Not all packs of diapers are the same

[teddy564339]

This irritates me to no end.

Ever since I first tried them I've been an Attends guy. I got my first pack in a drug store and they were the best ever.


For the last few years I've gotten them online from xpmedical.com. They're not as awesome as those old packs I used to get, but they're pretty good.


But here's the thing...every time I order a pack, it might be a "good" pack or a "bad" one. All of the diapers in the same pack are basically the same...but the quality of the packs can vary.


The main difference is that a "good" pack has diapers that feel softer and thicker. Sometimes it's also true that the tapes hold on better. The bad packs have diapers that feel kind of "meh"...they're thin and feel more plastic-like.

It drives me nuts though because the good packs are awesome and the bad packs are just kind of...there.


Has anyone else noticed this when getting the same brand of diapers? Because it makes me wonder...I've tried some other brands and I've felt they were just kind of okay...but maybe I just got a "bad" pack of those brands.

 

[Point]

That's probably a bad thing for business, since if someone gets a bad one on the first try they'll be turned off of the the brand.

 

[CarKid]

Nope, I never thought one pack was good and one wasn't. I have had diapers with small defects though.

Anyways, just switch brands if you are unhappy with attends, most of them suck anyways.

Problem solved.

 

[Slycamer]

yes and trust me i have had ups and downs like that. like underjams. 90% of the time i love them but one time i got a pack than was really thin and not absorbent. also got a small rash from it. but one time i got a pack and not one ripped i mean i was impressed that they didn't because underjams are known that the sides rip after a while

 

[Darkfinn]

Attends quality and quality-control has really gone downhill in the past 5 years. I would imagine that they are losing market share pretty rapidly.

 

[Prussic_aux]

The first time I tried Attends was the first time I ever had adult diapers. They were real thick and were pretty good (I got a sample pack) For me, at the time, Attends were THE diaper to get.

I haven't tried any Attends in the past two years though, I might do so when I get money again...

 

[ade]

guess it all depends on who's running the machine at the time?

 

[Milla]

I've had a few packages of diapers turn out crap. For the most part though, it usually ends up just being a few diapers in a good pack that are bad. I don't know, just production inconsistency I suppose.

Take my most recent package of Goodnites for instance. I pull one out, wear and use it, and it holds a good amount of wetting. When I change my diaper, the next one barely held a thing! I leaked shortly after the first wetting, and none of the other diapers in the pack were like that.

It's weird, annoying, but thankfully only happens infrequently.

 

[angelabauer]

Clearly each of us has widely differing experience with different brands and styles of diapers.

The first box of adult diapers I bought was in August 1981. Those were the smallest in stock at the supermarket, Attends Medium. There was no such thing as websites back then. Mom and I only knew what the nurse at the urologist had suggested, Attends.

When I got home from the store I must have spoiled 6 Attends trying to put one one. I concluded those were too large for me. The box had an 800 WATTS number for Attends customer service. I waited until 6am my time on the next Monday to phone. I explained I am petite and needed adult disposables at university. The nice lady who answered told me Attends did make 3 smaller sizes, but those were only in stock near me at a med supply store. She gave me that phone number and address, saying they would open at 9am my time. Since I did not have a car Mom phoned to get directions. By the time we did arrive at that med supply store the owner had a box each of Attends Youth and Small waiting for me. He told us the Attends customer service asked him to give those to me as a sample. He also side Attends made Junior, smaller than Youth, but it was not likely those would fit. As soon as we got home I tried on the Youth, which were slightly small on me, but the Small fit like they were made just for me. I immediately call the nice lady at customer service, then I called the store owner. I offered to bring back the unused Youth but he told me to keep them and share them with smaller friends.

The university campus general store had a whole shelf of Attends. It was a long walk from my dorm so normally I only bought a single box at a time. I only needed Attends at night and for parties, so I must have used about 15 a week. As I aged I used more. Over the years Attends started being packed in plastic bags, which compressed them more. Since 1991 I have returned to wearing pinned gauze diapers to bed at home, but I still have bought a whole lot of bags and cases of Attends.

My experience is that they are having a bad quality control day if I find one defective Attends every 4th case of 96. What were called "Small" in 1981 are called "Youth" today. Perhaps they arrive in good shape is because they are packed loose in the carton without being compressed in 4 bags of 24. I also buy Attends Breathable Small, which are in bags of 24 inside the case of 96. Apparently cloth-like are less damaged by being compressed. One of my theories is that was a major reason why diaper manufacturers pushed cloth-like with Velcro tabs.

The fact is all disposable diapers have a limited shelf life. With classic poly-plastic and sticky tape one problem is the adhesive dries out and stops sticking. Another problem is the hot melt holding the diaper together migrates over time due to outside heat and the pressure of being compressed in bags.

Clearly it is best to buy factory-fresh disposables when possible. My suggestion is to ask your vendor if the diapers will be drop-shipped from a factory. The vendor I use for my Attends has the diapers drop-shipped from Attends in North Carolina. They do have a Southern California facility, but apparently Attends does not make Youth or Small here.

 

[Slycamer]

Clearly it is best to buy factory-fresh disposables when possible. My suggestion is to ask your vendor if the diapers will be drop-shipped from a factory. The vendor I use for my Attends has the diapers drop-shipped from Attends in North Carolina. They do have a Southern California facility, but apparently Attends does not make Youth or Small here.

that is true. anything straight from the factory will be better it has been proven many many times.

 

[babyboy]

Get cloth diapers you can not go wrong there.

 

[barkd74]

Wow angelabauer, that was great customer service. I'm suprised that your campus store sold diapers. The only major defect I have had in diapers was a bag of Depends that had one of the center tapes that wouldn't peel of correctly. The whole bag was like this. As far as Attends I really wish that they would go back to the old school P&G design. I love those diapers. I have a couple left.

 

[Crinkly]

I have loved the Attends with elastic waist for years and think they've been the most babyish adult diaper overall in terms of look, fit, and softness.

But I also have noticed some inconsistent quality with them in the last year or two. Mostly, it's the tapes that sometimes don't stick that well - when this happens, I stick clear packing tape over them which solves the problem, but it's still a bit aggravating. And the inner padding does tend to break apart and shift around when wet, where it rarely did that before.

Still, it's hard to let go of Attends completely, even though I also enjoy the Bambino and Bianco diapers, and the SecurePlus.

The fact is all disposable diapers have a limited shelf life. With classic poly-plastic and sticky tape one problem is the adhesive dries out and stops sticking. Another problem is the hot melt holding the diaper together migrates over time due to outside heat and the pressure of being compressed in bags.

Interesting, I never thought about that. I have a few older packages of diapers around, including the original P&G Attends that I've been saving for some reason. So I'd be disappointed to find that they're no longer as good as when new. I guess that's one reason to keep diapers in a climate controlled home, as opposed to sitting for years in a warehouse. And that's also why diapers shouldn't be packed that tightly, although I understand the business reasons for doing so.

Clearly it is best to buy factory-fresh disposables when possible. My suggestion is to ask your vendor if the diapers will be drop-shipped from a factory. The vendor I use for my Attends has the diapers drop-shipped from Attends in North Carolina. They do have a Southern California facility, but apparently Attends does not make Youth or Small here.

Hey Angela, would you be able to provide the URL of the vendor you use for Attends? Have you found your theory to be true in practice, where the Attends that are shipped straight from the factory don't have these problems? I usually use Northshorecare, so I wonder if they could arrange for this also...

 

[angelabauer]

Hey Angela, would you be able to provide the URL of the vendor you use for Attends? Have you found your theory to be true in practice, where the Attends that are shipped straight from the factory don't have these problems? I usually use Northshorecare, so I wonder if they could arrange for this also...

For several years I have bought all my Attends products from Care Givers Partnership.

I believe one reason I have so few problems with my Attends is because they are fairly fresh. The leading consultant to the baby disposable diaper industry, Carlos Richer, writes about a general 2 year shelf life. That applies to adult as well as baby disposables since they are made in similar ways using the same materials.

My suggestion is those classic P&G Attends have more value as collectors items than in actual use.

Maybe you should ask your vendor Northshore Care if they have Attends drop shipped.

 

[Crinkly]

Thanks Angela.

Isn't it odd to think of diapers as being collectible? I would never, ever have thought. If I had known, I would have stocked up and made some extra money a few years later.

 

[Spaz]

I've had my share of deformed bags of diapers. By deformed, I mean the tapes are stuck or the cut of the plastic is really jagged. The result of poor quality control at the factory.

I started using Attends in the mid 80's. I think they used to be made better than they are now. However, even years ago, I would noticed that some bags had diapers with crisp plastic backing and sticky tapes and others just the opposite. My reasoning was the former were newer and had not sat around for months on the shelf. I use to be bummed out about getting a dud pack of Attends.
Spaz

 

[Error404]

YouTube - Every Class is Different

 

[PFD]

I'm a quality management professional in the printing industry. I know a bit about production processes, laminating, and extruding. Making a diaper is not an easy thing. There are many settings and variables - input, or independent variables - in the system. The web moves at high speed. A little variation can have a significant effect, especially in something like a diaper, where failure of the item brings consequences!
With the profit margin set so low, and with the general lack of concern and/or training in the industry, bad quality is inevitable. In the printing industry, the consequences for bad quality are not so great; it's not like building jet engines, or heart valves, for that matter. Manufacturing diapers is closer to the printing industry in terms of consequences than it is to the aerospace industry, or the medical device industry. The will for quality is weak.
Here's a link I first got from Angela:
Welcome To The Disposable Diaper Net
Hey! Let's buy our own diaper machine and make some diapers, boys and girls! It will be keen!