Compass

Plea-scent-ly surprised. Bought this Tommy Bahama Compass in a four 15-ml.-each gift set on post-holiday sale. Have had Set Sail St. Barts for years and found the Martinique and especially the For Men (or For Him) of the same DNA but even more synthetic and cloying. The Compass, on the other hand, I find a higher quality and better blended as well as more versatile generic men's fragrance. Definitely has some freshness but is not aquatic to me. It's more traditional-leaning too. As a "cheapie" it may be in the league of St. Barts.

Tommy Bahama Compass is a spicier Tommy Bahama for Men with some similarities to an Invictus style fragrance but with some more spices. Similar to Invictus, Compass has the strong notes of grapefruit and ambergris, both are heavy notes in Invictus. There are some similarities to Tommy Bahama for Men in Compass due to the spice, but Compass is far spicier. As mentioned before, Compass is spicy. The pimento gives a very strong hot pepper note. This is added into a very strong grapefruit and ambergris note. Tonka bean is the next strongest note adding to some sweetness in the base. The rest of the noticable notes in Compass are the lemon and violet notes in the open, the lavendar note in the mid (largely due to the combat with the pimento note), and the cedar in the base. I do not really notice sage and labdanum. The performance is more Tommy Bahama for Men than Invictus sadly, due to being an eau de cologne. I get about five hours, up to two of which is at moderate projection. I will say that this is one of the better of the performances from an eau de cologne I've come across and can last longer than Coach for Men, but it is a knock on this fragrance. Compass can work in mostly casual spring, summer and fall day settings. It can also work in work settings but be careful because maybe the spice from the pepper might be off putting. That said with the fairly similar to Invictus DNA, it should be liked, if people smell it. Tommy Bahama Compass is a nice hidden gem. If you can find it in discounters, I will say pick it up except if you don't like Invictus. That said, it isn't as gummy as many say Invictus is, perhaps because it is an eau de cologne, or perhaps due to the spice. I rate Compass a 7.3 out of ten. Out of the four Tommy Bahamas I got in a four pack of 15 ml mini spray bottles, this and St. Barts are the two I would get 100 ml bottles of when I am done due to the uniqueness.

Compass by Tommy Bahama (TBC) is a FRESH SOAPY CLEAN LIGHTLY-SPICY SWEET 'casual scent' Quick alcohol blast right off the bat, Fresh-Spicy-Clean-Lightly Fruity-Moderately Sweet [similar to MB Individuel, that fresh clean laundry fabric sheets smell with a syrupy/candied fruity (raspberry like) sweetness], the sweetness in TBC is pronounced but not cloying (but could be, so watch the sprays) which makes it a 'casual scent', with a tad bit of spice from the pimento, once the dry-down is reached the sweetness dials down to just a hint of sweetness in the background as the mild fresh clean spiciness remains added with some powderiness, the pimento and sage blend well with the ambergris and cedar to create a very nice herbaceous-woody accord as the tonka bean adds a bit of creaminess, very well composed and blended fragrance. Tommy Bahama is a very underrated house, but not by me, I really enjoy TB fragrances. Sure Compass is not the most unique and exciting release (i mean what release from the house is) but it's still well composed and has moderate depth to it; it's just a very fresh clean modern masculine scent that's not in your face; great casual or office frag for spring, summer, or fall, any age (sweet enough for youth but not too sweet for someone older). Projection/Sillage: DECENT, very aromatic w/ good 'scent bubble' for about 1-2 hours, and radiates within 5 feet Performance/Longevity: DECENT, will last on avg about 5-6 hours

I bought the gift pack at Sears for less than $30 with Set Sail Martinique, Set Sail St Barts, Tommy Bahama For Men and Compass. Each mini bottle is 1⁄2 ounce which was way more than I needed to sample them side by side many times. The opening is a fresh blast of lemony citrus. Very nice. It dries down to a pleasant woody scent. Longevity and projection were both moderate. Overall very pleasant fragrance. Although Compass and Nautica Voyage are both fresh sea scents, there is no comparison between the two. For me Nautica Voyage is the king in this category. I like Compass, but did not love it. I would not recommend buying this as there are better choices out there. Of the four pack I tested, this was second best. 1-Set Sail St Barts; 2-Compas, 3-Set Sail Martinique and 4-For Men.

Spices, woods and light citrus notes. The opening is citrus, not the astringent type, it's more like a lightly sweet orange juice. Then the sage, lavender mingle. The pimento is perceptible but not obvious. Then finally the woods and ambergris finish the whole composition. Overall, it's not a remarkable fragrance, it's nice, clean and masculine. You can't go wrong if you wear this perfume, but you won't be the most original either.