ScentStories- All Stories Reviewed
Written: Jan 05 '05 (Updated Jan 06 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Vanilla theme disk, Easy installation.
Cons: Price, Reliability, Smell of most disks, No repeat button.
The Bottom Line: Not recommend: This system is expensive, sometimes unpleasant, unreliable, and is more trouble than it's worth.
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| shoplmart's Full Review: Bionaire Febreze Scentstories BSSP101-U |
When I first seen those commercials for Febreze ScentStories I was instantly intrigued. I went to my local Kmart and purchased the player along with 1 of each disks available (minus the promotional Christmas disk). So, is this product really better than those conventional air fresheners'? Or, are ScentStories just a gimmicky way to stink up your home?
The product:
The ScentStories player is a small "CD player like" unit that has an attractive two-tone (light gray on darker grayish blue) color scheme. The ScentStories player may not blend in with every room's theme, however it's not something that you will need to hide in the closet either. Febreze currently offers 5 different disks for the ScentStories player. In each of these disks comes 5 different scents, each one relating to one particular theme.
What you will get when you buy the player:
The player, a power cord, instruction booklet, and a free disk.
How it works:
The way this product works may seem almost evolutionary on TV, however it's anything but. The player simply turns a selected disk (more like a cartridge) to a new related scent every 30 minutes by automatically placing a scent over a heated plate. A fan in the rear of the system blows air through an outlet in the front of the system enabling the scents to be carried throughout your home. Each disk will play for 2 and 1/2 hours and will automatically shut off after that time. According to Febreze, each disk is supposed to be good for at least 50 hours before it needs replaced.
Ease Of use.
Simple. The hardest task will be getting the unit out of its package. You simply plug the system into any electrical outlet via the power cord provided, snap in a disk, and push play. I do have one major grip here, however. Watch out for the instructions, which tell you to remove a tab in the front of the disk. There is no tab on the disk! According to Febreze.com they didn't have enough time to change the instructions because they ran out of time; how professional ~ sigh. I completely dissected my first disk trying to find this nonexistent tab.
Also, the ScentStories unit provides 3 settings. Low, Medium, and High. Sounds like a good way to regulate your scents, right? Maybe, but I have never noticed a difference in the intensity settings. Low seems just as intense as high and visa versa.
I have found that when you first place a disk in the system the smell is overwhelming for the first 5 hours of use and then fades rapidly after that. After around 30 hours of use, the scents (especially vanilla) become very faint. I usually just discard most of the scents after 30-40 hours. I have never had one disk actually last the full 50 hours as claimed.
Noise Level:
When these units are working properly they are extremely quiet. The faint sound of moving air can be heard, however it's neither intrusive nor annoying. Again, that's only when the system is working properly, I'll explain later.
The Scents:
Exploring the mountain Trail: (0/5 rating)
This theme disk is perhaps the worst smelling of the ScentStories collection. This particular "story" will come as a complimentary disk when you buy your ScentStories player. Exploring the mountain trail smells more like you are exploring a warehouse full of bathroom fresheners than anything else. It simply doesn't smell anything like a mountain trial. Tracks on this disk include the following; Following The winding creek, Waiting beside wildflowers, Exploring the mountains, High in the mountain pass, and Gazing at the tall firs. Although these tracks may sound like they would create some diverse scents, each track smells almost the same and equally as bad.
Wandering barefoot on the shore: (1/5 rating)
This disk smells nowhere near as bad as Exploring the mountain trail theme disk, however most tracks on this disk still don't offer a smell that I would want in my home nor does this disc smell anything like an ocean. Tracks include Walking in the sand, Under the palms, Wading along the shore, Splashing in the waves, and Sailing in the bay. Like the Exploring the mountain trail disc, all tracks (except the Under the palms track) offers pretty much the same scent. Under the Palms is my favorite track, which offers a subtle coconut scent. Unfortunately, I have to literally run to my ScentStories player before the player advances to the next putrid track and ruins the experience. This is where a repeat feature really would have come in handy.
Relaxing in the hammock: (rating 4/5)
This is one of my favorite disks and is definitely the most diverse. Each track offers a unique smell that are all very pleasant. Tracks include, Soothing tea, Dew drops on the petals, Comforted with lavender, Mediating with incense, and Tranquil vanilla. The Soothing tea track smells like delicious lemonade and is followed by a combination of very mellow tracks; none offensive. My favorite scent on this disk is track #5 which offers a yummy vanilla scent.
Strolling through the Garden: (Rating 1/5)
I don't know what kind of garden this disk is supposed to represent, but it certainly isn't one of this planet. No tracks on this disk conjure up thoughts of being in a beautiful garden. On the contrary, this disk smells more like spoiled perfume than any kind of garden. Tracks include, Strolling by lilacs, Picking peachy freesias, Making a bouquet, Beside the honeysuckle, and Among the roses. I am giving this disk 1 generous star because the honeysuckle track is a tolerable scent.
Shades Of Vanilla: (rating 5/5)
This theme disk is definitely my favorite of the bunch. Although each track smells almost identical to the next, in this case it's not necessarily a bad thing. The scent of vanilla is so smooth and fills my home with a delicious vanilla aroma that doesn't fade for hours. The only downside with the vanilla theme disk is that I usually can only get about 25 hours of use out of one disk before it's useless. Tracks include Creamy Vanilla, Vanilla Nut Cake, French vanilla, Vanilla Nectar, and Vanilla taffy.
Reliability:
Reliability with my ScentStories player has been absolutely horrible. The first unit I purchased became so loud due to a faulty fan just 7 days after my purchase that I had to take it back and get a new one. The second system's heating plate simply didn't work upon installation, so I had to return that unit as well. My 3rd ScentStories player seems to be working well, though I'm starting to notice and increase in the noise level once again, especially when it's switching tracks. Maybe 4 times is a charm.
Price:
I purchased my ScentStories for 29 dollars at Kmart. I have seen this product run for as high as 34 dollars at places like Safeway, so if this product is a must on your shopping list I highly suggest shopping around. The MSRP of the player isn't really an issue for me, but the cost of disks are. I purchased 4 disks for $5.99 each, which gave my purchase a grand total of almost 75 dollars after taxes! Since my favorite scent (Shades of vanilla) needs replaced after every 25 hours of use, I will usually need to buy a new disk every week.
Final Thoughts:
ScentStories by Febreze has been a waste of both my money and time. The unit has proven to be unreliable, the scents are less than desirable, and the cost to buy disks are astronomical. Needless to say, I do not recommend this product.
-Thanks for reading.
Recommended:
No
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