Rate each of them, but skip which ones you haven't tried.
Rating, I would assume, would factor in overall smell, creativity/originality, value for what you pay, versatility, projection, and longevity.
Skip ones that you have not tried.
Here is my opinion on what I see a good rating system as (you do not have to agree with me though).
10 - Of hundreds of fragrances, the amount of tens should be counted on less than 5 or 10 fingers.
9 to 9.5 - These are not just great colognes, they are exceptional colognes that are masterpieces to be remembered for many years to come. This rating should be very rare to give.
8 to 8.5 - GREAT fragrance overall. Instant classics, essential for nearly any serious collector's collection.
7 to 7.5 - Very good scents, but they have some flaws holding them back from being great.
6 to 6.5 - Good scent, but not for everybody. Either it is a risky blind buy or its so bland or generic, even if it is decent smelling. This is probably, for me, the majority of mass market fragrances.
5 to 5.5 - Not a very good cologne. Not recommended for blind buying at all. Some may enjoy it, but there are probably similar colognes in your collection that are a lot better.
<5 - BAD
The main problem I am trying to address is that if a 9 is given too easily for a cologne that is just "very good", then it doesn't do justice to the amazing ones that actually deserve a really good rating.
Here is the list for you to copy and paste:
Acqua Di Gio
Cool Water
Le Male
Bulgari Aqua
Eternity
Obsession
KC Black
Aramis
Drakkar Noir
Varvatos
Versace Eau Fraiche
Versace Dreamer
Nautica Voyage
Lacoste Essential
Armani Code
Armani Sport Code
Light Blue
Unforgivable
Fahrenheit
Armani Diamonds
One Million
Abercrombie Fierce
Givenchi Pi
Polo Blue
Polo Black
Eternity Aqua
Hugo Boss
Gucci Guilty
Curve
Bora Bora
Usher
CK One
212 Men
Chrome
Play
A Men
Bulgari Blv
The One
Burbery Touch
Burbery Brit
My Ratings of the Mass Markets
* Acqua Di Gio -- 9 (a true classic, only hated for its own success)
* Cool Water -- 8 (a great adaptation of GIT at an affordable price)
* Le Male -- 9
Bulgari Aqua -- 6
Eternity -- 6
Obsession -- 6
KC Black -- 7
Aramis -- 7
Drakkar Noir -- 6 (smells cheap, but nevertheless, an 80's classic)
Varvatos -- 5
Versace Eau Fraiche -- 6
* Versace Dreamer 8 (this is bold and daring. for the patient, not the timid.)
Nautica Voyage -- 5
Lacoste Essential -- 4
Armani Code -- 7
Armani Sport Code -- 6
Light Blue -- 6 (very good fresh scent, however it's very pricy for what you get)
Unforgivable -- 6 (if you want a millesime imperial clone, Love and Luck does it better)
* Fahrenheit -- 10 (a scent like no other. easily the best, imo)
Armani Diamonds -- 5 (i really liked the opening a lot, but the dry down is not impressive)
* One Million -- 8 (le male's darker cousin, a real gem of its decade)
Abercrombie Fierce n/a
The One -- 6
Polo Blue -- 7 (a very good melon aquatic with that classic polo spicy undercurrent)
Polo Black -- 5 (try the original polo instead)
Eternity Aqua -- 4 (at first seems like decent aquatic, then dries into a cheap woodsy frag.)
Hugo Boss -- 6
Gucci Guilty -- 6 (good floral scent, and nothing more)
Curve -- 5 (grossly overrated, smells like cheap liquid soap)
Bora Bora -- 6
Usher -- 5 (decent opening, but becomes dull and generic in dry down)
CK One -- 5 (this is as generic and dull as it gets)
212 Men -- 6 (a decent light fresh green scent, but nothing more)
Chrome -- 5 (some people will really enjoy this, otherwise, cheap plastic cloying synthetic)
Play -- 5.5
* A Men -- 8 (i personally don't like this one, but i appreciate it as a work of art)
Bulgari Blv -- 6
Givenci Pi -- 6
Burbery Touch -- 7 (recommended if you like sweet scents)
Burbery Brit -- 6
On this list, I've given good ratings even to scents that I do not like, as I appreciate them as a work of art. Conversely, there are some scents that I really like that I just had to deduct points from for their flaws.
This post was made for people who are new to fragrances (and for people like me who are just curious), get some breadth on how the community feels about the many colognes that surround us in big box stores.
Let's see where there's common patterns.
So far, by the polls of all the users, Fahrenheit is consisently rated the highest, and A*Men is also consistently rated high.
Rating, I would assume, would factor in overall smell, creativity/originality, value for what you pay, versatility, projection, and longevity.
Skip ones that you have not tried.
Here is my opinion on what I see a good rating system as (you do not have to agree with me though).
10 - Of hundreds of fragrances, the amount of tens should be counted on less than 5 or 10 fingers.
9 to 9.5 - These are not just great colognes, they are exceptional colognes that are masterpieces to be remembered for many years to come. This rating should be very rare to give.
8 to 8.5 - GREAT fragrance overall. Instant classics, essential for nearly any serious collector's collection.
7 to 7.5 - Very good scents, but they have some flaws holding them back from being great.
6 to 6.5 - Good scent, but not for everybody. Either it is a risky blind buy or its so bland or generic, even if it is decent smelling. This is probably, for me, the majority of mass market fragrances.
5 to 5.5 - Not a very good cologne. Not recommended for blind buying at all. Some may enjoy it, but there are probably similar colognes in your collection that are a lot better.
<5 - BAD
The main problem I am trying to address is that if a 9 is given too easily for a cologne that is just "very good", then it doesn't do justice to the amazing ones that actually deserve a really good rating.
Here is the list for you to copy and paste:
Acqua Di Gio
Cool Water
Le Male
Bulgari Aqua
Eternity
Obsession
KC Black
Aramis
Drakkar Noir
Varvatos
Versace Eau Fraiche
Versace Dreamer
Nautica Voyage
Lacoste Essential
Armani Code
Armani Sport Code
Light Blue
Unforgivable
Fahrenheit
Armani Diamonds
One Million
Abercrombie Fierce
Givenchi Pi
Polo Blue
Polo Black
Eternity Aqua
Hugo Boss
Gucci Guilty
Curve
Bora Bora
Usher
CK One
212 Men
Chrome
Play
A Men
Bulgari Blv
The One
Burbery Touch
Burbery Brit
My Ratings of the Mass Markets
* Acqua Di Gio -- 9 (a true classic, only hated for its own success)
* Cool Water -- 8 (a great adaptation of GIT at an affordable price)
* Le Male -- 9
Bulgari Aqua -- 6
Eternity -- 6
Obsession -- 6
KC Black -- 7
Aramis -- 7
Drakkar Noir -- 6 (smells cheap, but nevertheless, an 80's classic)
Varvatos -- 5
Versace Eau Fraiche -- 6
* Versace Dreamer 8 (this is bold and daring. for the patient, not the timid.)
Nautica Voyage -- 5
Lacoste Essential -- 4
Armani Code -- 7
Armani Sport Code -- 6
Light Blue -- 6 (very good fresh scent, however it's very pricy for what you get)
Unforgivable -- 6 (if you want a millesime imperial clone, Love and Luck does it better)
* Fahrenheit -- 10 (a scent like no other. easily the best, imo)
Armani Diamonds -- 5 (i really liked the opening a lot, but the dry down is not impressive)
* One Million -- 8 (le male's darker cousin, a real gem of its decade)
Abercrombie Fierce n/a
The One -- 6
Polo Blue -- 7 (a very good melon aquatic with that classic polo spicy undercurrent)
Polo Black -- 5 (try the original polo instead)
Eternity Aqua -- 4 (at first seems like decent aquatic, then dries into a cheap woodsy frag.)
Hugo Boss -- 6
Gucci Guilty -- 6 (good floral scent, and nothing more)
Curve -- 5 (grossly overrated, smells like cheap liquid soap)
Bora Bora -- 6
Usher -- 5 (decent opening, but becomes dull and generic in dry down)
CK One -- 5 (this is as generic and dull as it gets)
212 Men -- 6 (a decent light fresh green scent, but nothing more)
Chrome -- 5 (some people will really enjoy this, otherwise, cheap plastic cloying synthetic)
Play -- 5.5
* A Men -- 8 (i personally don't like this one, but i appreciate it as a work of art)
Bulgari Blv -- 6
Givenci Pi -- 6
Burbery Touch -- 7 (recommended if you like sweet scents)
Burbery Brit -- 6
On this list, I've given good ratings even to scents that I do not like, as I appreciate them as a work of art. Conversely, there are some scents that I really like that I just had to deduct points from for their flaws.
This post was made for people who are new to fragrances (and for people like me who are just curious), get some breadth on how the community feels about the many colognes that surround us in big box stores.
Let's see where there's common patterns.
So far, by the polls of all the users, Fahrenheit is consisently rated the highest, and A*Men is also consistently rated high.
