Diaper Testing

The following information is supplied from, and copyrighted by, XP Medical. Reprinted here with permission.

Adult Diaper Review and Testing

Curious about how we got these numbers? Read a brief introduction and details of our testing methods

Entries are sorted by total capacity from left to right. Best in class numbers are highlighted where applicable.

Model	Medline Protection Plus	Attends w/ Waistband	Abena Abri-Form Plus	Abena Abri-Wing	Molicare Super	Molicare SuperPlus	Mega CareLine Premium	Abena Abri-Form X-Plus
Picture
Size tested	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium
Backing Dimensions (inches)
Front	24	25	26.5	16	26	26	25	26.5
Rear	24	25	25.5	42	25	25	24.5	25.5
Middle	12	12	9.5	13	12	12	11.5	11.5
Length	30	31	32	31	31	31	31	32
Padding Dimensions (inches)
Front	9.5	15	8	12	8	12	8.5	12.5
Rear	10.5	15	11	12	11	15.5	10	14
Middle	7	6	6.5	8	6.5	7	8	7
Length	24.5	25	26	25	24	25	26	26
Dry thickness	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.4	0.3	0.5
Wet thickness	0.4	0.7	0.9	0.7	1.1	1.0	1.2	1.4
Features
# of tapes	4	6	4	NA	4	4	4	4
Refastenable	No	Yes	Yes	Yes(Velcro)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Elastic leg cuffs	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Leak guards	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Elastic waistband	No	Front+Rear	Rear	Front+Rear	No	No	Front + Rear	Rear
Initial Test
Time to leak	30	65	50	540	440	310	370	840
Initial capacity	6 oz.	14 oz.	12 oz.	34 oz.	40 oz.	38 oz.	44 oz.	65 oz.
Wicking distance	9.5 in.	10 in.	10 in.	12 in.	13.5 in.	18 in.	13 in.	16 in.
Press-out	0 oz.	< 0.5 oz.	0 oz.	1 oz.	2 oz.	1 oz.	< 0.5	< 0.5 oz.
Rewet Test
Time to leak	40	30	80	55	50	50	80	100
Rewet capacity	4 oz.	4 oz.	10 oz.	4 oz.	4 oz.	8 oz.	8 oz.	10 oz.
Press-out	< 0.5 oz.	< 0.5 oz.	< 0.5 oz.	1 oz.	1 oz.	1 oz.	1 oz.	1 oz.
Overall
Total capacity	10 oz.	18 oz.	22 oz.	38 oz.	44 oz.	46 oz.	52 oz.	75 oz.
Cost per brief	$0.62	$0.76	$0.77	$1.33	$1.00	$1.28	$0.91	$1.57
Cost per ounce	6.2 ¢	4.2 ¢	3.5 ¢	3.5 ¢	2.2 ¢	2.8 ¢	1.8 ¢	2.1 ¢
Model	Medline Protection Plus	Attends w/ Waistband	Abena Abri-Form Plus	Abena Abri-Wing	Molicare Super	Molicare SuperPlus	Mega CareLine Premium	Abena Original X-Plus
Comments	This brief is the least expensive product we carry on a cost-per-brief basis. Performance is adequate, although it cannot keep up with the more expensive briefs.	Attends have a unique square leg cut that looks odd but is very comfortable for most people. Great padding coverage, double waistbands and six tapes make this a long-standing favorite where discreteness and comfort are priorities.	Compared to the old Abena, the new Abena has a larger leg opening that fits some people better. Less padding area but more gel make the absorbency about the same, while cost per ounce has gone down compared to the old product.	The Abri-Wing performed admirably in our test. Although no thicker than Attends, it absorbed almost twice as much liquid. Cost per ounce is about average, which is surprising considering the additional cost of the velcro fasteners.	The Molicare super was the surprise of the test, offering incredible capacity in a very slim brief. Heavy 'gel' construction makes it slow to absorb, but the performance is good nonetheless.	No surprises here - the Molicare SuperPlus performs very well, as it should. The generous paper pulp + gel construction makes it a champ at wicking; allowing more of the padding to be utilized before needing to be changed.	This brief is constructed similarly to the Molicare Super. More padding and more gel make it thicker and more absorbent. Heavy gel usage makes it slow to wick, but given time, it will absorb an outstanding amount.	The Old Abena X-Plus has come back to claim the title of "most absorbent brief" in a big way. Soaking up over 1/2 gallon of liquid, it actually emptied our test container, yet under the weight of 150 lbs. just 1 ounce of liquid was forced back out.

Notes:

Capacity is measured by applying water to the center of the diaper thru a 1/8" opening. See our testing methodology for a full description of this and other tests.
Total capacity = Initial capacity + Rewet Capacity.

Disclaimer