When I emptied my postbox yesterday, I was happy to find a speedy delivery of a pair of bamboo knee compression sleeves that I had ordered; hoping that they might be a softer alternative to the synthetic ones I've been using so far (not around the clock, but when for example out walking). I've not wanted to wear those directly on my skin though, so have either worn them with a thin tube bandage underneath, or on top of cotton leggings.
I've also experimented with using the cut off upper parts of a pair of super elastic 'diabetic' bamboo knee-highs (saved from an old pair where the feet got worn out) over a piece of tube bandage on the knee; as a lighter kind of support (at home and in the night).
The bamboo sleeves I ordered now turned out to be thicker and far from as elastic as the diabetic socks. But I tried keeping them on over night, and they did remain surprisingly comfortable. 24/7 use may not be recommended with these either, but I think they'll be a useful "middle" alternative to the others.
As soon as you start searching for anything like this online, though (and even more as soon as you actually order something) - it seems to trigger like half a million internet algorithms (for example on Facebook) to say to themselves: "Oh, look, she's interested in bamboo knee bandages! Hooray! Surely she'll not just want one pair! She'll want at least half a dozen - no, make that a full dozen... And all from different companies..."
And the thing with these bamboo knee bandages sems to be that no matter what company or distributor I check out, and whether they claim that the bandages are available in sizes from XS to XXL, or boldly state that "one size fits all"; and whether the sleeves are kept in stock somewhere locally (and may land in your postbox in a couple of days), or shipped directly to customer from China (in which case delivery is more likely to take two weeks) - I notice that every image of them looks the same. They all seem to be in grey and white, with almost exactly the same pattern. Just possibly marked with different labels.
Which makes me imagine one gigantic bamboo-knitting factory somewhere in China, producing billions and billions of these, and shipping them out to an endless number of retailers all over the world, who in turn do their best to sell them on to billions of people with knee problems... (Some of us possibly ordering some from different companies to compare - only to find them all the same??)
Not the most attractive items to wear but as long as they do the job that's all that matters. Definately designed to wear under trousers - imagine wearing a knee-length dress and trying to conceal them!
ReplyDeleteCarol, definitely designed to wear under trousers, I agree. I do usually wear trousers though, even in summer. Wide summer trousers were perfect to wear over my various kinds of bandages the first month before it got colder. The slow pace, slight limping + leaning on a walking pole still kind of a giveaway, though... ;)
DeleteI think your supposition is right, about a giant factory parceling them out! I am well aware of how, once you buy something, seemingly every website keeps showing you a lot to buy. I hope these continue to work well.
ReplyDeleteGinny, it's not the first time I've noticed it my of course - that one purchase leads to suggestions of more of similar kind - but with these particular knee sleeves it became so blatantly obvious - Facebook started showing me look-alike ads of the same thing from more companies than I had found in my original search! I have no complaint about the product as such (not yet anyway), I was just amazed at seeing how many different companies seem to be offering basically same product (under a variety of names) and calling it unique... ;)
DeleteYour tale of the global bamboo–knee-sleeve industrial complex is both hilariously relatable
ReplyDeleteRo, it just raises so many questions... 😉 Like, if different producers, why wouldn't they each try to create their own "look"...
DeleteThe lighter coloured patches directly on the knee look to be of slightly different shape in some of the pictures. But basically, they all appear to be the same, and of course you will now want to order several dozens for the many legs you have 🤣
ReplyDeleteMeike, I agree, and I suppose some may be "originals" and other "copies" - I just don't really see the point in making them all look so alike. (Unless of course there is one original superior brand and the others less efficient.) When ordering mine, the first ad I looked into was from a company that didn't keep them in stock in Sweden, but would just order them "for" me to be sent directly from China. So I checked another similar ad from a different company, who did have "one size fits all" in stock in Sweden. Previous experience has taught me that even when allowed to choose size, that can be difficult anyway, since what they actually feel like depends a lot on the material (how stretchy etc). So it's a bit of a lottery anyway. But the ones I got seem useful for me, so no complaints. I didn't bother to compare prices in detail as it seemed reasonable enough. Just kind of perplexed/amused by the flood of extremely similar online offers that followed... 🙃
DeleteSlight variations, maybe from different lighting or angles, make the buyer wonder if the right product has been purchased.That's the whole, point, of course, to make buyers reconsider. Anyway, so long as the one/s you have are doing the job, that's satisfactory.
ReplyDeleteJanice, I suppose you may have point there. I still think they might profit more from also making them in different colours, though! ;)
DeleteI giggled all the way through, I looked up a GMC Hummer Truck, $190,00.00 dollars to show bob because there is a house on our walk that has TWO of them in their driveway and now I have seen every Hummer that every dealer has every where I go.. I will not be buying one
ReplyDeletethese do all look the same and I think you are Right
Sandra, I still get more of the same every time I open Facebook... 😉 I have to say I do find this type of knee sleeve comfortable to wear in the night, though. Less worries about getting my knee in a twisted positon while sleeping, and neither too tight nor too hot.
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