A Couple of Truefitt & Hill Questions

[Tat2d Bald Dude]

Would you consider Truefitt & Hill to be a mainstream cologne that is worn by practically everybody these days, or is it very much still an "unknown" to a lot of guys and you can wear it and go out and about knowing that it's not being worn by 8 out of every 10 other guys you pass on the street?

And...

Would you consider Truefitt & Hill to be high end, middle of the road, or low end?

 

[richmondesi]

It definitely is NOT too mainstream. None of the chain fragrance store workers have never even heard of it that I've talked to.

I'd say it's a bridge price point and quality. It's more expensive and has better qualities than most of your middle of the road stuff, but it's not quite top-shelf either.

 

[tsmba]

I think your approach to scents is common, and as such is faulty. To me, the best way to go about looking for a scent is to focus only about what you (and perhaps your mate) like. As in so many products, price and quality aren't necessarily correlated. Expecting "better" scents to be had from French or English houses is an expensive undertaking. What I did (coming in as a complete novice) was to start trying scents that are highly-regarded by a range of users. Once I discovered some that I liked, I went from there.

 

[wedwards]

unfortunately i react badly to colognes and the like, so i asked a couple times for some samplers from them and was completely ignored. sorry to steal the thread, but i wont be buying from them any time soon.

further to what others said, its definately about what it smells like on you. my $12 bottle of tabac gets as good (if not better ) reaction from my wife as i get from dirty vegas, or any other mid-range (imho) cologne. unfortunately, i discovered this AFTER i spent $40 on dirty vegas.

 

[theperfectstorm]

It was at Nordstroms--which says "dirt-common" to me (in a sad upper-middle-class lemming way, of course)

On the other hand they stopped carrying it because no one grasped the simple reality of it.

Now they hawk it on the strip in Vegas to the whales and professional shoppers.

They may not be common but they sure as hell are trying to become common. That scent of desperation has been one of the many things that has consistently turned me off about T&H.

 

[BarryR]

unfortunately i react badly to colognes and the like, so i asked a couple times for some samplers from them and was completely ignored. sorry to steal the thread, but i wont be buying from them any time soon.

further to what others said, its definately about what it smells like on you. my $12 bottle of tabac gets as good (if not better ) reaction from my wife as i get from dirty vegas, or any other mid-range (imho) cologne. unfortunately, i discovered this AFTER i spent $40 on dirty vegas.

Although a few (mostly upscale) perfume houses are generous with samples. Most are not, and for many there's really no easy way to get samples, which I find frustrating. So, I have no issues with those that provide samples for a nominal fee or for the cost of postage (e.g., L'Artisan, C&S, GFT and T&H).

Regarding price, I definitely find that, for the most part, the expensive colognes have more refined and subtle scents. I'm sure there are exceptions and some good values and some rip-offs, but, at least for me (unfortunately) price correlates fairly highly with quality. This is probably, i part, because EOs are expensive.
Below are some of my broad impressions. I realize they are over-generalizations and YMMV:

TOBS: very good value, mid-priced, nice, but can be a little synthetic. C&S: expensive and excellent. T&H (a little less) expensive and very good to excellent.
Diptyque - expensive and outstanding (especially Tam Dao).
GFT some very good scents, but to my nose not in the same caliber as some others and at a little better price.
Penhaligons: expensive and excellent.
Creed: some excellents, expensive (maybe overpriced) and very un-synthetic.
Elizabeth Arden (sandalwood): less expensive (cheap at today's discontinued prices), fairly synthetic and mediocre.
Castle Forbes: Expensive. I'm not too familiar with their colognes but their shaving creams (especially lavendar) are fabulous and smell great and very natural.
Floris: Another high end, high quality brand.
Tabac: Inexpensive and very good for the price but to me it's a bit overstated and probably rather synthetic.

Luckily, I've been able to buy or get lots of samples and buy some decants.

My notion may not hold true for the mass marketing colognes where you're paying a lot for brand name and advertising.

 

[SRock]

It definitely is NOT too mainstream. None of the chain fragrance store workers have never even heard of it that I've talked to.

I'd say it's a bridge price point and quality. It's more expensive and has better qualities than most of your middle of the road stuff, but it's not quite top-shelf either.

Exactly!

 

[ChrisG]

It was at Nordstroms--which says "dirt-common" to me (in a sad upper-middle-class lemming way, of course)

On the other hand they stopped carrying it because no one grasped the simple reality of it.

Now they hawk it on the strip in Vegas to the whales and professional shoppers.

They may not be common but they sure as hell are trying to become common. That scent of desperation has been one of the many things that has consistently turned me off about T&H.

You are insane , they have the Acqua Di Parma intenso as well as many other good scents. All I'm saying is as a young guy being 23, I sure as hell might want to shave like my grandfather but don't want to smell like him!!!

 

[The Knize]

unfortunately i react badly to colognes and the like, so i asked a couple times for some samplers from them and was completely ignored. sorry to steal the thread, but i wont be buying from them any time soon.

:

T&H sells sample sets of their scents and their shaving products that seem like very good deals to me and my experience was that you pay them money and the stuff comes quickly. I do not know whether they are available to Australia though or what shipping might be.

I agree with richmondesi in that I would consider T&H sort of high middle, price and quality. Definitely not scents that everyone on the street will be wearing. Not that well-known, much less that popular. I think Grafton is a really good scent at whatever price. I am not as into the others by T&H but many here really have favorites among them, so no dis to T&H. Their shaving creams and ASB are really nice.

I basically agree with BarryR, at least as to the scents I know that he describes: C&S, Pen's, T&H, GFT, Creed. I agree re CF shaving creams. I would like to try any and all of the ones he likes.

Scents are an addiction, though! Everyone gets into them thinking they will find that one that they really like that they can use all the time. But the more you try the more you want to try. And you develop a deeper and deeper appreciation for them which makes you want even more!

 

[cymric]

Would you consider Truefitt & Hill to be a mainstream cologne that is worn by practically everybody these days...

Definitely not.

... or is it very much still an "unknown" to a lot of guys and you can wear it and go out and about knowing that it's not being worn by 8 out of every 10 other guys you pass on the street?

Definitely that, although 1805 might be confused with other such fragrances. I can't see that happening with Trafalgar and Grafton, though. Limes was gone in half an hour on my skin, so I won't comment on that.

Would you consider Truefitt & Hill to be high end, middle of the road, or low end?

It doesn't smell synthetic, so it's not low end. As to what constitutes middle of the road or high end is up to you. I've smelt better, I've smelt worse. The stuff is pricey, but there too I've seen worse. (In fact, I'm using a product which is far more expensive for no good reason. But I like it tremendously, and the small bottle seems to last a long time even though I'm not exactly parsimonious in application.)

 

[wedwards]

T&H sells sample sets of their scents and their shaving products that seem like very good deals to me and my experience was that you pay them money and the stuff comes quickly. I do not know whether they are available to Australia though or what shipping might be.

yeah that was my question. i specifically said to them that i was happy to pay whatever they wanted to charge, including international freight etc. i wouldnt mind if they emailed me back and said they didnt offer samples or something, but to attempt to contact them twice and not get a response at all is pushing the friendship somewhat imho.

 

[Tzar]

Ordered from the T&H web site their sample pack at 16$. Ordered Monday night, got it yesterday (I'm in Canada, don't know if they would ship in Australia).

That's a very good value in my opinion since I got a vial of all of their colognes, and a sample of all their shaving creams and aftershave balms good for about 2 shaves each. They throwed their pre-shave oil as a bonus into that also.

Shaved this morning with the Ultimate Comfort cream and pre-shave oil. Good shave, this is definetely quality stuff. I was surprised by the very good scent of the sahve oil and is efficiency: I really could feel a difference in the razor glideness.

I also applied half a sample vial of the Clubman cologne on my chest, inside elbows and behind ears. Nice fresh, citrus and flowery scent. Nothing exceptional though. I will go through all the colognes vials and then only buy the ones that myself (and my wife ) like.

 

[Emmett]

I think your approach to scents is common, and as such is faulty. To me, the best way to go about looking for a scent is to focus only about what you (and perhaps your mate) like. As in so many products, price and quality aren't necessarily correlated. Expecting "better" scents to be had from French or English houses is an expensive undertaking. What I did (coming in as a complete novice) was to start trying scents that are highly-regarded by a range of users. Once I discovered some that I liked, I went from there.

+1. Speick is cheap, unique (at least in the US), and smells great. Expensive and rare =/= better.

 

[shaven-haven]

I also got a sample scent of the colognes, in this case in the UK.

Most of the fragrances could best be described as OK, to me they do smell cheap.
UK based readers will understand me comparing them to say Marks & Spencer aftershaves etc, or Next i.e. around £10 a bottle, although they charge £25.

To me expensive smelling things are like CK Eternity or CK Man or even Obsession. I also like the Hugo Boss, these will retail for around £40 in the UK.

I'm glad I tried the samples, not sure I would pay for a full bottle.

You certainly do not smell these fragrances around the UK; as most people will buy from Boots or perfume outlets who will stock the old favourites like CK.

Interested to smell a good Bay Rum though!

As always YMMV, and I'm grateful for the reviews section before I splash the cash

 

[Tzar]

Most of the fragrances could best be described as OK, to me they do smell cheap.

To me expensive smelling things are like CK Eternity or CK Man or even Obsession. I also like the Hugo Boss, these will retail for around £40 in the UK.

Here in Canada (I guess the same can be said for the whole of North America), Calvin Klein is just too common. That's the cologne the average Joe on the street buys. It's everywhere and uninmaginative.

Truefitt & Hill is unknown here. There is exclusivity attached to it. After I'M gone to through all the fragrances samples, I'll probably buy 1 or 2 bottles of the ones I like the most.

 

[bigred90gt]

I recently found a store in Houston that stocks all the T&H scents (found it through reading here on this site). I just left the store, and almost bought a bottle of the T&H Spanish Leather. When I sprayed it, I immediately thought of Clint Eastwood and John Wayne killing people with a cigar hanging from their lips. I figured my wife wouldnt like it, so I sprayed some on my arm for her to smell when I got home. She actually loved it, which was quite surprising to me.

I would say that while I did not like alot of the T&H scents, they are definitely not cheap in quality, nor are they common around here. I sprayed the SL, some Floris JF, and some C&E Nomad on my arms in different places about 4 hours ago. I have been home, and since washed my arms to get it off, and of all of them, the T&H is the one I still smell. I ended up buying the Floris instead, but FWIW, if I would have thought my wife would have liked the SL, I would have snatched it up in a second.

 

[BROWNS]

I definitely wouldn't consider it maintstream, at least not with anyone my age (can't really speak for the older demographic). I'm sure if I were to ask 100 guys I came across my age, less than three would have heard of it.

 

[BarryR]

My suggestion to anyone who is relatively new to the world of colognes is sample, sample, sample. Once you know generally what you like you can start honing in some of them.

For example, I discovered quickly (through my QED sandalwood shave stick) that I love sandalwood. Then I sampled a bunch of them (and the sandalwood blends like the various santals, etc) and read about Tam Dao (considered by many to be the ultimate sandalwood), got a sample, loved it and bought a bottle.

I discovered that you really need to wear a scent at least for a whole day, if not several times, before figuring out if you want to spend $60-120 on it.

There are other threads to suggest how and where to get samples.

 

[Hughies_online]

I don't consider it high end (despite its high price in Australia) and its longevity upon wearing it is sadly lacking.

 

[tsmba]

You must constantly fight the notion that, in scents, quality is related to price. I have favorites at both ends of the spectrum (although I've never tried anything that's *too* high end). There will always be niche scents offered at insane prices (look at Clive Christian).

As a general rule, I have found that many "mainstream" or "department store" scents tend to end up smelling similar....perhaps their base notes are the same. I think the ideal way to choose scents would be a completely blind trial. No matter how practical I attempt to be, stuff like the bottle design, reputation, etc. tend to creep in.