As a large supermarket chain, it is only too natural for NTUC’s Fairprice to come up with their own line of diapers. Except, they came up with two. The Fairprice Safe Control (FSC) diapers are targetted at the economy section the market. They also come in an overnight version – Fairprice Extra Control Diapers. Fairprice also markets a budget diaper, called “Budget”.
The FSC diaper comes in two sizes – M and L, and is offered in all of Fairprice’s franchises. Curiously, the packaging doesn’t mention if they are manufactured FOR or BY NTUC, only mentioning that it is made in Malaysia. This review is based on the M-sized diapers I got from Fairprice for S$10.60. These are plastic-backed diapers, has 15 pieces and were bought in March 2016.
M – 32-44in (81-112cm)
L – 45-58in (114-147cm)
Appearance and Features
I originally disregarded the FSC diaper because I thought all store-brand diapers would be just another variation of the ubiquitous DFI diaper. But a closer look puts that fear to rest. It is well-packaged with well designed graphics, clearer than the TSS’s packaging.
The FSC has many of the features seen in economy-range diapers. It is plastic-backed, has dual-frontal patches, pattern wetness indicator and well distributed SAP placement. This diaper has four tapes, two per side that are re-fastenable, but no elastic waistbands or standing leak guards.
When folded the diaper measures 18 by 25 cm with the height of about 3 cm. When unfolded the diaper measures 63 cm lengthwise, with 18cm of it being the actual padding. Top to bottom the diaper measures 80cm, with 66cm padded. The narrowest part, the crotch, has a width of 35cm, with just 16 cm padded. The tape is 2.5cm thick. There are no leg gathers nor elastic waistbands.
Following the trend of recently rebooted diapers (or is it the other way?), the FSC employs a four-tape system onto dual-Frontal Patches. The Frontal Patches themselves have about xcm gap in between them, and have a diamond-geometric shape. It is made of a stronger plastic than the back-sheet of the diaper, and is able to bear the stresses of a fully wet diaper without deforming.
The tapes, which must land on the frontal patches if re-fastening for multiple use, are firmly secured to the back-sheet of the diaper. They have strong adhesive that allows for multiple re-fastenings without leaving residue behind, and can be re-fastened more than three times, which is good for those who want to use the toilet intermediately.
The wetness indicator consists of Aloe Vera motifs running down the diaper. These purple designs fade away when wet, which began with half a wetting and was 1 pattern short of complete after 2 intermediate wettings.
The FSC diaper does not have standing leak guards. However, this is somewhat compensated by a SAP-dense layer that has been placed near the upper crotch area. This proved very efficient on catching all liquid.
Performance and Fit
These diapers fit my average Asian frame nicely, and were snug and soft. Being a plastic-backed diaper, the FSC did make a noticeable crinkling sound when the diaper was exposed. However this noise was sufficiently muffled off by my everyday clothes. I walked around malls and through a park, and there was no sound. As the diaper is rather thin, there is no visible outline though regular men’s jeans, and the Aloe Vera core did a good job of masking the smell of liquid.
Being a plastic-backed diaper, this diaper suffers from heat dissipation problems near the inner thighs. However, despite being made of plastic, the leg gathers did not scratch away at my inner thighs. upon wetting, there wasn’t any significant swelling up of the padding, which is another plus point.
As mentioned above, the SAP-dense layer is able to effectively catch most of the pee. And despite the absence of standing leak guards, I did not experience a single leak while wearing this diaper. I find this very impressive for an economy diaper.
On the whole, this diaper is able to hold 2-3 wettings. This is on par with Tena Value diapers and better than Certainty and Dr P diapers. Each diaper is about as thin as the two others. One diaper managed to hold 3 wettings, but I didn’t test it to the limit and was unable to repeat that ‘test’. They hold messes well with no leaks experienced.
Final Thoughts
For the longest time, I had only considered Tena Value Diapers as the benchmark of the local economy diapers. By those standards, the Fairprice Safe Control Diapers surpasses all of these standards. They do their job well, fit snugly and don’t swell up. They even look hip, unlike other diapers in the economy section!
The downside is the aforementioned dual-frontal patches, which may be a put-off for small-sized users, as well as the slight crinkle, which reduces discreetness. As most ABDLs wear at home, this might be an issue.
I think you guys might have realised this – this diaper is strikingly similar to the much-loved, discontinued Control Plus diaper, down to the frontal patch and wetness indicator designs. And this diaper is made in Malaysia! I really wonder….
At 71c a piece, they are a real bargain in terms of absorbency, fit and design but only so-so for noise. I would definitely recommend this diaper to my ABDL and incontinent friends for quality.
dlselv@sg 