300
This toilet paper evaluation aimed to find out three things: how quickly the different TPs dissolved in water, how strong they were, and how soft they felt. Each brand was given a number (1 through 10) for blind judging. Four sheets from each roll were crumpled and placed in a clear plastic canister with two quarts of lukewarm water and were stirred for five seconds, or five swirls, with a plastic straw.
300
Testers made initial observations and notes, waited five minutes, stirred again for five seconds, and made more notes. We let them stand for an hour, then mixed it up again by gently shaking, not stirring (to satisfy 007). Testers observed and noted differences.
To test strength, we used spring-clips to attach a plastic bag to individual sheets of tissue. We then added ¼-ounce fishing bullet weights until the tissue tore. Each product was tested three times to confirm the weight of the breaking point, and the average listed on the Value Guide table. The brands were ranked for strength (1 being strongest).
300
Thickness was tested with a Starrett #1010L gauge, and weight was measured on a Pitney Bowes postal scale.
To evaluate softness, seven volunteers were enlisted for a blind comparison. The volunteers rated each product’s softness on a scale from 1 to 5. The scores were averaged to determine the three softest products.
