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DryCare Dry24/7 Max Absorbency Briefs
| Fit | Very Good | Good | Average | Not Good | Sucks |
| Ease of putting it on | Very Good | Good | Average | Not Good | Sucks |
| Comfort while dry | Very Good | Good | Average | Not Good | Sucks |
| Absorbency | Very Good | Good | Average | Not Good | Sucks |
| Rewet absorbency | Very Good | Good | Average | Not Good | Sucks |
| Comfort while wet | Very Good | Good | Average | Not Good | Sucks |
| Keeps skin dry | Very Good | Good | Average | Not Good | Sucks |
| Ease of removal | Very Good | Good | Average | Not Good | Sucks |
| Plastic backing strength | Very Good | Good | Average | Not Good | Sucks |
There have been several new products released lately which I will be doing reviews of here at the Incontinence Resource Center. Two products of note are the Provider's Choice Active Ultra Adult Briefs and the DryCare Dry24/7 Maximum Absorbency Briefs. Both are adult diapers with tabs for closure, NOT pull on type products. In this review, I will be reviewing the DryCare product.
SIZING
The DryCare Diaper comes in three sizes:
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•Small 21” to 31” waist or hip
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•Medium 32” to 46” waist or hip
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•Large 42” to 65” waist or hip
The fit of these diapers is as they say. This is the first brand I've ever found that fits the measurements as stated! I have a 38” waist and 39” hips and the medium is almost big on me, but does fit great. The leg openings are generous on this product which I believe lends to the proper sizing estimates. Most other brands fit SMALLER than their stated sizing. For example, Molicare Super Plus states it will fit up to a 43” waist or hip and I can tell you at my measurements, the fit is quite snug. There is NO way, the product is going to fit that big. The DryCare product though is a GREAT change!
CONSTRUCTION
The Dry247 diaper has a plastic outer backing, elastic waistband and leg bands, standing inner leak barriers, very generous padding size, shape and thickness (which I will cover later), and two VERY strong refastenable tapes on each side. We're going to cover each feature one by one here:
Plastic Backing
The trend has been toward a “cloth like” breathable outer backing on diapers nowadays. Personally I despise the cloth like backing. Breathable means air flows through. What flows through with air? Odor! Also, most breathable covers feel damp or clammy on the outside to the touch. Anyway, I digress. The plastic backing on this product is VERY strong! I can fasten the tapes almost to the point of cutting off circulation, and the backing does not stretch or tear. Even though the backing is plastic, it does not make noise under everyday clothing like other brands do. I think this is due to how they have bonded the plastic to the padding. I have seen no problems with “pinholes” in the plastic backing on this product like I have on others.
Elastic Waist and Leg Bands
OK, those of you who know me know I think elastic waists are an extra cost gimmick that is not really necessary. Personally, on this product I feel the same, but for those of you who want an elastic waist, this product has one, front and back. It is a nice one, in the fact that it is over an inch tall, which is very comfortable. The elastic at the legs is wide enough to work well and be comfortable but not so wide as to get in the way. It is very effective.
Standing Inner Leak Barriers
This product probably has the most effective standing inner leak barriers of any product I have every used! They are taller than all others and are not stuck to the padding requiring you to unstick them to get them to stand like on other products. They run the full lengeth of the crotch and half way up the front of the product and a little over half way up the back of the product, which is great for bowel incontiennce containment. This company has really thought this feature out and they are very effective.
Padding Size, Shape and Thickness
This product has probably the most generous amount of padding of any product I've ever worn, including Abena! If you look at the picture of the diaper, you will see the padding is in a “figure 8” shape with slightly wider padding in the rear. Some of you will complain there is no padding out in the wings of the product like I did when I first saw it. Let me tell you, it really isn't necessary on this product! I am a side sleeper and have had NO leaks whatsoever with this product at night. Unlike other premium brands, I do not have to wear a large at night with this product. I can stick with the medium which I use during the day, which is much more comfortable for me and means no longer having two different size products around. Unlike other brands, this product is very wide in regards to padding between the legs. Many women will not like this but for us guys, this is AWESOME! Many times, leakage happens between the legs for us guys as the padding is not wide enough to surround our genitals on each side and wetness head for the side where there is not enough padding or diaper and leaks there. The width is also important in cases of bowel incontinence to prevent leakage.
Now, on to a topic some folks won't like...padding bulk. This product has very hefty padding and polymer, which means it is indeed bulky. The wetter it gets, the more it swells in bulk. Now, under regular comfortable fitting clothes, this is really not as big a deal as companies and many people like to make it. Trust me, people are so caught up in their own lives that the last thing they are doing is looking to see if someone is wearing a diaper, and the average person, if they notice any bulk under your clothes is going to care less. In all my years of incontinence, I have never had anyone say to me “hey, are you wearing a diaper?”. The heftiness of this padding is what gives the product its' massive absorbency. The testing by XP Medical rates it at 93 ounces, and I can tell you, it will handle every bit of that. With incontinence, the bulk IS needed for the absorbency. Talk to anyone who uses cloth diapers and you'll hear the same thing. To cut costs, packaging sizes and weight, the manufacturers have worked hard to convince us “thinner is better and more discreet”. Well frankly, the most non discreet thing on earth is wet sposts on my pants! This product DOES NOT LEAK. Can you eventually MAKE it leak? Sure, but under normal conditions, this product will go a full 12 hours without a problem. This is something I do not recommend, but it will do it. The only complaint I have on the padding is it can tend to break up a little in the front when saturated. This is something that just isn't possible to avoid in a diaper and is not that big of a deal to detract from this awesome product.
Strong Refastenable Tapes
This product has got to have the best tapes of any diaper I have EVER used. They use a two piece tape system like on the Molicare Super Plus and Tranquility ATN and most any other premium adult diaper on the market, where you can unfasten the diaper leaving an undertape behind so you know where to refasten the tapes for best fit. Their tapes seem to be made of a plastic material which does not tear or stretch and the adhesive does NOT slide along the plastic or pop off. The tapes are also attached VERY securely to the back wings of the diaper. You can pull on the tape very tight and it will not rip off. Most other brands, the tapes stretch, rip, pop off or come off the back wings of the product.
QUALITY
So far, having used only one bag of these briefs, I have found the quality to be outstanding. I have not found one tape loose and stuck to the other part of the diaper, I have not had one issue with the cut, padding thickness, plastic backing strength, etc.. that I have had with most all other brands. If they keep this quality and consistency up, they will blow all of the other brands out of the water. This will remain to be seen as this is a new product to the market, but so far, so good!
APPEARANCE
Ahh, a manufacturer who gets the fact that incontinence can be embarrassing enough without wearing a pink, blue, purple, peach or tan diaper! Who in the world ever decided on pink for a diaper color anyway?? They should be fired. Well, with this product, that factor is not there! These diapers are ALL WHITE. They have a very faint blue size/wetness indicator in the center but if you had them on under thin white pants, you would never see it. It would look like you had white underwear on. This white color applies to the medium and large sizes. The small size, as of this writing is still light blue. The outer tape tabs are white with light blue tape tabs underneath, as you can see in the picture of the product.
COMFORT
These diapers are cut very generously as I noted previously. They have an elastic waist which snugs to your wais well and very generous width. For us guys, this diaper is very comfortable as it has the space we need. While dry, they are very comfortable and fit very well. Once wet, they remain very well fitting without sagging and falling apart. Skin dryness is EXCELLENT and stays that way until the product is saturated. Tbe only complaint I really have is odor control. They do control it well for the most part, but if you wear the product long enough and you are not drinking a lot (meaning your urine is concentrated), an amonia smell will build up after about 4 or so hours. If you are drinking normally and stay well hydrated though, odor is not a real big issue. Overall comfort is excellent...frankly, better than most.
VALUE FOR THE PRICE
OK, like most other brands of premium adult diapers (Molicare, Abena, etc...) these are a bit on the pricey side at $1.65 per diaper at XP Medical. They are more expensive elsewhere. DO NOT let the price scare you. If you have used the Abena X-Plus, you'll find these 1 ½ to 2 times the absorbency, so it's like getting two Abena X-Plus diapers for the price of just over one. I am planning to switch to this diaper as my permanent product as soon as the back stock I have built up is dwindled down. My place of purchase is going to be XP Medical (link above) who also owns ABAIP now. Gary has a fantastic price on this product and has worked hard to bring it to the US market at a great price! That and outstanding customer service mean I will stick with this product. I urge you to give them a try!
