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Epsilon AS vs. Williams (Spanish) AV

I have 500 ml bottle of Williams AV which smells like a slightly classier version of the North American AV ice blue. I prefer the Williams version much more.

That being said, I love floid blue and have read mixed reviews of Epsilon being similar in FB’s scent profile.

My question: Since Epsilon and Williams AV are both made in Spain, what are the odds they smell exactly the same? I just don’t want to buy Epsilon if I already have the same scent in Williams AV.

Anyone able to chime in? I realize scent is subjective.

Brad.
 

tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
I’m probably not the right guy to answer your question because I’m not familiar with Spanish AV or Floid Blue. But I did just get a bottle of Epsilon, and it is magnificent. I like it much better than regular American AV. Like a lot of guys, I missed the boat on Floid Blue. I don’t know how close Epsilon is, but I think it’s great in its own rite and fills that “blue” role just fine.

For what it’s worth, Marco is partial to Furbo as a Floid Blue substitute and says it’s the closest match to Floid’s scent. But he also said it’s much stronger and more of a splash-on cologne. That’s no bueno for me, so I went with Epsilon and really couldn’t be happier with it.
 
I’m probably not the right guy to answer your question because I’m not familiar with Spanish AV or Floid Blue. But I did just get a bottle of Epsilon, and it is magnificent. I like it much better than regular American AV. Like a lot of guys, I missed the boat on Floid Blue. I don’t know how close Epsilon is, but I think it’s great in its own rite and fills that “blue” role just fine.

For what it’s worth, Marco is partial to Furbo as a Floid Blue substitute and says it’s the closest match to Floid’s scent. But he also said it’s much stronger and more of a splash-on cologne. That’s no bueno for me, so I went with Epsilon and really couldn’t be happier with it.

I appreciate the reply, and @Marco would be correct. Furbo Vintage Blu smells identical to Floid... out of the bottle. I take issue with the fact that on the skin, the scent (to me) is completely overpowered with the scent of menthol, that I can’t even smell the actual aftershave itself. It’s almost unbearable. I’m not a huge menthol fan. Some... not a lot. I have about 1/8 of a bottle of Floid Blue remaining and another full bottle unopened that I hope to ration. In the meantime I’m guessing the only way to find if Epsilon fits the bill, is to buy some.

*Sigh*

Brad.
 

tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
I appreciate the reply, and @Marco would be correct. Furbo Vintage Blu smells identical to Floid... out of the bottle. I take issue with the fact that on the skin, the scent (to me) is completely overpowered with the scent of menthol, that I can’t even smell the actual aftershave itself. It’s almost unbearable. I’m not a huge menthol fan. Some... not a lot. I have about 1/8 of a bottle of Floid Blue remaining and another full bottle unopened that I hope to ration. In the meantime I’m guessing the only way to find if Epsilon fits the bill, is to buy some.

*Sigh*

Brad.
I’d say Epsilon’s menthol level is roughly on par with Proraso Green. Refreshing, but not face freeze levels. Given how scents change and react to everyone’s different skin chemistry, you’re probably right that you’ll have to try to know if it’s right for you. Fortunately, Epsilon’s not terribly expensive.
 
I appreciate the reply, and @Marco would be correct. Furbo Vintage Blu smells identical to Floid... out of the bottle. I take issue with the fact that on the skin, the scent (to me) is completely overpowered with the scent of menthol, that I can’t even smell the actual aftershave itself. It’s almost unbearable. I’m not a huge menthol fan. Some... not a lot. I have about 1/8 of a bottle of Floid Blue remaining and another full bottle unopened that I hope to ration. In the meantime I’m guessing the only way to find if Epsilon fits the bill, is to buy some.

*Sigh*

Brad.

I just got some Epsilon and tried it for the first time today. Really liked it. I had some original Floid Blue about 6 years ago, never finished it. I didn't like how powdery and spicy it finished. Now, remember this is from 6 years ago, so this is not a recent A/B comparison. I find that the Epsilon keeps the fresher part of blue and not as powdery as the hours went on. I didn't finish the Floid, but I will be finishing this bottle of Epsilon.

I was about to write off trying Furbo based on Marco's description of its strength, but your description of how strong the menthol is has me reconsidering that. I likes me some menthol and was hoping the Epsilon had more of it. Now I need to try the Furbo. The Epsilon is definitely not menthol forward.
 
I just got some Epsilon and tried it for the first time today. Really liked it. I had some original Floid Blue about 6 years ago, never finished it. I didn't like how powdery and spicy it finished. Now, remember this is from 6 years ago, so this is not a recent A/B comparison. I find that the Epsilon keeps the fresher part of blue and not as powdery as the hours went on. I didn't finish the Floid, but I will be finishing this bottle of Epsilon.

I was about to write off trying Furbo based on Marco's description of its strength, but your description of how strong the menthol is has me reconsidering that. I likes me some menthol and was hoping the Epsilon had more of it. Now I need to try the Furbo. The Epsilon is definitely not menthol forward.

Indeed for me, Furbo has menthol. Perhaps not as much as some would like, but much more than say Proraso or Aqua Velva. I’m going to place an order here and just bite the bullet. I have yet to read anyone disliking Epsilon.


Brad.
 
Bit the bullet and ordered a small bottle (100 ml) of the Epsilon. I didn’t want to mess around, so when it came in the mail 10 mins ago, I immediately did a side by side sniff test with this and Floid blue. Out of the bottle they’re darn near identical to say the least. Like , 99.9% in similarity. So passing grades there.

My fear was that it may smell more like AV (...not a bad thing) or Furbo Vintage Blu. I splashed some on and waited for the dry down. It’s been about 10 mins and thus far I’m very pleased. There is a little menthol kick but not very over powering. It doesn’t quite have the same leathery scent as Floid blue, but there is some. My face is still feeling the cooling effects but honestly I don’t smell much at all, which is why I feel the scent is very much like Floid blue. It’s just blends in very clean and crisp. I’m catching whiffs of it here and there and I wouldn’t say it’s near as powdery like any of the Floid ambers, Razorock baby blue or blue barbershop.

It’s got some kind of herbal-earthy-undertone which is quite subtle, but in the house of Floid Blue. There is a hint of powder, but very little. It’s not an aqua marine scent either. For those who have used Floid Blue I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in the similar scent profiles at all. For those of you on the fence like I was , the face feel is very nice, not overly drying and you’re not going to smoke everyone out of the office when you walk in. I like it, and when I run out of Floid blue, this will be what I’m using to replace it . Good work Epsilon.

Take care everyone.

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Bit the bullet and ordered a small bottle (100 ml) of the Epsilon. I didn’t want to mess around, so when it came in the mail 10 mins ago, I immediately did a side by side sniff test with this and Floid blue. Out of the bottle they’re darn near identical to say the least. Like , 99.9% in similarity. So passing grades there.

My fear was that it may smell more like AV (...not a bad thing) or Furbo Vintage Blu. I splashed some on and waited for the dry down. It’s been about 10 mins and thus far I’m very pleased. There is a little menthol kick but not very over powering. It doesn’t quite have the same leathery scent as Floid blue, but there is some. My face is still feeling the cooling effects but honestly I don’t smell much at all, which is why I feel the scent is very much like Floid blue. It’s just blends in very clean and crisp. I’m catching whiffs of it here and there and I wouldn’t say it’s near as powdery like any of the Floid ambers, Razorock baby blue or blue barbershop.

It’s got some kind of herbal-earthy-undertone which is quite subtle, but in the house of Floid Blue. There is a hint of powder, but very little. It’s not an aqua marine scent either. For those who have used Floid Blue I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in the similar scent profiles at all. For those of you on the fence like I was , the face feel is very nice, not overly drying and you’re not going to smoke everyone out of the office when you walk in. I like it, and when I run out of Floid blue, this will be what I’m using to replace it . Good work Epsilon.

Take care everyone.

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Thanks for that trip report and glad you're enjoying it!
 
I love Epsilon.
I too have been on the fence about getting the Spanish AV.
I've become a big fan of the "blue" scents lately, and I've been going back and forth between my bottle of Epsilon, and a bottle of 1969 NOS AV Ice Blue pretty regularly.
Just to mix it up some, I finally ordered a bottle of the RR Blue Barbershop to add to the mix as well.

I may just hold off on the Spanish AV until my current bottle of Ice Blue is gone. But that may take a while with it being the 8-1/2 ounce bottle lol
 
I love Epsilon.
I too have been on the fence about getting the Spanish AV.
I've become a big fan of the "blue" scents lately, and I've been going back and forth between my bottle of Epsilon, and a bottle of 1969 NOS AV Ice Blue pretty regularly.
Just to mix it up some, I finally ordered a bottle of the RR Blue Barbershop to add to the mix as well.

I may just hold off on the Spanish AV until my current bottle of Ice Blue is gone. But that may take a while with it being the 8-1/2 ounce bottle lol

AV ice blue and the Spanish blue are both great, but I vastly prefer the Spanish version. It doesn’t have that dark blue dye that gets all over the sink (because I don’t pour it in my hands with care. [emoji16])

The Spanish version is like they took AV ice blue and cold filtered it 4 x’s for extra smoothness. The scent doesn’t change much but there’s no chemical after taste if you catch my drift. Just a crisp aftershave scent.
 
AV ice blue and the Spanish blue are both great, but I vastly prefer the Spanish version. It doesn’t have that dark blue dye that gets all over the sink (because I don’t pour it in my hands with care. [emoji16])

The Spanish version is like they took AV ice blue and cold filtered it 4 x’s for extra smoothness. The scent doesn’t change much but there’s no chemical after taste if you catch my drift. Just a crisp aftershave scent.

I haven't used and North American Aqua Velva since a little sample bottle of the Ice Sport when I moved into my dorm when I started college lol
And from what I've been told, the old formula of Ice Blue (like mine from '69) is much more subdued than the current version. I've been wondering how close the Spanish version is to my NOS bottle for a while.
 
I was in a Spanish pharmacy this week and the bottle of floid blue said hair tonic on it. Not an aftershave . Is there a floid blue that’s an aftershave ?


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