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Active Ultra Review With Photos


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I got some samples of these new diapers the other day so here's my review. Rather than load this thread up with pictures, I've stuck them on a hastily built web page at:

sites.google.com/site/autieab/home/active-ultra

I'll refer to pics with links. That way, if you're sat somewhere where huge pictures of diapers on the screen might be a problem, you're safe :lol:. You can click each image on the web page to view the picture in a larger size with more detail.

What's in a Name?

I admit, I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to call this diaper. The site where I ordered the sample referred to them as "Provider's Choice ACTIVE". The site where they seem to be sold (activediaper.com) simply redirects to another site (ImproveLife.com) where they're referred to as "Active Ultra Plus 12 Hour Adult Briefs", which I guess is their full name for use only when you're meeting the Queen or something. It's a bit of a tongue twister anyway so I'm just gonna call them Active Ultra diapers for now. I guess we'll work out what we're actually supposed to call them in time :lol:

First Impressions

This is an predominantly white, plastic-covered diaper (photo 1) with a velcro landing zone (photo 2) and tapes (photo 5). The manufacturer claims this combination is unique and I certainly haven't heard of any other diapers that use this system. On the subject of manufacturer claims, they make some big ones - in some advertising blurb that came with the sample, they specifically state that their diaper is "extraordinary", "superior to the top-of-the-line briefs made by Abena, Molicare, Tena and Eurobrief" and that their diaper "will out-perform any brief on the market today". Bold claims! You might notice there's at least one prominent US premium diaper manufacturer missing from their list and I suspect I know why. We'll get onto that in a bit.

The diaper has front and rear waistbands, standing leak guards and a fairly discrete wetness indicator (just a couple of stars and the size). The inside is very soft with a blue panel in the crotch (photo 3 and photo 4).

My first impression, as I mentioned in another thread, was that this is basically a Secure X-Plus diaper with a different tape system applied. Superficially, that's true, I think. They're the same size and shape, look the same when folded (photo 7), have the same top sheet style, colour and pattern (photo 6). The tape landing zones, while different are of the same dimensions to within millimetres. The fit is also the same. In fact, tapes and landing zone aside, the only visual differences are very subtle - the Active Ultra's rear waistband is wider (vertically) than the Secure X-Plus (photo 8), the wetness indicators are different and the outer plastic is very slightly different too. Like Bambinos in relation to Secure X-Plus, the Active Ultra's 'parentage' is very clear but there are some more differences 'under the hood' that aren't so visible but are important :)

Fit

This diaper fit me very well. There was no bagginess in the butt or front. I have a 30" waist and tried the medium size (I wear a medium in everything else). The tapes held very well with no sign of stretching or pulling apart even after a fairly active evening and wearing it overnight. Bambino/Secure tapes often tend to start to pull off the rear of the diaper when I wear them overnight (but never come away completely) but as I said, no sign of this on the Active Ultra. There wasn't any chaffing to mention either. Being velcro not sticky, the tapes can be refastened a lot more easily and probably more often than even other landing zone-type diapers and there's no need to be careful of baby lotion, etc, getting on the tapes. They're a bit quieter than sticky tapes on a landing zone, too. The outer plastic is very soft. I'd go so far as to say this is probably the nicest, smoothest feeling plastic diaper I've ever worn. The plastic feels slightly softer and perhaps just a bit thicker than a Secure X-Plus when felt side-by-side.

Absorbency

Very, very good. I don't want to comment too much on the dry thickness of this diaper because samples are always de-compressed and have been tumbled around in the postal system so they probably expanded a bit. They seem to be about the same thickness when dry as a Secure X-Plus or a Bambino though. When wet though, this diaper bulks up a lot, more than a Secure/Bambino, I think! :) It feels like perhaps the SAP ratio has been increased a little bit but not so much it falls apart.

In terms of absorbency, dare I say it, they might be a bit better than Secure/Bambino. Normally when I'm trying out a new diaper, I make an effort not to go nuts on the liquid so I don't end up flooding it. With the Active Ultra though, I put it on just before heading out to a restaurant, where I downed a couple of 30oz Cokes and had a couple of 12oz hard ciders shortly after I got home, all four drinks in the space of about 2 hours and then went to bed. Suffice to say, the diaper got several good soakings overnight :blush: and took a full wetting in the morning too before I decided that was enough. It weighed 1.4KG more than when I put it on, which is equivalent 1.4 litres of pee, roughly 6 US cups or just over 47 US ounces. Let me be clear though, the diaper was not full to capacity - there was some dry padding at the back (which considering how much I used it lying down over night is impressive) and plenty at the front. I only took it off because I'd been wearing it just over 13 hours and - there was a bit of a whiff just starting to develop :lol:. The odour/bacteria control was very good though - most diapers would have smelt a lot more by then considering I'd drunk alcohol.

Bear in mind though, this was just one diaper. More research is required to determine if we do actually have a new thirstiest diaper on our hands :) I'm wearing a Secure X-Plus now (immediately after the Active Plus) to try and get a comparison.

The Verdict

The Active Ultra is a fantastic diaper. Make no mistake, it's an immediate favourite for me. My memories are hazy but I think the first diaper I ever wore of my own volition was a plastic-backed and velcro-taped baby diaper. That was why I ordered the samples and they certainly didn't disappoint. I felt more babyish in the Active Plus than in a Bambino Bianco although the ABU Cushie does beat them both in terms of pure cuteness (albeit with lower absorbency as the trade off, as we know).

The bottom line is that this diaper slots right into the 'Secure X-Plus vs Bambino' choice. It's now 'Secure X-Plus vs Active Ultra vs Bambino'. They're all very similar but have differences that appeal to different people and situations.

If it turns out to be true that the Active Ultra is of the Secure X-Plus lineage (and I think that's almost certain) then I would hope we'll see it's improvements (the wider rear waistband, softer plastic, and possible better capacity) rolled into the other diapers in the family at some point.

The only fly in the ointment is frankly nit-picking but because the tapes aren't sticky, it's impossible to use them to hold a balled up diaper closed by my usual method. Perhaps I need to try and work out a way of balling it up so that the landing zone is on the outside.

9.5 / 10

Will buy a case in the future? Definitely :D

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Thanks for posting this, very informative! :thumbsup: I'll order a sample as well for something else to play with and see how they work, and also compare prices for these vs. Bambinos and secure xplus

Thanks again!

qwack

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So from all this we can safely deduce that this diaper is manufactured in the same factory in China that also makes the Secure and Bambino lines.

I would wager on it, yes. Given that the cases sizes and prices are exactly the same as both Bambino and Secure X-Plus, it's probably not just the factory that's the same - the purchaser probably is too :P (or perhaps is required by a contract to directly undercut the other two, not that we'll ever find out :rolleyes:).

Like when Bambino came out and we all noticed that they're practically the same as Secure X-Plus, so to is the case with Active Ultra, albeit with some very subtle differences & improvements noted above...

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Thanks for the thorough and informative review! I have to say, it's a little disappointing that they aren't something brand new. I was really looking forward to trying something unique. They do sound pretty decent, regardless. It's also nice to know that they fit your waist, as I'm roughly the same size.

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I just got mine yesterday. I concur on the diaper. I would say this is indeed a new diaper out there for us. I have yet to put it on. Will try it this morning for the day. I had to get the medium as that is the smallest size. These also were totally free including shipping. For those that haven't done so yet I understand this is a limited sample so you might wanna get on board soon.

I kinda tossed them aside yesterday, thinking they would be to big and they were cloth covered with the Velcro (type) system. It is really a plastic backed diaper that is really buttery soft. They added a 5-6 inch landing zone for the tapes that is weird, more like a textured plastic than the conventional velco type thing you might be thinking of.

I just put one on, and as I am normally used to a smaller diaper, this did fit me okay. I did have to tuck the front half way around my backside. I fastened the tapes a couple of times to get a snug fit best I could on a smaller frame. Those of you with a little more girth shouldn't have any problem with these. They are quite thick and the crotch is fairly wider than I'm used to. It is bunched up a tad between my legs. I test fitted my jeans over it, and it was not to noticeable. I mean I noticed it but I doubt anyone else will. It does however round out my back side. I would guess after a few wettings this thing is going to be bulging front and back but as it is now, dry, it should go pretty much undetected even for the discerning eye.

I'm not one to flaunt my wear. But will wear this out and about today to give it the true field test. There are some around me that know of my incontinence, but have never even noticed when I'm wearing. Many have commented that they could not detect that I was wearing, and that is with a Molicare on. So I'll give you a report on day later on.

The price on these for a case of 48 in medium is $66 with a 25% off your first order using coupon code ACTIVE on line or by phoning them. That's $49.50 a case (FREE SHIPPING) after rebate or a tad over a dollar a diaper. I have no doubt that these are worth that price! So get the sample NOW and try these out for yourself. thumbsup.gif

BTW they shipped the samples in a standard USPS mailing box with just the name of Providers Choice on the label so that's pretty discreet. The website is for health care items if someone wanted to investigate your mail and there is a multitude of items there so no one would know what it was you did order.

http://www.activediaper.com/

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I never did get my sample its been over a week maybe it will come today. from what I could see plastic but Velcro tapes if this diaper had a print on it it would be a great new baby diaper for us..

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I would wager on it, yes. Given that the cases sizes and prices are exactly the same as both Bambino and Secure X-Plus, it's probably not just the factory that's the same - the purchaser probably is too :P (or perhaps is required by a contract to directly undercut the other two, not that we'll ever find out :rolleyes:).

From what I have been able to determine by snooping on activediaper.com I believe they are a different company from Secure, as their offices are in a completely different city from the Secure/Bambino offices. I don't believe Secure would try to compete with itself by rolling out a new product under a new company name instead of just adding it to their existing lineup. It may be another venture by The Bottom Half Group (parent company of Secure & Bambino)... that will take more digging to find out.

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Okay here's my little review. So From eight or so in the morning my day began in this diaper. Not much to say at first. My incontinence varies from a light dribble to a full out flow. I would think for a while during the morning it took about two hours of just light leakage. I did feel a surge some short time later. I was actually alarmed as the diaper puddled up first then over the course of 5-10 seconds absorbed away. I discreetly searched the back side for the "half moon". thankfully there was none. I went down to hang out with a few friends at the local pub. Tossing back a few I knew when I was flowing a little heavy, and kept feeling as though I was leaking or I guess would say felt as though I was wetter on my rear than I normally feel through my day.

I believe around 1:30 p.m. I arrived back home as I felt as though this thing was going to explode, the front was bulging pretty good and Although I was in a darkened pub. I wasn't feeling to comfortable with the weight and feel of the thing.

I checked the diaper front to back and it was indeed about ready to fail. It had done a fine job of wicking front to back as the whole diaper was indeed saturated and I did just start to have a small amount of seepage on the rear where I had been sitting.

Now granted I usually wear a small Moli, and I know for a fact it couldn't have taken the flow that this diaper did. But that being said perhaps a Medium Moli could. Given the fact that I couldn't get a true form fit with this medium might explain the seepage. But I think the diaper had it's fill 24.gif .

So I must say that the tapes on this thing are pretty sweet and sure do hold well. It sounded as though they ripped when adjusting them, but they reapplied with no problem and held just as good after 3 tapings. The amount had to be at least 48 fl. oz. probably closer to the 64 fl. oz. area. So that's what about 2 liters? Not too shabby huh?

Given the tapes, the plastic lining, the standing guards...and the waistband set up with the introductory price discount , If they made a small. I would buy the case. You medium and up crowd....I give these a serious 9 outta 10. thumbsup.gif

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I got my sample today these diapers are very nice the Wetness indicator looks like snowflakes.I ordered a case of them today. I wish Bambino would make there new diaper like this but with a babyish print on it. I love how its plastic backing but still as a cloth like landing zone so it has Velcro tapes very cool..

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From what I have been able to determine by snooping on activediaper.com I believe they are a different company from Secure, as their offices are in a completely different city from the Secure/Bambino offices. I don't believe Secure would try to compete with itself by rolling out a new product under a new company name instead of just adding it to their existing lineup. It may be another venture by The Bottom Half Group (parent company of Secure & Bambino)... that will take more digging to find out.

I was under the impression that Bottom Half was just Bambino and that Secure acted as OEM for them. I believe that in fact G. Hirsch owns Secure along with a partial stake in Bottom Half. I might be mistaken.... anyone else know

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I used my 2 free samples and I have to say this is my new diaper I will be using all the time. I used one yesterday in the day time and one last night. When sleeping the Velcro tapes hold very tight all night This diaper did not leak at all I think it holds more then Bambino not sure one thing is for sure if it does not hold more then Bambino it holds just as much. when this diaper so soaked I still felt dry and the diaper does not swell up at all which is nice. They sent out my case the same day I ordered it by FedEx.some was thinking this diaper was put out by Bambino-SecurePersonalCare because this diaper looks so much like Secure X-Plus beside the cloth like Landing Zone and Velcro tapes. I don't think that is the case because Bambino and Secure are low rise diapers and these are high rise diapers and Bambino and Secure ship by UPS and these diapers are shipped by FedEx. I did email Bambino about this diaper yesterday with a link to the website so they could see it asking them to make one just like it with a babyish print. That would be the only thing that would make this diaper better other then no baby print this diaper is perfect..

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So far I like the tapes on this diaper. They seem to be staying in one place and not breaking off the back of the diaper like some of the other velcro tapes have a tendancy to do. I think I might have to order a case of these and give them a try.

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some was thinking this diaper was put out by Bambino-SecurePersonalCare because this diaper looks so much like Secure X-Plus beside the cloth like Landing Zone and Velcro tapes. I don't think that is the case because Bambino and Secure are low rise diapers and these are high rise diapers and Bambino and Secure ship by UPS and these diapers are shipped by FedEx.

I think you are perhaps understating the relationship. To the best of my knowledge Bambino is not the same company as Secure. Bambino has their diapers manufactured for them by Secure - but they are still separate company. It's no different than when Frito Lay makes potato chips for a supermarket to be sold as a private label item. It doesn't mean that Frito Lay owns your grocery store, simply that they made a product for them to sell.

I believe that Bottom Half Group (Company that sells Bambinos) is partially owned by G Hirsch (Secure) but they are still separate companies. Based on my samples I am inclined to think that G. Hirsch manufactures this diaper for Providers Choice - but because providers choice is their own company means that they could ship how ever they pleased. The fact that Bambino and Secure uses similar shipping methods could be either coincidence or because of the relationship between the two companies they could both leverage the same shipping methodologies.

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my review of Active Ultra,

so yes these diapers look like they are made in the same factory as bambino and probably are...but with "velcro" taping system .. when i first tried to put one on, the two bottom tapes ripped right off! than i realized that the landing zone does not cover the entire front of the brief! and i was trying to hard to make them fit, this will prevent many people from being able to wear these diapers for a large size any one with over a 42" waist may not fit these diapers!, however the top tapes held and i went to sleep , in the morning i was wet as normal and when i went to change i realized that only one side was still attached! the side that failed was the side i usually sleep on , but my pajama pants held the diaper in place over night!... but they didnt leak! .... in the morning i put the second diaper of the sample pack on carefully and was able not to rip the tape tabs off so far so good!....

so in my opionion these are as absorbant as bambino / secure / abeana and they are really VERY comfortable and these could be a new diaper for you but they have real problems with the taping system......

they MUST expand the landing ZONE to cover the entire front and be as large as the bambino's /secure landing zone..

as a side sleeper i believe that the velcro can not stand the pressure and will fail.

so I WILL order these diapers again but they may end up for daytime use only .

AND these are a MUST try for everyone as they may be perfect for you!

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Sound to me like you needed to try a bigger size. because I used my 2 samples and they both worked great the best diaper I have ever seen. I even ordered a case of them..They are NOT made in the same factory as bambino these hold more then bambino and bambino are low rise diapers these are high rise diapers.only thing wrong with these diapers is there is no baby print on them LOL.. But the taps hold tight all night and fit and worked on me very good I used and ordered a size medium I have a waist size of 39-40

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babyforyou: Just because they worked for you does not mean they are going to work for everyone. Every week you have a "New" favorite diaper...and are hating on some other diaper...I wonder which one it will be next week.

I have tried these new diapers from the sample order and they are good diapers...nothing to call home about - but they are pretty good.

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You can always make me laugh with you posts adrian.

Anyway, after the reviews and all the hype and with there being a discount code, I went ahead and ordered a case today. Nothing really said anything about discrete shipping but as many of us have determined here, they are very, very similar to the Bambino/Secure/Cuddlz so I would be surprized if they are discrete and packaged in a similar manner to those brands. They're offered in the same size packaging, look nearly the same except for the taping system soooooo. You know what they say, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck. Say what you want but it's obvious enough to me that the diapers at least are produced at the same place.

Anyway, we'll see how they are when I get them. I'm looking forward to the velcro tapes as I prefer those. I pretty much already know what to expect since I wear bambinos at times.

Heck, maybe this velcro tape system was suppose to be bambinos "NEW" diaper but someone else got it instead. Hmmmmmm, okay, probably not.

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Sound to me like you needed to try a bigger size. because I used my 2 samples and they both worked great the best diaper I have ever seen. I even ordered a case of them..They are NOT made in the same factory as bambino these hold more then bambino and bambino are low rise diapers these are high rise diapers.only thing wrong with these diapers is there is no baby print on them LOL.. But the taps hold tight all night and fit and worked on me very good I used and ordered a size medium I have a waist size of 39-40

I dont think ordering a larger size will solve the issue...

if they claim that the large will fit a 45" to 58" waist and me with a 40" waist could barley get the tapes to reach the landing zone that may be an issue!....

and since the actual diaper is exactly the same size as a large bambino..... i doubt a larger size would do me any good!

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