Black Steel

Grown on me significantly over the last 24 hours. I read that one of my favorite fragrance reviewers (Sebastian Jara/ThePerfumeGuy) gave it a recommendation some time back, so quickly nabbed a bottle off Amazon for $15. Smells like The One EDT with extra black pepper and that unique larch accord + a bit of smoked pine instead of The One's tobacco-cedar base. It definitely has the same vibe without being a straight-up copy... In fact, I don't think it would be redundant to own both, especially since the performance on this is much better than the D&G (granted, that's a very low bar lol). Someone mentioned that this could be an outdoorsy flanker to the L'Homme Ideal line, and while I've only smelled Extreme, I can kind of see it. Maybe an outdoorsy flanker to The One would be more believable but it's not totally crazy to imagine. Obviously smells far more expensive than the price it can be had at in the US at least, and is absolutely worth getting in the $20 range. Strong recommend from me.

Got mine today and yes, it certainly deserves to receive some praise. it's a very nice fragrance - reminds me slightly of Caron Aimez Moi Comme Je Suis - but this is slightly fresher and less nutty. It's a very warm, woody leather that feels smooth and buttery with a medium level of sweetness. Overall, it's a pretty soft fragrance that could probably be oversprayed without being offensive. The ginger kind of smells like licorice - giving it a bit of an edge. Overall, i'd say i'm thoroughly impressed and surprised by this one. I've tried many of the "cheapies" that get hyped - and for the most part, have been let down, but this one definitely deserves it. 8/10

very nice spicy, sweet, warm scent. the opening in particular is amazing, well balanced spiciness and sweetness reminiscent of la nuit de l'homme. I just wish the ginger and black pepper in the opening lasted a bit more through the dry down, because it gets a little bit too sweet and heavy for me once the ginger and black pepper fade. quite good projection and moderate longevity. If you can get it on clearance at the discounters like I did ($20aud, $14usd) its incredible value.

I was stunned when I tried this blind buy. Right out of the box a really pleasant coniferous fougere, very fresh, masculine, well blended. I paid the equivalent of 13 bucks for this. Thirteen dollares. Insane. It gives some vibes of Bleu de Chanel along with that piney barbershop feeling. Nothing innovative at all, but truly punches way way way above its weight. Rating scent wise: 4,2/5 Rating bang for the buck: 100/10

Bought this for $20 after seeing Sebastian's recommendation on his channel. Man this is great stuff for the price. Spicy woody aromatic with a little ginger zing and booze thrown in. Presentation is solid as well. Not the great longevity or projection, just overspray and you'll be fine. I have a hard time believing this is gonna stay at $20 at discounters for long the more people find out about it.