17 Best Cheap Cologne for Men That Smell AMAZING (2023) – Beautypert

A Party, Clubbing Banger

Ah, Jean Paul Gaultier’s Ultra Male… you just gotta love it. Huh? What the heck does Ultra Male have to do with Afnan 9pm?

A LOT.

Spoiler alert:

Afnan 9pm smells RIDICULOUSLY similar to Ultra Male. Which, by the way, is a good thing, because anyone who’s been in the game for a while knows… Ultra Male is a proven compliment monster.

If you’re not familiar, it’s a youthful, attention-grabbing, sweet-sexy type of scent. And it has long been heralded as one of the best clubbing/party/night-out style scents on the market. Period.

So what? Why should you care about all this?

Well, my friend, here’s the beautiful part:

Because not only does Afnan 9 pm smell shockingly similar… but also you can sometimes find this little-known gem for up to 1/3 of the price of JPG Ultra Male (maybe even ¼! — depending on where you live).

Bingo! So this, then, makes 9pm…

An Absolute Steal!

Do they smell identical?

No. Not gonna lie. But it’s close… extremely close. Same-same — but different.

(Put it this way, if you already own Ultra Male, you don’t need this. Oh, and Afnan are a Middle Eastern brand, in case you’re wondering.)

In fact, let me spray them both on now, side-by-side, and tell you how 9pm smells… Plus, I’ll let you know how close they smell, percentage wise (and how they differ).

Addictive Sweetness

OK… As soon as you spray Afnan’s 9pm, you almost think you must have picked up the Ultra Male bottle by mistake… Oops, my bad — sorry. Let me get the right one… 🙂

OK… got the correct bottle this time. (Kidding. Mostly.)

Let’s try again… As soon as you spray 9pm, you’re greeted with a burst of fresh fruity apple mixed with a pinch of cinnamon — with some lavender and warm friendly vanilla buried underneath.

This gives off an addictive bubble-gummy fruity-sweetness. Nice.

And as it dries down, the slightly powdery vanilla starts to ramp up, adding a nice spicy warmth to the scent.

And just like its brother, this, too, was made for compliments and never fails to delight those around you.

But don’t be too surprised if somebody asks if you’re wearing Ultra Male, though.

OK, so now for Ultra Male… Wait… Do I really need to repeat myself? 🙂

Seriously though, the breakdown is just about the same, so I will spare you. But here are the main differences we found:

Afnan 9pm vs Ultra Male

The main differences are…

9PM:

• Has a fruity apple accord and no pear
• Is less sweet and more fruity
• Starts off lighter and fresher
• Is an EDP concentration (more potent)
• Is a LOT more affordable

Ultra Male:

• Has a juicy pear accord and no apple
• Is sweeter and less fruity
• Is darker, denser, and has more depth to it
• Is an EDT concentration (less potent)
• Is a LOT more expensive

And the percentage of smell similarity (ballpark!):

• 90% similar — smelling in the air from a distance
• 80% similar — smelling them right-up close, side-by-side

To be fair, although they are different concentrations, in test after test, they both projected and lasted about the same (more on this in a minute).

Furthermore, quality wise, they are both about on par with each other. You might be wondering…

When & Where Can I Rock 9PM?

Afnan’s 9pm is more geared towards the younger crowd (under 30), especially single guys “looking for some action” — so to speak. Yup, this is true “player” stuff.

And as the name suggests, this was designed to be a nighttime scent and works like gangbusters for: clubbing, parties, outside events, nights out, date nights… You get the idea.

However, that’s not to say you can’t wear this casually in the day. Though, it’s a bit too loud and playful to be used in the office or for work etc.

Player’s Stuff

Now, I should point something out:

To my nose, this is unisex, so if you’re looking for a butch, man’s man cologne — this ain’t it.

Because some of the women we showed it to, said they loved it so much — they wanted it for themselves! So keep that in mind.

And, before we move on to performance, there’s one thing you SHOULDN’T do…

Is wear this outdoors in the high-summer-heat. Monster mistake. Why? It becomes sickly-sweet and projects like crazy! — trust me.

So in terms of seasons, because of its sweetness, this is cool weather juice (fall/winter and spring nights).

That said, for summer nights, if the club (or venue) has air-conditioning — you’ll be golden.

Sleek Heavy Bottle

Afnan’s 9 pm comes as an EDP and projects nicely (say 2–3 ft), for up to 1–3 hours, leaving a nice scent trail in its wake.

It then recedes and sits closer to the skin — and in our tests, lasting power was in the 6–8 plus hour range. And even longer on clothes, of course (days!).

(By the way, don’t go bonkers with the sprayer, as this has the potential to fill up a room!)

Oh, and hat tip to Afnan…

For not trying to cut costs with the presentation. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised it comes in a sleek heavy (and, I mean, heavy!) glass bottle, with a matching heavy cap. Very nice.

Now, when all is said and done:

I’ll be super honest with you; I slightly prefer JPG’s Ultra Male, simply because I love that juicy pear note. But a lot of people prefer 9pm for the apple note (to each his own, I say). But…

You’re here to pick up an absolute bargain, right? So — 9pm is a no-brainer.