Scentstories Perceptions
Written: Oct 24 '04 (Updated Nov 16 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: This is for people who enjoy aromatherapy and aren't particular about purely natural scents.
Cons: Extremely strong scents and $5.95 disk cost may make some consumers think twice.
The Bottom Line: There is a target market for the Scentstories Player. Those who couldn't imagine living without plug-ins, sprays and potpourri may enjoy this variety of themes and fragrances.
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| pogomom's Full Review: Bionaire Febreze Scentstories BSSP101-U |
From reading the other twenty reviews and from my personal experience, it is safe to say perception of the Febreze Scentstories Player is clearly subjective. Some people cannot imagine living without a Glade Plug-in populating at least one outlet in every room; others find artificial fragrances nauseating and a rare few reside in the middle-of-the-road area of “take it or leave it”.
My Scentstories Player arrived beautifully packaged courtesy of Hass MS&L, the public relations concern handling the launch event of this product. I agreed to write a review covering my honest opinion of the product in return for receiving the free player. After two months of sporadic trials and sharing the player with a friendly fragrance freak, I offer not one but two frank opinions.
Can We Talk?
The simplest way to describe the Febreze/Bionaire Scentstories Player would be to say the product is a CD-Player that only plays fragrances. The innovative gray and slate blue bullet-shaped appliance may not go well with every home’s decor but, it blended well enough with our style that it did not appear out of place.
Each disk contains five related fragrances and each fragrance plays for thirty minutes. For example, Exploring a Mountain Trail covers:
- Following the winding creek
- Walking beside wildflowers
- Exploring the mountains
- High in the mountain pass
- Gazing at the tall firs
The one scent I found livable on that disk was “Gazing at the tall firs” – it reminded me of Pine Sol but, less medicine-like and definitely less flowery than the other four scents. Potentially, according to several sources, each disk offers from thirty to eighty hours of service, depending upon the chosen intensity setting. The other varieties or fragrance families featured on Scentstories disks are:
- Relaxing in the hammock
- Shades of vanilla
- Strolling through the garden
- Wandering barefoot on the shore
We also tried “Shades of vanilla” out of curiosity and while the fragrances were not as authentic as many scented candles or potpourri, the lack of strong perfume made it both acceptable and a favorite of the disks available at this time.
The Out of Box Experience
I found the promotional package message enticing: “an amazing scent experience – push play and you’re there.” The happy woman depicted, swinging over a lake with lush fields and mountains as a backdrop, made me want to tear open the package and join her. Inside, nestled in green artificial grass, a large clear plastic egg held “A special gift for you”:
- 1 Scentstories Player (8 in. L x 6 in. W x 4-1/4 in. H)
- 1 Scentstories Disc Mountain Trail variety
- Power Cord
- Instruction Pamphlet
- Promotional Packet containing 6 cards explaining the scent themes
- Promotional offer for one free disc
I am unsure whether the included disc’s protective packaging had been compromised but, I will share that opening the box gave me more than a hint of what was to come. The fragrance hit me like a sledgehammer, reminiscent of what I experience when opening a shrink-wrapped pack of Irish Spring soap.
I followed the included “Quick Start” instructions and removed the foil freshness seal and plastic tab on the disk. Setup required little other than inserting the power cord into the player, plugging the cord into an outlet, pressing a button to open the player, gingerly placing the unwrapped disc into the compartment and gently pushing the lid to close the unit. At that point, all I had to do was find the largest button labeled “Play/Next” and select the intensity.
The default intensity, High, turned the fan on full-blast creating a whirring sound that got my attention. Under Medium, the fan slowed a bit and the motor sound decreased as well. Using the Low setting, I felt the scent might be considered less invasive to those offended by strong fragrances.
I enjoy some scents and others give me a headache. Had the kind and generous folks at Febreze packaged this promotional unit with the Vanilla disk, I probably would have a higher regard for their product. The Mountain Trail disk brought to mind the varieties of deodorant soap that I beg my husband to not bring into the house. To each his own opinion and in all honesty, my husband thinks the Scentstories Player and the Mountain Trail disk are the best things to arrive on the market since instant replay. Our dog Bela and I disagree with his assessment; she chokes when it plays the Mountain Trail disk and I feel as if I just walked into his bathroom right after he showered with one of those powerful deodorant soaps. The manufacturer mentions in their product documentation that they advise against using the Scentstories system in any closed room where animals are present.
Always Ask for a Second Opinion…
Fair is fair and I wanted to share the opinion of someone whose olfactory senses are less sensitive than my own. When a friend walked into my guestroom and perked up at the ambience occurring as a side effect of storing the Scentstories in that room, I asked if she wanted to give it a trial in her home. Please understand, our willing guinea pig keeps large, decorative bowls of potpourri on tables, dressers and in her bathrooms. No room is immune to altered atmosphere in her home, even the closets and garage smell like synthetic springtime all year round.
She removed all other fragrance producing products from her large family room. Even with the original scents permeating every inch of that room, the Mountain Trail disk’s set of five fragrances were easily discernable. Within weeks, my friend owned every Scentstories disk and a trio of newly purchased Scentstories players occupied her most frequently used rooms. For her, this innovative product is a must-have item for a few reasons.
According to my friend, she loves strong perfume and exotic scents; keeping her home in that constant scented-state requires the ongoing process of impregnating sachets and potpourri with oils and special perfumes. Blending those oils and perfumes with dried flowers, wood chips and whatever else sachets and potpourri are made of, tends to break down the composite, eventually separating it into an odd gel and dust that gets into her air conditioning system. Cleaning the bowls is one chore she claims she won’t miss since becoming a Scentstories fanatic. The player produces no dust and requires nothing more than disk replacement when the current disk becomes ineffective.
The second reason she became a Scentstories enthusiast is the fact that she loves the fragrance choices. Instead of having to toss a bowl's worth of potpourri into the trash in order to change the scent of one room, she can swap disks and enjoy whatever theme she feels like at that moment.
I completely agree with her third reason for finding the Scentstories Player a step above other electronic fragrance systems. The Scentstories Player automatically shuts off after playing all five scents on a disk. We have the option of playing any one scent repeatedly or shutting off the player. Those options and the automatic shut-off feature are not available on conventional plug-in fragrance products using gels or oil as the fragrance medium. Those products, especially the gel-based, are known fire hazards if allowed to remain plugged in after the gel has dried to a crystal substance.
Survey Says!
The Scentstories Player and disks may not be the product to end all products in my personal estimation but, I seem to be in the minority according to my informal poll. My husband plans to buy a Player for each of his sisters and cannot understand my aversion to the strong fragrances. My friend feels I brought sunshine and warm breezes into her life when I handed over my promotion package for her to try. Obviously, her opinion aligns with the majority’s thoughts, since our local supermarket cannot keep enough disks on the shelves to meet their customers’ needs.
A target market exists for the Scentstories player. People love gadgets and this is an innovative, attractive item. Scentstories is for people who enjoy aromatherapy and are not particular about purely natural scents. Those folks who could not imagine living without plug-ins, candles, sprays and potpourri, will enjoy the variety of themes and fragrances offered by Febreze. As far as this household goes, my husband can enjoy a relaxing moment in a hammock or stroll along the shore as a solo experience in his private den. I’ll stick with the real deal by opening the windows and letting the fresh breezes flow.
Recommended:
Yes
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pogomom
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About Me:
Web/puter person who, disguised as mild-mannered Pogomom, offers unsolicited opinions to all she encounters.
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