As you can probably tell from the point of this blog, I enjoy typing up reviews of the “budget” products that my wife and I use. But sometimes, I tend to forget about reviewing the most absolute of basic necessities. And one of the most basic and primitive of all needs happens to be toilet paper. We have gone through at least a dozen different styles and brands over the years, and I have only reviewed one, and that’s because it was the worst roll I’ve ever used and I wanted to get the word out to prevent others from making the same mistake that I did. Well now, we’re going to take a look at one that goes in the opposite direction: one that I like so much, it has started to become our go-to brand!
I think part of the reason that I neglected reviewing toilet paper in the past, is that many of them are the same. I’m not very picky when it comes to many things, so unless it’s super-weak, or has the texture of sandpaper, I don’t really care what I wipe with. Well on a trip to Aldi a little while back, we were in desperate need of toilet paper, since no matter how many rolls come in a pack, or how big the rolls are, they all seem to disappear in roughly the same amount of time. It doesn’t help that there apparently are a million different sizes and styles: extra soft, extra tough, single-, double-, or triple-roll, etc., and Aldi seems to carry all of them. For a store that aims to limit itself to just the bare essentials, why must they carry knockoffs comparing themselves to literally every single national brand of toilet paper? I set out to find one that would appease both of us.
After spending much more time on it than I should have, I finally settled on Willow’s Ultra Soft toilet paper. It wasn’t the cheapest of the options on a “per sheet” basis, but it was $4.99, which is in line with most of their 12-roll papers, and while there are only six in a pack, they are supposedly “mega rolls”, which are four-times the size of a regular roll! So, you’re supposedly getting the equivalent of 24 “regular” rolls for a mere $5 (and in six easier-to-carry rolls), which certainly isn’t a bad deal in my book; I figured the soft texture would win over my hard-to-please wife.
It didn’t just win her over, but it got to me: this is easily one of the softest toilet papers I’ve ever used. I won’t get into graphic details about how I’ve come to that conclusion (toilet paper is used mainly for one thing, after all), but needless to say it does it’s job well, and with a soft, pleasant texture. My one concern was that it was soft at the expense of toughness, especially since they also offer an “ultra tough” version (why not just make them both?). That thought was dispelled pretty quickly after first use, because they just feel ultra tough and are ultra-absorbent. I’ve used many different rolls of this over the past couple months and have never punched through the tissue, or even seen one of them tear, so you can get them with confidence.
It takes a lot for me to stand up and take notice of toilet paper, but this stuff fits the bill and is one of the best toilet papers I think I’ve ever used. A roll seems to last as long as the “double-roll” twelve packs do, so it evens out, which feels like extra value considering it’s in half the number of rolls. For me, it’s excellent stuff for the price and a great combination of strength and value.
Overall: 10/10. It’s hard imagining there’s a better roll of toilet paper out there: Willow’s Ultra Soft toilet paper is ultra soft as the name implies, but is also incredibly tough and sturdy, which will prevent you from “punching through” the toilet paper at inopportune times. Each roll is a “mega roll”–four times the size of a normal one—which means that there are 24 rolls in this “six-pack”. Since it retails for $4.99, that’s about in line with what you will pay for double-roll 12-packs at Aldi, and a great price, giving them high marks for savings. We still like to experiment with other toilet papers, so as much as we like it we probably won’t just stick to it, but this one has been the best private label brand that we’ve encountered so far.
Bought a 12 pack. Two of the rolls did not have the cardboard tube. Solid tissue. Such a challenge trying to use, I finally threw them away. Won’t buy Willow again.
Man, that sucks. I had the same cardboard issue with their ultra cheap ones (which aren't under the "Willow" brand name) and put up with it, but there's a difference between $.59 four-packs, and $5 twelve-packs. Definitely shouldn't happen at Willow-level prices.