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Am I missing something about Polo's frags?

post #1 of 46
7/10/12 at 7:10pm
Thread Starter 
I've tried out Sport, Explorer, Black, Green, #4, etc. and they are all dreadfully synthetic. In fact, it seems this sentiment is echoed in large part by many Basenoters.

Are there any other Polo frags I should try out? It really is a shame, considering RL's reputation for fashion excellence...
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post #2 of 46
7/10/12 at 7:15pm
Personally also find them quite unimpressive.
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post #3 of 46
7/10/12 at 7:16pm
Green is still quite excellent (not the Modern Reserve...not a huge fan). I also quite like Safari for Men. may have to pick up a bottle now that I 'm reminded of it.
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post #4 of 46
7/10/12 at 7:24pm
Tens of millions of loyal buyers would disagree with you.
Regards,
Renato
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post #5 of 46
7/10/12 at 7:27pm
Depends on what your fragrance taste is, but I personally couldn't bring myself to like any of them. Explorer and Double Black were actually my favorites.
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post #6 of 46
7/10/12 at 7:35pm
Not the best quality.
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post #7 of 46
7/10/12 at 7:52pm
?? If anything Ralph Lauren and Polo is know for being completely mainstream in everything they do. 99.9% of everyone thinks their frags smell good, which they do, but they are far from anything special.
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post #8 of 46
7/10/12 at 8:04pm
I like Explorer and Double B and I used to love the original green bottle Polo..haven't sniffed this in a while.
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post #9 of 46
7/10/12 at 8:23pm
Love Green, like Modern Reserve, and don't have strong feelings about the rest. Seems like a lot of stuff I have sniffed from recently has been fine, just somewhat redundant considering what I already have on hand.
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post #10 of 46
7/10/12 at 8:34pm
I loved Polo Crest and liked Purple Label (which I know isn't technically a Polo, but still...), except for the fact the latter lasted maybe 2 hours at best on my skin. Crest is the only one I ever bought more than 1 bottle of and perhaps it is the nostalgia of wearing this as my first expensive designer cologne (many years ago) makes me like it more, but I still love wearing it, though I think my bottle has lost some potency, which makes sense considering how long ago it was made. 24 positive reviews, 3 neutrals and zero negatives is also a pretty good track record for a place with as many brutally honest reviewers as this one.
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post #11 of 46
7/10/12 at 8:50pm
I actually like Double Black, but the longevity is horrid. Worth sampling though, if you haven't tried it.
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post #12 of 46
7/10/12 at 9:20pm
Love modern reserve. Try purple label
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post #13 of 46
7/10/12 at 9:21pm
Crest is my favorite from RL. Modern Reserve shares some similar notes with Crest, but it's just not the same as Crest. I like green as well, but I don't know if it is due to the fact that it was my first cologne when I was 13 and I can't shake the nostalgia or if it's truly great.

Don't like any of the others at all.
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post #14 of 46
7/10/12 at 9:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaliDude View Post

I actually like Double Black, but the longevity is horrid.

I agree, and Polo Blue is a ho-hum composition with poor longevity - lasting 4-5 hours, and poor projection - 2 hours at most.
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post #15 of 46
7/10/12 at 10:22pm
Double Black is my favorite from RL.
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post #16 of 46
7/10/12 at 11:26pm
I have and like Polo Modern Reserve. Polo Crest has kind of an unpleasant opening to me. The original Polo is a gauntlet for me ( at least the last time I sampled it).

The rest are pretty forgettable.
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post #17 of 46
7/10/12 at 11:31pm
I would agree that the vast majority of them are disappointing (with some extremely disappointing)... That said, the original Polo (Green) is one of the best Men's marketed fragrances ever released, IMO.
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post #18 of 46
7/10/12 at 11:40pm
I'm with mcurtiss - Safari if you get the chance. I find it is much better than the rest of the more commonly available RL frags, if you're going to move out of the Polo range. It's definitely a late 80s/early 90s style fragrance, in that it's strong and manly, but not chest-beatingly so. It's more refined than the olfactory headbutts that are synonymous with the early-mid 1980s.

Romance for Men was my first ever fragrance (I was about 14) but it doesn't hold the appeal it did to me half my life ago.

Oh, and if you find the Safari Shaving Soap at a reasonable price (say, $14 a puck with decent international shipping rates), let me know....
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post #19 of 46
7/11/12 at 2:11am
Original Polo is good, the rest are imo not worth your time.
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post #20 of 46
7/11/12 at 2:45am
The original Polo (green) is widely considered the best - if you don't like that, maybe you ought to stop there! Polo Crest and Polo Modern Reserve are also very good/excellent in my opinion, but are pretty close to the original. Blue and Black for me are as mainstream and bland as the line gets. Explorer and Double Black are better, as is Polo Sport, but the original and it's closest offshoots are by far the best of this line.

That's an honest assessment from an RL fan!
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post #21 of 46
7/11/12 at 3:04am
I personally enjoy polo black: an intense and dark fruity aroma, slighty boozy.
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post #22 of 46
7/11/12 at 4:16am
I didn't like Black, Explorer was alright, and Sport was decently interesting. The one Ralph Lauren offering I really and truly enjoy is Monogram, which was a great scent made in 1985. Unfortunately it was recalled and discontinued in early 1987 (if my memory on the subject serves) because the dye that made the bottle blue would cause sickness from contact with certain people. Ran for less than two years and it's disturbingly expensive because of rarity, I suppose. Luckily I still have two bottles of the stuff.

Have to smell the original Polo Green some time.
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post #23 of 46
7/11/12 at 4:22am
Chaps is also an excellent one.
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post #24 of 46
7/11/12 at 4:36am
Oh, forgot about Chaps, that stuff's great as well! I finally emptied my only old bottle some time last year, which makes me sad. I loved that fragrance too.
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post #25 of 46
7/11/12 at 4:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by plainsight View Post

I've tried out Sport, Explorer, Black, Green, #4, etc. and they are all dreadfully synthetic. In fact, it seems this sentiment is echoed in large part by many Basenoters.

Are there any other Polo frags I should try out? It really is a shame, considering RL's reputation for fashion excellence...

Most of them I didn't like a lot, but Polo (green) the original is probably the best one. Most of the flankers are based on whether you like the original or not.

You should try Polo Blue. It is a decent melon aquatic with a spicy drydown.
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post #26 of 46
7/11/12 at 4:59am
Gentlemen, is the Polo from 1978 still intact today or has it been changed to the worse?
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post #27 of 46
7/11/12 at 7:29am
I agree with the majority on here that the Original Polo Green is a work of art and the fact that it remains relevant today speaks volumes. Someone mentioned it being among the best men's marketed frags ever released, and I have to agree.

I do also enjoy Modern Reserve - a modern twist to the original but a really good fragrance in its own right. I wore Sport in HS -and I think I wore it so often and sprayed so much that I can not even tolerate the slightest hint of it (goes for many of the other hideous colognes I wore in HS, ie Curve, Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, etc)
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post #28 of 46
7/11/12 at 4:07pm
I have back-up bottles of the entire Big Pony line.

Joking!
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post #29 of 46
7/11/12 at 4:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Candide View Post

Gentlemen, is the Polo from 1978 still intact today or has it been changed to the worse?

It's slightly different, but overall it hasn't suffered terribly. The synthetic oakmoss in the current formula is probably the biggest difference, but for having to reformulate, they did a fine damn job on Polo. The current version isn't identical, but it's VERY close and still smells great.
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post #30 of 46
7/11/12 at 4:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tehtimmeh View Post

It's slightly different, but overall it hasn't suffered terribly. The synthetic oakmoss in the current formula is probably the biggest difference, but for having to reformulate, they did a fine damn job on Polo. The current version isn't identical, but it's VERY close and still smells great.

Thanks. So it's still worthy to try out a classic I so far only know from paper. I remember its huge presence; it is a statement of epic proportions.
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post #31 of 46
7/11/12 at 5:48pm
They are just mainstream - but with that said, so am I

I hate the Pony collection. but I like and own:

Polo Blue, Polo Black, Polo Double Black and LOVE LOVE Original Polo Sport (Best sport frag ever made) - but longevity on all these suck, I get 4-6 hours from them all.

Polo Green is a classic - but today to most under 30 smells like grandpa, but I ilke it.
Polo Modern Reserve is a new take on Polo Green, some bN'ers call i Polo Green without balls, and I tend to agree, but it's very well made and I love Modern Reserve ven though it has no balls compared to it big brother.
I also enjoy Polo Safari, and own the 125 ml bottle and wear it often during the fall and spring.
Polo Explorer I also own in the 125 ml version and it's an OK scent - not a classic, but still a decent fragrance.

But Ralph Lauren Polo frags will always be considered mainstream - just like Hugo Boss frags, safe and good sellers. They earn Ralph Lauren a LOT more money than Serge Lutens + Tom Ford + Xeroff + Frapin + Killian all together do.
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post #32 of 46
7/11/12 at 6:01pm
polo blue not good
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post #33 of 46
7/11/12 at 6:15pm
In my opinion it's the same as Le male. Synthetic and people love it. I'm to included in the bunch
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post #34 of 46
7/11/12 at 6:32pm
Back in the 80's, I wore Polo Green and it was good juice. Every one liked it on me. I am certain the juice itself was better quality back then. Today, Polo fragrances are trash. Synthetic goo. Polo spends a fortune advertising at the expense of the quality of its fragrances. Honestly, no one should purchase Polo frags. Force them to improve.
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post #35 of 46
7/11/12 at 8:41pm
The reformulated Green and I'm not talking Modern Reserve, sucks. Like old Halston Z-14 vs. newer. Old original Polo rules, look for something at least pre mid 1990s. There is plenty around it wasn't an uncommon fragrance. If your sensitive to the oakmoss smell it smells so totally different you won't want to wear the new version. To me the new stuff is like ground up pine needles. Doesn't have the depth it once did.

Modern Reserve doesn't bother me, I don't think its anything good or bad.

Explorer I can do without, same for Black.

I liked Crest.

Polo Sport is one of those I'm in the mood or not type ones. More of a Summer fragrance. I either want something hot and heavy with the heat or something lighter. I'd wear this if I wanted something lighter.

Safari is one of my favorites. I think the earliest versions had more depth, but at least it retains enough of the character its not worth the bother of seeking out the old samples.
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post #36 of 46
7/12/12 at 1:36am
I own Polo, Polo Sport, Polo Sport Extreme, Explorer, Modern Reserve, Safari, Romance and the original Chaps.

Polo Black, Double Black and Purple Label I passed on because they had not much lasting power on me. Polo Sport Extreme's pepper blast doesn't last as long as I wish it would.

Polo Blue I just didn't like.

The Polo from 12 years ago I didn't like at all. The current Polo I think is really great.

Safari aftershave splash I was disappointed with, having very little longevity.
Regards,
Renato
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post #37 of 46
7/12/12 at 3:01am
Polo Blue is quite nice, gets the most compliments and ladies like it, but it's linear and not that interesting. I like it over Polo Explorer. Others I haven't tried yet.

Edit: I agree with this one. The melon (and cucumber) is really pronounced.

Quote:
Originally Posted by noirdrakkar View Post

You should try Polo Blue. It is a decent melon aquatic with a spicy drydown.

Also, I would pass on the Big Pony collection.
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post #38 of 46
7/12/12 at 7:21am
I still own a bottle of Big Pony #2 and I used to think it was great until I got into frags more and have tested a lot of great stuff out there...now, I pretty much can't stand #2 and I'd like to get rid of it (if anyone is interested). I don't think that there is even a big of natural anything in that bottle. It gives me a headache. I think that polo frags are so popular because a lot of people buying fragrances see a name, give it a sniff, buy the bottle, and just spray it on and don't think much about it because it smells
"good" to them. I'm glad that I'm not so ignorant anymore and that I realize that there is a lot better stuff out there.
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post #39 of 46
7/12/12 at 7:29am
Most people will spray a Polo fragrance and think it smells good, I agree with that. I used to do that before I knew better, I actually only had a collection of Polo fragrances starting out, but those were the first to go once I started experiencing better scents.

I think their popularity stems from their ease of access. You can find them anywhere, and they are recognizable, since they have a large and well-known clothing line.
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post #40 of 46
7/12/12 at 7:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by starshipvelcro View Post

Most people will spray a Polo fragrance and think it smells good, I agree with that. I used to do that before I knew better, I actually only had a collection of Polo fragrances starting out, but those were the first to go once I started experiencing better scents.

I think their popularity stems from their ease of access. You can find them anywhere, and they are recognizable, since they have a large and well-known clothing line.

agreed.
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post #41 of 46
7/12/12 at 7:54am
I've recently become a big fan of Polo (green). I'd always avoided even trying it because it was so heavily promoted and the RL brand image did not appeal to me, but it's become one of my current favorites.
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post #42 of 46
7/12/12 at 8:04am
The only one I own right now is Explorer. It's actually a very nice synthetic smelling amber.
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post #43 of 46
7/12/12 at 8:49am
None of the Polo scents is particularly special, but I don't find any of them (except Blue) terrible -- favorite is probably Double Black, but still not bottle worthy. Their popularity is due to the name, and to the fantastic marketing of their parent company. I don't know how much Polo spends advertising their scents, but it must be among the industry leaders, if not the top spender -- I haven't read a men's or fashion magazine in years that didn't have a Polo cologne advertisement.

They're reasonably pleasant, they're sold everywhere, and they're heavily marketed. Simple recipe for success.
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post #44 of 46
7/13/12 at 5:40am
It's all down to personal taste.

I've tried quite a few RL frags and none have clicked yet. I do very much like Safari. I suspect I'd like vintage releases better than the current formulations.
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post #45 of 46
7/19/12 at 7:54pm
I like too much Double Black.
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post #46 of 46
7/19/12 at 8:06pm
Not into them. I've tried many times. They just don't work for me.
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