I don't think anybody here is familiar with the old Assurance brand, which was actually quite thick, and had a lining and backing that was very similar to the Luvs diapers made in the late 1970's. Proctor & Gamble made Attends with a lining and plastic backing that was also similar to Pampers, but with a different scent that I did not care for. This was back around 1994, and I remember them well. First Quality made their products with standing leak barriers that again, worked similar to Luvs.
And then, what very few people here know, is that many adults would buy Pampers to use like the male pads they make today, for very light dribbling. I have read some articles on that. You could buy a box of disposable diapers at a grocery store, and everybody would assume that you were buying them for use on a baby, when instead they were being purchased for other needs. What people didn't know, didn't hurt them.
So today. Yes, the ABDL diapers are far better than anything they make for infants. Nothing from Huggies comes close, and Pampers can't hold a candle to even the most basic Bambino Bellissimo, and certainly not anything offered by Rearz, ABUniverse, or Thrust Vector. I guess the only thing missing from today's adult-sized diapers, is a halfway decent baby-powder scent like Pampers used to have in the mid 1970's to early 1990's. Proctor & Gamble would use that exact same perfume on their Charmian products. The Johnson's Disposable Diapers made in the mid 1970's also had a very pleasant scent. And believe it or not, Johnson & Johnson used to also make adult diapers.