Whiz Freedom
Following are some user questions and replies. If we have failed to
be specific enough in answering questions you may have, please contact
us. We continuously build a data base of information and questions we
receive from users. Some questions overlap but rather than condense
and change the meaning of question or shape it we have followed the
direction of the questions, allowing overlap.
Yes. The same product can be used by both categories of users. We discussed with our customers the possibility of different names and different colours to distinquish these two markets but every woman we consulted with felt that not only did the name freedom apply to both, but they wished to be treated as women and not singled out for their physical attributes (at either end - extreme sports or mobility impaired). Equality and women were their key considerations.
The Whiz was our first device and this was anti-bacterial
and machine washable. But our customers wanted something that did not
require instant washing as they were often not in a position to do this.
So we developed the Whiz Plus which had a special plasma coating that
repelled all liquid and did not need washing - but as a plasma coating
it meant the Whiz plus could not be machine washed (women felt that
when they returned home they wanted to wash or machine wash it). So
we developed the Whiz Freedom replacing the plasma coating with a unique
agent that is anti-bacterial, hydrophobic and machine washable (to 40
degrees).
The Whiz can give you freedom and restore dignity - it can make your
life less stressful and reduce the control your bladder has over your
life.
NO MORE mis-directed urine, damp clothes and spattered shoes.
NO MORE dealing with dirty, over-flowing public toilets (and all the health risks associated with aerosol contamination).
NO MORE lengthy queuing.
NO MORE having to hold on until you find a service station.
NO MORE skiing only in areas close to a restaurant.
NO MORE squatting in nettles or trying to negotiate brambles.
NO MORE embarrassment when you didn't quite reach the toilet.
NO MORE removing clothing outdoors in all weathers.
NO MORE returning late to the second half of a play, concert or musical.
NO MORE suffering under the demands of your bladder.
Just Whiz away - anyplace, anywhere, anytime!
Furthermore with our optional extension tube, (or even without, if
you practice) for those tricky cramped public spots (traffic jams,
micro-light pilots, to name a few), you can direct your urine into
a bottle, collecting device or even a standard catheter bag, so you
can literally 'go' anywhere, at anytime.
The Whiz can be used anywhere you feel comfortable using it - and new places come to light all the time! Here are a list from customers of just some of the locations and some of the situations in which the Whiz has proved to be essential:
On walks and climbs.
During long car journeys.
When public conveniences are unsanitary or just unpleasant.
During music festivals and other large, public events.
In crowded theatres and sports arenas.
On holidays, journeys and adventurous travels.
When there are no toilet facilities available.
On specialist trips like bike tours.
AND
When you don't want to let your disability keep you from leading a normal, active life.
When you are pregnant or compelled to urinate more often than usual.
When you are unable to squat or hover.
Where facilities are cramped or overused - On aeroplanes, boats, yachts and trains.
All outdoor activites like angling, sailing, gliding etc ...
As your own alternative to a bedpan when in hospital (we have been asked by the NHS and by hospitals from India, Africa and Europe to develop a special Whiz, the Whiz H24 specifically for this short term hospital use).
Yes. In fact a number of Festival Committees have refused to allow
disposable urine Directors to be sold as they have concerns about
the health and safety aspect of these urine soaked disposables lying
around (especially when it rains!).
The Freedom has been granted 'official' status to trade at festivals
and, in some cases due to the intervention of Health and Safety who
do not want to deal with urine soaked disposable cardboard devices,
it is the only device allowed to trade due to its high hygienic characteristics
including that of being re-useable, hydrophobic, anti-bacterial and
anti-microbial.
The Whiz Freedom is very easy to use. Children, students, mothers
and 80 year old grandmothers have tested the Freedom and they were
all complimentary. It is simply held against the body with the broad
area of the opening uppermost and then you begin to wee. Nature and
gravity do the rest.
We have not had one single user who cannot use it.
Its unique 'lily shield' shape was tested by over 1400 women in clinical trials in 2003/4 and since then, by tens of thousands of women of all ages, from all walks of life. It is CE marked, FDA approved and available on NHS Prescription. It is also recommended by the Continence Foundation.
The soft shield of the Whiz Freedom snugly hugs the outer body ,
and it works using urodynamics as its basic principles, then nature
and gravity do the rest.
Some urine directors are invasive, and positioned within the labia
lips. The Whiz Freedom is non-invasive and must be externally positioned
This 'lily' shape of the shield (the part in contact with the body)-
has been designed and developed by our Research and Development team.
We have consulted with doctors, clinicians, researchers and over 1400
women in a clinical trial in 2003/4, (and now over 10,000 uses with
no problems) as well as with a number of men.
Regardless of the strength of flow, the Freedom has not over-filled
or splash-backed.
Used properly it remains leak free, watertight and the outside stays
dry.
If you are nervous of using your Whiz Freedom, as we all may be with
something perhaps new, then practice in your shower or bath (urine
is sterile so you won't do any harm to your bath) and then you will
be able to use it away from home.
The medical grade, latex-free Thermo-Plastic Elastomer (TPE) used
for the Whiz is soft but strong so that it is comfortable to use and
not cold against your skin. Tens of thousands of women have now used
it without a single problem. The grade is of a high medical quality
and a high memory - so if folded for reasonable periods it will spring
back into shape
We have also thought about 'mental' comfort and so our manufacturers
have mixed an anti-bacterial and anti-microbial agent into the plastic,
like that used in modern plastic chopping boards, to give you peace
of mind.
The Whiz also has a hydrophobic additive which repels all liquid,
so no urine sticks to the device and with one quick flick, the surface
is dry. In effect it is self-cleaning.
This hydrophobic quality combined with our anti-bacterial material
makes the Whiz, we believe,the safest and most hygienic and MOST COMFORTABLE
mentally and physically urine director in the market.
A device as someone wrote “that has all the creature comforts you
could wish for.!â€
No, it is not necessary to undress to use the Freedom
If you are wearing trousers then you can undo your zip or buttons,
push your underwear to one-side and use the Whiz quite discreetly.
All trousers have different zip lengths so they need to have enough
length for you to use the Whiz so that it can point downwards and
be held snugly against the outer body. Check that your zip is sufficient.
If you use buttons you may only need to unbutton the top two or three
and lower your trousers a few centimetres.
Skirts and dresses are even easier.
- Outdoor enthusiasts like skiers, ramblers, bird watchers, canoists,
mountaineers, military personnel, golfers;
- Those who need to wee where there is no available protection;
- Those in a town or city environment;
- Those in environmentally hostile surroundings;
- Those surrounded by men;
- Sales persons or professionals and those faced with long travel
journeys where traffic jams occur;
- Policewoman, Female Military Staff.
The first public use of the Whiz Freedom without undressing came
about at a Shakespeare Production where it proved to be an invaluable
asset. The Globe Theatre, London produced an all female production
of Richard III in 2003. The costumes as period pieces were designed
for men, with complex fastenings, cod pieces and multi-layering, so
a quick visit to the toilet for the female actors was out of the question.
The Whiz came to the rescue, providing them with easy, hassle-free
relief! The Globe was so pleased with the Whiz that they ordered more
for their 2004 season of Much Ado about Nothing.
The Whiz was also a great hit at the first Festival they sold at - the Isle of Wight 2004 Music Festival,. Women users beat the queue and some in desparation joined their male friends standing at the fence. A "Must have" Festival essential according to NME. Today the Festival still permits the use of the Whiz Freedom, having banned all disposable Urine Directors on the grounds of Health and Safety.
Using the Whiz for a woman, gives you the same freedoms and control
as any man (other than you have the choice to use it or not!)
When you are using it, you wee into a toilet or direct your urine
wherever you want it to go: a bottle, the garden, ground, tree, snow!
If you are in restricted surroundings, such as car or glider or need
more privacy, then there are special medical grade connector tubes
of 10 cm or longer you can buy which will allow you to wee into a
bottle or urine bag.
Moreover this medical grade connector tube fits all known standard
medical catheter or condom catheter urine collection bags. (check
our user tips for when using a connector tube) You can then dispose
of the urine at your discretion.
The Freedom has been designed to be eco-friendly and is therefore re-usable.
There is no need to find a rubbish bin once used, nor pollute the environment by throwing them away or be forced to carry a number in your bag if you are going on a long journey.
Just use your Freedom, quickly shake it (and its dry) and then pop it into the plastic bag in which it comes or into one of the specially designed Whiz accessory bags. It is ready for re-use immediately.
We at Whiz decided very early on that it was essential to have a
re-usable device. Ecological policies, policies of responsibility
to nature and ones fellow humans, practical considerations of blocking
WC's, of having the ability to go frequently, of not running out of
disposable ones, of space, ie not having a large pack of disposable
ones but quick and easy access to the director and many other considerations
all led us in this direction. No one really wants to soil the planet
with discarded disposable single use urine soaked cardboard items.
The challenge therefore was to make it as soft as possible, hygienic
and re-useable to meet all the possible concerns of the user. We think
we have met these needs as the Freedom can be folded, is completely
safe for single user as its antibacterial and anti microbial and hydrophobic.
It is of assistance to the user, and solves a problem but does not
pass on this problem or create a new problem for someone else.
The Whiz Freedom is as valuable medically as it is recreationally.
It is useful to anybody who has difficulty squatting, hovering, getting to the toilet quickly or those who need to pass urine frequently.
Those who have received surgery, those who are partially mobile,
the elderly or incontinent, all find the Whiz Freedom makes their
lives a great deal easier and better.
And it is not just for women, a number of men will also find the Freedom will improve their quality of life once they have had, for example, penile surgery following serious illness such as cancer.
It was thoroughly tested by over 1400 women in clinical trials in
2003/04 and has now been used by tens of thousands more women in all
walks of life.
It has a CE standard mark and FDA approved
It is available on NHS prescription.
The Freedom is both hygienic to use and hygienic to keep in your
bag or jacket pocket.
The Whiz was initially developed as part of a medical urine collection
device, the Whiz Midstream, so the hygiene aspects of this product
have been carefully considered.
Urine is sterile when it leaves the body so it is easily shaken washed
or wiped and poses no health risk in itself. Which is why we recommend
that the Whiz Freedom is not shared.
Moreover we used a latex-free medical grade plastic to manufacture
it and finally the device is also anti-bacterial, and anti-microbial
and is perfectly safe.
In use as it is leakfree there is no urine on the outside, and after
use, all you have to do is give it a quick shake and any of the moisture
on the interior will come off.
If it is possible to run it under a tap or if outdoors, in any available
water, then all-the-better.
The Whiz will come in a re-usable plastic bag, so you can put it anywhere
but if you want something more durable, then there is a Whiz Explorer
or the Whiz Organza bag, which you can buy for safe and hygienic transport
of your Whiz. There is even a special bag to leave in the car – the
Voyager Bag
The Freedom may also simply be popped into a washing machine, as the
plastic chosen for the device can withstand temperatures of up to
40 degrees.
Just remember, research has proved that public toilets - whether sitting
or hovering - are breeders of germs, and aerosol contamination, so
your Whiz Freedom is a far cleaner option! Especially for women who
have to hover, sit or squat.
The Whiz is small and can be popped in a pocket or handbag. It is a little over 15cms long (just under 6ins) and at its widest is 9.5cms (3.75ins).
It can be folded to half the size or rolled as a temporary solution since the medical grade plastic used is flexible.
When delivered it comes in a plastic, re-sealable bag but more attractive Whiz bags are available from the our shop.
Yes, the Whiz can be folded, but it cannot be kept in that condition
for long periods.
So if you need to roll the lilyshield to a pen like shape, squeeze
it into a bag or pocket during a short trip, then it will bounce back
to its original shape quite happily.
However, if you want to fold it for longer than a few days, depending
on the conditions, don't be surprised if, when you release it, your
Whiz cannot spring back to its perfect shape.
The Whiz Freedom is posted with Instructions for use and an information
card in a self-sealing bag in a plain envelope.