buy nice wine. But most people are still happy with the $20 bottle.
 
NurseDave said:
When I first started getting into wine I thought "This $20 bottle is pretty good, how in the world would could anyone justify paying $100-200 for a bottle??" After time and more experience the nuances are worth it to me and I buy nice wine. But most people are still happy with the $20 bottle.
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Very interesting perspective. While true I am happy with the $20 bottle of wine at dinner with my wife. But when it comes to Whiskey particularly single malt scotches I prefer to reach for the top of the shelf. I can tell a difference there. But I will also admit I have never really tried a bottle of wine that cost more than $50.
 
It is a tough call in some cases. To use Fine Platinum as an example, I have a bottle of the eDT
 
Cvargo said:
Very interesting perspective. While true I am happy with the $20 bottle of wine at dinner with my wife. But when it comes to Whiskey particularly single malt scotches I prefer to reach for the top of the shelf. I can tell a difference there. But I will also admit I have never really tried a bottle of wine that cost more than $50.
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There you go. And I tried Louis XIII cognac and thought it tasted like paint thinner!
 
Ok, some clumsiness caused a premature posting, so I'll finish here lol. Not having smelled Aventus yet I can't speak as to Platinum's authenticity, but I love the scent of it. The downside is that the longevity is terrible on my skin. Two hours tops before it's not even a skin scent anymore. The upside is that I could buy 10 bottles of Platinum for less than 1 bottle of Aventus, so I could refresh it every 2 hours and have plenty left in the bank.

All in all, it's a case-by-case basis that is dependent on the frag. There are some, like WSP's Gaelic Tweed, that I would buy over Creeds GIT, but others I'd prefer the original.
 
Cvargo said:
Interesting Don. Would be just because it is namebrand? Or another specific reason?
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It would be because I would be supporting the person or company that came up with the scent and would be able to get all the nuances they intended to have in there. That being said, if I found an interpretation that I preferred over the original, I would go with that.
 
This conversation went a different place than I expected from reading the title. Personally, I'm super cheap. I don't like using expensive products when a lesser priced product will work well enough. That said, I believe that most artisan aftershaves are still in the too expensive category for me. I prefer the established and cheap drug store aftershaves.
 
Interesting thread, I run in all directions I prefer the originals, but will use knock off or artisans. To me Platinum is the closes to Aventus, but not quite there. I like everything, LOL
 
Xenostr8shaver said:
Interesting thread, I run in all directions I prefer the originals, but will use knock off or artisans. To me Platinum is the closes to Aventus, but not quite there. I like everything, LOL
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and we all know you are the frag king
 
Well from what I've read, and seems to be the general consensus, there is no way to exactly duplicate any cologne's scent, unless you have access to the formula, the exact same ingredients, and process that they use.
I'll use whiskey as an example, anyone could get some yeast, corn, rye, barley, etc...and make a mash, let it ferment, but it in a still and distill it. Pour it in a barrel and let it age. But unless you know the exact corn, rye, barley, yeast and have access to the same water, distill it in the same manner, and put it in the same type barrels, you will not be able to make Wild Turkey Bourbon.

That being said does that make your whiskey worse or better that Turkey? I don't know, that is for you to decide.

I think it boils down to whatever you like the scent of, be it artisan or original, and you are willing to pay for it, then that is what you should buy. Honestly I've smelled some high dollar colognes, that I just didn't like the scent, conversely I've smelled some cheap stuff that I love. Some of the cheap stuff performs as well or even better than some of the expensive stuff. I think climate and body chemistry have a lot to do with that.

So does it matter one way or the other? If SWBMO, or significant other or potential significant other likes the smell of "Ode de El Cheapo" then by all means that is what you should wear right?
 
Chad, you are right about WSP’s version of the Creed’s Green Irish Tweed. Lee’s version is high quality and lasts a long time. Another good WSP scent is Matterhorn. It’s a take on Creed’s Silver Mountain Water I believe. The only scents more expensive than the originals from artisans are the drug store scents like Old Spice or Pinaud Clubman.
 
Gojira76 said:
Chad, you are right about WSP’s version of the Creed’s Green Irish Tweed. Lee’s version is high quality and lasts a long time. Another good WSP scent is Matterhorn. It’s a take on Creed’s Silver Mountain Water I believe. The only scents more expensive than the originals from artisans are the drug store scents like Old Spice or Pinaud Clubman.
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Welcome to the TSC Josh. Be sure to head over and introduce yourself in our welcome area.

I have WSP Matterhorn it is a favorite of mine!
 
As with all things ... it depends.

I didn't know what GIT was until I got Stirling's Sharp Dressed Man soap in a trade, and wow ... an amazing scent, and one I should really use more often.

My go to, and literally the one that gets compliments EVERY time I wear it (my Mother in Law notwithstanding) is Fine L'Orange Noir. I love it ... I mean love it. When I want to stand out, make an impression, get a compliment (from the wife or even female friends of ours) it's the one I wear. So much so that I was just about to buy a bottle of Terres d'Hermes but then I saw Mr. Fine announce he was doing a spray of L'ON, so I waited.

My latest fling has been with Fine's Italian Citrus. Damn that is one amazing scent. I literally try to smell myself all the time when I'm wearing it (we have the term "faceturbate" ... would this be "scenturbate"?) And I know that's based on a classic but again, I'd be just as happy with Mr. Fine's version.

And then there's B&M Leviathan ... which is in a class all its own with no commercial counterpart.

For me, when it comes to most scents, I enjoy amazing longevity. And at least in my limited experience, the artisan scents work just as well for me than their commercial counterparts. Which is nice because I save a little money, so I can turn around and continue supporting those artisans. Not that I'm loathe to support commercial frag houses ... but they've made their money. I'm happier with artisans.
 
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