Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements - Top 10

[TheCutter]

Cheers Gents!

I'm itching to indulge in PAA soaps and aftershave. There so many to choose to from, maybe too many? Which is not a bad thing...
In helping me decide please list your top 10 PAA soaps/scents.

Cheers

 

[fast shaver]

I like the Paul Morphy Avatar.
The bases are the same formula as far as I know.
So, that leaves certain scent offerings to choose from.
Its decent shave soap but I forgot the scent I had a while back.

 

[Barbarian80]

pick up the aftershave samples- that's your best bet. My favorite thus far has been PAA Fresco. He has a new one out that is basically a skin bracer homage- i would buy it blindly if it didn't have so many soaps already. The other i liked was doppleganger gold. I believe there are a few dopplegangers. Many people like the Atomic Bay Rum, if you like Bay Rum scents, that is. Another i like is The Beach, but it gave me headaches, as do a few of their scents- they're pretty strong and head ache inducing overall, so the A/S samples are key.

 

[Grundi]

I've tried a few, and of those my favorite scent is Gondolier. I also liked Cavendish, but my wife did not.

 

[jonwilson]

I got and have used 3 paa shave soaps. I am not a big PAA fan to be honest. I LOVE their shave brushes, not really their soaps. I have atomic bay rum (almostgone), epic peppermint, and frost byte. I like them all for the most part, but I don't think I'll be buying anymore PAA soaps FOR A LONG TIME.

 

[gdawg55]

I quite like PAA soaps and aftershaves. Like @Barbarian80 stated....best to get their aftershave samples to check scents. They smell exactly like their soap counter part. I have and like Diver Down, Atomic Age Bay Rum, Cold Spices, Droid Black, Dapper Doc, Awesome Sauce, and just recently a new mashup soap Honeysuckle/Atomic Age Bay Rum which is fabulous.

They have so many, it can be daunting to choose. I bet I've purchased at least 30 aftershave samples trying to find scents I prefer.

 

[Barbarian80]

I am not a big PAA fan to be honest.

I get it. All if not most of the scents i've tried are bright, loud, fun, in your face, and knock you off your feet type scents. That's their vibe and product line/business model and it has to agree with you. I haven't tried the soap but seems many can vouch its a good/great performer.

 

[Balthier]

Haven't tried their summer seasonals like peach, smackdown, banana etc. would like to though. My favorites are probably the beach, future fiction, and space nog. I get amazing longevity(into the next day) with space nog, but it does smell very seasonal. I am not sure I would love wearing it off season as much, although it is a very nice scent and I do like egg nog.

 

[JCarr]

Top PAA scents

1) Atomic Age Bay Rum
2) Space Nog
3) Atomic Pumpkin
4) Clasico Bay Rum
5) Fresco
6) Amalfi Coast
7) Speakeasy
8) Coconut Bay with Lime
9) Cold Spices
10) Red Planet 365
11) Club Guy
12) Grove
13) Supreme Science Sandalwood

 

[Wal59]

They are very “loud” aromatically speaking. I have the sandalwood and meta nectar soaps and aftershaves. Not traditional scents at all. I do like them though. I agree - the soap and a/s combo are nearly identical on the nose. The soaps lather well and do the job nicely. Enjoy.

 

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

What I find truly odd about PAA, is that they have this overwhelming number of selection of software, so much so, that you completely lose yourself in their site looking, trying to find something you may like. But when it comes to hardware, they have very little selection. And when they site asked for my feedback, I was honest. And when I got an email from their company in response to the site feedback, I discovered all I needed to know about the CEO of PAA, and I don't like him very much.

So, while I did buy a couple of their Star Jelly's in the beginning, and I had all this love for them at the start, that love was short lived, after how I was treated. I have personally avoided the PAA brand ever since. You of course can do whatever you want. But for me, I can't in all conscience buy from their brand. I since devoted my loyalty to Captains Choice and Stirling.

 

[GreggoryD502]

I can without hesitation recommend their Doppleganger Grey line up. The scent is an homage to Creed Aventis. The smell is amazing and the performance is top notch. Also the star jelly is really good to. Its a aftershave balm with a touch of alcohol in it.

 

[GreggoryD502]

What I find truly odd about PAA, is that they have this overwhelming number of selection of software, so much so, that you completely lose yourself in their site looking, trying to find something you may like. But when it comes to hardware, they have very little selection. And when they site asked for my feedback, I was honest. And when I got an email from their company in response to the site feedback, I discovered all I needed to know about the CEO of PAA, and I don't like him very much.

So, while I did buy a couple of their Star Jelly's in the beginning, and I had all this love for them at the start, that love was short lived, after how I was treated. I have personally avoided the PAA brand ever since. You of course can do whatever you want. But for me, I can't in all conscience buy from their brand. I since devoted my loyalty to Captains Choice and Stirling.

Would you care to elaborate on what their CEO's response was?

 

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

Would you care to elaborate on what their CEO's response was?

In the email he sent me, he thought my feedback was a joke, I kid you not! And he said that more then once in his email to me. Then he went on the defensive approach like a child, and he claimed that a dozen brushes with simple handles, and no innovation was enough. And even more absurdly, he claimed that a couple of lather bowls on his site was enough too, and there was no need for more.

Instead of taking my feedback as a sign that maybe PAA should do better as a company, and provide more variety of brushes and lather bowls, he acted like a child, went all defensive, considered my feedback a joke, and was totally dismissive about my points. To be honest, I never wanted a reply to the feedback I provided, but it was obviously not anonymous, because he emailed me over it.

A CEO of a company who refuses to take feedback seriously, and chooses not to innovate, or improve selection of items on the store, is doomed to fail. I felt disrespected, and I never replied to his email after that. Instead of having a flame war with a CEO of a company who acts like a child, I decided to just no longer buy from his company ever again.

You can look at other stores who do it better, Captains Choice, Stirling, ShaveNation, West Coast Shaving, just to name a few right off the bat. But no, the CEO thinks he knows better, he doesn't need to learn anything from other's, he's got it all figured out. I've learned enough about the man that I need to know, dissowned!

 

[Felixthecat]

Woe betide the CEO of any company that does not respect its customers.
Especially one who ignores the demand of a customer that they “do better” by not providing a selection of products that one would like to see.
At the very least they should have a large range of $15 polishing cloths to entice budget-minded customers.

”Refusal to innovate“ by changing product lines is essentially criminal behaviour and attempting to engage with a dissatisfied customer is indeed “childlike”.
But seriously, there is a difference between offering a friendly opinion and going on a rant and making it all about feeling “respected” when the CEO was quite clearly reacting and responding to the TONE of the “advice”.

The analogy that springs to mind is where Groucho Marx tells a bank manager he’ll take his overdraft elsewhere. My guess is that PAA is more than happy to not have a 100% customer retention record. Some people are just hard work and it is not their responsibility to manage insecurities and personal issues. This is not the job of a retailer.

 

[Balthier]

I can without hesitation recommend their Doppleganger Grey line up. The scent is an homage to Creed Aventis. The smell is amazing and the performance is top notch. Also the star jelly is really good to. Its a aftershave balm with a touch of alcohol in it.

Have you compared other aventus scents just curious how you compare it to others if so?

 

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

Have you compared other aventus scents just curious how you compare it to others if so?

FYI, I have Stirling Executive Man, and it was an immediate smash hit with me. Smells just like Creed Aventus. And you know what else is cool? Captains Choice Venture aftershave, also smells like Creed Aventus. Today I had a shave with Stirling Executive Man, and then I finished it off with some Captains Choice Venture aftershave. Then I went out to mow grass, and despite the mower exhaust, and the wind blowing outside, I still managed to smell the Creed Aventus inspired software on me, and it was quite pleasant.

 

[GreggoryD502]

Have you compared other aventus scents just curious how you compare it to others if so?

I have to admit that I have never smelled actual Creed Aventus so I can't say how close these artisans have gotten to the original.

That being said I have also tried Stirling executive man, while I did find it pleasant I dont think it smells as good as PAA Doppelganger Grey.

 

[JCarr]

In the email he sent me, he thought my feedback was a joke, I kid you not! And he said that more then once in his email to me. Then he went on the defensive approach like a child, and he claimed that a dozen brushes with simple handles, and no innovation was enough. And even more absurdly, he claimed that a couple of lather bowls on his site was enough too, and there was no need for more.

Instead of taking my feedback as a sign that maybe PAA should do better as a company, and provide more variety of brushes and lather bowls, he acted like a child, went all defensive, considered my feedback a joke, and was totally dismissive about my points. To be honest, I never wanted a reply to the feedback I provided, but it was obviously not anonymous, because he emailed me over it.

A CEO of a company who refuses to take feedback seriously, and chooses not to innovate, or improve selection of items on the store, is doomed to fail. I felt disrespected, and I never replied to his email after that. Instead of having a flame war with a CEO of a company who acts like a child, I decided to just no longer buy from his company ever again.

You can look at other stores who do it better, Captains Choice, Stirling, ShaveNation, West Coast Shaving, just to name a few right off the bat. But no, the CEO thinks he knows better, he doesn't need to learn anything from other's, he's got it all figured out. I've learned enough about the man that I need to know, dissowned!

Yeah, that is not the right thing to do. He should simply have said, thank you for the feedback. What he chooses to do with his company is ultimately his decision, but to send a scathing email like that isn't right or good. End result is...he lost you...forever. Now you wouldn't even consider buying anything from his product line regardless of what it is. Unfortunate for him.

Peace be to you, comrade! Happy shaves!

 

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

When your operating a retail business, there are a couple of number 1 rules when it comes to sales and service. #1, customer is always right, even if their not. #2, customers should be your number 1 priority, as they are what keep your business alive. Anger your customers, they never come back again. Hopefully he learns a lesson. We humans best learn from our mistakes, lest their doomed to repeat themselves.