What is the best toilet paper dispenser?
There are many different toilet paper dispensing systems in today’s away from home (A.F.H.) marketplace and you will have come across different options, different brands, and you will have noticed different toilet tissue dispensing systems in different establishments.
It can be difficult for an organisation to decide on the best toilet paper dispenser for your organisation, so this article will shed some light on the five most commonly used toilet paper dispensers in the UK.
Establish the frequency of use
Before choosing a system, it is important to establish the traffic level. This means, how many people will use every toilet cubicle per day, or even per hour. Organisations typically distinguish between the following three traffic levels:
- Low traffic – hotel rooms, small Office
- Medium traffic – large Office, restaurant/ busy bars, clubs
- High traffic shopping centre, school/ collage, airport, stadiums
Most common toilet paper dispensing systems
Conventional Toilet Paper Holder
Advantages of the traditional tissue dispenser
- Very easy to use.
- Low cost.
- Compatible with high end and low end domestic toilet roll refills.
- Gives a more homely feel to your WC.
Disadvantages of the traditional tissue dispenser
- Extremely prone to theft – people remove the toilet rolls and take them home.
- Short roll length. This requires the cubicles to be checked and refilled regularly.
Cost of the traditional tissue dispenser
- Average refill case: 2-ply toilet paper, 36/40 rolls x 20-40m
- £7 – £16 per case
- Recommended for low traffic
Bulk pack / folded toilet tissue dispenser
Advantages of bulk pack / folded toilet paper dispensers
- Small lockable dispenser
- interlocking self-presenting single sheet dramatically cuts usage and theft vs roll tissue.
Disadvantages of bulk pack / folded toilet paper dispensers
- This is quite an old system which is starting to drop out of the industry.
- The tissue dispenser can prove quite messy as excess tissue falls to the cubical floor.
- Relatively small sheet count per dispenser.
Cost and pack size of bulk pack / folded paper dispensers
- Average refill case 2ply 36 bails x 250sheets
- £12 – £20
- Low – Medium traffic
Mini Jumbo toilet tissue dispenser
Advantages of Mini Jumbo paper dispensers
- Lockable dispenser.
- Holds high length refills.
- Offered relatively cheap as this is the market leading system.
Disadvantages of Mini Jumbo paper dispensers
Dispenser can be bulky and might not be suitable for smaller cubicles.
Cost and roll size of Mini Jumbo toilet tissue dispensers
- Average refill case 2ply 12 rolls x-200m
- £10 – £18
- Medium-high traffic
Pull-through toilet tissue dispenser
Advantages of the pull-through paper dispensers
- Neat, compact lockable dispenser.
- Pull-thru toilet rolls are a modern day alternative to old-school bulk pack.
- Self-presenting single toilet sheets offer good value with no waste.
Disadvantages of the pull-thru paper dispensers
- Refills tend to be expensive.
- They are usually sold with a supply contract.
Costs of the pull-thru paper dispensers
- Average refill case 2ply 6 rolls x 200m
- £20 – £28
- Medium-high traffic
The most recognised brand of pull thru toilet roll is Smartone by SCA Tork. They claim consumption is reduced by up to 40 % when compared to a traditional jumbo roll dispenser.
Twin-micro jumbo toilet tissue dispenser
Advantages of the twin-micro jumbo toilet paper system
- Lockable
- Tidy dispenser
- Double (twin) roll decreases down time / refill time especially in a high traffic
Disadvantages of the twin-micro jumbo system
- Refills tend to be expensive.
- They are usually sold with a supply contract.
- Double (twin) roll decreases down time / refill time especially in a high traffic
Cost and pack size of the twin-micro jumbo system
- Average refill case 2ply 36 rolls x 125m
- £18 – £26
- Medium to high traffic
The most recognised brand of twin micro jumbo is Leonardo Vesatwin by Northwood paper. Northwood claim that 1 case of 2ply versatwin is equivalent to:
- 2 cases of 36 x 250 sheet bulk pack
- 3.1 cases of 6 x 200m pull thru
- 2.6 cases of 36 x 40m conventional toilet roll
- 1.8 cases of 12 x 200m mini jumbo
Other similar yet less popular system brands in the market include:
- Kimberley Clarke
- ESP
- Metsa
- Bay West
The reason the above systems are less popular is because these are generally sold through an exclusive network of distributors and / or have a lock out USP. This means that these systems tend to be much more expensive vs the top 5 systems that have been flooded thought out the UK for a number of years, hence driving prices down and availability up. Great news for the end user.
Andrew is responsible for the purchasing of consumables, stock control, storage and distribution of Trichem products.