CONFIDRY 24/7 ADULT BRIEFS FULL REVIEW

SIZING

The ConfiDry 24/7 Diaper comes in three sizes:

    •Small 21” to 31” waist or hip

    •Medium 32” to 46” waist or hip

    •Large 42” to 65” waist or hip

NOTE:  The ratings above are when quality control is good.  Quality can be very inconsistent with this product.  Read the full review for more information.

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 40” waist and 41” 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 ConfiDry 24/7 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 large and strong refastenable tapes on each side. We're going to cover each feature one by one here:

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 thick and strong! I can fasten the tapes almost to the point of cutting off circulation, and the backing does not stretch or tear.  The plastic backing on the ConfiDry 24/7 is much louder than the plastic backing was on its’ predecessor, the Dry 24/7.  Wearing a pair of snug fitting underwear over them will help a little, but they will still make noise.  This is not a “stealth” product.  I have seen no problems with “pinholes” in the plastic backing on this product like I have on others.

OK, those of you who know me know I think elastic waistbands are an extra cost gimmick that is not really necessary. Well, I have to repent from that stance with the ComfiDry 24/7!  The waist elastic in front AND back is about 1 1/2” tall and stretches better than 3/4 the distance across the front and back of the brief (when you are wearing it).   If you fasten the brief so there is some “give” to the elastic waistband, it is VERY effective at stopping wetness from coming out at the waist, especially when lying down.  To this date (having used at least 4 cases primarily at night) I have had NO leaks from the waistband, even when wetting very heavily at night.  As far as I can tell, it will be just as effective at bowel containment in the back.  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.

The standing inner leak barriers 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 length 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 incontinence containment.  All of that said, I have not found them to be very effective at stopping urine from leaking from the back of the leg openings while sitting.  They do seem to work well for containment of bowel movements, but I would be a little concerned about very watery bowel movements.  I do not think they contain liquid as well as originally intended.

Plastic Backing

The plastic backing on these briefs is very strong.  This plastic does NOT stretch at all when you move.  I have seen no evidence of any kind of pinhole or plastic weakness AT ALL.  The plastic backing is actually fairly noisy.  If you were wearing this diaper under jeans, you are likely to hear some plastic crinkle, but others likely will not notice.  Under a pair of sweat pants, there will be quite a bit of noise and the fact you are wearing a plastic backed diaper is going to be quite evident. 

Elastic Leg Bands and Waistband

OK, those of you who know me know I think elastic waistbands are an extra cost gimmick that is not really necessary. Well, I have to repent from that stance with the ComfiDry 24/7!  The waist elastic in front AND back is about 1 1/2” tall and stretches better than 3/4 the distance across the front and back of the brief (when you are wearing it).   If you fasten the brief so there is some “give” to the elastic waistband, it is VERY effective at stopping wetness from coming out at the waist, especially when lying down.  To this date (having used at least 4 cases primarily at night) I have had NO leaks from the waistband, even when wetting very heavily at night.  As far as I can tell, it will be just as effective at bowel containment in the back.  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

The standing inner leak barriers 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 length 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 incontinence containment.  All of that said, I have not found them to be very effective at stopping urine from leaking from the back of the leg openings while sitting.  They do seem to work well for containment of bowel movements, but I would be a little concerned about very watery bowel movements.  I do not think they contain liquid as well as originally intended.

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, usually.  The biggest problem with the padding of this diaper is manufacturing inconsistency.  Sometimes, the padding is very thick and other times it is a lot thinner in different areas...so thin and inconsistent, that at times you can feel the polymer granules moving around between the plastic backing and padding.  The fact that the granules do not cause pinholes in the plastic backing is great testimony to the thickness and strength of the plastic backing. I am a side sleeper and have had quite a few leaks out the sides of this product when sleeping.  I attribute these leaks to looseness of fit and padding/polymer inconsistency.  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 a good thing.  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 heads 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 SOMETIMES, which means it is indeed bulky. This varies widely from case to case and sometimes from bag to bag.  Again, manufacturing is VERY inconsistent on this product.  While at one time you may get a diaper that is incredibly bulky and absorbent, the next time, you may find the product very thin, flimsy and underperforming.  When it is GOOD, 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?”.  Again, WHEN IT IS MANUFACTURED HOW I PRESUME IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE, 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 IF manufacturing is on target.  Note that their testing is NOT real life wear and use testing though.  In my real life wear and usage, absorbency has varied from 36 oz up to 55 or 60 oz...but NEVER near 93 oz. before leaking.  Again, going back to consistency, sometimes the padding breaks up and sometimes it doesn’t.  You may wear this diaper one time and have it last 12 hours, and due to manufacturing inconsistency, the next time it may only last 4 to 5 hours.  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 spots on my pants!  Again, when manufactured to what I presume is the specification, the product rarely leaks.   Notice I did not say never leaks.  It does sometimes, especially if you are a side sleeper.  One complaint I have on the padding is it can tend to break up a little in the front when saturated, especially when the padding to polymer ratio is off, which is more often than I think is good in a product at this price point.

Dual Layer Refastenable Tape Tabs

This product has got to have the best and largest 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.  The tapes are at least 2” tall, which is over twice as tall as all other brands.  That said, I have seen reviews of bad tapes, tapes with missing adhesive or even missing tapes from diapers.  Again, this goes back to manufacturing inconsistency.

QUALITY

This is an area where I am not happy.  At times, manufacturing quality is excellent and everything is perfect and at other times, this is a lousy product.  Sometimes, super absorbent polymer is evenly distributed throughout the padding, as it should be, and other times, it is clumped all in one area or unevenly distributed.  For a product at this price point, inconsistency should NOT be as often or as bad.  Unfortunately, emails to the manufacturer have gone unanswered.  I have used diapers with much more consistency in quality. 

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.  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 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 waist 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 when the manufacturing is correct, and stays that way until the product is saturated. The 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 ammonia 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 good.

VALUE FOR THE PRICE

These are a bit on the pricey side at $1.65 per diaper, with the inconsistency of quality and performance that I’ve seen.  It seems that when these were manufactured overseas, they were MUCH better in regards to quality consistency.  When they moved manufacturing here to the U.S., they were down for about a year before they resumed manufacturing and returned to the market.  In that time frame, something was lost.  Namely, consistency and quality control.  I really hate to say it, but to me, this product qualifies as “buyer beware”.  The fit is very different and quality control is inconsistent, at best.  Buy a bag and see what you think.  I see rave reviews online, and I don’t understand why.  There ARE more consistent quality brands out there for a better price, one of them being the Northshore Supreme and another being the ID Slip PE Maxi.  Again, buyer beware.

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