Healthy Spirit Adult Diaper Review

 *For more information on how I do reviews see Diaper Test Methodology

Summary

The Healthy Spirit Adult Diaper is a cloth-backed budget adult diaper. It comes at a very cheap unit price point, but is very stripped down compared to more premium diapers with waistbands and inner leak guards. It appears this diaper brand was started through a healthcare accelerator program and it certainly could be useful in institutions for inactive wearers when frequent changes can be ensured. For a regular active wearer I wouldn’t recommend these unless you have very modest leakage and are having an inactive day, since they are likely to leak on a full wetting. As a side note, these diapers are “very” similar to the FitRight line of products, just less absorbent/featureful.

Key Features:

• Cloth-like (non-woven backsheet)
• Repositionable tapes

Pros:

• Comfortable when dry
• Very cheap unit price
• Discreet appearance/little backsheet noise
  

Cons:

• Surface dampness
• No inner leak guards
• Poor absorbency
• Not very durable
  

Product Details

For the purpose of this post I will be reviewing and referring to the medium-sized Healthy Spirit Adult Diaper. However, other available sizes are listed below:

Packaging

Brand: Healthy Spirit
Manufacturer: K2 Health
Origin: USA
Units Per Bag: 25
Cost Per Unit: $
Dimensions (L x W x H): 33 cm (15") x 17 cm (6.7") x 25 cm (9.8")
Weight: 1.8 kg (4 lbs)
Available Sizes: S,M, L,LL
Advertised Absorbency: Super

1.1 Health Spirit Adult Diapers Packaging

Diaper

Backsheet: Cloth-like (non-woven)
Wetness Indicator: Yes (parallel yellow dashes down middle, turn blue/fade when wet)
Standing Inner Leak Guards: No
Leg Gathers: Yes
Product Style: Tab-Style Brief
Refastenable Tabs: Yes
Number of Tapes: 2
Repositionable Tabs: Yes
Outer Color: White
Inner Color: White
Front Waistband: No
Rear Waistband: No
Folded Thickness: 1.5 cm (0.59")
Folded Length: 26 cm (10.2")
Dry Weight: 75 g (2.65 oz)
Fragrance: None
Diaper Dimensions (L x fW x mW x bW): 85.5 cm (33.7") x 67 cm (26.4") x 32 cm (12.6") x 68 cm (26.8")
Wing Shape (Front, Rear): Rectangular, Rectangular
Padding Dimensions (L x fW x mW x bW): 63 cm (24.8") x 23 cm (9.1") x 16 cm (6.3") x 25 cm (9.8")
Padding Wing Dimensions (fPW x fPH x bPW x bPH): 3.5 cm (1.4") x 11 cm (4.3") x 4.5 cm (1.8") x 19 cm (7.5")
Padding Wing Shape (Front, Rear): Semicircle, Semicircle
Total Padding Area: 1256 cm² (195 in²)
Tape Spacing (t1 x t2): 4.5 cm (1.8") x 16.5 cm (6.5")
Tape (W x L): 2.5 cm (1") x 5 cm (2")

1.2 Healthy Spirit Diaper

Laboratory Absorbency Tests

Total Absorption Volume (after press out): 490 ml (17.2 oz)
Total Absorption Volume (before press out): 500 ml (17.6 oz)
Time to Absorb Wettings (first to last): (68 s, 62 s)
Wet Folded Thickness: 2.5 cm (1")
Used to Total Padding Ratio: 72%
Total Padding to Absorbency Ratio: 0.39 ml / cm² (0.09 oz / in²)
Press Out Volume: 10 ml (0.35 oz)

Surface Dampness Rating: 2
The Healthy Spirit Adult Diaper showed a substantial amount of surface dampness from the very first wetting during the lab testing. It was a little better during real world testing, but that’s not saying too much given how little it absorbed. I found that surface dampness tended to be at its worst near the rear of the diaper, while the front of the diaper did a better job at holding it back.

2.1 Wet vs Dry Diaper After Capacity Test

2.2 Used vs Unused Padding After Capacity Test

"Real World" Absorbency Tests

Posture Tests

Standing-Sitting

Total Absorbed Volume: 500 ml (17.6 oz)
Total Wettings: (1 standing, 1 sitting)
Leaked After Sitting: No
Used to Total Padding Ratio: 63%
Padding to Absorbency Score: 0.40 ml / cm² (0.09 oz / in²)

Standing-Sitting Rating: 2
The Healthy Spirit Adult Diaper performed about as expected during the standing-sitting test. The first wetting was absorbed without leaks, but the diaper still felt a little damp afterwards. It didn’t leak upon sitting. On the second wetting the diaper quickly saturated and there was substantial leakage from the leg gathers around the diaper’s crotch. Your mileage will likely vary with this diaper, a very heavy wetter may see leakage after only a single wetting, particularly when sitting shortly afterwards.

Lying Down

Total Absorbed Volume: 400 ml (14.1 oz)
Total Wettings: 1
Used to Total Padding Ratio: 76%
Padding to Absorbency Score: 0.32 ml / cm² (0.07 oz / in²)

Lying Down Rating: 1
There’s not much to write here. The Healthy Spirit Adult Diaper had moderate leakage through the back leg gathers on the very first wetting. The back of the diaper was completely saturated and felt damp, though there was still quite a bit of unused padding at the front. It may be fine for those with modest leaks, but this diaper won’t handle a full wetting when lying down.

2.3 Pattern of Used vs Unused Padding Test Stand/Sit (right) Lying Down (left)

Daily Wear and Bedwetting

I have to say, the Healthy Spirit Adult Diaper wasn’t the most exciting to review, particularly after reviewing the FitRight Ultra not that long ago. I found it to be comparable to what you might find from generic cloth-backed store brand diapers. I will say, this diaper is very comfortable when dry (at least initially) and it comes at a very low unit cost. Yet it has some obvious downsides including poor absorbency and ineffective wicking. It’s also quite prone to leak through the leg gathers. In terms of overnight wear, I’d say this diaper is a no-go unless you only have light wettings/dribbles through the night. Otherwise, there just isn’t enough absorbency to guarantee it won’t leak on even the first wetting. In terms of daily wear, I found the padding deteriorates relatively quickly and that reduces its level of dry comfort. The lack of absorbency also will be an issue in daily wear and I wouldn’t count on it not leaking if sitting after the first wetting. It might be alright for those with light-moderate incontinence who can change fairly frequently. It does have benefits in being very discreet in profile and backsheet noise, but regardless of the usage I found it can take a single wetting at the most.

Suitability for Bowel Incontinence: 2

I can’t recommend the Healthy Spirit Adult Diaper for those with bowel incontinence unless the wearer is bedridden and the carer is a pro at changes. The lack of leak guards and tendency to come loose would be a major problem in this regard. It’s also highly likely to omit odors with its cloth-like backsheet.

Wear & Tear Tests

Fitting

The Healthy Spirit Adult Diaper features two repositionable hook & loop tapes per side. The tapes also have some sticky adhesive at their inner side and are very similar to those of the FitRight Ultra; in fact they’re labelled with FitRight. I’ve had some issues with adhesiveness over time and find the diaper tends to come a bit loose and the tapes don’t stick as well after several refastenings.

3.1 Healthy Spirit Fastener

 

Ease-of-Use Rating: 5

I put this diaper at a similar spot as the FitRight Ultra when it comes to ease-of-use, though I’ve gone one point lower as the lack of leak guards really hurts this diaper’s ability to prevent leaks. Moreover, that’s likely to be an even bigger problem for those dealing with bowel incontinence, even in a care giver environment where changes happen frequently.

3.2 Healthy Spirit Diaper Fit

 

Comfort

Comfort Rating (dry): 6
The Healthy Spirit Adult Diaper was reasonably comfortable when dry, very similar to the FitRight Ultra as expected. However, I found the bottom tape was more likely to come loose and rub against the legs than the FitRight diaper. Its tendency to come loose and relatively poor ability to disperse heat resulted in a slightly lower rating. I generally expect cloth-backed diapers to perform better in this regard.

Comfort Rating (wet): 5
You certainly wouldn’t wear this diaper for long as it can often only take a single wetting, if even. I’ve rated it lower than the FitRight Ultra in this regard, not because it’s less comfortable but it quickly saturates and the easy leakage adds to the discomfort. Otherwise, it remains similar to its dry state and is fairly breathable. It also suffers from a substantial degree of padding, clumping, sagging and tearing, like the FitRight Ultra.

3.3 Healthy Spirit Adult Diapers Topsheet and Backsheet

Durability

Dry Padding Deterioration Proportion: 33% (topsheet), 31% (backsheet)
Shake Deterioration Test: 6 shakes to deterioration

Durability Rating (dry): 4
Once more, the Healthy Spirit Adult Diaper mimicked the performance of the FitRight Ultra when it came to durability, but was a bit worse. In its dry state it suffered the same clumping and tearing issues. The tapes also tended to come loose/lose adhesiveness over time leading to sagging. The wetness indicator was also quite sensitive to sweat/lighter dribbles. This diaper feels better suited to a caregiver setting than something an active wearer would use.

Durability Rating (wet): 4
The Healthy Spirit Adult Diaper again ranks below the FitRight Ultra when it comes to wet durability. It’s wet durability is about the same as its dry durability, in both cases the diaper suffers the same degree of padding, clumping and tearing. It also has the same tendency to come loose or sag as you’d find in the FitRight diaper.

3.4 Healthy Spirit Adult Diapers Dry Test Deterioration

Discretion Tests

Profile

Front Rise Above Waistline (Jeans, Sweatpants): 7.0 cm (2.8"), 8.0 cm (3.2")
Back Rise Above Waistline (Jeans, Sweatpants): 10.0 cm (3.9"), 9.0 cm (3.5")
Side Rise Above Waistline (Jeans, Sweatpants): 6.0 cm (2.4"), 7.0 cm (2.8")

Profile Discretion Rating: 8
The Healthy Spirit Adult Diaper was effectively the same as the FitRight Ultra when it came to profile discretion; however, this diaper felt thinner than the FitRight Ultra. It still leaves a slight bulge at its rear and rises pretty high above the waistline. Though one must keep in mind that this diaper’s discretion advantage will completely be lost if it leaks in only a single wetting (a big risk with this diaper).

4.1 Healthy Spirit Adult Diapers Jeans Profile (left) vs Normal Underwear (right)

4.2 Healthy Spirit Adult Diapers Sweats Profile (left) vs Normal Underwear (right)

 

Noise

Noise Rating: 9
Once again, the Healthy Spirit Adult Diaper is almost identical to the FitRight Ultra when it came to noisiness. This diaper is almost as quiet as can be, the most detectable sound is typically the tapes pulling against the surface with movement or a very light crinkling of the backsheet. I’m not sure I’d rank this at the top in terms of noise, compared with the Medline Extended Wear or Seni Quatro, but it’s pretty high up there.

4.3 Healthy Spirit Adult Diapers Noise Profile

Odor Reduction

Odor Reduction Rating: 4
This diaper fares poorly when it comes to odor reduction. Not only does it suffer from many of the issues seen in the FitRight Ultra, but it also doesn’t have inner leak guards. The absence of such, makes it all the easier for odors to escape the padding, not to mention moisture pooling on the inner side of the backsheet.

Want to give the Healthy Spirit Adult Diapers a try?

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