Blue Floid -- overrated? which BLUE is best ...?

[Jens]

Thank you All, for some really excellent replies - much more quality input than I had dared hope for

 

[Tanuki]

This thread got me to apply a bit of Aqua Velva Ice Blue Classic at bed time. My only big blue.

I have a 50ml decant in glass and a bit left in the plastic bottle. Wow, what a difference. The decant seems mellower, the original bottle gives the big initial hit.

In any case, I'm in a cloud. AV is quite assertive. I've got Floïd the Genuine. I can't imagine that Floïd Blue would slam like AV does for the first half hour.

 

[Norman Gunston]

Hello, Chaps.

Guess what just arrived?
And...........................................
it did not disappoint!

 

[AU55IE]

Hello, Chaps.

Guess what just arrived?
And...........................................
it did not disappoint!

View attachment 1800755

Congratulations!
Very nice pickup.
I didn't know there were any more of these out there in the wild.

 

[NorthernSoul]

Hello, Chaps.

Guess what just arrived?
And...........................................
it did not disappoint!

View attachment 1800755

Very nice. Is there any comparison with other blues like Aqua Velva?

 

[Norman Gunston]

Very nice. Is there any comparison with other blues like Aqua Velva?

Battle of the Blues about to commence……..

 

[Jan Sobieski]

Battle of the Blues about to commence……..

View attachment 1801246

You still need Furbo . And maybe Figaro Bluice.

I'd add Wars Fresh, too.

 

[OkieStubble]

I enjoy the following 'Blues':

• Myrsol Blue
• Epsilon Blue Mediterranean
• Barrister & Mann Reserve Cool
• Booster Polar Ice

I have some Floid Blue inbound; not tried it previously. Very much looking forward to it.

You need a bottle of Aqua Velva Ice Sport to go with that line up.

When I get a hankering for some blue ocean water flavored splash, AV Ice Sport is what I reach for. Many of us old timers don’t reach for ocean water as much as we did in our younger days, but it still has its place.

 

[Norman Gunston]

You still need Furbo . And maybe Figaro Bluice.

I'd add Wars Fresh, too.

Wars Fresh sounds good - I have Wars Classic and enjoy it.

 

[KUfan]

Battle of the Blues about to commence……..

View attachment 1801246

Think you got the main suspects here, Norman. We will be interested in your full report.

 

[geneaut]

You need a bottle of Aqua Velva Ice Sport to go with that line up.

When I get a hankering for some blue ocean water flavored splash, AV Ice Sport is what I reach for. Many of us old timers don’t reach for ocean water as much as we did in our younger days, but it still has its place.

Ice Blue Sport is a sadly underappreciated aftershave around here. It's such a great value also.

 

[Norman Gunston]

Battle of the Blues

I have enjoyed the above aftershaves for some time, with the Floid Blue the most recent acquisition. My thoughts are as follows:

• They are all great, and I enjoy each and every one.
• They are all have nice face feel.
• They are all clearly of the same style - clean, powdery, fresh, European Barbershop.
• Aqua Velva and Booster are more one-dimensional, with Booster having a hint of sweetness.
• Both Epilson Blue Mediterranean and Barrister & Mann Reserve Cool are more faceted, with Epsilon a little sharp, and Barrister & Mann on the rich side.
• Myrsol Blue improves marginally on the above, with a more integrated scent, and takes the silver medal.
• Floid Blue for me is clearly the winner - it is subtle yet complex, and beautifully blended, with no sharp edges. It is the real deal.

 

[OkieStubble]

Battle of the Blues

View attachment 1802685

I have enjoyed the above aftershaves for some time, with the Floid Blue the most recent acquisition. My thoughts are as follows:

• They are all great, and I enjoy each and every one.
• They are all have nice face feel.
• They are all clearly of the same style - clean, powdery, fresh, European Barbershop.
• Aqua Velva and Booster are more one-dimensional, with Booster having a hint of sweetness.
• Both Epilson Blue Mediterranean and Barrister & Mann Reserve Cool are more faceted, with Epsilon a little sharp, and Barrister & Mann on the rich side.
• Myrsol Blue improves marginally on the above, with a more integrated scent, and takes the silver medal.
• Floid Blue for me is clearly the winner - it is subtle yet complex, and beautifully blended, with no sharp edges. It is the real deal.

Great review!

 

[Jan Sobieski]

Battle of the Blues

View attachment 1802685

I have enjoyed the above aftershaves for some time, with the Floid Blue the most recent acquisition. My thoughts are as follows:

• They are all great, and I enjoy each and every one.
• They are all have nice face feel.
• They are all clearly of the same style - clean, powdery, fresh, European Barbershop.
• Aqua Velva and Booster are more one-dimensional, with Booster having a hint of sweetness.
• Both Epilson Blue Mediterranean and Barrister & Mann Reserve Cool are more faceted, with Epsilon a little sharp, and Barrister & Mann on the rich side.
• Myrsol Blue improves marginally on the above, with a more integrated scent, and takes the silver medal.
• Floid Blue for me is clearly the winner - it is subtle yet complex, and beautifully blended, with no sharp edges. It is the real deal.

I feel like I already asked this somehow.... but since I'm not sure, which one(s) do you think are the closest match to Floid Blue?

 

[doctordial]

I repost this message, as I realize my title the first time around was hopelessly misleading ...

"Blue" aftershave ....

To me it continues to pose a kind of elusive attraction ...! Not as my only aftershave, but as one distinct "class" of aftershaves, which I am really prone to spend money trying.

I became a full-blooded wet shaving hobbyist in early 2016, so I am "too young" to have tried the fabled Floïd Blue.

The FLoid Blue seems to have achieved and almost mythological status among blue aftershaves, a gold-standard against which every other blue aftershave is measured. I would have really liked to try the Floid Blue, given all the hype (and given that I love Floid's orange aftershaves).

But since trying the Blue FLoid is not an easy option, I am beginning to find the persistent talk of Blue FLoid a bit annoying.
Every time I try a new Blue, I can't help wondering how it might compare to Blue Floid.

There is good reason to, and my latest example proves my point.

I recently purchased two new "Blues":

The Razorock "Blue Barbershop" aftershave splash, and

The FURBO Blue Vintage aftershave.

I admit that the main reason I purchased these two aftershaves was precisely that each of them have been compared to, and claimed to closely resemble -- the Blue Floid ...!

In fact, I have even read, of each of them, that it is THE Blue aftershave that comes closest to the fragrance of Floid Blue.
Allegedly the Razorock Blue Barbershop was even created specifically to resemble Blue Floid as closely as possible.

So being curious about "Blues" in general, and the fabled Blue Floid in particular, I splurged yet again and got the Furbo, and the Razorock Blue.

They arrived, and so what did I find ...?

I have to confess, I am under-whelmed, somewhat disappointed, with both of them...!!

It is not that they don't "smell good". They do, the smell "BLUE" alright. Both have a nice menthol kick as a BLUE should have, the Furbo being on the strong side. They also each have an OK postshave feel, the Furbo even contains allantoin, which is an ingredient I really have come to like for its postshave feel.

Yet, if either one of them is "the closest you get" to Blue Floid nowadays -- as many have claimed -- I am left wondering what all the hype about Blue Floid is about. I certainly don't think they are the best BLUES that I have tried. Perhaps Blue FLoid is mainly talked so much about, precisely because it is NOT available anymore.

So, I give up now. No more chasing something "like the Blue Floid" for me. Given the experience I now have, I conclude that the Blue Floid probably was not really that spectacular.

And in fact, after the disappointment has settled, I find this quite liberating. I can now leave Blue Floid behind me, forget about it, and be more open to other "Blues".

So, as far as BLUES still in existence go ...

I still think good old Williams Aqua Velva Ice Blue has a lot to recommend. Excellent and very distinct spicy blue scent, nice postshave feel, nice subtle menthol kick, not too powerful. And cheap and readily available, in a variety of bottles. Perhaps a bit overly "Retro" in its scent profile, but entirely appropriate for a true "vintage" aftershave.

I have also really come to appreciate the scent of the Myrsol Blue. Very clean and pure "Blue", but subtle, both in menthol kick, scent and post shave feel. It's nearly a pure alcohol based aftershave, active ingredient otherwise is just sorbitol, so for lingering postshave feel it is not the strongest aftershave. But then, reapplication through the day is always an option, leaving you in control ...

But my favourite among the Blues I have tried so far, has got to be the Epsilon Blue Mediterranean. You will readily find information that this aftershave too is "like the Floid Blue", and fitting replacement for, etc ...
Be that as it may. At first, I found this aftershave too "sticky", too much glycerin in it. But after some use, I have really come to appreciate it. Let the glycerin dry out a bit, and after one hour or so, you have the most wonderful postshave feel on your face for much of the remaining day. Another thing I really like about it's postshave feel, is the level of menthol kick. It is quite powerful and lingers for a long time, yet not quite as potent as the Furbo. But what really nails the number one spot for Epsilon Blue Mediterranean, is its scent ...! It is within the BLUE register of course, but it has a particular flavor of Blue, a subtle "spice" to it, that I think it will be hard for other Blues to beat. At that, it is long-lasting, like the rest of the postshave feel for the this aftershave.

If some day I get the opportunity, sure I would love to try the Blue Floid. Meanwhile, after having chased BLUES ostensibly resembling the Floid, I must conclude that Blue Floid most likely was not really that outstanding, compared to the many other nice Blues available today. Certainly not worth obsessing about. In the process, I have found some very nice blue aftershaves, even a favourite, which will forever be among my top picks.

__ So, over to you, fans of the BLUES. What are your experiences ..?

_ Have you too chased "something similar to the Blue Floid" like me, if so, what have you found ..?

_ Did you even have the good luck to actually try the Blue Floid, if so, how do you find it compares to other Blues ...?

_ And, in the process, did you find a favourite BLUE that you want to recommend ... if so, which, and why ...?

I've tried the Floid Blue, the Razorock BLU, FINE Blu Barbershop, Furbo, and Epsilon. like you, I was chasing Floid Blue after it was discontinued. I do like all that I just mentioned, but decided to get a bottle of Furbo. I get compliments from both sexes When I use Furbo. I'll have to revisit Epsilon. You have had to have used Floid Blue to appreciate it. The above mentioned are just lacking something compared to Floid Blue.

 

[Norman Gunston]

I feel like I already asked this somehow.... but since I'm not sure, which one(s) do you think are the closest match to Floid Blue?

Tough question.
The closest for me lies between Myrsol Blue, Epsilon Blue Mediterranean, and Barrister Reserve Cool.
The Myrsol Blue shares the same smoothness of blend as Floid Blue, but is not as bright or focused. The Epsilon notes come closest to marching Floid Blue, but it is sharper and coarser in comparison. The Barrister Reserve Cool is sweeter, and the notes are a little smeared and indistinct in comparison.
I am being critical with well-meant intent in response to the question; I stress that the all the blue tributes are good aftershaves that I enjoy. For me this was a case where the revered original product lived up to the hype.
I have similar experience with original Faberge Brut and Shulton Old Spice from the 60’s and early 70’s, as compared with some admirable tributes from recent years.

 

[Stikeyoda]

I've tried the Floid Blue, the Razorock BLU, FINE Blu Barbershop, Furbo, and Epsilon. like you, I was chasing Floid Blue after it was discontinued. I do like all that I just mentioned, but decided to get a bottle of Furbo. I get compliments from both sexes When I use Furbo. I'll have to revisit Epsilon. You have had to have used Floid Blue to appreciate it. The above mentioned are just lacking something compared to Floid Blue.

I too settled in on Furbo.

 

[Jan Sobieski]

Tough question.
The closest for me lies between Myrsol Blue, Epsilon Blue Mediterranean, and Barrister Reserve Cool.
The Myrsol Blue shares the same smoothness of blend as Floid Blue, but is not as bright or focused. The Epsilon notes come closest to marching Floid Blue, but it is sharper and coarser in comparison. The Barrister Reserve Cool is sweeter, and the notes are a little smeared and indistinct in comparison.
I am being critical with well-meant intent in response to the question; I stress that the all the blue tributes are good aftershaves that I enjoy. For me this was a case where the revered original product lived up to the hype.
I have similar experience with original Faberge Brut and Shulton Old Spice from the 60’s and early 70’s, as compared with some admirable tributes from recent years.

What a precise and articulate response. I know what you mean about critiquing the others - I like those others, too, each in their own way, but was still curious about what Floid Blue was like. I have seen reviews of each of those others in which reviewers will claim one or another is a "dead ringer" for Floid, but noticing the differences between each of those others, it seems they cannot all be right about such a close resemblance. Thanks for your thoughtful contribution! My own favorites are the Myrsol (just wish it lasted longer), and the B&M. Epsilon is nice, but more herbal and similar to Aqua Velva than I expected.

 

[Jens]

My own favorites are the Myrsol (just wish it lasted longer)

Of course, Myrsol Blue is also available as a cologne ... But I for one prefer just an aftershave lasting longer

 

[Jens]

Tough question.
The closest for me lies between Myrsol Blue, Epsilon Blue Mediterranean, and Barrister Reserve Cool.
The Myrsol Blue shares the same smoothness of blend as Floid Blue, but is not as bright or focused. The Epsilon notes come closest to marching Floid Blue, but it is sharper and coarser in comparison. The Barrister Reserve Cool is sweeter, and the notes are a little smeared and indistinct in comparison.
I am being critical with well-meant intent in response to the question; I stress that the all the blue tributes are good aftershaves that I enjoy. For me this was a case where the revered original product lived up to the hype.
I have similar experience with original Faberge Brut and Shulton Old Spice from the 60’s and early 70’s, as compared with some admirable tributes from recent years.

This is really an excellent comparison, thank you very much..!!