I bought the 45 roll option back in April 2022 for £26.59 (59p per roll). Since then it’s gone up in price to £35.99 (80p/roll, non-subscription price). You can currently receive up to 25% off subscribe and save for the first purchase.
So, compared to the usual Amazon Presto Eco toilet paper I’ve been buying, which costs a fair bit less, this paper I have to say is somewhat disappointing. I was surprised to see the overall review score was very favourable since my first (and current) impressions were quite subdued and disappointed.
It was hard to believe the paper was actually 3-ply as advertised as it’s so incredibly thin in comparison to the quilted Amazon Eco toilet paper. But yeah, it is 3-ply all right. 3 very ‘tracing paper like’ thin pieces of paper stuck together mind you. Surprisingly smooth feeling I thought. But I don’t ever buy the velvety or blamed options and I’m a fairly unfussy adult male with a (typically) not overly sensitive derrière.
Ok, so how is it in use? Well, I’m going to make a few people blush here but as a folder (and not a scruncher), to be on the safe side I have to use 3 pieces (each wipe) not 2 as I do with the usual Amazon Presto Eco brand that I have tended to buy. But these rolls have something like 200 sheets (albeit with a huge and sturdy cardboard toilet roll in the middle) so perhaps their value still matches? My subjective sensibility tells me I’m using quite a bit more though and it’s not down to dietary complications from eating loads of fibre or hot curries. These rolls are not lasting very long at all.
Now the really embarrassing bit that no one knew about me until now… I hate splashing. I really can’t stand that so I always try and cushion the fall (ahem) so no splashing water wets my undercarriage. This stuff is a bit of a nightmare if you want to be economical with creating a nice little scaffolding type structure to soften the landing, so to speak. You end up using loads. You can’t just keep folding it (not a good idea I’ve discovered after years of experimentation). Scrunching it or letting it kind of fall into the toilet bowl seems to work best (but you need quite a few continuously attached sheets for that). So, if that’s what you do too - you will use more. For me, it’s far too much more - it just doesn’t want to act right and instead gets swallowed up by the toilet bowl water. If this isn’t an issue, great. You’ll be ok I reckon albeit the whole taking care of paper splitting issue (not had that happen but I’m cautious since though the paper appears to be surprisingly strong it really isn’t bomb proof). Essentially with the quilted Amazon Presto Eco stuff you can get away with 2 pieces I find without fearing the you-know-what moment. And you don’t need comparatively anywhere near so much paper to create that gravitational energy absorbing scaffolding net type thing I spoke about either. Amazon for the win/win here.
Absorbency seems ok. Nothing to sing its praises for. It’s not overly linty either so won’t leave tons of fluff. As a side note about the overall expense and cost of living crisis.. these days getting one of those DIY bidet jobbies seems tempting (to those who are interested). Who can afford to just wipe? Anyway, I’ve put a new order in for my old favourite, Amazon Presto Eco (you guessed it!) I have to say though (and again this is kind of a quite subjective comment as I’m no scientist), there does appear to be manufacturing variances that may sometimes explain customer’s different experiences (with some batches of toilet paper perhaps?) I’ve not always been entirely blown away by the Amazon Eco stuff at times either. I think I will just try and hold back a roll from each batch and then one day I’ll do a proper study maybe? Or send it off to a lab or something? Oh yeah, no bad blockages despite quantity used. I guess someone should really do a paper dissolving test…
Serious points (don’t read unless you’ve got nothing better to do): although I’m not an expert by any means, I’m not entirely convinced toilet paper made from bamboo is the silver bullet remedy we all need. There are many pros and cons with recycled vs virgin wood plantations and using bamboo seems like a cool idea but as other’s have mentioned there’s a lot to take into account when weighing up the overall ‘ecological footprint’. It’s not just a simple question of global warming etc to think of. Place of manufacture? Pros/cons (not just economical). Transportation etc. Human rights, workers’ rights etc.
However, it’s admirable that people think differently and care enough to try something different and it’s of course difficult to satisfy a market and convince people to buy your product so you can’t expect a manufacturer to be completely open and transparent about the real pros and cons of producing and using their new product. It’s unlikely to happen but I’d like to see Cheeky Panda etc going even further and condensing this product even more - the oversized cardboard toilet roll holder thing could be really tiny instead and each roll could perhaps be much more densely packed (within reason). This would save considerable space and transportation costs. And they could scrap the bleaching agents. The packaging is pretty good though - it’s not superfluous and completely eliminates plastic. More manufacturers should follow their example perhaps. There’s too much to say about product travel miles/location and land management/oversight and social responsibility (workers and locals etc).
Anyway, we should all be home composting our poop etc or something I suppose. Using such a precious resource as water to flush out our biological waste that actually has (or had) great natural value (through a complex network of underground pipes etc) seems like a really dumb thing for any society to do (though understandable of course/prob due to our weird modern day diets). I have no answers but I hope Bill does… (Look up Bill Gates/toilets and his venture to provide affordable sanitation to the world. It’s very interesting and encouraging.). Maybe one day we’ll get there eh? Ecologically sound and socially responsible. That’s what they try and sell you and economics are important but not just for generating massive profits. Well, let’s see if Amazon publish all this crxx….
| Product Name | Plastic Free Bamboo Toilet Tissue case of 45 rolls |
|---|---|
| Weight | 5.4 Grams |
| Units | 45.0 count |
| Manufacturer contact | Ground Floor, 10 Lower Thames St, London EC3R 6EN |
| Country of origin | China |
| Brand | The Cheeky Panda |
| Format | Roll with Sheets |
| Material composition | 100% Bamboo |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
