I searched the forum history. I know this discussion has happened a few times before on this forums. However, there is some new blood on this forum so I want to give them their chance to comment on this long-debated topic.
For those who don't know, here are the basics.
1. Creed released Green Irish Tweed in 1985. Highly popular in the fragrance community, though it is expensive ($200-300 per bottle).
2. Davidoff releases Cool Water in 1995. It sold well, and at only $20-30. Many people see it as an attempted clone of Green Irish Tweed.
3. Some say that GIT is overpriced and not worth it when Cool Water is nearly the same. Others say that GIT is well worth it and Cool Water is a cheap synthetic imitation that doesn't even compare.
(Personal background: Cool Water was my first fragrance I ever owned. 5 years later, I began collecting fragrances. I tried hundreds of designers, though Cool Water still remains one of my favorites.)
I sprayed Green Irish Tweed on my left hand and Cool Water on my right hand. Here are the results
First Spray
If we are going by the first impression. The first spray. The first ten seconds. The fragrances are much different. Cool Water is dominated by a heavy lavendar opening. Green Irish Tweed starts out with a very strong lemon scent. In all fairness, it was probably the most high quality lemon note that I know of. Eventually Cool Water organizes itself and settles down, in about 15-30 minutes. The lemon scent in GIT is more subtle and it really helps the scent overall. At first impression, they don't smell much alike. In a half hour, they start smelling more similar.
Are they similar?
As they dry down, they are both very similar (like 80% similar), even though at opening they are almost nothing alike. Green Irish Tweed, up-close, is certainly of much higher quality than Cool Water. The ingredients are clean, crisp and much more easily detectable. Cool Water definitely seems to be the cheaper and more synthetic one in comparison. Green Irish Tweed easily wins, but both are very good fragrances. To me, I would give Cool Water an 8 or 9 and Green Irish Tweed a ten. Keep in mind that a ten is a rating that I very rarely give.
Is Green Irish Tweed worth the price?
It depends. How serious of a fragrance collector are you? How much disposable income do you have? If you have no problem with investing a lot of money into a cologne collection because it is something you are really passionate about, I would easily recommend it. If you aren't too serious about cologne collecting and just want to smell good, then go with Cool Water. GIT is ten times the price. It is much better, but not ten times better. Cool Water gets the job done. Green Irish Tweed doesn't just get the job done. It gets it done masterfully.
After experiencing GIT, is Cool Water still a respectable fragrance?
Much respect to the promethean Davidoff for taking a $300 fragrance and taking the essential of it and making it accessible to everyone. After experiencing GIT, I can easily go back to wearing Cool Water. The difference is big, but not that big. Cool Water may not be as good as GIT, but still in itself is a versatile compliment getter.
Bottom Line
Cool Water, as it passes through the air smells very good though up-close it may seem synthetic and cheap. The ingredients are harder to identify, but it creates an overall aroma and mood that most designers can't. Cool Water is not something to be examined closely, but rather taken in as a whole. Green Irish Tweed is the opposite. From a distance, GIT could easily be mistaken as Cool Water by the untrained nose, however, when you examine closely, GIT is unmistakably high quality and a real pleasure to smell. Cool Water gets the job done, but GIT will have you smelling your wrists all day.
Any comments, questions or opinions?
For those who don't know, here are the basics.
1. Creed released Green Irish Tweed in 1985. Highly popular in the fragrance community, though it is expensive ($200-300 per bottle).
2. Davidoff releases Cool Water in 1995. It sold well, and at only $20-30. Many people see it as an attempted clone of Green Irish Tweed.
3. Some say that GIT is overpriced and not worth it when Cool Water is nearly the same. Others say that GIT is well worth it and Cool Water is a cheap synthetic imitation that doesn't even compare.
(Personal background: Cool Water was my first fragrance I ever owned. 5 years later, I began collecting fragrances. I tried hundreds of designers, though Cool Water still remains one of my favorites.)
I sprayed Green Irish Tweed on my left hand and Cool Water on my right hand. Here are the results
First Spray
If we are going by the first impression. The first spray. The first ten seconds. The fragrances are much different. Cool Water is dominated by a heavy lavendar opening. Green Irish Tweed starts out with a very strong lemon scent. In all fairness, it was probably the most high quality lemon note that I know of. Eventually Cool Water organizes itself and settles down, in about 15-30 minutes. The lemon scent in GIT is more subtle and it really helps the scent overall. At first impression, they don't smell much alike. In a half hour, they start smelling more similar.
Are they similar?
As they dry down, they are both very similar (like 80% similar), even though at opening they are almost nothing alike. Green Irish Tweed, up-close, is certainly of much higher quality than Cool Water. The ingredients are clean, crisp and much more easily detectable. Cool Water definitely seems to be the cheaper and more synthetic one in comparison. Green Irish Tweed easily wins, but both are very good fragrances. To me, I would give Cool Water an 8 or 9 and Green Irish Tweed a ten. Keep in mind that a ten is a rating that I very rarely give.
Is Green Irish Tweed worth the price?
It depends. How serious of a fragrance collector are you? How much disposable income do you have? If you have no problem with investing a lot of money into a cologne collection because it is something you are really passionate about, I would easily recommend it. If you aren't too serious about cologne collecting and just want to smell good, then go with Cool Water. GIT is ten times the price. It is much better, but not ten times better. Cool Water gets the job done. Green Irish Tweed doesn't just get the job done. It gets it done masterfully.
After experiencing GIT, is Cool Water still a respectable fragrance?
Much respect to the promethean Davidoff for taking a $300 fragrance and taking the essential of it and making it accessible to everyone. After experiencing GIT, I can easily go back to wearing Cool Water. The difference is big, but not that big. Cool Water may not be as good as GIT, but still in itself is a versatile compliment getter.
Bottom Line
Cool Water, as it passes through the air smells very good though up-close it may seem synthetic and cheap. The ingredients are harder to identify, but it creates an overall aroma and mood that most designers can't. Cool Water is not something to be examined closely, but rather taken in as a whole. Green Irish Tweed is the opposite. From a distance, GIT could easily be mistaken as Cool Water by the untrained nose, however, when you examine closely, GIT is unmistakably high quality and a real pleasure to smell. Cool Water gets the job done, but GIT will have you smelling your wrists all day.
Any comments, questions or opinions?
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