Method was from
http://www.geocities.com/clothaddict/absorbancytesting.html

I did the tests midway through how long I thought I would use them for, as they take a few washes to reach maximum absorbency, and then eventually the absorbency tails off. Although the flannel nappies come out well, I think in real life they absorb less well, as they have a smaller surface area and taking longer to absorb the water, making leaks more likely - in my opinion only! For the night nappies, I actually used 1.5l of water, as otherwise they weren't getting wet enough. All nappies were measured without boosters, even if these are bought as part of the nappy package [I am thinking particularly of the softy and organic terry ultrafit], as these have been measured seperately.

You may get different results with your testing, but I think its the comparison that matters more than the actual figures. Obviously even after 15 mins, water is dripping off the nappy still, so in real life, it wouldn't hold quite this much without a leak.

Nappy	size 1 absorbency	size 2 absorbency
Kissaluvs fleece	335ml	451ml
Kissaluvs terry	357ml	450ml
Kissaluvs terry/fleece	352ml	447ml
Totsbots applix	333ml	490ml
Daisy	295ml	386ml
Sandy's natural	328ml	478ml
Kooshies ultra	327ml	426ml
Sam-I-Am white	281ml	-
Organic terry ultrafit [onesize]	-	560ml
popolino softy [onesize]	-	507ml
Ellas house terry bumhugger	-	617ml
Ellas House hemp bumhugger	-	457ml - 1 month old
Kissaluv fleece/terry booster	-	115ml
Twinkle booster	-	140ml
softy booster	-	198ml
Organic terry ultrafit booster	-	171ml

 

I was quite disappointed with the results of the daisy, as in real life it certainly seems better than the sam-I-am or kooshie ultra.

The hemp bumhugger isn't nearly as absorbant as the old terry one, however it may get more absorbant with increased use. I will repeat it again later on to see the difference.

I'm trying out a stuffie at the moment for night use as although I'm a popper girl, I like the integral fleece for night use. I will measure it when it has had a few washes.

Radiator drying

This is just a rough comparison, as on my radiators with house temp at 18 degrees

The first nappies dried in 28-30 hours. The order of drying is: kissaluvs:daisies:totsbots:sandy's

The next batch of nappies took 36-40 hours. The order of drying is: stuffie; hemp bumhugger;terry ultrafit;softy; terry bumhugger

Drying was quicker by about 4 ish hours if directly over radiator, rather than on a towel hanger. Nappies were softer if dried in indirect heat [ie on the towel hanger]

With a mixture of new and old nappies, I have had a chance to give them a longevity rating. It is absolutely clear that there is an outright winner - Sandy's. However, there was also no outright loser. If you plan to have a large family, pass nappies on etc, I think I need to unequivocally reccomend Sandy's for the mainstay of your nappy collection. I will only compare the core collection.

 

Sandy's	The overall winner. Nearly all of mine were second hand and use by 2 previous children. Can't tell new to me from the second hand. The nappy material stayed in original condition [nearly] with no thinning or pulling of the loops. The elastic is still going strong. Only one popper came off, and Little Green Earthlets replaced it for free. A good few children to them yet!
Kissaluvs	All of mine were new, so not a good direct comparison! The nappy material stayed in original condition [nearly] with no thinning or pulling of the loops. Some of the elastic isn't as tight as it used to be, but still fully functional. Poppers are all still in place! A good few children to them yet!
Daisy's	Most of mine second hand, so have done well. Prob used by 1 prev child, maybe 2 Nappy material is slightly thinner and greyer, but still going strong. Elastic is still rasonably tight, thogh not as tight as it was. Velcro still fully functioning Another child or two I'd imagine
Totsbots	Pretty much all of them bought new, so not a good comparison Nappy material is slightly thinner and greyer, but still going strong. Elastic on size one held out, but 4 out of 6 of my size 2 the elastic failed at both leg and waist. I probably got a dodgy batch, and totsbots did repair for free. However, to do this, they made a cut up the middle, whcih has gradually come apart in all of them [I sent 2 back for further mending and then lost heart] velcro still OK, and the added crossover tabs on the repaired ones v nice. Hmm, size one can last 1-2 children, but my size 2, well, one more if I'm lucky. Shame
Comments on Other Nappies	Most of my hemp ones went scratchy with age the fleece on most AIO or fleece lined bobbles fairly quickly, but the nappies are in good condition. The velcro went on my stuffies, but they had been hard used! Easy to sew on though, so didn't ask Lottie to do it [and am sure she would have] I have had no loss of waterproofness with the Kooshies ultra