InControl discontinuing some of their diapers.

[drynot]

It seems as though InControl has discontinued some of their diapers.  The black Premium Nights, Essentials, and Originals are all being discontinued in favour of the new BeDry brand.  That's too bad as I use both the Essentials and the Originals quite a bit.

I guess I need to try the BeDry equivalents to see how they stack up....or soak up compared to the Essentials and Originals.

[Thetlus]

Was there some sort of announcement for that or are they just disappearing from shops?

[Little Sherri]

3 hours ago, drynot said:

I guess I need to try the BeDry equivalents to see how they stack up....or soak up compared to the Essentials and Originals.

Rearz & Incontrol have so many different models that I honestly lose track of what's what. I live within an hour of them so they are my go-to diaper supplier, and I've tried almost everything they make at one time or another, but it's like trying to keep track of the differences and similarities between compact crossover vehicles - every manufacturer makes about 7 of them, and the differences between them can come down to centimetres in length and width, or, no differences at all, except for how they are marketed. 

I have now worn a BeDry and an Essential almost back-to-back, and I can say that they are virtually indistinguishable to me. The Essential had green "parking spots" on the front, and the BeDry has blue ones. The tapes are the same. The capacity rating has gone from 4300 ML to 7500 ML, but that may have more to do with them changing how they arrive at their ISO rating, than any change to the diapers themselves. The sizing looks the same. They both worked well for me as a medium-duty daytime weight diaper, and their pricing is similar. The Essential is on sale right now, at $96 CAD for a case of 36 ($2.67 ea), and the BeDry in a case of 48 is $122 ($2.54 ea). If you can score the BeDry during one of their many sales, they will be a very good deal for a decent diaper, in a land where Depends cost $1.80 per piece. 

The Incontrol Original perplexes me - I've owned some before, but I never really figured out where they fit in the Rearz/Incontrol pantheon. They were kind of a cheap, bulky diaper, with not-bad capacity, but they're rated at the same ISO capacity as the Essentials - about 4300 ML, except they feel a lot bigger. They cost more, too - about $2.75 per diaper. In theory, the BeDry can replace both the Essential and the Original, at a better price. If you're looking for the next level up, look no further than the Mega Inspire+. They cost $4.05 per unit at regular pricing, but I bought mine during one of their many sales, so I got them for about $2.90 a unit, which is a smoking bargain, because the Meg Inspire+ is the real deal, a MegaMax competitor. Forget their 11,000 ML ISO claims - that's fantasy land - but, in the real world, I can wear one of them for 18-24 hours if I have nowhere I need to go. 

To confuse things further, they've launched the BeDry Night, which is rated to 12,000 ML, and come in at $3.44 a unit (36 @ $124 CAD) when not on sale. If they compare favourably with the Mega Inspire+, they'll be a good deal at the regular price, and a great deal at 30% off, when they go on sale. 

[Cute_Kitten]

Ah, a shame. I really liked their Premium Nights because they were black. I'm glad so far Rearz still has their all purple Violet diapers. 

[Dartplayerinwvc]

InControl Diapers has announced that it will be launching new items with improved features to replace some of its current products. 

[drynot]

1 hour ago, Little Sherri said:

 

The Incontrol Original perplexes me - I've owned some before, but I never really figured out where they fit in the Rearz/Incontrol pantheon. They were kind of a cheap, bulky diaper, with not-bad capacity, but they're rated at the same ISO capacity as the Essentials - about 4300 ML, except they feel a lot bigger.

It has been my experience that the Original seems to have more capacity than the Essentials.  I have both in my collection and that's the impression I have.  I can only manage about 3 heavy wettings in an Essential whereas I can manage 5 or so heavy wettings before I have to worry about leaks in the Original.

I'm not a fan of Hook and Loop fasteners so the Night version of the Bedry's is out.  I guess I'm going to have to try the regular version to see how it performs and hopefully its a worthy successor of the Originals.

[oznl]

As somebody who spent decades working for a global manufacturer (not a diaper manufacturer but still an organisation that had a plethora of models), I was well versed in the huge costs associated of standing up a new SKU (model).  Outside of R&D there was regulatory compliance (maybe not such an issue here), production setup costs, warehousing, support, marketing & admin overheads, it went on and on.

Less SKU = lower overheads = more margin  (or, capitalism forbid, lower prices).

I've always been a bit bewildered by the Rearz/InControl SKU menagerie.  They're successful enough at what they do so I guess they have their logic but I do wonder what it is.  I'm still unsurprised by some consolidation here and there.

[Little Sherri]

1 hour ago, drynot said:

I'm not a fan of Hook and Loop fasteners so the Night version of the Bedry's is out.  I guess I'm going to have to try the regular version to see how it performs and hopefully its a worthy successor of the Originals.

I hadn't realized that they were a hook/loop tab, but you're right, they are. Rearz' Mermaid Tales and their Elite Hybrid diapers are also hook/loop fastened, plastic-backed diapers, and I find the tabs undefeatable on those diapers, so I would imagine the experience with the BeDry night will be similar. 

1 hour ago, oznl said:

I've always been a bit bewildered by the Rearz/InControl SKU menagerie. 

We've discussed this before, but I'll say again, me too. I'm a car guy, and I always think of "badge engineering" when I look at very similar products with different names... the Ford Taurus and the Mercury Sable, GM's Chev Celebrity/Pontiac 6000/Buick Century/Olds Cutlass Ciera, Chev/GMC trucks, the Kia/Hyundai twinned products (which actually do a pretty good job of differentiating themselves), the list goes on and on. But I have a difficult time identifying the "hard points" within some of Rearz' models - the wheelbase and track and engine sizes, which are always the commonalities. It legitimately seems like they make a white, 4500 ML Rearz diaper, and a white, 4500 ML Incontrol diaper, and they're based on completely different chassis - one has a rear engine and is air cooled, and one is a front-drive diesel. 

[DailyDi]

I've been really impressed with the BeDry diapers, more than halfway through the first bag, and no leaks at all

[pantyman]

5 hours ago, Cute_Kitten said:

Ah, a shame. I really liked their Premium Nights because they were black. I'm glad so far Rearz still has their all purple Violet diapers. 

Check on purple again. I had to go to my inner baby to buy mine

[Cute_Kitten]

6 hours ago, pantyman said:

Check on purple again. I had to go to my inner baby to buy mine

Damn, that's a shame. I really liked those diapers.