New Brand, Or New Name?

[Heven]

Has anyone seen these guys yet? http://www.activediaper.com/ It seems like they're the same company that makes these: http://www.providerschoicemed.com/site/freesample.html#'>http://www.providerschoicemed.com/site/freesample.html# (Possibly the same product, but different name and description)

I haven't heard of either of these things yet, and somehow the different websites strike me as suspicious. For example, their main site, http://www.providerschoicemed.com/ doesn't list either of the above products, and seems like it was built from a template, with little regard to actually filling in the content.

Thoughts, comments?

[Sophie ♥]

Well, they don't look special to me.

And a "new" diaper that brings nothing new to the table doesn't deserve the time of day...

But no, I've never heard of or used them.

-Sophie

[Horndog]

They don't look special to me either. Just looks like a generic brand with lots of promises -- all meant to be broken

[Repaid1]

I signed up for the free samples, unfortunately they only make a medium as the smallest size, so we will see and I'll give you a report in a week or so when they arrive.

[Heven]

They're intriguing to me because they're gunning for the premium market, naming the big companies by name, so it must at least be on the thicker side. Also, one of them advertises having velcro tabs, but still being plastic-backed. That combination seems like it has a lot of potential. I'm wary of signing up for samples, though, as I don't like being added to mailing lists like this...

Also, the no smalls thing pisses me off. It's like the world penalizes you for having a waist smaller than 32". Bullshit.

[Honu]

They sound interesting to me. Specifically, they site the use of SAP which is exactly what the quality baby diapers use to be thin and yet high capacity. If someone has really made an adult diaper with the technical advances of baby diapers, that would be great!

[AutieAB]

Has anyone seen these guys yet? http://www.activediaper.com/ It seems like they're the same company that makes these: http://www.providerschoicemed.com/site/freesample.html# (Possibly the same product, but different name and description)

Second page of the free sample form confirms it's the 'Active 12 Hour Brief' that they're sampling. It asks some really quite inappropriate questions with required answers... Which I made up (phone number 000-000-0000 works just fine )

I ordered a sample, we'll see what's up when they come. It promised 3-7 days. I also used a fake name so if the details are being sold or added to any mailing lists, I'll know it was them

[Juliabam]

They sound interesting to me. Specifically, they site the use of SAP which is exactly what the quality baby diapers use to be thin and yet high capacity. If someone has really made an adult diaper with the technical advances of baby diapers, that would be great!

umm, I'm pretty sure that nappies for adults with the same technical advances as those for babies have been around for quite some time, several yëars even, but you may correct me if I'm wrong.

[babyforyou]

umm, I'm pretty sure that nappies for adults with the same technical advances as those for babies have been around for quite some time, several yëars even, but you may correct me if I'm wrong.

I signed up for the free sample they look nice

[Dirty Diaper/Maxipad Lover]

And a "new" diaper that brings nothing new to the table doesn't deserve the time of day...

I understand where you're coming from, but no one will know if these bring anything "new" to the table unless they try them, right?

They don't look special to me either. Just looks like a generic brand with lots of promises -- all meant to be broken

DirtyRocker, this has always been a common misconception about virtually all things generic. I've admittedly purchased generic baby diapers and menstrual pads before, and these products have generally been on par with brand-name items. (Although I'm unaware of any examples involving diapers, some "generic" items are really just repackaged brand-name items.) In general if a generic item is made for a large chain such as CVS, Wal-Greens, or Rite-Aid, it'll likely be of comparable quality to a brand-name product. Most of these chains "share" their generics with other stores; for example, Rite-Aids training pants are identical to K-Mart's generic brand, which is identical to at least one grocery store's generic training pants. The only difference is the packaging, everything else, right down to the designs on the training pants are identical. Now if a generic item is produced exclusively for a dollar store, and doesn't have a larger "non-budget" chain backing it, that product will likely be crap, in which case the usual myth about generic products actually does hold true. Most high-quality generic diapers and similar products are actually manufactured by Tyco healthcare products; look closely at the label, if you see "Tyco's" name on it, it's probably going to be of decent quality, simply because Tyco is able to spend the same type of money as KCWW and P&G because they sell to multiple retailers, much like KCWW and P&G.

Another good example of generic baby diapers that are of decent quality are the "Fitti" brand, which I've reviewed on this site in the past. In fact, the "Fitti" diapers actually have wetness indicators, which are something that brand-name diapers such as Huggies and Pampers do not.

Now granted, I don't really know much about generic adult diapers, but based on the quality of other generic items, I'd hypothesize that there are likely some that are of comparable quality to brand-name diapers, and some that are likely crap.

They're intriguing to me because they're gunning for the premium market, naming the big companies by name, so it must at least be on the thicker side. Also, one of them advertises having velcro tabs, but still being plastic-backed. That combination seems like it has a lot of potential...Also, the no smalls thing pisses me off. It's like the world penalizes you for having a waist smaller than 32"...

Heven, it's actually not uncommon for makers of generics to name brand-name manufacturers by name anymore. For example, many generic menstrual pads will often read something like "Compare to Always," pantyliners may read "Compare to Kotex," while tampons may read "Compare to Playtex," or something similar, and facial tissues often read "Compare to Kleenex." Generic baby diapers and generic sodas often read something to the effect of "compare to the leading premium/name brand," simply because there are only two "name brands" on the market. In the case of diapers, those are "Huggies" and "Pampers," and in the case of soda those are "Coca-Cola" and "Pepsi." ("Luvs" are no longer a premium brand of baby diapers; I guess they're analogous to RC Cola in a way.) This "dare to compare" is essentially a response to the myth that "all generic products suck," and as people are trying generics, they're beginning to realize that the aforementioned myth is often just that--a myth.

The "plastic-backed with velcro tabs" thing sounds interesting to say the least. I kind of wish a baby diaper manufacturer would try something like that. Luvs comes to mind as a good candidate for such a product; there's absolutely no reason why they can't and shouldn't be an alternative to Huggies and Pampers. (The only reason Luvs are a budget brand now is that P&G doesn't want their Luvs brand competing with their Pampers brand, and I really wish another company would buy the Luvs brand name before P&G winds up killing it.)

Also, how much do you weigh, Heven? If you have a waist that's smaller than 32", there's a good chance that you'd probably find "Youth Diapers" to be of a better fit than traditional "adult diapers." Youth diapers are essentially designed for children and teenagers, who generally have a waist that's larger than that of a baby, but smaller than that of the average adult. Many slender adults can fit into youth diapers better than they can fit into adult diapers, and it's not uncommon for slender adults to use products such as Goodnites (arguably youth diapers) for urinary incontinence, simply because they fit better, are less expensive, and less obvious who they're intended for than true adult diapers. The simple fact is that as a nation, America (and to a lesser extent, Canada) is generally fatter than the rest of the world, and the "small" end of our approximate median waist size is 36". I'm not saying that this is "right," nor am I saying that smaller adults should be ignored, but I can understand why an upstart company might not want to invest in "small" sized diapers, at least not early on. Now if demand increases for such a product, there's a good chance that we'll likely see more "small" sized diapers designed to fit waist sizes below 32".

I ordered a sample, we'll see what's up when they come. It promised 3-7 days. I also used a fake name so if the details are being sold or added to any mailing lists, I'll know it was them

The phone number thing is hilarious AutieAB. I knew someone who used to use the names of sitcom characters and 555-555-5555 with non-existent street addresses, "password" as a password, and the credit card number "0000 0000 0000 0000" to reply to phishing schemes from behind a corporate Firewall. The company's IT people naturally had a blast whenever said employee did this. I think the most memorable one of these replies was the one where the password "password" was replaced with the phrase "Ihatenigerianprinces," (read it without spaces; you'll get the joke,) during an influx of those stupid chain letters getting through the companies spam filters for a few hours.

umm, I'm pretty sure that nappies for adults with the same technical advances as those for babies have been around for quite some time, several yëars even, but you may correct me if I'm wrong.

I believe that you're correct, but I also believe that the adult diapers with those technical advances (unlike baby diapers with the same advances) aren't as common in the US as they are in Europe. (I gather from your use of the term nappies that you're likely in the UK.) Again, I have limited knowledge of the adult diapers that are sold here, so if someone who has more experience with them than me wants to correct me, please do.

[MikeDJ]

Seems like a cool diaper ..All white, no silly colors or designs....might be thick but it has clothlike scratchy outer cover..So, simply put ..not interested...........

[Horndog]

DirtyRocker, this has always been a common misconception about virtually all things generic.

True, but I've tried most of the brands that you've mentioned. They're really not that great, I have to say.

If a few people post about this diaper being good, then I'll try it, but I'm not holding my breath.

[AutieAB]

Seems like a cool diaper ..All white, no silly colors or designs....might be thick but it has clothlike scratchy outer cover..So, simply put ..not interested...........

My reading of the description is that it's a plastic-covered diaper with a cloth-type landing zone for velcro tapes... Mostly, it's plastic covered, as far as I can tell... Should have them this week so we'll see. Pics, initial review when I can

[ranger]

These seem like good diapers. Unfortunatly, I can't try my samples. They are similar to secure x-plus with a velcro strip and tabs. The problem is, the velcro landing zone does not extend far enough to secure the tabs to them.

[ranger]

These seem like good diapers. Unfortunatly, I can't try my samples. They are similar to secure x-plus with a velcro strip and tabs. The problem is, the velcro landing zone does not extend far enough to secure the tabs to them.

After doing some measuring, I think they sent size L instead of XL. Oh, well, more incentive to lose weight.

[AutieAB]

After doing some measuring, I think they sent size L instead of XL. Oh, well, more incentive to lose weight.

So there's no identifying mark on the diaper to show what size it is? That's gonna go down well well professional buyers The image on the site looks very babyish to me... Do they look that way in the flesh?

[AutieAB]

Ok, my samples came today. By priority mail none the less. The fact that they actually give genuinely free samples and that they rush ship them (probably at some expense) shows they must have confidence in their product, which is a good sign.

Unlike ranger, I got the right size (at least they're printed with 'medium' as a wetness indicator). I haven't tried them yet but first visual impressions are good. This is a thick diaper and is all-white bar the ends of the tapes, the wetness indicator and one of those 'blue bits' on the inside topsheet. Outer cover is plastic (feels similar to Secure X-Plus) except for the tape landing zone in the front (very much like the Bambino Bianco landing zone, except it's designed for Velcro tapes). They have front and rear waistbands, again very Bambino. In fact, it feels very much like a Secure X-Plus or Bambino type diaper in general...

The literature that comes with it continues the very bold claims they make on the website & again calls out their rivals by name. Interestingly, one name that's missing from the list of brands that they claim their products are superior to is Secure X-Plus. Both Providers Choice and Secure Personal Care are CA companies so I'm sure they're aware of each other. Now either that's just a coincidence that they chose not to mention Secure X-Plus or there's a certain popular brand that they don't want to interfere with for 'some reason' .

Like I said, these are just first visual impressions. I'll post something more like a review when I've given them a run for their money but I suspect I'm gonna like this diaper