Canoe is a unique scent that resembles an EdT version of Pinaud Clubman, the ultimate American barbershop scent. It was popular among young college guys in the mid-1960s, along with Jade East, English Leather, and British Sterling. Dana Canoe cologne is slightly powdery but floral, with lavender as the main note. The middle notes include Carnation, Bourbon Geranium, Cloves, Cedar, and Patchouli, while the base notes are Vanilla and Tonka Bean.
The first sensation is sharp, pungent vanilla, which is not much like anything you will find. Canoe has a vanilla powdery musky fragrance similar to Jade East with a moderate strength. It is a classic along with other Dana brands English Leather. The scent opens with a big rush of lavender, clary sage, and lemon, with a sharp and sticky green geranium.
Canoe is an aldehydic heliotrope fougère with pale tree fruits, sweet powdery floral, and hard woody metal-polish notes. The scent is confident and classic, with its rich legacy of the sea as a true expression of masculinity. Pairing Canoe with the After Shave is a great way to experience the scent.
📹 How To Smell Great For LESS | Best CHEAP Fragrances for Men
If you’re looking for some cheap fragrances as alternatives for pricey niche fragrances, look no further than a good old fashion …
📹 Classic Colognes- Canoe Aftershave. Stirling Shave Soap, Gillette Atra Plus & YaQi Badger Brush.
A shave using the classic Canoe First introduced in the 1930’s. I used it a lot in the 1980’s. This video is another in a series where I …
I’ve always worn Brut aftershave and deodorant. I remember when one of my high school classmates smelled my deodorant and was heavily impressed. When I started working in retail, I would get compliments on my smell. I love Brut and my father and grandfather wore it. I actually developed an allergy to most deodorants especially the Old Spice deos and had to choose between two brands that had different active ingredients in them. Those two were Sure and Brut. That was entry into Brut and what would become my entrance into fragrance. It started with Brut and then original Paco Rabanne and now anything that smells good under the sun 🙂
Pinaud Clubman became my daily a couple years ago. After many years of having long hair, I decided to change it up and go short. I was looking and feeling fresh and crisp and they were selling bottles of Clubman at the counter. Using Pinaud products gives me that barber fresh feeling every time I shave. I like that it’s not as potent as some of the others, so as a daily-wear it even works around people who dislike strong colognes. Also, great ratings on the Brut and Old Spice! Those two always have a place on my shelf. English Leather is my grandpa’s scent that I started wearing in my 20’s. Sharp stab in the nose at first, but mellows out, soft and powdery in a way that (imho) DOESN’T detract from the manliness score 👍 Great article!
recently I bought English Leather cologne (I got two bottles of 240 ml each) as they were very cheap and I wasn’t disappointed as the fragrance still keeps its integrity and character; it’s been reformulated many times (which fragrance from the old glorious past hasn’t been reformulated?), all of them including my most 4 beloved fragrances of all time(QUORUM, ARAMIS, YATAGAN and AGUA BRAVA); but English Leather is a good cologne, it may not be a crowd-pleaser but it smells like a man should smell.
My dad wore Stetson all the time when I was growing up, and still does on occasion now. He even put some on me for special occasions when I was little. I love the stuff and will always have fond memories of it. It’s the scent I associate most with my dad, just like how Mugler Angel is the scent I associate most with my mom.
I started wearing Stetson in 1990, got it from a DJ at a C&W dance club on my 18th birthday, My brother set up a huge Birthday party that night was great. I never wore aftershave or cologne before that. I’ve tried so many types of Aftershaves and colognes but I’ve always gone back to Stetson, I always get comments on how good I smell wearing it. FYI- Christmas is always a great time to buy a bottle or two. They always have a box set very cheap. I got one this past Xmas for 9.99 came with two bottles
At 5 USD, the Denim original aftershave is a woody/spicy fragrance which lasts over 8hrs. The dry-down smells like typical barbershop aftershave, otherwise it feels like a complete fragrance to my nose. I’d love to know your thoughts if you have sniffed it before! Guess it isn’t as well known in the USA.
Brut is a fragrance that if you Love it, you Love it. But if you don’t; you can’t stand it. Luckily, my Father and I fall into the former category. My Brother doesn’t like Brut. I also have old Spice but it is so nostalgic that I wear it when I going to be near family or want to be reminded of them. It reminds me of my Maternal- Grandfather. So I can’t be without it. Stetson is just good I Love smelling it but I never can tell when to use it. I carry an assortment of 4: Brut, Proraso, Old Spice, and Stetson. To me they are all fantastic. My nephew came over one day and saw some of my shaving lotions and picked Stetson. My other younger nephew chose Proraso. I usually pick these affordable aftershaves over some of my expensive fragrances. You can have a lot more fun with them. They are just So classic.
I’ve been shaving for 47 yrs and I go straight to the razor without shave cream and use Brut not as a lotion but as for the smell when we go out. I did use Stetson in the early eighties for awhile but found it too overwhelming for me or what a man should smell like. I like the Brut as it fades down after a few hours.
I’m not really into perfumes but I have had few of the expensive ones. However I almost never received a compliment for them, not that I needed to, but still you would expect them every once in a while and they were well reputable perfumes. However when I put an aftershave I get compliments or at least acknowledgement 90% of the time, and they were all cheap like brut, denim or some less known brands. Aftershaves are really underrated if you want a good scent on you and they might even beat your 100$ perfume.
Brian, i think you do an excellent job of comparing some of the best classic after shaves, which bring back memories of my youth. It’s nice to see these products withstand the test of time. I really like your scoring system as I believe it captures and rates these scents in a very fair and consistent manner. For some unknown reason I don’t recall Stetson. Perhaps it’s somewhat related to the date of its release, which I believe you reported as 1981, (the year I got married). I’ll definitely pick up a bottle of Stetson and for nostalgia purposes, I’ll need to get my hands on some Old Spice. I’m wondering if there would be any value in comparing these 10 fragrances with 10 current lower priced, similar products? Brian, do you know why several of the scents you review have such a long lasting scent?. I would have guessed that long lasting scents would be limited to eu de Perfume (sp?). Any thoughts? Anyway, great job with this review/comparison! I really enjoyed the article. It covers all the bases; is succinct, yet doesn’t miss any critical information. Love the format of the article! Keep up the good work Brian…Ed
I am 54 yrs old and since I was about 8 years old I’d been into fragrances for men…My dad was a big guy an imposing dude about 6ft 275 but a Brick and when hed be in the bathroom in therry morning I used to watch him shave sometimes with the old straight edge razors and after hed splash on aqua velva or some skin Braser and he always smelled good before he left for work and hed call me over and before I left to go to school hed spray or put on the aftershave on his hands and rub it on my neck or the top of my head….lived colone ever since the 70s so now I own probably a 300+ of most of the best bangers on the market and still getting more🙂🎅
When experimenting for myself on the various scent lines presented in this article I’d find myself disappointed with the fragrance longevity and fade. But I was wrong, I learned that as the fragrance lightens and tones down it became a more pleasant scent. One wearing it cannot identify the subtle transition but the feedback received while experimenting was always positive mid day into evening when I believed the scent had already dissipated.
If you smelled Hai Karate you would’ve put Stetson in 2nd. Also I highly suggest you try the other Pinaud Clubman cologne after shaves specifically the Musk, Special reserve, Lime sec, Citrus Musk, Virgin Island Bay Rum, and classic Vanilla. Don’t get me wrong the original aftershave smells good but all the ones I just mentioned to me smell 10 times better. When ever I wore any of those I always got compliments saying you smell great.
I’ve worn Stetson for years, but I generally only wear it in the wintertime, and I use it very sparingly. A little goes a long way. I have a bottle of Canoe and will wear it from time to time. Wore Brut in high school, and it works well in warmer months. Two other nice inexpensive fragrances are Coty Musk for Men and Pierre Cardin Men’s Cologne. The former was the first scent I ever wore, and it has a clean, masculine fragrance to it. So does the latter, but it’s less powdery and more spicy
Thank you very much for making this article. I am finally able to get a definitive comparison on various after shave products. The article was put together in a very thorough and detailed manner. I was seriously considering getting the Proraso but had trepidations because of the relatively high price. I’m so glad I saw this article. Keep up the good work.
Gotta say, I always keep an old school post shave scented “tonic” around. Great on hot or warm days, when a balm or opaque lotion is too much. Great for a tight, bracing finish. Currently have Aqua Velva, the blue stuff, in the rotation. IMPORTANTLY, the scent soon disappears and its use doesn’t conflict with the day’s frag.
I worked at Bob’s Mens Shop at Knott’s Berry Farm a few years in the early 1980’s to work my way through college and we sold several of these fragrances. Stetson was one of my favorites. Lagerfeld was a bit on the sweet sid. And Polo was the new rage but everyone wore it so I refrained. But one that I discovered there was Halston Z-14 which I still use today. The ladies complement the Halston frequently. Great work on your website. Keep it up.
I do like Brut, but my father wore it, so I stick to other scents. I’m surprised at little love for Aqua Velva, as it reminds me of a brighter, less peppery Brut. My favorite cheapie is Aqua Velva Musk, but a little goes a very long way so I cut it with witch hazel. I may try Jovan Musk after the AV Musk runs out. I tried Skin Bracer — it quickly dries down to talc/baby powder, which is a no go for me. I prefer Stetson Cooling Moisture which is more complex for longer, but unfortunately it also ends up in baby powder territory after a few hours. I’ve yet to try Clubman Pinaud. I have heard good things about their Citrus Musk. I have also yet to try a bay rum variant, but I just ordered Suavecito Bay Rum and so looking forward to that. Perhaps I should also grab some Old Spice next time I am at the store.
I always liked Ted Lapidus cologne. Herd to find but worth the effort to seek out. Costs more than the ones on this list ($35 ballpark) but more bang for the buck because it comes in a larger container than these others. Because not as many men wear it (because it’s not as easy to find as the ranked colognes), people notice it more, and women love the smell of it, so: winner.
not sure about the others, but I tried the Brut until I deduced it was something in the ingredients accelerating my heart rate and burning my nose. The alcohol denat main ingredient is apparently loaded with ethyl acetate giving the sweet smell. Out of curiosity I tested the fumes with an air quality reader and whoa, the VOC alarm went off the scale within seconds! sorry to have to vote down.
I already do have old spice as a €10 and one of my favorites is either Old Spice or Insignia Insignia really should have been on this list because it’s very good and it smells very nice and very cheap and it stays on for a long time I’d say it stay on until when you go home after school at like 4 oclock but that’s not very accurate considering I just bought it and I haven’t used it yet but I’ve heard things talk about Insignia like podcasts and interviews and they said that it stays on for about until 4 which is the time by girls school at so one I recommend is Umbro there’s a bunch of different ones they all smell really nice I just bought one today and they smell really good and have a lot of sent to them
It is so nice to see a fragrance article that has the classics we all smelled growing up. If I may suggest a second article with some of the scents this article didn’t have but are in the same wheelhouse. I would suggest: Coty Musk Jovan Musk Chaps English Leather Musk ( one of my favorites back in the day) Hai karate Blue Stratos (another one I really liked in high school) Does anybody remember or have an opinion on any of these? I would love to hear it.
Nice. Proraso for me is an excellent soap/cream, especially the sensitive or sandalwood line. The menthol feel is just a cooling sting finish. I see you have a 34C there, so you so should do a DE Shave article or reviews. I highly recommend Tatara. It’s been a love affair for me and a time of solitude with such a great tool.
Maybe Old Spice is more nostalgia than the actual scent. I smell Old Spice and I think of the men’s room with the attendant passing out towels. No, that’s not the image I want in my head. But this is a very good review. I’m debating on going high end or just something simple. Canoe is looking pretty good.
Hello, I just want to ask about a perfume which was available in the nineties, I can’t remember it’s name, but I recall its package, the package had windmill with British rural home with British flag, and it looks similar to silver Lapidus perfume, if you have any idea about such description, please notify me,
I think you missed the boat on Aftershaves. They are meant to be applied “after shaving” as part of the shaving routine and your skin care regimen for the purpose of protecting and restoring qualities of your skin that shaving scrapes away. Some benefits are to soothe irritation (anesthetic), protect against infection (antiseptic), hydration, recondition, and restoration with essential oils. If you want to comment on those qualities your analysis would more on point for the purpose of aftershaves. Scent, manliness, lasting scent…? I think those qualities would be more appropriate to a product that is focused on providing a lasting scent. Use YOUR scale on 8 EDT’S or colognes. Some of the BEST aftershaves (best for your skin) have scents that fade rapidly—as they are intended, and may have scents that you might not consider “manly” at all. An aftershave that lasts all day is more of a negative to me. Put it on, let it absorb, (so it can impart those essential benefits) then add a balm or another scent intended to be longer lasting—if that is what you want.
As a blue collar guy, that uses all those after shaves all the time, it looks like the top shelf of my medicine cabinet.. believe it or not, my favorite is aqua velva. I like panaud clubman, but theres not one woman I know that likes the scent. Its chick repellent. My least favorite is stetson…. It smells great in the bottle and when you put it on, but after the drydown it smells very floral. You would think stetson would smell more manly, with the cowboy on the box, you wanna smell like John Wayne, and you kinda end up smelling like broke back mountain.
As an American guy in my mid-40’s all of these seem “old”. However, I will say that Old Spice would probably be my favorite of this group. However, I have not tested all of them. My Dad and Grandfather used some of these, including Brut, Aqua Velva, Stetson, Pinaud, and Canoe. However, I can’t recall what they smell like from memory now, but if I had the bottle In front of me it might bring back memories. I bought the $6 bottle of Old Spice classic a few years ago and it was nice, but smelled, well…old.
Good review sir. Now do the best aftershave products. The reason why I say this is because right now the American artesian shaving soap and aftershave companies make the best products in the world. The best shave that you can get is a straight razor shave with these products. P.S. I enjoy your articles.
I am 28 years old, switched to a straight razor shave from a supermarket 5 blade razor about 5 years ago. I was originally using Pinaud because that’s what I seen in barbershops. When that ran out I switched to Brut and haven’t looked back since. Glad to know I made a good choice before even seeing your great review on the product.
Aqua Velva for me.💪🏼Now, iUse Brut splash & the after shave, & i love both! iFound out that Brut splash last in my skin for about 8-10hrs. & when iUse it combine with the Brut deodorant, even better. Not only i smell like a nostalgic object, but also love the smell of a masculine & mature Men!!! Nothing better than feeling like a real men, specially in these modern times!🤔
I’m no perfumer, but it would make sense to me to learn that every male scent that has ever been created was built off one or more of these:) HA! I can remember seeing “English Leather” in numerous dollar stores for like $3.00 a bottle as a 10, 11, or 12 year old boy:) HA! I really liked English Leather too, I think it was the first scent I ever owned. I’d like to get Canoe and Pinaud, Proraso too because I’ve never smelled any of those.
The fact that Aqua Velva is last on your list (not even getting 20 points!) makes me question your ranking scheme. At less than $5 a bottle, you give it a 3/10 just because you don’t like the scent (you already gave the scent a low score, I think we get it!). Smell is very subjective, but you should at least be able to detach yourself when discussing the product’s value, especially when talking about a classic aftershave.
I took your advice and purchased a small bottle of Stetson from Amazon. Once it arrived at my work place, I sprayed some on myself and immediately people started commenting “What’s that smell?” in a not-so-positive way. After getting a good wiff of it myself, I wanted to gag. Thanks for the good advice.:( Btw, Aqua Velva smells a lot better!
When wearing Brut, people will ask, “Are you wearing Brut?” And the intonation often varies based on whether that’s a good thing or bad thing. I will say that hands down the best reaction I get from women comes from wearing Aqua Velva Musk. That’s a “What are you wearing” as in I want to rip off your shirt and smell it some more intonation. And I’m always too embarassed and say, “I forget what it is.”
HERE IS AN EASY WAY TO DO IT MY FRIENDs Do any Pucks or bar Soaps out there? You can mix and match old Soaps? to fit in any Mugs or Cups? Like (Mitchells’ Wool Fat or Arko Sticks. Just to name a few of them?) Cut the bar soap up on a paper plate, pour the soap, shavings and chunks from your plate into a mug, cover the soap with a small amount of water, microwave your soap and cups or mugs? put your paper plate under your cup in case it bubbles out of your cup? for a minute or so? If it foams up, STOP. The water keeps it from burning itself up. (DON’T OVER WATER YOUR SOAP??) Easy, does it? Let cool don’t want to Crack the Mugs or Cups you’re using? (You just want it to Congeal in your Mug or Cup’) it is very hot and watery””’. let it cool in PLACE’. after it cools, put it in a Sunny Window, until the Soap hardens? When using your soaps, use Dry Brush Less Water. It thickens the soap, making it easier to use on your face. (You can use any Hard Soaps You like??) Save your Money, spend it on your wife, don’t listen to the shave Mafia. It saves me time and Money in these Inflationary Times. Your mileage may vary? Wheelchair Larry Happy New Year
purely subjective…I knew a woman who complained about the dairyland she used to live next door to. But she did say, “it reminds me of home…” Go figure. BTW…why have a variety of colognes? You don’t, because you’ll forget that the colognes clash, especially when you forgot a shirt that had one cologne on, and you want to wear another smell. ONE SMELL AT A TIME.
Pinaud Citrus Musk. Doesn’t last long but awesome. Canoe is soft, like a woman. English Leather is disgusting. Old Spice is over rated. Aqua Velva is great. It’s menthol is very cooling without being like medicine. Clubman, Proraso, Brut, all great, but Aqua Velva actually does the best job of a real aftershave, ingredients to sooth and tighten. Stetson….just forgettable.
Me caso es curioso, me gusta mucho oler bien, uso en barba clubman naranja de cabello por su olor, de locion despues del baño la brut cologne, y perfume light blu, cuando cojo servicos de transporte, muchas veces siento alguien cerca de mi cuello, y es una persona oliendo me, lo curioso es que nunca son mujeres, siempre el que se inclina a oler me es un hombre… Jajajajajajaja…
left home at 13…made a perfume factory…with university college and what not …noone can do this anymore hahaha unless daddy got da money to back you…crazy how things used to work…if he didnt go to school for chemistry or some shit now he would be laughed at and homeless but back then hes an iconic master….i wonder how many people get snuffed out casue of standards in society today
I watched a couple articles about Stetson, after perusal this one, and one reviewer described it as smelling like an old lady, like a whorehouse in the old west. There was some confusion about the date the fragrance was introduced. I guess he meant that it was really powdery. He brought it to his office and two women described it as smelling like feminine hygiene products. It is only 40 years old. It isn’t all that old. Also, Stetson, Brut and Old Spice have both colognes and aftershaves and I think you wanted to review the colognes, but you thought the aftershaves and colognes were the same thing, so you didn’t really do enough research before you gave everybody your highly scientific scores. Stetson cologne costs $24 at Wal-Mart, so it isn’t even all that cheap. You might as well get a classic cologne from a fragrance discounter, online, than get a drug store cologne, for less money. I think this article must be meant as a practical joke. Like when you have someone in your office who you think is a goof and you pretend to be their friend and gain their trust, so you can gossip about them and damn them with faint praise to boost your own reputation and get promoted. You seem like the kind of person who would sink to such dirty tricks.