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.

Beautiful stuff. I like Victorinox knifes and saw that with a price like $11, so gave it a try. Really loved it right from the beginning! To me it's the best ginger scent from what I've tried. Spicy, woody, fougere & not too sweet. Smells natural as well. The projection is quite strong on my skin actually, but longevity could be a bit better. Anyway, I feel I'll wear it quite a lot during Spring.

This is Insanely good for the money. The vibe I get is smokey/incensey dominant with leather in the backround and pepper/ginger spice up top with the perfect level of sweetness. It's really a phenominal dark fragrance in my opinion and a must own for the ones who crave this style. Edited: yes, it's good especially for under $20 but I can't call it a 10/10 so I retracted that from the comment.

Some comments mention a sweetness that is totally absent from my blend of Black Steel. No sweetness here: just a dry piney/leathery/powdery outdoorsy scent. It smells natural and respectable, a true gentleman's scent. The longevity isn't amazing, but it's better than average for Victorinox fragrances, and it's also my favorite scent from them overall.

Sebastian has pull, this scent was not on this site yesterday. I ordered it too, hopefully it's as good as the others he's recommended. *update* Ginger, pepper, and soft leather. I love how this thing has tons of ginger. Beautiful scent once it's been given time to breathe, it really is great quality juice. Does smell more expensive than $20.

Thanks to Sebastian (the perfume guy) for this recommendation. Love the scent.

@AGToth you hit the nail on the head. It reminds me a lot like Egoïste.

Very masculine and pleasant pine smell. An absolute steal.

Masculine, signature scent worthy. Woody Fougere vibes.

If you are buying this as a replacement/alternative to D&G The One, as far as I am concerned, you need to keep looking. Personally, I see little that connects this to The One. For me, The One is a dark, sweet, mildly-performing, citrusy tobacco fragrance. Black Steel is a bit dark and has middling performance, but it lacks anything else that might commend it as a The One alternative. So what is Black Steel? It starts off with slightly smokey pencil shavings. As the pencil shavings back away, the light spices and the smooth leather start to reveal themselves. Buy the time you get to the dry down, the slight sweetness from the almond appears, and you have something that I, at least, was not expecting... A darker, more woody version of La Nuit De L'homme. So, if you are looking for a LNDL alternative that is a) more intimate in projection, b) darker, c) more woody, d) generally a bit more masculine and e) WAY cheaper, go spend your $15 or so on Black Steel. Otherwise, to be honest, it's kind of a pass for me. It's not bad, it's just not something I see myself reaching for all that often. It certainly does not "wow" me as it does a few fragrance influencers. I have other fragrances in the woody+spicy category that I prefer. Also, Black Steel becomes a skin scent pretty quickly. That said, it is detectable through a work day, so, longevity is actually decent if you over-spray a bit My theory of use would be this. In the autumn, if you wear Quorum Silver to work, you'd probably come home and put on Black Steel for the evening. They are in the same price range. They have the same basic, woody, pencil shavings "spine." They both have some spice. Quorum is stronger and "brighter." Black Steel is darker and more intimate in terms of performance-- more in the "on the couch with the lady" range in terms of sillage compared with QS.

VICTORINOX as a fragrance house is probably THE MOST slept on hidden gem fragrance house currently. These fragrances have no business being $10 - $20. I will be prefacing all these with same introduction because all 5 of the fragrances I bought from Victorinox are GREAT. Every single one of them. So this is another example of a fragrance smelling quite different on Skin than on the Tester Strip. On paper, the Ginger pops quite heavily in the opening. There’s quite a bit of fresh spicy nuance, that leads into a very confident Leather and Woody masculine scent. The One DNA is definitely present, but while the opening and heart is similar, Black Steel goes a different direction. This fragrance quickly leaves that fresh spicy Ginger in the opening and takes a back seat to a very pronounced Woody note, on skin especially there is a STRONG hint of Pencil Shaving type wood. Very naturalistic and raw. Not quite sure what “Larch” smells like but based on the description, I do believe it lends itself to that woody aroma. This, like most of the Victorianox fragrance have a very “clean cut” feel. They all share the same “put together” kinda vibe. This is a business man who has his shit together, going out in the city at night to blow off some steam. It’s sexy, but esteemed. Really great for dates and night outs. Performance is average little above average, the sillage diminishes after 1.5 hours or so and sticks pretty close to the skin, but I still catch whiffs around the 8 hour mark. If you want something in the vein of The One with better performance and a little more of a Woody Masculine vibe, this is perfect for you. Very reliable, definitely signature scent worthy. 7.5/10

* Novel aromatic fougere/leather hybrid fragrance * Strong blend of slightly sweet, spicy, herbal and sweet leather aromas * Notes of sweet leather, herbs, pine needles, vanilla, florals and candied ginger * A leather fragrance for those who despise leather fragrances * Great for male users of all ages * Equally good for professional and social occasions * Drugstore price * Name is misleading * Not good for female users * Average performer * Leather fragrance lovers may be put off by the softness and the sweetness of the leather here * Classic dry "barbershop" fougere lovers may be put off by this Victorinox's Black Steel is touted online as a Dolce & Gabbana The One replacement. Why, I'll never know. They are complete separate beasts. The One is more of a Christmas Pudding with sweet spices whereas Black Steel is a leather and aromatic fougere hybrid. It's a strong blend of slightly sweet, spicy, herbal and sweet leather aromas from which you'll get specific notes of sweet leather, herbs, pine needles, vanilla, and candied ginger. This makes for a great fragrance combination, though the key here is the soft and sweet leather note. Traditional leather users may want a much stronger leather fragrance. Fougere lovers may want something drier. It's good for men of all ages and will surprisingly work for all occasions, be they social or formal. Women are not advised to use this, nor are male users who love strong leather notes or classic dry "barbershop" style fougeres. This is a very pleasant scent for a steal of a price. Performance is average so expect to have to overspray and respray. It's very unique even for a drugstore level fragrance. Recommended.

When I first stumbled on this fragrance in some forum discussions, I looked it up and was intrigued based on the reviews and the price point. Few days ago I spotted it in a nearby store for 20CAD, and picked it up immediately. At that price point it was a safe blind buy. I wasn't disappointed. The opening, albeit a bit synthetic, is fresh and you get that ginger immediately. My favourite part is the middle though, it very sophisticated and tasty in the middle. The dry down is slightly sweet but still very classy, a bit dated in feel but good nonetheless. To my nose, the dry down is extremely similar to Davidoff Adventure. This lasts a while but is very intimate and close to the skin frag, which I like, frankly. If this frag projected like crazy it would be a no go for me. It works perfectly when you don't want that typical blue/freshie after shower spray. Some days you want to throw on something else. This fits that bill. Its mild and inoffensive so on cold winter nights could easily be worn after shower before getting in bed. It's cozy and mildly seductive. Were this an expensive bottle, it wont be raved about as much, but at this price point it is a great value proposition and a good addition to any man's collection.

Blind bought this after watching Sebastian's review on Youtube. Nice looking bottle and pretty good sprayer. Very inexpensive (I found it for less than $25 cad). It's nice but light right from the get-go with little projection. You'll need many sprays because it is quite weak. Maybe I got a bad batch. Unfortunately, I can barely smell anything after 10 or 15 minutes no matter how much I spray. It's a shame because it actually smells good. It does transform into a delicious, fresh skin scent... as though you've just washed your hands with some very good-smelling soap. It's a good office scent. Not sure if I'd buy this again (even at the low price) given its poor performance... will have to test it many more times in the next coming weeks. I get the comparison by some reviewers to D&G The One... but this is more like D&G The One watered down.

Got this at around 15 - 20 Euro and I must say: at that price, it's an absolutely steal. Starts off with a blast of alcohol, followed by mild pepper, subtle ginger, a whiff of almond and a little hint of pine and florals. I personally have not been able to pick up on the leather note. While the notes may imply a fairly dense scent, Black Steel is pretty light and airy. It's almost like a distant cousin of Guerlain's l'Homme Ideal line (though younger and with a less luxurious upbringing), but it still has its own character. Works in most seasons and occasions and lasts for a good few (3-4) hours. A great dumb reach at a low price. Definitely a keeper.

It's a Nice Scent , Warm, Spicy and Elegant. If you like The One , You will like Black Steel. I bought it blind-buy after reading the positive comments and I watched reviews on YouTube. It opens up with a bit sweet fresh spicy , woody and leathery notes in the background then dry down is semi sweet warm spicy and woody. This is perfect for the spring, fall and winter. Longevity is Average. I really enjoy it when the weather is cool. Highly Recommend. Special Thanks to Sebastian On YouTube. Thumbs Up Rating : 8 / 10