Reviews
If people have reviews of pads they have tried, I recommend posting them to http://clothpadreviews.forumotion.com – which is a forum set up for leaving reviews on reusable menstrual products (and related things).
Here’s my reviews on pads I have tried. Now, I think most of my reviews are 5/5 or very high, but that’s generally because I’m picky about what pads I will buy, so I’m not going to buy a pad that I don’t think looks good to begin with.
Work In Progress
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I have 2 of these. I love the heart sewn into the pad, very cute. Great sewing and some lovely fabrics. The pads I have don’t have waterproofing, so I use them as pantyliners, so I’ve not really tested the absorbency with much flow, but they fit well and feel nice to wear. Ideally I do like a pad with a more curvy shape, and it could use a second snap setting to bring the wings in tighter, but because the actual body of the pad isn’t too wide, they feel comfortable. The way the pads are sewn, with the top section ontop of the wing section, the pad feels nice and sturdy. 5/5
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I must admit, I haven’t worn this pad, other than to just test out how it felt. I got it as an unused secondhand pad, just because I wanted to add one to my collection. It’s an interesting shape and very well sewn. The base part is a single layer of fleece, which feels a bit flimsy, I would be concerned that with frequent use the fleece would stretch where it’s snapping onto the pad. The pad part is fairly thin, but pared with the fleece backing, it seems like it would be decently absorbent. What I do like about this style over something like the Outrageous pad that is also a snap on base pad, is that this one has snaps on each end as well as having snaps in the middle, so that the centre of the pad can’t shift. I’d probably rate it 4/5 (but I haven’t tried it properly)
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Amy’s Rag Bag has a unique way of keeping the wings closed! She creates this tab thing that means there are no snaps or velcro or anything other than fabric used. Which allows her to use completely re-purposed fabrics for her pads. I’ve got a belted pad tester with a pantyliner and booster set, and another (gorgeous) pad. I love the shape as a small pad/pantyliner, though I like longer and thicker pads for anything more… I like that her system allows for you to add boosters when you need more absorbency, even though I personally prefer the ease of something I don’t have to add stuff to. The pantyliner that I have as part of the belted set has jersey wings, which may not look as polished as another brand pad, I think the function is great because it’s stretchy, so it helps the pad fit around the crotch of your undies nicely. The larger pad I have doesn’t have the jersey (so it looks a bit nicer) and sill fits great though. I do prefer using a pad with snaps as they are easier/quicker to use, but I appreciate the effort that’s gone into creating this closure style instead, so I’m prepared to take the extra time. Well sewn, and good attention to matching prints and coming up with interesting pads. I’d rate these a 5/5.
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I think these might have been my first pad purchases that had a double snap… I believe it’s done to help keep the pad in place, so that the wings can’t shift… I’ve never really had any issues with other pads that have one snap, but that’s fine., it does feel a bit more sturdy with 2 snaps. My favourite of these is a velour topped one I have, which is in the category of pads that I like to have that are small and comfortable enough to wear when my period has finished but I want to wear a pad for another day just to make sure… or if I’m going out and want a substantial backup for a cup just in case. I have a smaller one which I wear just as a pantyliner (for everyday type use), and I more recently bought another which is a bit longer than the velour one, so I’m happy to wear that during my period on lighter days (I tend to need long pads). Well sewn, comfortable feel, with a crotch width that isn’t too wide. Great choice in fabrics, and she seems to have a quirky sense of humour as she often has things like workmen prints on the pads
5/5
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I got a custom of this brand (we did a swap), because I’d been wanting to try one, and she had a Sushi print I love
It’s a very interesting and pretty unique shape. While I do like a nice flared back, because the front is flared the same width, I find it a bit unnecessarily wide at the front… but it does mean both ends of the pad are symmetrical, which I do like the look of
It feels quite thin, so I’m not sure how much flow it can cope with, so I prefer to keep it for lighter flow days.. that’s my only major complaint, I would like more in the pad. I like that the pad snaps snugly in the crotch and isn’t too wide, though the wings are interesting…. The snap on one wing is positioned more in the centre of the wing than at the end like the other one is (and is usual for pad wings), but I believe this is done because if both snaps were done at the edge of the wing, the crotch would then be too wide. So the wing snaps more to the side than in the centre (like how those Asian styled tops do up off centre).. which I personally don’t have a problem with, but I’ve seen some comments on that where people haven’t liked it. I’m not sure why the wings weren’t just made shorter so they snap the same width.. but I guess this way allows an extra snap setting to go on to make the pads wider in the crotch if you wanted that. Well sewn and a great range of prints. 4.5/5
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I only have one of these but I love it, and I hope to buy some more one day! I rate it a 5/5. Definitely one of my favourite pantyliners.
The one I have is a hand dyed velour top, I think it’s the 6 inch pad, with fleece backing. Perfectly sewn! And it’s really narrow through the crotch, so fits perfectly in my narrower underpants, so I barely feel it’s there, even though it seems like it would be absorbent enough to cope with a cup overflow or something. It’s been through several washes and still looks as good as the day I bought it.
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I have one of these, a purple (of course) velour topped one. I rate it a 5/5. I haven’t really worn it with a heavy enough flow to fully test the absorbency or leakproofness, but it’s a good fit, with a nice snapped width (which is adjustable with 2 snap settings). The overlocking (serging) is very well done, especially around the rounded ends of the wings (I find that hard myself). It’s held up fine with washing it’s had (machine washing, with “normal” but eco-friendly detergent), still looks great and the wool backing is fine.I got mine as a custom order, because my only complaint is that they are usually only available in sets…. which is probably good value, but if you just want 1 or 2 pads, it’s a little frustrating
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I’ve got 5 of these. I’d been searching for a while to try their Ultimate pad in stock (in a colour I liked), thinking it would be great, but I found it far too short to work properly. The back was too wide and poked out of my underwear inbetween the crotch and back (and my undies are sufficiently ample in coverage!). Which is a shame… it felt far too uncomfortable to wear. I’m keeping it for a night pad for my daughter when she first starts, as I think it might be more suited to a teen’s smaller frame (as then where it gets wider will be further back on the buttocks). I would like to try their newer longer Ultimate pads, although they are quite pricey (given I could sew my own and I don’t *need* more pads) and every.single.time I check they are sold out… so I probably never will get one.
The other pads though, brilliant! Quite similar to the Go With the Flo pads, although a lot of these pads are made with the wings overlocked/serged under the pad, making them feel trimmer. These have some lovely dyed velour tops, on a somewhat flimsy fleece base (being a single layer). But I’ve been careful unsnapping them and haven’t had any problems with it stretching or anything. The only thing I don’t like is that usually the listings will show a couple of pads and you just get one from that lot – but since they are different in the way they are dyed, I don’t like that you can’t pick the exact pad you’ll receive.
I’d rate the Ultimate pad a 3 or 4 because it didn’t fit well enough to be able to comfortably wear, the other pads though 5/5
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I rate these a 3/5. I have the night pad, and I find the pad is far too wide in the crotch – it snaps to 3.5 inches/9cm, which I find really uncomfortable to wear. I suppose it wouldn’t be so bad if you wear them at night when you won’t feel it, but I got it to wear during the day. I also don’t like the lack of measurements on the website – I bought mine on the off-chance they would be suitable for me (and because I like to be able to review pads), but I wouldn’t have bought it if I’d known how wide it would be (My fault for not asking the retailer I suppose))
They can be a bit confusing to know which way up they go. They do have a label on the underside (on mine it’s sewn on wonky and off centre), but they are basically the same on both sides (no channel stitching on the top, just stitching along where the wing folds on the top), so I find you have to pay a bit more attention when using them to make sure you’ve got it the right way up (though I am used to pads that have a more obvious difference to each side). But that’s only a minor quibble. The waterproofing appears to be sewn to the core, which doesn’t extend into the wing – so there are only 2 layers of fabric through the wing.
That said, the material they are made from is a nice soft flannel/flannelette type fabric (organic cotton), which has retained it’s softness through the few washes I’ve put it through, and the pad sewing is fine and seems durable. I don’t know if their other sizes (they do a regular pad and a pantyliner) are smaller through the crotch (since they don’t list measurements), so their other sizes might be more comfortable.
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I have two of what I think were called the “love bug” shape pads…. I love that shape – so unique and stunning. I rate them a 5/5.
Excellent sewing – very neat and the points are perfect points. I had a custom, so I got the fabrics and absorbency I wanted (So I got them as long pantyliners basically, because that’s what I wanted at the time… though in hindsight I should have got them as normal pads). They are a great fit for me, with a nice width but with a flared end.
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I got one of their freebie liners, and to be honest I haven’t worn it, it’s just part of my collection
… it’s cute, a pink and black poodle one. It’s quite short (perfect length for an everyday type pantyliner for me though), and looks ok for a pantyliner, but I don’t know how absorbent their fleece inserts are for heavier flow, they look very thin, but adding 2 is quite bulky… I try to avoid cotton as a pad absorbent core, as its thicker for it’s absorbency than hemp or bamboo….. The inserts don’t sit flat in the base, but they might shrink when washed (I haven’t washed it). I don’t like that the snaps are the old fashioned plastic kind that come attached to tape and are cut out and sewn onto the pads…. that surprised me, given it’s such a large professional company. I think they are very overpriced for what they are… But since I’ve not actually tried it, I can’t really rate it.
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I have 2 pantyliners in the old style with velcro closures on the wings. I don’t really wear them much as I don’t like them as much as other ones I have and they are only 2 layers of flannel, so not really useful… Though they are well sewn. One of them was classed as a second, and I can’t even tell why.
At the time I remember Matersum had some lovely pads… but I seem to recall some arguments with another pad maker over the wing shape, and it looks now like Matersum makes a different style of pad, as the ones in her stores now have zig-zagged edges and have a more square shape and mostly organics, whereas when I got mine, she was doing turned&topstitched ones with printed fabrics.
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I’ve got 5 of these, in a couple of different styles, as I’ve bought them over the last couple of years as her designs were changing. I rate them a 5/5.Very well sewn, I love the choice in prints (My latest purchase was a “tea” pad that has words of different kinds of tea on it – so cool!). I find the latest designs to have a very nice shape, and all of them have fit very well for me.
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These are really cute narrow little pads. I like the style, for something different, and I find they work well as an everyday type pantyliner. However I find the wings don’t snap firmly enough around, they could ideally have another snap setting, or a shorter wing. I also wouldn’t use them for anything other than a pantyliner, as they don’t look terribly absorbent, and the slim shape is unlikely to stay where it’s supposed to in a longer pad. 4/5
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I got a 17″ post partum size pad, and would have been awesome but I find the front is too wide
The back is great, and it’s fine through the centre, but the front just feels uncomfortable. I’ve actually been meaning to run around it with the overlocker to make it narrower, because otherwise it’s a great pad. It’s got great coverage overnight and great absorbency. The sewing is well done, so the width of the front is my only complaint. I haven’t tried the other sizes though.
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I have one of the old style night/post partum pads, that was just sewn around the edges (not overlocked) and frayed…. which was very stiff and ratty looking, though a good shape and size. Then I also got one of the newer style pantyliners, with velour top, which is lovely. Well sewn, lovely choice of fabrics and a comfortable shape and fit. So I rate the newer one a 5/5
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I rate them a 5/5. I admit that the pad I bought, I did so just to have one so I could add it to my collection (and to see what a wool backed pad was like), and because at the time money was tight I got a custom order of a single layer pantyliner with wool backing. So it’s actually not as useful as other pads in my collection, unless I use a booster under it. But that’s my fault not hers ![]()
The pad itself is well sewn and I find the shape fits well. One of the things I loved about this brand of pads is the lines of stitching she does on the pad, I find it very unique and beautiful. The wool backing is softer and thinner than I thought it would be, but I haven’t been able to really test it’s functionality as far as being able to stop the pad leaking through but I do know that it hasn’t deteriorated with machine washing.
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I have 3 of these, 2 AIO pads and one of the Base+insert sets. I rate them a 5/5. Very well sewn, a nice shape and a great fit. The AIOs are very trim, and because they are waterproofed you don’t have to worry about leaks!
I don’t find the snap-on base+insert style of pads very useful for a heavy flow, as you can’t put 2 inserts together to increase absorbency, so I would bleed right through very quickly, but on lighter days they work well. I like the fact that with the snap on inserts there are no pocket ends or straps to be annoying. The only thing I think could be improved is the sale of extra inserts to use with it… I believe they are only sold as a set of 1 base and 2 or 3 inserts.
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I have 3 of these pads – and I rate them a 5/5. I love the shape, with the curved flared back, and I find them a nice comfortable width. Very trim, and well sewn. There are some fantastic fabric choices available too. I’m not saying much about them I guess, but that’s because I can’t think of anything more to say, but the fact I’ve bought one, then I’ve gone back to buy 2 more, and given I could make my own pads, I think that’s praise enough
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I have a rad pad (purple) pocket pad. I find the terry insert to be really thin… you can almost see through it, so I don’t consider it absorbent enough to really use this pad, or I’d bleed through really quickly. I also don’t like that the 2 pocket back pieces are different fabrics (that urks me, one side is navy one side is black)… but the top is a purple jersey which is nice and soft. I could make a bamboo insert to go inside to make it more absorbent, but it’s also a bit shorter than I like, a bit wider than I like, I don’t especially like pocket pads and I have a bunch of other pads I like more. Apart from the terry insert being really thin, there is nothing wrong with this pad, it’s just not as good as others I have. So I’d rate it 3/5
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I have the night pad, which is really not long enough to consider a night pad IMHO. I also have a different brand (Nature tex) of shorter one but it’s so much a copy of a sckoon you’d never know it wasn’t one, so since it’s the same as a sckoon I’m considering it one for the purpose of review……
So to start with, I don’t really like non-waterproofed pads, so that’s a bit of a negative here with these, as they are just organic cotton (though that’s a bonus)… The smaller one has the pocket ends, which I find a bit more fiddly than the strap ends. The inserts are made so the ends are thinner so they fit in. The advantage if your flow is really light, is you can fold the insert to get a clean surface, or switch the inserts with a clean one, but frankly, I’d just prefer to pop a clean pad on…. and if I was to use it for much of a flow, I’d bleed on the pocket ends, needing to change the whole thing anyway. The longer one has a print on the back, and I ended up dying the whole thing purple to make it more interesting. It’s got a flared back, so the inserts are sort of trapezoid shaped. I prefer the length of this and the strap ends, so there isn’t as much worry about bleeding onto the pocket ends (or off the pad).
Both pads feel a bit bulky, and given they aren’t as absorbent as other pads I have, I’d prefer a thinner more absorbent pad. Although the organic cotton used is lovely and soft, so they do feel very nice on. But I don’t really like non-waterproofed pads, I prefer colours and prints to plain boring organics, and I prefer AIOs, so I don’t use these pads really.
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I’m not sure what to score these pads….
I have one of the base+insert (jazzy) kinds. The inserts are well sewn, as is the base (though it looks like the backing flannel is wrong way out, not that it matters, it’s just not as fluffy)… but the waterproofing in the base feels really plasticky, and sounds really crinkly.. it sounds and feels like a plastic tablecloth. Because of this, I haven’t worn it, as my fear is that you’d hear that crinkle sound as I walked… I don’t like it at all. Because of that, I would rate them perhaps a 2-3/5. I don’t know if it would get less noisy with repeated washes.
I’m not sure if the waterproofing fabric used is still the same (mine is from a few years ago), and if the AIO pads use it too… If it is different, I would rate them higher.
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I have several of these pads, as I’ve bought them over the last few years as the brand has changed the styles. I rate the latest styles a 5/5.
(the earlier ones I did find snapped too wide, and were quite thick – so would have got maybe a 4….. but were still very well made… but they aren’t available any more, so it doesn’t matter)
The 2 I have in the modern version are lovely! They are so soft and flexible, very well sewn (both in neatness and in stability), and are nice and trim. The fabric choices are wonderful, and she takes care to match the velour colour on the tops with the cotton prints on the back.
My only complaints are that ideally I would like a second snap setting, as they are a little wider than I would normally like (and there is room for a second set)….. and that you can’t buy single pads, only in sets (though singles are available from resellers), which is very frustrating if you just want to buy 1 pad (either because you don’t need more, or because you just want 1 in that print, not 3, or not 3 different sizes).
It is worth mentioning that the business has been sold to someone else now, so I don’t know how that will affect the pads now.
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The Longer one I got was an earlier version (a couple of years ago), and it has really stiff waterproofing inside that is a bit crackly sounding. And the stitching was sewn through the pad, and I have leaked through that a couple of times. The backing flannel looked quite “cheap” (thin/grainy). Having said that, the shape and fit of the pad though, were fantactic. Nice and long, but not too wide through the crotch. I do like the shape. So I’d have rated that pad a 4/5
The shorter one I got was an upgraded design (not long after I got the first but I believe it’s how they are made now), without stitching right through, and it’s fleece backed with different waterproofing inside. This pad is much better, soft and non crinkly
The shape is nice and comfortable, and the pad is sewn well.
I have heard that customer service can be slow (both in getting an order completed, and getting communication from the seller), however I got my pads a while ago, when things weren’t as busy, so did not have any problems. So based on the shape of the old one, but the construction (and shape) of the new one, and my personal experience with them, 5/5
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I’ve got 2 pantyliners, and I rate them a 5/5
I find them fantastic! a great size and shape for an everyday use pantyliner, the sewing is well done, and the fabric matching for the top and back was well done to create a contrast that matches well (even though it’s not a colour I’d have chosen, it works). They have held up well through several washes so far.
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I rate the “maxi” size a 3/5. I have seen the smaller sizes, and they are much narrower and I believe they would be a lot more comfortable and I would probably rate them higher – however I am reviewing the “maxi” pad that I have.
I find it is too wide for my comfort. It snaps to about 8.5cm (almost 3.5 inches). The core itself is narrower than this (about 7cm), so if there were additional snap settings to let you snap it narrower I would find it more comfortable. Some of the photos I have seen of the smaller sizes have a second snap setting – I don’t know if that’s something new or if the larger pads don’t have the extra snap (or if mine just happened to not have one)
When I first got the pad the core was very stiff, although it has softened through washing, it is still quite a lot stiffer/chunkier than other pads I have. It has a stitching line down the centre, which makes the pad fold into a V shape when worn (because it is so wide), so I find it ends up feeling a bit loose. So with the value for money and width of the pad, I’d have to rate this size a 3/5, I really don’t like it much, given the cost, I think there are nicer looking, more comfortable and cheaper pads around.
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I’ve got about 7 of these and I love them! I rate them a 5/5. Beautiful sewing – very neat and the pads are well made. The shape is both lovely to look at, and a great fit for me. I find there is always a great range of prints. I use them as pantyliners, as they aren’t long enough for me to use as pads (I’m not sure what size I have, but around 8 inch and less)…. so I haven’t really had to test them out for absorbency (I really need to try one of the longer ones). Some of them I have are just flannel pantyliners and some I have are fleece backed pads. I do like the smaller pads for something like a cup backup, where I want something that could cope if the cup overflowed or leaked significantly (not that it ever has), so I like that I know it would cope with that. They are some of my favourites.
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I rate these a 5/5. I have 2 longer fleece backed ones and 1 shorter wool backed one. I’ll be honest… when I first got them, I would have rated them a 4, because I found them really stiff and wide, but after a few washes, they softened up and don’t feel so wide now, and they have become some of my favourites. The wings take up a lot of the pad, which is good, in that they will protect from leaks off the side over a longer distance of the pad, however it can bunch up your underwear, particularly if you are a smaller woman (not that I am though lol)
I was attracted to them because of the hand dyed fabrics and the pretty stitching. So I ordered a custom, and I was very pleased with what I got. Very well sewn and beautiful fabric! I’ve always had a really heavy flow, so I’ve always been a bit fearful of pads that don’t have PUL in them, but now my flow is “normal” (thanks to the pill), I’ve been able to try non PUL pads, and I’ve not had a leak with these, even on my heavy days. Much to my surprise actually ![]()
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