This was, indeed, far too few sheets per roll for me. It is comparable in cost to Seventh Generation's toilet paper - sorry, "unscented bathroom tissue" (and may I never run into scented bathroom tissue!) - but provides much, much less. These folks offer 198 sheets per roll, Seventh Generation (and many other brands) offer about 500.
Looking straight down at the top of the roll makes the difference obvious. Green Forest is very loosely rolled; the gaps between layers are visible, and it is easy to squeeze the roll and compress it more closely. If they wrapped their 198 sheets as tightly as normal toilet paper rolls are wrapped, the rolls would obviously be quite a bit smaller. It looks very much as if the company deliberately did whatever they could to make their rolls look the same size as everyone else's so they could go ahead and charge about the same amount.
Obvious or not, I didn't realize it when I first bought their stuff. I assumed that if it looked the same, it probably was the same. I even read the numbers on the front that said "198 sheets" and decided that there must be something about the rolls that made up for that - bigger sheets perhaps. Unsurprisingly, when I got it home I soon discovered that we went through it at least twice as fast as through any other toilet paper we had tried.
It's not bad as far as texture goes; it's soft and it does what it's meant to do just fine. But it doesn't do it for long!
I think that I was originally attracted to it because it was a few dollars cheaper than the other brands. But it's still in the same basic price range - it's certainly not 2/5 of the cost of Seventh Generation or anyone else on the market. The worst part is that it looks very similar to Seventh Generation, has similar marketing and eco-friendliness, so I have several times accidentally bought the wrong kind at the store. Boo, Green Forest. Boo.
I am currently just in awe (read: appalled) at how much toilet paper my house has been going through lately. I think someone may be sneaking into our bathroom at night and taking it. I don't understand where it's going.....
Anyway...I bought a few rolls of Green Forest last week to hold us over until I can go buy a big package of something recycled. It's perfectly adequate. It's definitely softer than some other brands I've tried (namely Whole Foods 365 brand) but it costs a little more. I'm not recalling quite how tightly (or not tightly as Oakling pointed out) it's rolled...but it didn't strike me as too different.
In a nutshell, it's not a bad toilet paper choice. Unless I go home and realize I've just blacked out on some egregious offense, I can safely say I would buy it again.
UPDATE [Sept 2, 2008]: I just bought a 12-pack of this TP for $7...and on second pass, it is a little loose on the roll-factor. Still decently soft and adequate. And I did clearly buy it again...
This product meets all the standard criteria - white, soft, 2-ply - and has a nice pattern AND comes in a value pack.
Our family began using environmentally friendly paper products quite some time ago and have discovered it's difficult to find toilet paper that is soft & green. Green Forest is softer than some others on the market, but a roll of this TP doesn't last more than a day in our house. Green Forest is a good product and I will purchase it when I can find it on sale, otherwise I look for a better bargain for my money.
ok, so not as great a charmin, but i rather be nice to the environment...i mean the paper's getting flushed anyway..who cares if it's pretty to look at or has a scent to it (i don't get picture printed and flower scented toilet paper, do they even do that anymore? it's been so long)
i will say i like that green forest is cheaper than 7th gen. gives everyone a chance to be green.
This is the first chlorine-free paper I have bought and I am very pleased with it. It is softer than some of the cheaper grocery store papers out there and very strong. This way you can use less. I got the 12-pack, single rolls for around $5.00. I would prefer to purchase double rolls if they had them. The price might be too steep for the amount of sheets you get for some people. Try it, compare to what you are using now and decide for yourself. This is how much paper you get in the 12-pack:
12 Rolls, 2-Ply, 198 Sheets per Roll
297 sq ft (27.59m2), 4.5 in x 4 in (11.43cm x 10.16cm)
Update: I have compared this paper to Seventh Generation and in a nutshell here is what I think: Green Forest is thicker, stronger, softer and more absorbent. This way I use less paper, so the smaller rolls might actually not be that bad. In a household of 2 people, we use about 6 GF rolls per week.