Clip Or Velcro Closures For Ostomy Bags - Which Do You Prefer?

Question

My product representative and I have talked about product trends. He says that more ostomates prefer Velcro closures. My observation as a WOCN is that manufacturers (Hollister, Coloplast, and Convatec) may be underestimating how many ostomates prefer clip closures based on my interactions with people who have an ostomy.
Do you use a clip (the IGGIE clip counts!) or Velcro closure?

OldDude · Answer

After 6 years with a Velcro closure (various manufacturers) and only a few clips, I have never had a failure of either design. So my response is based on my perceived ease of use and comfort. The Velcro closure seems to be lower profile, easier to operate, and doesn't poke me like the clip sometimes did. Both were easy to empty and clean. In the middle of the night when I need to empty but really don't want to wake up any more than the bare minimum, the Velcro closure is my friend.

w30bob · Answer

One thing to note here is that most ostomy bags with the Velcro closure don't use actual Velcro. The Hollister bags I use don't, and I think of the big three, only Coloplast has some bags with real Velcro... and it's called EasiSeal or something like that. I mention this because you can have a failure with the Hollister bags' seal if you don't squeeze the two sides of the closure together with a bit of force. That's because, unlike real Velcro, which has its hooks pointed in all directions, the other hook and loop fasteners have all their hooks pointing in the same direction... because otherwise, they'd be violating Velcro's patent. That's why real Velcro sticks on contact, with no force required, while the generic hook and loop systems need force to close. Not realizing this, there have been a few times when I first switched to the Hollister bags with the hook and loop closure... called Lock and Roll microseal... that I didn't squeeze the closure hard enough to engage the hooks and loops. You can guess how that turned out. As you use it more and more, it requires less pressure to get a good attachment, and when you squeeze, you'll feel the hooks push into the loops and the whole seal gets thinner. Then you're good to go. Just more useless knowledge to tuck away in that brain of yours for someday down the road.
;O)

Mysterious Mose · Answer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOMb3jJShAw
🥸

Hisbiscus · Answer

Clap hands down

Naomi23 · Answer

I have used the clip kind while I was in a skilled nursing facility and hated it! It was complex, and a lot of the nurses didn't know how to unclip it. I am now at home with my ostomy bag and much more prefer the Velcro kind. And that's what my insurance company covers for me: the one-piece Hollister kind with the Velcro. It seems to me much easier for emptying and closing back up because I once had the clip come off while wearing my bag, and it was a mess!

MBT · Answer

Thank you, everyone, for responding :) I enjoyed following this conversation. 46 of us responded, and here are the results:
Rubber bands 4%
Velcro w/IGGIE clip 11%
Traditional clip 22%
Velcro 63%

warrior · Answer

You forgot staples... stapling... ha... just kidding. Welcome back.

Mysterious Mose · Answer

Using back then forward has a tendency to seep, in my experience. I do all the folds towards me. The only time I do an initial fold away from me is when I empty my bag. What I do is add water to the bag, do one fold away and one towards, and then swish things around before emptying into the toilet. I do it this way because, if things stick a bit when opening, the output will spurt backwards instead of forwards. A couple of messes got me to change to the way I do it now. :-)
Daniel

Clip or Velcro Closures for Ostomy Bags - Which Do You Prefer?

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