Hydrocolloid dressings have been widely used since the late 1970s. This article compares two hydrocolloid dressings — 3M Tegasorb dressing and ConvaTec's Granuflex (E) — and highlights their similarities and differences when used in the clinical situation. Both hydrocolloids were reported to perform favourably by users in most situations. 3M Tegasorb dressing becomes transparent in use and this function was rated highly by users compared to the opaque Granuflex (E). In addition, 3M Tegasorb showed better adherence. One limitation of the study was the small number of patients studied. Weekly assessments yielded 90 data sets in total.