Our vibrator buying guide for beginners: How to choose a sex toy
That Rabbit vibrator that took the world by storm is a “twice as nice.” One of our favorite things to talk about with friends is the best vibrators in our sex toy collection, from classic wands and bullets to ultra-luxurious options and high-tech robotic vibes. The Duet Pro is the future of vibrators—allowing for a bespoke experience that the most seasoned users would appreciate. “Sometimes vibrators have settings that we just don’t love like erratic patterns that we wish were constant,” says Chang. The Duet Pro remedies this by allowing you to personalize vibration patterns to your liking through a website. This tool can help, allowing you to stimulate your G-spot and your clitoris at the same time.
You have internal and external anal sphincter muscles; the internal one sucks things up vibrators, so your toy could get stuck if there’s nothing to stop it, Carolanne Marcantonio, LCSW, an AASECT-certified sex therapist, tells SELF. Choose a butt plug, dildo, or prostate massager that’s designed for anal sex, and be sure to lube up too, as the anus doesn’t self-lubricate. Le Wand takes pleasure and luxury seriously, so it’s no wonder it scored highly on test. Our panellists were impressed by the range of speed settings and distinctive vibration patterns there are to experiment with, allowing them to achieve orgasms that were both faster and more intense than when using other toys.
SnailVibe’s “shell” — or curved bulb — is for clitoral stimulation, while the smooth end (or lower arm) is for vaginal stimulation. When used internally, the shell can uncoil so the lower arm can penetrate the user further (note that this can only be used vaginally, not anally). The sphere on the far end, meanwhile , has buttons to control the toy. Ultimately this is a sweet little item to treat yourself with—or even to give as a gift to friends (with their consent—not everyone has a “give one another sex toys for fun” kind of friendship).
In fact, I’ve only charged it once since I received mine, and it’s been put to use several times since. There are so many of these stealth sex toys on the market that allow you to keep your sexy business on the DL. You can absolutely find a sex toy that isn’t obviously recognizable to the untrained eye, and that doesn’t sound like a threatening swarm of bees every time you turn it on. The last thing you want is for your vibrator to lose its juice before you hit your sweet spot.
Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). We chose not to test the since-discontinued Unbound Squish because it appeared to be very similar to the Minna Limon, which also offers programmable stimulation and squeeze-pressure technology. Our tester who tried Minna’s similar Ola toy (currently unavailable) found this technology to be more gimmicky than innovative.
The hot pink design had mixed reviews, putting half our testers off for lack of subtlety, while the same number were wary of the noise level. Overall though, they found this vibrator pleasurable to use and easy to operate. Perineum, taint, tomato, tomahto—whatever you call it, it’s a nerve-packed goldmine of pleasure. This cock ring is specifically designed to vibrate against yours while you wear it, taking orgasm from a seven to, oh, an eleven.
“It is very soft and I love how it’s curved to fit,” one reviewer on the Dame website wrote. “This is my first vibrator so I would say it is beginner-friendly and works well.” Last but not least, Love Triangle was the smallest and by far most discreet of the various Satisfyer toys I tried out. Whisper quiet, it’s another air pulsing, pressure wave toy that stimulates your clitoris (or nipples, follow your heart!) along with a subtle vibration function. It’s again not necessarily the tiniest and most intuitive to place for hands-free play but is easily the MVP for travel — coming with a sweet little cap to store it cleanly and quietly on-the-go.
The Premium 2 also has a unique Autopilot mode that shifts at random between 14 intensity levels, for an unexpected element in your solo or partnered play. Think options like silicone, glass, steel and other safe, comfortable surface materials that make for ease of use and easy clean up when playtime is over. Nonporous materials ensure cleanliness for anything that may be entering your body, and can be sturdier for long-term use. The best sex toys for you are often the ones that meet your individual needs, so it’s important to be in tune with what you’re looking for. “Do what feels good for you as opposed to trying tick boxes,” Dr. O’Reilly advises.