Imagine might be ever so slightly larger
Judging by the stats listed above, you may be saying, "holy crap these are the same thing but one costs more than the other." That's what I thought at first too. Having heard awesome things about bamboo flats, I started out with the Nicki's brand first because they were cheaper. I loved them so much that when the Black Friday sale came around and the Imagine were the same price as Nicki's, I figured I'd give them a go and see if they were really worth the extra $0.67/ea.
Why bamboo? First of all, bamboo flats are soft. If you line dry and are always finding your cotton flats to be a little stiff, I would totally recommend checking out bamboo flats. They feel so good! Straight off the line, they are soft, but out of the dryer they feel luxurious.
And they hold so much pee. I don't think I have ever taken one off my son that was over halfway saturated. Most of the time they don't even feel 1/3 of the way saturated after our usual every two hour diaper changes.
How do they compare? After testing them out for a few weeks, I have come to the conclusion that the Imagine could actually be worth the extra money. And honestly, I was very much anticipating finding no difference between the two.
The Imagine do feel softer than the Nicki's brand. I will have a pile of flats ready to fold, fresh from the dryer, picking them out one at a time, and I can always tell when I've just grabbed the Imagine brand, they just feel extra soft and dreamy.
Neither stay perfectly square, but I think that's just the nature of the bamboo.
As far as absorbency is concerned, I put them to the test by pad folding them, laying them on the counter, and pouring some water on them to see which could hold more. I concentrated the water pouring in one spot, trying to mimic an actual diaper in use and measured it once I saw the first sign of leaking or water spreading onto the counter from the fabric.
Results: the Imagine held ever so slightly more water than the Nicki's brand diaper!
1 1/4 cup for Imagine.
1 1/8 cup for Nicki's.
So overall, Imagine actually does have its perks. It's not simply an overpriced version of the same Nicki's Diaper bamboo flats, like I was honestly expecting. Perhaps one will last longer than the other in the long run. With baby brother Eren arriving this spring, I will keep an eye on it. :)