Abena m4 changed?

[360dude]

I remember abena m4 shorter on the waist and being a thicker diaper. Have they changed within the last 5 years? Or maybe I have been using abu space for to long? Btw still a good diaper it seems. 

[Nat]

They seem thinner. 

[pppants]

I agree. They definitely feel thinner and cheaper than they were back in the day. 

[WBxx]

Going against the grain, I haven’t noticed any change in M4’s during the last three or so years that I’ve been wearing them.  From a cost perspective they’re hard to beat!

[360dude]

It seems like they nearly used to make you waddle. I just got my first pack in 5+ years and they seem a lot different. 

[Smash-N-Dash]

I think it could be a combination of two things. For one, look at how much adult and ABDL diapers have improved in the past few years. It seems like everyone else has improved during that time. At the same time, there are some discrepancies as to the quality of Abenas now verses previous versions, and it is obvious they have changed. Between those two things, it’s understandable that it seems like they’ve changed.

[rusty pins]

9 hours ago, Smash-N-Dash said:

I think it could be a combination of two things. For one, look at how much adult and ABDL diapers have improved in the past few years. It seems like everyone else has improved during that time. 

Well, I can say that most diapers have indeed changed over the years (pun intended) and many have improved as Smash has said, however I can't say that all changes have been improvements.  I think many are cost reduction changes for one reason or another and the end results are not always good.  I think we all have to keep in mind the thoughts from a manufacturer's standpoint on changes they make.  Think of how years ago all you could get for light incontinence was diapers and now they promote disposable underpants.  While discreet is excellent for those who just need light bladder leakage products like disposable underpants, DON'T MESS WITH THE ACTUAL DIAPERS!!  Regular people with incontinence wear diapers because they have lack of control as opposed to light leakage when laughing or excersizing.  If they didn't need the absorption a diaper provides, they too would wear disposable underpants. 

I think some manufacturers of diapers think in two ways.  Cost and discreetness.  First, cost.  They cut back on SAP or filling to save a little money to increase profits or avoid raising the retail cost and now their product is not as good as it once was.  These days brand loyalty isn't what it was 50 years ago and people will go with a different brand if the one they have been using isn't as good as it used to be.  I also think along with costs that some companies look at the market for discreet products.  They see the trend in disposable underpants and all the commercials for them that show dressed people looking at themselves in the mirror to see if they can notice they are "wearing something".  That leads manufacturers to believe people want to wear something that can't be noticeable under normal thin slacks.  True.  People who need a disposable underpant for light bladder leakage do want something that doesn't show under their pants.  People with incontinence that need to wear an actual diaper for absorbency will just dress to hide that bulk instead because to them they would rather have a good absorbent product they can trust not to leak than something less discreet that won't work as well for their purpose.  In the case of Abena, they already have different degrees of absorbing diapers.  M3 or M4 for example.  If the customer wants a more discreet diaper for different uses, they can go with the M3 if it works.  Don't mess with the absorption of the M4 and cut back when you already have the M3 as an option.  Take a tip from Northshore who already has different absorbencies for their line of diapers and have in fact added a Mega Max super absorbing line to their brand.  Rather than cut back on their existing diaper, they left it alone and added an even more absorbing diaper.  Also remember, many of these companies may be aware of the AB/DL lifestyle but with a few exceptions (Rearz for example), they don't produce diapers just for the AB/DL market.  They still manufacturer for the incontinence market who want an absorbent product but may not like them as thick and as bulky as many of us AB/DL's do.

[Bettypooh]

On 1/20/2019 at 9:15 AM, rusty pins said:

Also remember, many of these companies may be aware of the AB/DL lifestyle but with a few exceptions (Rearz for example), they don't produce diapers just for the AB/DL market.  They still manufacturer for the incontinence market who want an absorbent product but may not like them as thick and as bulky as many of us AB/DL's do.

This exactly Companies like Abena, Molicare, and Tena know about us, but they do not market to us, nor do they design their products for the way we use them. If you want a babyish or thick diaper, those are better sourced from manufacturers who have ABDL's as their primary market focus. The incontinent generally change more often and value discretion more, so product changes we might not like are probably aimed  for adding to the appeal for the incontinent.

Bettypooh