For today, I've decided to have a look at another Malaysian home-brew. Ikhwan from Vintage Armor was kind enough to send me some of their products and I've been putting them through the tests over the past few months. We're gonna be looking at their heavy hold oil-based pomade; Sultan.
Packaging
Sultan comes in a small corrugated cardboard box with the brand stamped on the box. The pomade itself comes in a 3.5 oz amber glass jar, matte black and white labels and it has a gold lid with a clear sticker of the brand's logo on it. Nothing complex, but it sure does present itself well. I've also seen a limited edition run where the labels are white with black text printed on it and I think that looks even more gorgeous.
Scent
Wan described it as a country vanilla scent which he said is a combination of various vanilla fragrances. Not the most complex scent out there, but it definitely smells good enough for me. If you're a fan of vanilla scents, you won't have any problems with this one. I should also point out that this is a new scent for the pomade as it used to have an orange cinnamon scent.
Application
Requires a little pressure to scoop it out, but nothing too difficult considering that it is a heavy hold pomade. Breaking it down is just the same with a small amount of pressure. The pomade breaks down waxy and goes into your hair with some tug and pull so do apply into damp hair or in smaller amounts if you must. Overall application is pretty expected to that of a heavy hold pomade, but nothing unbearable to work with.
Slickness
You'll definitely feel some resistance while combing it through the first few times, but it does get easier. Has a small amount of slickness that helps to keep most of the strays away for the most part, but I do find some of the shorter hairs and cowlick popping up after some time.
Control
If you're used to using wax-heavy pomades, then styling with Sultan will be no different than that. Your hair follows your comb's every stroke and doesn't really fight back according to your hair's natural flow. You can easily get good height and shape without any issue.
Strength
Definitely a heavy hold. It also has no trouble upholding the height that you get with this pomade. The product has a good strength-to-weight ratio which is a huge plus-point in my book.
Shine
Just like most heavy hold pomades, you get a somewhat low to matte sheen with this product.
Durability
Wax-heavy pomades were specifically made to endure blazing hot weather, and that's exactly what Sultan does well. The lack of a greasy feel means you won't really feel the pomade melting down your face halfway through the day. Even if you're sweating bullets in the heat, your hair will still be able to retain a significant amount of height and volume. I mainly find myself having to restyle my sides and cowlick as it tends to resist after a while. That aside, endurance is definitely a strong quality with this product.
Washability
No surprise, it'd take about 3-4 showers with shampoo to completely cleanse your hair from the pomade. You get a nice, clean and waxy buildup after the first wash which I really like.
Price-point
If purchased direct from the folks at Vintage Armor, it'd cost $24.90 SGD ($18.18 USD) including shipping. Cost will vary depending on where you're located, but still pretty decently priced.
Verdict
Vintage Armor is one of the few Malaysian brands that have been getting some spotlight amongst the American pomade scene, most notably due to reviews of Jebat, Lekiu and Tuah being put out by foreign reviewers. Seeing that I'm a fan of oil-based pomades, Wan chose to send me Sultan as well as Old Barber (review coming soon). To be completely honest, I'm uncertain why he didn't choose to send Sultan to these other reviewers as well. I personally love how this pomade performs. Not only is it capable of withstanding the Asian weather, but it is also well-balanced enough to have great styling capabilities. The scent, although not groundbreaking, is still really pleasant. All in all, this is just an amazing heavy hold product.
If I could change an aspect of the pomade, I'd prefer a scooch of slickness added into the overall performance. I find that my hair, especially when shorter, tends to resist the waxy consistency of the product. I also notice some minor splitting around the back, especially after a few hours when the pomade has settled in.
At the end of the day, Sultan is just an all around great heavy hold oil-based pomade. It's a product catered to endure hot weather and it does a damn good job at it. The fairly low price-point is definitely a good reason for people close to Malaysia to check it out, but I also urge my friends overseas to give it a spin if you could afford it as well. Who needs a crown when you've got a sick pompadour?
If I could change an aspect of the pomade, I'd prefer a scooch of slickness added into the overall performance. I find that my hair, especially when shorter, tends to resist the waxy consistency of the product. I also notice some minor splitting around the back, especially after a few hours when the pomade has settled in.
At the end of the day, Sultan is just an all around great heavy hold oil-based pomade. It's a product catered to endure hot weather and it does a damn good job at it. The fairly low price-point is definitely a good reason for people close to Malaysia to check it out, but I also urge my friends overseas to give it a spin if you could afford it as well. Who needs a crown when you've got a sick pompadour?
Click here to visit Vintage Armor on their Facebook page
We provide an array of printing options for pomade boxes. We can print them in full color, on one side, on both sides, or without printing anything at all. Our prices are low, and the quality is outstanding.
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