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Condoms rise to the occasion in breakage and leakage tests

Reliability improving despite certain brands and models that are potentially risky

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The Consumer Council's Philip Leung presents the condom brands it tested. Photo: Dickson Lee

Almost all condoms tested by the Consumer Council have received a thumbs-up when it comes to not bursting under pressure.

Of 15,545 prophylactics tested by the council, 99.89 per cent passed the burst test, although three brands failed, the council said yesterday.

The council selected 43 latex and polyurethane condoms under nine brands with different ranges for leakage and strength tests, using 315 samples from each range.

A total of 15 samples - one in every 1,000 - across 12 ranges leaked. Four of the samples that failed were the same range, the Unity Comfort Fit Ultra Lite Ultimate Pleasure, which exceeded the council's standard of a maximum of two failures per 315 samples. No country of origin was specified on its packaging.

Some 114 samples - 10 in every 1,000 - failed the test for strength, after being inflated until they burst.

The failures occurred over 26 ranges, with 13 WonderLife Fruit Flavour condoms failing and 28 Masculan Type 1 Sensitive range not making the grade.

Both ranges exceeded the limit of 10 failures per 315 samples. Both were labelled as having been made in Malaysia, the council said.

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