When Johnny comes marching home ... with cuts and grazes, which bandaid gives the best TLC?(User trial: dressings for minor wounds)(Product/Service Evaluation)(Buyers Guide)

Publication: Choice (Chippendale, Australia)

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COPYRIGHT 2004 Australian Consumers' Association

IN A NUTSHELL

* Various products by well-known brands such as ELASTOPLAST, BAND-AID and RAPAID were rated top by our Home Testers.

* They're not suitable for all kinds of wound--see When to use them, right.

The first problem with these 'dressings for minor wounds' is what to call them. Australians call them 'bandaids'--and the Macquarie Dictionary acknowledges this as common usage--but it's a brand name. We considered 'adhesive strips', 'adhesive plaster', 'sticking plaster' and the above cumbersome 'dressings ...' description, but no-one thought any of them reflected what consumers use and understand. So, with due acknowledgment to Johnson & Johnson's brand BAND-AID, from here on we'll behave like normal Aussies and call them 'bandaids'.

According to market research figures, Australians spend around $30 million on them every year, which must reflect a lot of playground and backyard misadventures. But which are best for sticking to the job, water resistance and comfort? To find out, nearly 500 CHOICE Home Testers trialled all the rectangular bandaid strips we could find in supermarkets and pharmacies.

[CHOICE HOME TRIAL] THE TRIAL

Each of the 487 Home Testers who took part tried three different bandaids. They wore each (on unbroken skin) for 24 hours on the inside of the wrist on which they don't wear...

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