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Floid The Genuine vs Pinaud Clubman - clash of titans

JCinPA

The Lather Maestro
Well, my Floid arrived. @Marco and I seem to have remarkably similar tastes in many things shaving, he must be my "brother from another mother" in terms of shaving likes/dislikes, so when Marco says try something, I listen.

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A little back story is in order here. Some years back I was somehow able to get a bottle of Pinaud Clubman to Marco in Italy, I cannot remember how we did that now, but we did. He was wildly enthusiastic about the scent, and now I know why. As has been pointed out This re-released Floid and Pinaud Clubman are more than in the same neighborhood scent-wise, they are next door to each other! Very similar. Of course they are distinguishable, but for those who love this type of scent, I think it would be hard to pick a favorite. I reacted to this Floid the way Marco reacted to Clubman, I LOVE it!

After my shave this morning, I used a generous dose of Floid after my usual Thayer's WH with Aloe splash. Alcohol burn was controlled, and less than with any of the Pinauds, IMO, but it definitely gets your attention, which I like in a splash. With the Pinauds, any of them, Clubman, Vanilla, The Veg (especially The Veg) you know you are in for some of this.


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I would say not so much with the Floid, it will wake you up, but in a gentle way. I like it. How about other ingredients? I actually didn't even look at them, I go by feel. So, the Pinauds, all of them, I decant into glass bottles, and I add a little glycerin to them because they are pretty bare of any of that sort of thing. If you're familiar with, say, Cella red after shave, they have ingredients in there that help the face (again, didn't bother to see what they are) and I very much like the feel after a splash like that. I do not like balms, period. But I love the feel of Cella A/S and I like the Pinauds after I add some of my own glycerin.

Floid, IMO, came in somewhere in the middle. It feels to me a bit like, say, Old Spice. That's a scent I like and I decant into my old spice milk glass bottle, too, but I do not feel the need to add glycerin to it. Floid is right about there. I found it comfortable as-is out of the bottle, and while one could add glycerin to it, I suppose, I don't think I would be inclined to.

Around lunch time, I splashed some of each into one hand and slapped on one side of my face. After lunch after they had both dried down, repeated sniffing of my palms made me realize I really do not have even the slightest preference for either of them, I love them both and am absolutely indifferent as to which might be "better". They are that close. If you love Clubman, you'll love Floid, and the reverse is also true. If you hate Clubman, don't go near Floid, you won't get a different result because it's Italian, expensive, or a novelty now because it's new -- you won't like it.

So, the $64,000 question is would I reload the Floid when it is gone? And the answer is no. Not because I prefer Clubman but simply based on price and my loving both. Don't get me wrong, IMNSHO these two splashes are The Kings Of After Shaves, if you like barbershop scents and alcohol splashes, that is. But unlike with, say, MdC where the debate is always about what is the cost per shave, with these two products you don't have that variable. They are both alcohol splashes, and you'd use them the same way, no reason to use more or less of either of them. So, at $42 for 13.5 ounces, versus $11 for 12.5 ounces, both delivered prices, the Floid comes in at $3.11 per ounce, the Clubman at $0.88 per ounce. The Floid comes is a terrific glass bottle and Clubman comes in plastic, so there's that. But if you have a vintage Pinaud label-less bottle with flowers, Pinaud, and Paris, New York, London stamped in the glass, like I do, that doesn't matter. If there was a huge scent difference, I might feel differently, but I don't see the justification for a 3.5X price differential. Of course with scents, YMMV applies with a vengeance.

The verdict? It's a neck and neck tie. Some small nuanced differences, Floid wins it on bottle and presentation, Clubman wins it walking away on economics. And the scents are so similar, I just can't see liking Floid enough to make the difference worth it.
 
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Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
John @JCinPA , I love reading your write-ups because they are always detailed, extensive and passionate. Also, as you properly pointed out, we certainly have very similar tastes and I agree with you my friend in the vast majority of cases. Floid there in the US sold at $64 is really too much, here it only costs €19.90 and I'm expecting price-point to get even lower when this fabulous lotion will be available at local supermarkets, without the need of buying on-line.
 

JCinPA

The Lather Maestro
$64? Wow. I found it for $42. It really is a fabulous scent, I just love it. And I do love the bottle and label presentation, and history. And your Euro price in USD is about half that, much more reasonable.

I still would not stock two such similar products though.
 

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
My mistake John, I confused numbers when you said "$64,000 question". Anyway, $42 is still high, being 2x what it costs here. I'm pretty sure that at €19.90 (my price-point) Floid would have a permanent spot in your den, wouldn't it?
 

JCinPA

The Lather Maestro
My mistake John, I confused numbers when you said "$64,000 question". Anyway, $42 is still high, being 2x what it costs here. I'm pretty sure that at €19.90 (my price-point) Floid would have a permanent spot in your den, wouldn't it?

Well, at the risk of looking like I am chickening out, let me say, yes … and no.

Let’s look at the Barrister & Mann’s Lavender aftershave and either or these two. So different and so loved, I’d stock both.

These two, however, are so close in performance and scent that I will answer it this way.

NO, not both, but if I have the wonderful Pinaud vintage bottle I happen to have, I’m reloading the Clubman.

YES, (not both but Floid) if I did NOT have that bottle and was dependent on the Clubman in the plastic? I’d ditch the Clubman for the Floid in a heartbeat.

But would I stock both? Regardless of price? Probably not, because it’s almost like stocking two of the same thing, IMO. But I do love the bottle and the label, and at half the US price it would be tempting to replace the Clubman.

But I can’t see having both (except now when I do), they are too similar to both earn a place in my den at the same time. That bottle I have is the tie-breaker for me, I think.

If you don’t have Clubman, but know you like it, I STRONGLY suggest you get the Floid. For the bottle. So much classier than the plastic Pinaud bottles.
 
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JCinPA

The Lather Maestro
@Marco Wow, I'm having second thoughts. It's weird. They are both so fantastic, I do want to stock both. But they are so similar, I'm thinking to myself, "Why?".

So I pressed the SWMBO into service testing them after dinner. She's always liked Clubman. After going back and forth between them for a bit, she said she LOVES them both, both are top scents in her mind. But she also said she could not choose a favorite.

She did say, however, that she thought the Floid scent was more 'complex'? The Pinaud is a bit more one dimensional? She had a hard time describing it, but I know what she means, there's a bit more subtlety in the Floid, a bit more nuance, more depth to it. It's hard to put into words, and I don't have the nose some of you gents do, but I get where she's coming from. Still we both love both scents, and we both think they are sooo similar it's hard to choose between them. They are maybe not even next door neighbors, but more like two sides of a duplex house. I still don't think I'd stock them both at the same time, though, because they are so similar.

I think I'd rotate. Yeah, that's the ticket. First one, then the other, then back again. But because I have that wonderful bottle I doubt I'll reload the Floid.

I'm sure I am NOT helping any of you on the fence wondering if you should buy it, and for that, I do apologize. But I am really so enamored of them both, and find it so hard to pick a favorite, I guess I'm not much help. The B&B mantra would be GET BOTH! But I have a hard time saying that in good conscience.
 
Price aside, I don't know how you are going to run out! That bottle of Floid would last me an entire year as a sole aftershave. But in a rotation with other stuff, that would be five years worth :001_tt2:
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
Great review especially factoring in price. I was very interested in the new floid but put off on the price honestly. Especially knowing that it’s at least double that available in the EU. I’ve had my share of blind buys with a few notable stinkers. And I’m trying to learn the lesson (a little) of trying to hold off purchases somewhat. In this case it worked out. I like clubman but don’t love it. I actually like clubman shampoo more over the scent as an aftershave. So the new floid isn’t up my alley on a few different fronts. Thanks for the info and appreciate the time you devoted to this topic too.
 
My mistake John, I confused numbers when you said "$64,000 question". Anyway, $42 is still high, being 2x what it costs here. I'm pretty sure that at €19.90 (my price-point) Floid would have a permanent spot in your den, wouldn't it?
“The $64,000 Question” was a game show in the 1950s. The title of the show has entered into common parlance, used when considering a difficult question or making a difficult decision. A person might say, “well, that’s the $64,000 question, isn’t it?”
 

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
John @JCinPA here are 3 good reason why you should keep both in your den:

1. The Clubman and the Floid scents are vaguely similar, definitely not the same.

2. The two also have very different ingredients lists. And, after application, they provide a different face feel.

3. After all, you seem to love both. Honestly, why should you force yourself in choosing only one and be unhappy not having the other?

As always, these are just my 2 cents (you say so in the US, don't you?).
 

JCinPA

The Lather Maestro
Geez, Marco, you really are the devil! “just one more drink, my friend, just one!” 😂 I do want to keep them both, and you make good points. And with the # of splashes in my den, as has been said, I have a lifetime supply! I’ll be able to reload maybe once before I cross the River Styx. I still have a refill for my Pinaud bottle in my den.

@Rhody if you don’t love Clubman, skip this one, my friend, the chances of this bowling you over if you’re not enamored of Clubman are about zero, IMO. Skip this one and make your next mistake elsewhere. 🤣
 

ylekot

On the lookout for a purse
Well lets see. If I was a man of wealth and means I might have 2 Corvettes. A black one, quiet and docile for dinner nights with the wife and other obligatory "classy" things. Then an orange HOWLER of a car for weekend fun and pissing off the locals at midnight on a warm Friday. Similar, but not the same!
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
Geez, Marco, you really are the devil! “just one more drink, my friend, just one!” 😂 I do want to keep them both, and you make good points. And with the # of splashes in my den, as has been said, I have a lifetime supply! I’ll be able to reload maybe once before I cross the River Styx. I still have a refill for my Pinaud bottle in my den.

@Rhody if you don’t love Clubman, skip this one, my friend, the chances of this bowling you over if you’re not enamored of Clubman are about zero, IMO. Skip this one and make your next mistake elsewhere. 🤣
Thanks. Cheers and drinks all around.
 
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