Maximum or Ultimate Absorbency?

[EcoIncon]

OK... this is gonna be a bit of a rant. My trip out of town was extended and I ran out of diapers (tragedy!!!). So I had little choice but to go buy some Depends. The store I went to had the ultimate absorbency... I've used the maximum absorbency Depend pull-ups before and they aren't "dependable" but they're better than nothing (a little). In the end, I had to find a laundromat to wash all of my wet clothes from leaks.

All this prompted me to ask ChatGPT "Which is more absorbent maximum absorbency or ultimate absorbency?" I got a very non-discript answer... So I thought I'd do two things 1) Ask the experts (y'all) and 2) put together a guide for Depend pull-up for men absorbency that if not terribly useful hopefully puts things in perspective:

The Depend Product Range:

Product	Manuf Rating	# of Drops	My Assessment
Fresh Protection™ Underwear for Men	Maximum Protection	3 of 4	You can wear these safely for a MAXIMUM of 1/2 of a small wetting.
Protection Plus+® Underwear for Men	Ultimate Protection	3 of 4	ULTIMATEly, if you use these you will have leaks.
Real Fit® Underwear for Men	Maximum Protection	3 of 4	Here's that word maximum again... I'm so confused. These actually seem to hold one accident from my tiny bladder if I work really hard on my kegels and can cut off the flow after my bladder spasms. However, that is the MAXIMUM I would trust them for.
Night Defense® Underwear for Men​	Up to 12 hours of protection.	4 of 4	Finally a rating I can understand! I just think they got it wrong and typed an extra 1 in the rating. Should be "Up to 12 hours of protection"... If you are lucky...

Sorry for picking on Depends here. They are better than nothing... maybe... I just wish we in the USA had a product on the market that favored keeping my incontinence private rather than creating the thinest product out there. I find it far more likely someone will notice a huge wet spot running down my leg than an extra 1/2" of padding.

 

[Bnuuy]

I hate these terms because they're meaningless and everything is always "maximum" or "super" or "ultimate". I wish they would just numerically rank the products within their lineup

 

[Bearcatz]

I picked who cares, because maximum or ultimate x 0 is still 0. I'm kind of kidding.

If I were in your shoes there, I'd have bought a pack of cotton socks too. They make decent boosters and you get only slightly used socks out of it!

 

[Jorelaxed]

I hate these terms because they're meaningless and everything is always "maximum" or "super" or "ultimate". I wish they would just numerically rank the products within their lineup

Yep, they are just marketing techniques

 

[EcoIncon]

Yep, they are just marketing techniques

@Jorelaxed shouldn't companies' marketing techniques make it easy for consumers to select the right product from your range though?

 

[Jorelaxed]

@Jorelaxed shouldn't companies' marketing techniques make it easy for consumers to select the right product from your range though?

I would think so, it is the right thing to do I think.

 

[Jorelaxed]

They should put in the real absorbency, but probably wouldn't sell much.

 

[frozencanuk]

Most of depends lines are remarkably terrible (from my own experience). But the maximum/ultimate/super stuff reminds me of of when NASA was first sending people to space. They had condoms fitted to a tube and catheter bag (essentially, though a little different), there were 3 sizes available (small medium and large)and because of pride the astronauts kept saying they needing the biggest size. NASA then after experiencing a number of leak accidents from using the wrong size NASA changed the sizes to large, gigantic, and humungous

 

[lilSorcerer]

With depends, regardless of what you choose, you'll have a lame experience, so "who cares".

I think the engineers and/or business people behind that product have a secret hatred for all diaper users.

 

[Jorelaxed]

They should put in the real absorbency, but probably wouldn't sell much.

What would be interesting is if someone from "corporate" was hospitalized due to medical reasons, they needed diapers and put that person in the diapers they market as "Maximum absorbency., I'm pretty sure they would wake up in a soaked bed, then all of a suddenly, they would not be maximum absorbency.

 

[Deleted member 64479]

I wear ABDL diapers at night. They are the only thing that can make sure I wake up to a dry bed. That said, I believe they all over estimate the capacity. I've had diapers rated at 5000ml, leak. I know I don't pee 5 liters a night. the 5000 I believe would be accurate in a lab where under controlled testing, every square inch of absorbent material is soaked to capacity. THEN, yes. 5000ml or more is possible. But every diaper I've ever had leak, has never had the back even wet. I use about two thirds (estimate) of a diapers absorbent material maybe. probably closer to half most of the time. I think it's trial and error until you find what works best for you. I will agree with the poster tho, I don't find Depends very Dependable. I use thinner more discrete Tena pullups for days I'm at work. They handle one decent soaking, or a couple of minor ones. Yes I have to change more often, three or so times a day, but I have the ability to do so. I don't care if anyone knows I use diapers? but I will do my best not to advertise it either, so multiple changes is ok by me.

 

[Jorelaxed]

It is amazing how much the word maximum absorbency can be distorted by companies, True maximum absorbency diapers are the ABDL ones.

 

[SeniorMan]

I’m sorry to hear about your frustrating experience with Depend products. I can understand how leaks can be embarrassing and inconvenient.

The absorbency ratings of Depend products are based on their internal testing and may not reflect the actual performance in real-life situations. The ratings also depend on factors such as the size and fit of the product, the amount and frequency of urine loss, and the individual’s body shape and activity level. Some people have found the Depend products unreliable or comfortable for moderate to heavy incontinence, especially overnight use. They have suggested trying other brands, such as Tranquility, Abena, NorthShore, or Molicare, designed to offer more protection and capacity. Some of these brands are available online or in speciality stores. Of course, everyone’s needs and preferences are different, so you may have to experiment with different products to find what works best for you. You may also want to consult your doctor or a continence nurse for more advice and support. I hope this information is helpful and that you find a solution that suits your needs.

 

[DinoFrant]

I´m sorry about your bad experience... like you said, they´re not "dependable" but life´s so funny that it will find its way to humble us by randomly slipping in that one time when they were our only choice and, yes; something is always better than nothing.

I marked "who cares" because when it comes to Depend pull ups, the words "Maximum" "Ultimate" "Ultra" or even "Night time" can only be followed by "leaks".

The time I was forced to try their night time pull ups I was lucky enough to also get the last packet of underpads left in the last store open on a Sunday night for many, many miles around. I said "luckily" because the underpad, my pjs and the duvet got most of the absorbency work, whilst the pull up "especially designed to lay down" only got part of the front padding wet and the rest got squeezed out through the leg gathers... dissapointing yet not surprising at all.

Anyway, it´s the good times what really matter; wet clothes and bedding can always be washed.

 

[Deleted member 56273]

It is amazing how much the word maximum absorbency can be distorted by companies, True maximum absorbency diapers are the ABDL ones.

Maximum absorbency can only be achieved by using booster inserts such as Sani Sensitive Maximizers and ABU PowerUps.

 

[mightytoddler]

Long time ago there was 1 true max diaper 20 + years ago . Attends! They were fluffy super thick very absorbent diapers and I loved the quality of them . I was dealing with IC from a ruptured bladder car accident situation . Being in my early 20s was at that time was bad enough dealing with friends who knew I was very padded . They had no side splash inner walls just really thick fluffy wonderful diapers that rarely ever leaked . Even the shell was very soft non crinkly plastic . I suppose it depended on whether you purposely flooded or in my case a constant light stream . Flooding any diaper will cause leaking if you’re really full . 1998 FDA forced nursing homes to change patents on schedule not allowing patents to stay in a wet diaper for more than 6 hours . That’s when manufactures were asked to make diapers cheaper thinner worthless diapers we all know this . The nursing homes would just put a soaker pad under the patent for leakage which makes no sense because that double cost . Why not just stick to a really good diaper Soon enough MAX absorbency was the marketing ideal but they were not MAX they were about 2/3 the quality of original diapers and fooled consumers into buying high end expensive worthless diapers . That goes on to this day ! #2 waste line on commercial diapers are to short especially for male patents . That was done to again cut cost producing again worthless diapers and leaving wetting accidents common . China and Japanese made diapers were realistic is fit and absorbency . The USA gov decided disposables were filling landfills this started producing ultra thin adult diapers …. They are worthless ! Most people making these decisions have never ever had to rely on a IC diaper in the USA . Only in the last 15+ years have some company’s ignored US recommended standards in adult diapers . Quality nursing homes do use good quality diapers I’ve looked in on this but family’s also buy their loved ones Private bought diapers which is a really good ideal for a family member . Thank goodness for the ABDL community as they created or brought over seas quality diapers to the US .
I sent a letter to Pampers several years ago as to why they do not produce adult diapers of quality for the US market . You won’t believe their response …. We refuse to make adult diapers due to what we view as a fetish market reallllly what about special needs adult children ? Shows you how religion can does influence decisions that make no real sense other than CEOs perverted minds . Anyway I use several ABDL diapers from several sellers . At night I use a size larger than I need for one reason . They fit above my belly button reducing chances of leaking while laying in bed asleep . Most so called waste elastic don’t do much at all . I cut off the long side wings so they don’t pop out and fold the waste line over so that stops leaking at the top edge . Wearing really thick diapers I do like the security of knowing I’ll not leak I use them out in public but I wear looser fitting ABDL clothing so my diaper is not very very obvious . Hope this answers some questions , rely on Chineese or Japanese designed ABDL diapers because the USA is still not producing realistic adult diapers . One other thing there are a lot of videos showing absorbency test pouring out water into a diaper for showing fast absorbency . Don’t be fooled here’s why , water has no salts in the water one of the waste minerals we pass in our peepee . Water fluffs up quickly but if you add about 2 table spoons of common table salt into the test water it comes very close to actual peepee . It does not fluff up it soaked in like real peepee and will show leaking around leg gathers . If you test this pour out 1 quart of plain water in a diaper it will absorb quickly and become thick where wet . Do the same test with salts added the fluid has a completely different result . Just so you know these videos don’t show real life testing .

 

[SeniorMan]

Thank you for the information. It just shows you the many decisions made for the wrong reasons.

 

[Zeke]

Madison Avenue advertising executives twisting the definition of well established words is a plague on our society. Much like when I found out that my “unlimited” talk, text, and data cellular plan had a speed reduction after so many GB of data. Sounds an awful lot like a “limited” “unlimited plan” to me!

 

[Deleted member 56273]

We refuse to make adult diapers due to what we view as a fetish market

The reason is simple: P&G doesn't want to destroy their corporate image, hence's one of the major factors which led the Cincinnati-based giant in its decision to sell the entire Attends business.

 

[Joe100000]

It's all arbitrary. Tena does one of the weirdest the top 3 absorbency ratings go Plus->Ultra->Super.