This touches on what I think the serious answer is: deodorants/aftershaves/colognes react (heavily in some cases) with your body chemistry. For example, I already exude pure Hemingway-style manliness, so Old Spice is a good fit for me. You really have to experiment to find out what’s good on you.
Yeah… I use Tide and Bounce laundry sheets on my clothes, wear scented deodorant (often Old Spice), often use scented lotion and hair products, and wear various perfume oils almost every day. Even my lip gloss is rose-scented. Yet it’s very very rare that anyone reacts or says anything about the way I smell. In fact when I am wearing a new perfume oil I often solicit opinions from my friends and co-workers, and most of them have to come in very close to sniff me in order to tell me what they think…
Usually, I am not a hugger and prefer at least 5 feet of personal space. And everyone I know uses scented products, so we’re all desensitized. Those that are sensitive to odors are already pretty much living in perfumed hell without me around.
I’ve been using Old Spice High Endurance Pure Sport ever since I can remember. Whenever I visit the States, I stock up on it because it’s not available here in Japan. I’ve been told, “That’s a nice new cologne you’re wearing.” I don’t disappoint them with the fact that it’s just a deodorant.
Through most of my 20s, I used Mitchum because it worked well and was mild-scented. I’ve recently switched to one of the new Old Spices (I think it’s called Bali but I can’t be bothered to check) because it comes in a nicer tube, also works well, and smells vaguely of coconuts. The new Old Spices that come in white plastic tubes aren’t “douchey,” they’re subtle, classic men’s scents. They remind me a bit of Royall aftershaves. Royall Bay Rhum has been one of my favorite scents since I was about five years old.
My SO is in his mid-20’s and uses Old Spice Classic and it’s quite nice on him. He’s a bourbon drinking, non-smoking, and clean-shaven guy but it works for him. Guess he’s manly enough for it. 
Those little hygiene packets work pretty well. My SO got the Old Spice sampler in his packet during 6th grade and stuck with it. Can’t say I usually notice smells on other guys though.
They may be too polite to say anything.
My hairstylist once had a really good point: when you’re stuck wearing multiple scents, any single one of them may be wonderful, but the mix of all of them combined is awful. There’s detergent, fabric softener, deodorant, hair gel, hand lotion, and so on… he was bitter because he’d bought a fabulous new cologne, but it smelled like ferret-ass if he wore it in his salon with all the other product scents mingling in the air.
I’ve been using the same deodorant, Speed Stick Regular, since I started using deodorant at 12 or 13. I’m 31 now.
Last night I checked,
I’m using Old Spice High Endurance Ocean Crush, if that sounds right.
Also, I’m a pipe smoking, martini drinking, beard faced, nerdy type of guy. But I guess my man card has the clearance to wear it, as i’m told it smells nice on me.
Unintentionally Blank, when are all the other pipe/martini/beardys getting together to have a smoked martini night?
I’m 28 and I use unscented stuff.
I use Arid ExtraDry most of the time. Sticks, not sprays. I think right now using the powder scent (not my favorite or my girlfriend’s, but that was what the store had). I’ve used Old Spice when I can’t find Arid, but I think the smell is way too strong. I don’t want to be able to smell my own deodorant.
My husband (40) uses unscented Secret. Yes, he uses the girly stuff. It is the only one he says works for him. Plus, he can wear a spritz of cologne over it and not have competing scents.
I used to work with a young man who smelled awesome. I asked him what he was wearing and it was “Pi” by Givenchy. I normally do not comment or prefer a certain scent, but this one is what a sophisticated man should smell like.
I use Old Spice but it’s hard to keep track of all the new ones. I just want the original type dammit. The original isn’t blue, it doesn’t clear out my sinuses, it doesn’t smell like the ocean.
I don’t wear any myself. The few times the subject has come up with other people, they’ve asked me something along the lines of ‘Then why don’t you smell bad?’.
But if you’re the sort that needs to, something unscented is the best.
But I’m an immature man in my late 20s.
Old Spice and Clubman Pinaud Talc. The old school barbers use Clubman.
Find something with a scent that you can deal with smelling all day and use that. For me, that was Axe Phoenix.
Old Spice. I’ve found that their antiperspirants are the best for keeping my unusually sweaty self somewhat dry. I still bleach out the armpits on my shirts after about 6 - 8 months, but at least I am not wet to the waist. I also like the scent. I love Old Spice aftershave as well.
I tried a new body spray last weekend but only ended up pulling Anne Robinson.
Serves me right for buying the weakest Lynx.
(OK, that gag probably won’t cross the Atlantic too well.)
LOL. It not only crossed the Pond, it also crossed the last seven years since you posted. I chuckled.
Resurrecting an old thread, but I couldn’t help but comment.
I use whatever Degree multipack they always have at Costco and Sam’s Club. Sometimes I find the scent just a tad too strong, but it does a good job of keeping my underarms dry without irritating my skin.
Every now and then, I’ll run out of my stick while visiting my grandparents, so I’ll borrow my grandfather’s Old Spice. Invariably, later that day I’ll feel moist under my arms, and when I wake up the following morning, my pits stink–it just doesn’t do the job for me. (I always shower daily, but in the rare event I am unable to shower, Degree seems to keep me odor-free for around 48 hours.) He’s complained to me before about the same thing and asked me for a recommendation on a better deodorant and was pleased with it, but in true Old Man fashion, he forgot my recommendation and went right back to his old habits (he’s been wearing the stuff since before I was born).
I also don’t really care for the Old Spice scent. Every now and then when hanging around my grandfather, I’ll get a whiff of what for the longest time I thought was spaghetti sauce and only recently realized that it was his deodorant. I don’t understand why so many guys want to walk around smelling like an Italian restaurant.
I use Axe.