First Bambinos

[Guest Katharsys]

Hi all,

I have decided to start a new thread, instead of hijacking the trial pack of Bambinos, and after the anticipation, they finally came yesterday. So now here is my chronicle.

---

First Impressions:

Pulling the Bambino out of the little baggie, I spread it out on the bed and reached over to get an Abena for a direct side-by-side comparison. The padding in the Bambino had more of a quilted pattern to it, which was nice, and the material seemed a bit softer to the touch. Over all, there seemed to be just about the same amount of filler (space/volume-wise) between them, with the Bambino squeaking out ahead with a little more padding in the back wings. The Bambino had a higher standing-leak-guard in the middle. The Abena however, had a tightening elastic that runs along side the leg cuffs and up the back. I saw a hint of that on the Bambino, but it didn't run quite as far up the diaper. Less elastic in the leg cuffs means less stretch when putting them on. More on that in a bit.

I do like the foam stretch on the front and back of the diapers. That seems like it will help in the belly sleeping position I use, and stop the gaping leaks that sometimes occur with the Abenas. But those are rare, and only occur when I have overly flooded the diaper past it's full capacity in my sleep. The tape landing zone is also a good idea. Before I switched from Tena, it seemed that they were heading in the same direction. Much better than tape directly on the backing material itself.

There was no apparent difference in the softness of the outside material. BUT, this can be a bit deceiving. Abenas have long been notorious for differences in the manufacturing runs, and this seems to still hold a bit true for the texture of the backing material. It just happens that this month's run that I have in stock, the backing material was softer type they sometimes use.

So I am trying my first Bambino, and as much as I want to like them, I have found my first real gripe that is something more than aesthetic. Remember how I wrote that I was concerned on the length of the leg elastic in the Bambino? Well, the cut on the leg openings is almost a little too tight for me. Unfortunately, this is the same problem I have with off-the-shelf diapers as well. So now I sit in a medium Bambino Bianco, with the tapes almost right on the edge of the diaper.

While waistband-wise I wear a size medium, my thighs however, due to 11 years worth of running at least 4 miles a day (yay, Army!), are larger than average. The problem I had with every diaper, except Abenas, is that in order to have a diaper that doesn't cut off circulation to my legs, I end up having to get my diapers one size larger. Those in turn, end up gaping at the top.

In my original posting in the other thread, I figured that the Bambinos woulds only cost me an additional $10 a month for two cases. But since I would have to use the large due to my legs, the cost per diaper significantly changes. For the large diapers, the cost-per-diaper/per-case comes to $1.60 per diaper! This is an increase of $.36 per diaper.

Since there is not the same number of diapers per case, the math on this is slightly different, and then I can only compare the direct cost per case. Basically, I would see an increase of $49 per order. I am not sure that any increase in absorbency could (pardon the expression) absorb the increase in cost, unless the Bambino absorbency reduces my actual need to change by one full case a month.

Of course though, the absorbency issue still needs to be figured out. My plan for today is to wear this one until it leaks, and compare the weight of the full Bambino against the weight of one of my full overnight use Abenas from the trash. This will let me figure out how much (based off the weight of an ounce of fluid) each diaper can hold before leaking. So in the name of research, I will let my body do what it seems to do on it's own anyways.

--I welcome any and all replies or thoughts on this. And if you see any glaring errors, please feel free to post the corrections on them.--

[adriansurley]

Descent review I will say. But, it has long been established the absorbency of a Bambino is better than an Abena especially at wicking away moisture. There is one suggestion I will say that you might consider helping you with the "cut" issue around the thighs. Put some vaseline on the inner part of your thighs to help reduce friction then pull the diaper front up and fast the top 2 tape tabs, then maneuver your legs around before taping up the bottom two so the leg cuffs go down into your crotch area a bit - then tape the bottom two. Try that. But, I think the important thing to consider here is that unless you have special circumstances to somehow prevent you from fitting into a Bambino properly than a Bambino diaper has been designed to overall have the best features and more features. This is not to put down Abena because they do make a good diaper but feature wise, absorbency, and overall just dedication to the ABDL community I would say Bambino has it down. Abena does make a good diaper besides the tapes which personally I have found pretty annoying and undependable. Plus a lot of people like that Bambino caters to the ABDL community which I personally believe in because there aren't many companies that will do that...just my 2 cents though :-) Thanks for the honest review though - it's nice to see when people put some work into their reviews.

[babykeiff]

Excellent review... I only wish that diaper manufacturers would take note of the reviews / comment made by its users of its product.

[CDLover]

Thanks for your review.

As a dedicated cloth diaper guy, and I've only worn disposables on random occasions. I just purchased my first sample pack of Bambinos last week. I think I'll be able to try early next week.

I'll let you know my impressions.

CDL

[Heven]

Descent review I will say. But, it has long been established the absorbency of a Bambino is better than an Abena especially at wicking away moisture.

Look, if you want to personally sing the praises of Bambinos at every conceivable opportunity, that's absolutely your right. However, I take issue with you asserting your opinions as communally held facts. A simple search will reveal widely conflicting opinions on this issue, with most stating loose preferences for one or the other, but nothing like a consensus. If the product is really so great, let it sell itself. You don't see Abena advertising here.

[adriansurley]

I never "asserted" my opinion as a fact. I just said that it has long been established by more interested people than me that the Bambino is more absorbent than an Abena...but an Abena is definitely thicker because of the fluff. Please reread my post as I said the only definitive thing is about absorption. The other things are clearly stated as opinions by myself...I never said "everyone agrees..." It does sell itself, nobody really listens to me anyways especially in this matter I just share my opinion and the fact that I appreciate what Bambino as a company does for our ABDL community. I just believe in supporting the cause per se. I would hate for Bambino to not be able to support our community in the way it does and be back stuck with the same old diapers that have been around for ages. Lighten up - it is just an opinion which is clearly what the original poster wanted and I quote "--I welcome any and all replies or thoughts on this. And if you see any glaring errors, please feel free to post the corrections on them.--"

[hidden]

Hi all,

I have decided to start a new thread, instead of hijacking the other thread I was originally going to post this in. Basically, the other thread was a contemplation and poll by someone of Abena X-Plus v. Bambino brands - in my case, the Bianco. In that thread, I ended up doing a cost analysis per case between the two and realized that there was only a $10 difference in monthly cost for me - something, that if the Bambinos were truly more absorbent, would be able to counterbalance with less diapers having to be used per month.

talking about my thread, eh?

i've decided to order a case of half bianco/classico large as soon as i set up a ups box so, if you want, i will add my reviews when i get them.

[ultrapampers]

i've decided to order a case of half bianco/classico large...

I don't think you can mix and match bags within cases. I certainly don't see on the Bambino site where you can do that, anyway. They're the same diaper, so just decide whether you want the 'B' 'A' 'B' 'Y' alphabet block prints on the taping panel or not.

[hidden]

I don't think you can mix and match bags within cases. I certainly don't see on the Bambino site where you can do that, anyway. They're the same diaper, so just decide whether you want the 'B' 'A' 'B' 'Y' alphabet block prints on the taping panel or not.

i emailed them about it and they can do it. just say you want a mixed case under delivery instructions or something during the order process. order a case of one or the other and do this. i want to order a case and try out the classico but don't want 48 diapers with the print on them at once.

you can also get mixed size sample packs using the same process.

[ultrapampers]

...just say you want a mixed case under delivery instructions...

That's good to know. Thanks, hidden!

[CDLover]

Well here I am in my Bambino Classic after about 5 hours. I made sure to drink some extra water so they are really wet and have held up very well.

When I first put them on I expected more bulk and thought they were very thin. Since I normally wear cloth diapers and plastic pants at night (3, 44x44" flat gauze folded very thickly from ACD) I was a bit disappointed as I like the bulk. On the plus side they are and not at all obtrusive. Just a bit ago I went to the store w/o a moment's hesitation. No one had an idea that I was wearing a diaper (and if they did - I didn't care!) That is one thing I am careful about in my cloth diapers - inside only!

It is very hot here today, so the one thing I noticed is how sweaty I am. If I wore 24x7 that would be disturbing in the heat.

If i was inclined to make the switch from cloth to disposable, I think I found a winner in the Bambino's.

Best to all,

CDL

[Guest Katharsys]

Thank you everyone for the replies to my initial posting. Though, I do hope that this thread doesn't turn into a flame war.

Unfortunately, the first bambino that I tried had to be changed early, due to circumstances, and I didn't get a chance to test for the max absorbency. I have noted the ongoing discussion on the claims that bambino's have a higher maximum aborbency, and I know that this is due a larger ratio of gel to wood-pulp. Mathematically, that ratio will always say that the bambino's can hold more. But there are several other factors in play there as well.

The first, and foremost is the particulate concentration within the urine. The higher the concentration, the harder it is to be absorbed, and the longer it will take. Particulate concentrations will vary from person to person, as well a void to void within a single person. It comes down to how much have you had to drink; how much of that was a diuretic/hydration; do you currently have any illnesses; health of the kidneys overall; etc. So while testing can say that it is more absorbent, in practical purposes it can vary. This is important.

Second is the very fact of that ratio of gel to wood-pulp. Wood-pulp is not just filler material. It serves the useful purpose of immediate flood control. Gel takes longer (even at full hydration levels) to absorb the fluid, whereas the wood-pulp does provide an almost immediate absorption of the fluid. In this, the abena brand has a nice mix.

I tried the second bambino in a nighttime testing, and I was sadly disappointed. Within two hours, I semi-woke up to roll-over, and experienced the dreaded wet-sheet effect. Needless to say, I was unhappy about this. What occurred is that while rolling over, my bladder let go, and the lack of additional wood-pulp allowed the flood-flow to seep up and over the top of the diaper. The gel just couldn't keep up. Now let me clarify, I am a belly sleeper, and as such I have always had an issue with over-the-top flow in the front. I correct this somewhat with a backwards-tuck (one of the interesting things of being TG), and that usually allows for me to be able to use the backside of the brief before it flows to the front. In this case however, even that didn't help to the degree needed. The flow just ran through the diaper, and out the top. By the time I was awake enough to realize it, the sheets were wet.

I am not going to say that I have never had this experience with the abena brands, as I have - but only when they were filled to total capacity. The back half of the bambino had caught only a very minimal amount of fluid, in that it let the rest run to the front - to where the wood-pulp had already reached maximum absorption and was unable to hold any more urine in place long enough for the gel to work it's magic.

Since I am an incon, and actually need my briefs to work (especially at night), this is important to me. With this experience, I am not so sure that I will be switching over to the bambino brands, unless they make some critical changes to the diaper. Don't get me wrong, they do have an excellent diaper, but it isn't one that really meets my needs, and maybe not those others who experience uncontrolled urination.

[adriansurley]

Sorry you leaked - I think people just vary honestly with body shapes. I too am incontinent - both urinary and bowel - and the briefs working is extremely important to me as well. I have never once leaked with a Bambino (granted I am a girl, but I can speak for my boyfriend and he has never leaked either) while we have both leaked in an Abena - so, honestly it varies by account. Abenas don't have a waistband really which presents problem for those men especially that don't "tuck" as the urine can go right out of the top. Also, just both of our experiences we have leaked a couple times at night with an Abena as it leaks out the side and not so with the Bambino. Maybe this is just the difference in how we arrange/position/tape our diapers, possibly? I am sure it varies. In regards to urine concentration - your point is misleading a bit as urine is composed of basically salts and water with some other various things mixed in. While the amount of salts vary, agreed, it is not that significant because nobody urinates pure water...there is always salt in there. So, it's really not that significant because urine is the same between 99% of people unless you have blood in your urine or more serious things of that nature - in which, the least of your worries would probably be leaking. Overall, both great diapers - it just comes down to preference - I just happen to choose Bambinos because of more features and they support ABDLs. So, I don't know. Both diapers are definitely the two top elite diapers.

[CDLover]

Katharsys,

If you leak like that, perhaps you need to wear cloth diapers at night. I have not had a night time leak in over 7 years.

CDL

[dethpuck]

i've noticed that the new bambinos are a bit slow to absorb. i've had a few leaks when I have a big wetting. mostly in the am. i don't sleep wet, but I stand up and wet, sometimes not slow enough i guess. the diaper holds it all and then i go to lay back down and it immediately leaks because the liquid isn't absorbed all the way. it seems to be not that the bambino couldn't hold it, it just didn't absorb fast enough. kinda frustrating since in all other regards bambinos are so superior.