Latest Thoughts On A Variety Of Brands

[gah!ghost]

The first adult diapers I ever tried where the Molicare Super Plus. This was back in the early 2000s and according to the Internet they where the best thing around so when I finally got the courage to order online, that's what I ordered. Since then I have tried a variety of different brands and styles, a lot of them fairly recently.

To give a bit of context, I'm not sure exactly what I am. I would say a Diaper Lover as any Adult Baby stuff is of zero interest to me but I also don't really have a sexual component. Perhaps I'm just a Diaper Enthusiast.

Disclaimer: These are my thoughts/reviews of the brands and styles I have tried so far. These are just my opinions and personal tastes. Not meant to be reviews for everyone but people who like one of the brands I do may also find they like other brands I do so it could be useful in that respect.

Abena X-Plus

I keep going back to these, I've bought them three times now. I do not know why. Maybe it's because everyone else seems to like them so much. Whatever the case I think I've finally confirmed they are not for me. I'm not a fan of the higher waisted fit. The plastic feels soft to the touch but isn't very flexible so they're both restricting and don't stay tight. The design on the outside of the plastic isn't really to my taste either, too institutional I think. They also seem to be more prone to leaks than others I have tried, I think due to the inflexible plastic shell and the legs getting loose after barely any time.

Abena Airplus X-Plus

I tried these once. I wanted to try out something cloth backed. Basically they have all the same problems as the regular ones for me, but add to that the tapes not sticking well to the cloth backing and the whole cloth backing not holding in moisture thing.

Attends with Waistband

I wish these where better made/thicker because I actually really love the fit and the plastic. They also have the best leg gathers I have come across which balances out somewhat the lack of standing leak guards. Even with a regular Abri-Let Booster they didn't hold much though. Maybe they'd be better off with the larger Abri-Let or perhaps one of the large Bambino boosters. I only ordered a sample of them, but I may well buy a bag at some point and just supplement them with a more serious booster.

Attends Extended Wear

Why oh why do they not make this one with the same plastic backing, waistband, and six tapes as the Waistband breif. The capacity is actually pretty damn good but the cloth backing kills it for me. I don't even mind the peach color, in fact I kind of like it. I get a bit sick of all the white diapers and something with some color is a nice change. The cloth backing though is a deal breaker. Weirdly though, the cloth backing is among the louder backings I have come across plastic, cloth, or otherwise.

Dry 24/7

I bought a sample of these when XP Medical first started carrying them. That was the batch with the plastic beading on the shell and the pinholes problem, which I think was related to the plastic balling. It seems like they got a batch of not properly melted/mixed plastic backing. I normally wear mediums in everything but the Drycare medium is a bit big on me. That said though, after trying them a second time, this time the non-defective ones I ended up ordering a bag. They're not my absolute favorites but the sheer thickness of them is fun at times so I like having them around. The plastic backing seems to have a bit of the same problem as the Abena but not as bad. Still I find when wearing them for awhile they tend to leak around the legs unless I re-adjust them a few times as the plastic stretches out.

Unique Wellness

These I bought on a bit of a whim. I often buy from Northshore Medical via Amazon as I have a Prime account and two day free shipping is convenient. At the time Northshore was all out of Molicare mediums on Amazon so I figured what the hell. They're ok. That's about the best I can say for them. I don't dislike them the same way I do the Abenas but they also don't really bring anything unique to the party. They're pretty much mediocre across the board. Ok fit, ok absorbency, ok thickness, ok plastic, etc. The only thing that's not okay with them is the price. They're not crazy expensive, but also not cheap, and not worth the price at all. The manufacturer's claim of 12 hours without a change is bunk. I will not be buying them again.

Bambino Classico

As stated above, I'm not really into the whole AB thing at all yet I like the printed diapers all the same. Offers some variety and the pastel blocks of the Classico are a nice change. I really like these with a few reservations. They absorb really well, they fit great, and the plastic shell seems to have all the necessary flexibility I like. Unfortunately the plastic shell is also not the softest thing in the world. It's not a huge bother but if I wear one too long the chaffing really gets to my sensitive skin. Even still they'd make my top five favorites.

Tranquility ATN

These where suggested to me by a fellow Molicare Super Plus fan. He, I think it was a he, said that they're not really like Molicares but that he likes them and the Molicares so I might as well. Turns out he was right. The fit is fairly similar, with the lower rise I like. They have a great crinkly plastic that is a nice novelty as many of the other higher end diapers have fairly quiet plastic. They also swell up a lot, which again, isn't something I want every day but is a nice change of pace. Overall I'd probably rank them third or forth favorite. Either right above or right below Bambinos.

Molicare Super

Never really occurred to me to try these until recently. Why as simply a Diaper Enthusiast, who values thickness over concealability, would I opt for a thinner version of the Super Plus? It wasn't until I actually saw a picture of them on that my interest was piqued. They have a bunch of unique features to them which I haven't really seen on anything else. They have elastic tapes, which the Teddies had but no longer have. Unlike reports on the Teddie's tapes, I have had no issue with them breaking. The elastic portion is made from a very heavy gage rubber. They also have a central plastic shell but cloth side panels. They're pretty damn thin though, seeming to be almost all SAP and no fluff. They are amazingly comfortable though. The cloth side panels mean they breath great and the elastic tapes ensure a great fit. Adding one of the large all-fluff Abri-Let booster fixes the lack of fluff in the diaper proper and makes for nearly my ideal diaper but still, not my absolute favorite. I only have ordered a sample of them but look forward to ordering a bag of them and the large Abri-Let boosters the next time I need to place an order.

Molicare Super Plus

Still my absolute favorite easy. The combination of the fit, plastic, and wicking wins out for me every time. No matter how wet they never sag, they never chafe at all, and they're just plan comfortable. I also really like the purple as well. It's always been a favorite color of mine. Whenever I haven't worn one in awhile because I was wearing other brands I am surprised my just how much I like them more. I will still keep ordering other diapers for variety, but I don't see anything else beating these anytime soon.

[dirusnightwolf]

Very nice. I think we need more of these evaluations. I tell yeah, I miss the old Attends (six blue tapes). I used those for years, with traquality ATN's.

[gah!ghost]

Interesting thing in that regard. The first time I ordered diapers was a bunch of samples. iirc it was a Molicare Super Plus, Molicare Super, Attends, and a Tena. This was back in maybe 2001 or 2002 so the Tena and Attends I think where actually the much better older versions. The Molicare Super was the blue all plastic type which I think they still sell.

Thing that sucks though as I still wasn't very comfortable with myself, being only about 20-21 years old, and right after I used the Molicare Super Plus I wigged out and threw out the rest unused and unworn. It took me something like 6-8 years to finally buy diapers again. Since then it's been totally different though. No guilt, worry, etc. I guess that's the difference between being 28-30 and being 20-21.

I regret never having tried the older style Attends and Tena. You can still get the old-style Tena via Europe if I understand correctly. The "Tena Slip".

[gah!ghost]

Some updates. Recently was able to try the European versions of Attends and Tena as well as the new Depend pullups.

Depend Silhouette

I got the girl's version as the male version didn't really appeal to me visually. Anyway, I still don't see the point of these. There's pads out there that are easily available and do a much better job so I don't know why, if this is the level of protection you need, you wouldn't just wear your own underwear and maybe a Poise Ultimate. The panty is only waterproof where the pad is located so you get no extra benefit from that. They also don't look nearly as different from other pullups as I had expected. They're not that different from the Tena women's underwear which have a much better absorbent section imo.

Attends 10 Regular Plus

Again on the subject of things I don't get, it's so weird that both Attends and Tena offer completely different products for the US vs Europe. The European Attends 10 is not even a little similar to either of the Attends US products I have tried (Waistband and Extended Wear). The construction, fit, etc, is all totally different. Even the markings aren't similar. In regards to the actual diaper. I really like them a lot. I love the plastic and the padding is super soft. My only complaint, and it's actually a big one, is the tapes. What the hell is going on with them? They're way too low. It's like it's meant to be a six tape diaper but doesn't have the top tapes. This means it ends up being really weirdly fitting with it all blomsoming out the top because nothing is holding it together and tight on the bottom. Maybe there's some trick to it?

Tena Maxi

Great diaper. I haven't tried any of the US versions other than their pullups but from what I hear the US Tena aren't great. If these where easily available in the US I'd buy them all the time. Like the Attends they have this thin but strong and soft plastic none of the US-available diapers I have tried have. The absorbency is great and I like that the mediums at least have a purpleish color. It's really a shame they aren't really an option for me.

I have been tempted to try out the US Tena flex though. I like the idea of the fasteners on those. Seems potentially very comfortable.

[Amyuser]

What interests me is when i first became incontinent Depends was considered a premium brand and now ten years later they are being sold on the bottom tier with super market brands and stuff like prevail, And when you write to them and give them first person knowledge of a segment of the diaper population that no company has a product in and you tell them how to do it and even how to market it ,they write you back and tell you we do not accept customer or community input in how we design or market our diapers but thank you for taking the time to write us.

And at that point i truly understood why there diapers have gone down the crapper, because they don't listen to their customers only annonomous telephone surveys of people who may or may not use or have any experience with the product and pencil pushing geeks looking for the cheapest way to do something.

Nappy

[Bettypooh]

I agree on the "Silhouettes"- a pad is equal or better protection The Men's "Real Fit" isn't much better but it does hold more and leak less- I wonder why they're so discriminatory in the difference?

Bettypooh

[gah!ghost]

My guess is it's more accidental than anything. No pun intended. They seem to be designed for looks first and foremost. Usually I'm all about form over function but they take it to an extreme where it's no longer particularly functional. They're just such a weird product to me. They don't seem to serve any real purpose.