Was invited to attend a Nordstrom Byredo event and left with a couple things and a ton of samples. When I got home, I had a box waiting for me from the awesome @Erick Tai Excited to test out some new and exciting scents tonight. Thanks again Erick and still love the community

Cool today, but sunny, and about to run some errands, so I'm going with this woody aromatic fragrance. Despite the name, this is a relatively new fragrance (2024). Top notes are Cinnamon and Tarragon; middle notes are Patchouli and Vetiver; base note is Russian Leather. I'm wearing a sample travel spray today, but the bottle is already on its way to me. Happy Weekend, Gentlemen.

I personally think the better American clone houses can be higher quality than a lot of Middle Eastern clone houses. Not because Middle Eastern clones are bad, but because many of them are built more for power, sweetness, projection, and value. Middle Eastern clone houses can be excellent. Brands like Lattafa, Armaf, Afnan, Rasasi, Al Haramain, Fragrance World, and Paris Corner have put out some great fragrances. They usually give you a lot for the money, and many of them perform very well. But if I am judging by smoothness, accuracy to the original, blending, and refinement, I usually trust the better American clone houses more. To me, Middle Eastern clones often win on price and performance. American clone houses often win on accuracy and refinement. The American clone houses I take seriously are: 1. Montagne Parfums 2. Alexandria Fragrances 3. Genre Parfums 4. Scentual Obsessions 5. Dua Brand 6. Barrett Fragrances 7. Dapper Fragrances 8. Andromeda’s Moon 9. Oakcha 10. ALT. Fragrances 11. Dossier 12. Parfums Vintage 13. HK Parfums 14. Perfame 15. Banadir LLC 16. Fragrance Revival / ScentMatchers 17. Belcam / Perfect Scents My top serious collector group would be: Montagne, Alexandria, Genre, Scentual Obsessions, Dua, Barrett, and Dapper. Those are the ones I would compare first if I wanted better quality, smoother blending, and a closer recreation of the original scent profile. My Overall Ranking 1. Montagne Parfums. Best for accuracy and smoothness. This is my number one overall. Montagne usually smells the smoothest, cleanest, and closest to the original. They are not always the loudest, but they usually feel more polished and less synthetic than a lot of clone houses. 2. Alexandria Fragrances: Best for a big catalog and strong performance. Alexandria is one of the safest American clone houses. They have a lot of designer and niche inspirations, and their performance is usually solid. Some can feel a little heavier or more clone-house style than Montagne, but they are still reliable. 3. Genre Parfums: Best for value and quality. Genre is a sleeper house. People who know about them usually speak highly of them, especially for the price. The only downside is that ordering can be harder because they are not always open like a normal online store. 4. Scentual Obsessions. Best for strong clones and custom hybrids.I would put Scentual Obsessions over Dua because it feels more focused on straight clone and recreation work. They seem more serious about recreating scent profiles, doing custom blends, and giving you strong versions without as much hype. 5. Dua Brand: Best for hybrids, discontinued scents, vintage-style DNA, and beast mode. Dua is the fun house. They do inspirations, hybrids, vintage-style recreations, discontinued profiles, and louder versions of popular scent DNA. But Dua can also be hit-or-miss. Some bottles are great, while others can be too thick, too sweet, too oily, or need time to sit before they smooth out. 6. Barrett Fragrances: Best for masculine extrait-style clones. Barrett is a good one for men’s fragrances and stronger extrait-style performance. I would look at Barrett when I want something powerful, masculine, and performance-focused. 7. Dapper Fragrances: Best for gourmands, sweet scents, and easy everyday wear. Dapper is good, especially for casual wear and sweet fragrances. I would not put them above Scentual Obsessions, but they are still useful when I want something affordable, wearable, and compliment-friendly. 8. Andromeda’s Moon: Best for small-batch inspired-by scents. This house feels more indie and small-batch. I would sample first, but they are interesting for gourmands, sweet scents, and niche-style inspirations. 9. Oakcha. Best for easy-to-buy mainstream dupes. Oakcha is accessible and strong, but not always as refined as the top houses. I see them as a mainstream clone house that is easy to order from. 10. ALT. FragrancesBest for popular designer and niche dupes.ALT is simple and easy to buy from, but I do not see them as top-tier collector quality. 11. Dossier: Best for beginner-friendly clean dupes. Dossier is good for someone just starting. Their scents are clean, affordable, and easy to understand, but they can feel a little safe and basic for a serious collector. 12. Parfums VintageBest for Aventus-style DNA. Parfums Vintage is more specialized. I mainly think of them for Aventus-style fragrances and variations on that pineapple, birch, smoky, musky DNA. 13. HK Parfums. Best for sampling luxury-inspired Parfums is interesting, but I would sample first because they do not have the same reputation yet as Montagne, Alexandria, Genre, or Dua. 14. Perfame. Best for budget alternatives. Perfame is more of a price-first dupe house. I would not put them near the top for quality, but they may be worth looking at if price matters most. 15. Banadir LLC. Best for loud Middle Eastern-style power. Banadir feels more oily, loud, and extrait-heavy. I would use Banadir when I want something big and powerful, but I would not expect Montagne-level smoothness or accuracy. 16. Fragrance Revival / ScentMatchers: Best for discontinued scent recreations. These are more special-purpose houses. I would only use them if I were chasing a discontinued fragrance, and I would definitely read reviews first. 17. Belcam / Perfect Scents. Best for cheap drugstore-style dupes. These are fun cheapies, but not serious collector-level clones. They are good for gym bags, car sprays, quick errands, or testing a scent DNA without spending much.