One question at a time: which product fits, how to choose and how to look after it. Every article draws on the same research as the reviews and links on to them.
70 articles
Guide · Dildos
Yes—an intact, undamaged borosilicate-glass or tempered-glass dildo is one of the safest materials for a sex toy: non-porous, free of plasticizers, and easy to get completely clean. The risk lies in damage and sudden temperature changes, so check the glass for cracks before every use and follow the manufacturer’s temperature limits.
Guide · Masturbators
An automatic masturbator has a motor that provides the stimulation: vibration, air pulses, suction or a thrusting motion where the machine moves for you. It's worth it if you want something a hand can't do – hands-free use, remote control or a steady rhythm – but you're also buying a battery, a charging cable and often a housing that can't take water.
Guide · For couples
BDSM for beginners starts with a conversation, not with a handcuff: you agree on what you want to try, what is ruled out, and which safety word stops everything. Then start gently, with wide cuffs that can be released quickly, short sessions, and one person who never leaves the person who is bound.
Guide · Vibrators
A bullet vibrator is a small, bullet-shaped vibrator that fits in your hand and is mainly made for external, pinpoint stimulation – on the clitoris, nipples or other sensitive spots, alone or with a partner. It isn't made for anal insertion, and most manufacturers explicitly advise against it.
Guide · Dildos
A dual density dildo is moulded in two layers: a firmer core that holds the shape and a softer outer layer that gives against the body. That lets the dildo feel soft without going floppy – but the material in both layers, the dimensions and the care still decide whether it suits you.
Guide · Dildos
A dildo with a suction cup sticks to smooth, sealed surfaces like tile, glass, mirrors, and enamel, and releases from anything porous, textured, dusty, or greasy. The surface and the suction cup should be clean and lightly damp, and the heavier the dildo is, the larger the suction cup it needs.
Guide · Vibrators
A discreet sex toy is small, doesn't obviously look like a sex toy, makes little noise and has a travel lock or cap so it neither starts up nor shows in your bag. Lipstick vibrators, small bullets and finger vibrators are the most discreet forms – and what decides it is published dimensions, travel lock and charging, not the word “discreet” on the packaging.
Guide · Dildos
A fantasy dildo – dragon, tentacle, monster or alien – is a dildo shaped after an imaginary creature rather than a human. Choose solid silicone, read the widest diameter and the insertable length rather than the total length, and check that the base is wide enough if you want to use it anally.
Guide · Vibrators
A finger vibrator is a small vibrator that sits on your finger or between your fingers, so your own hand is in control and the vibration amplifies your touch. It suits you if you like the feel of a hand more than a toy, and couples who want to add vibration to foreplay and sex without anyone having to hold on to anything.
Guide · For couples
A remote control is the fastest and doesn’t require a phone, but it only works for a few meters. An app offers more patterns and can control the toy over the internet from the other side of the planet. For play in the same room or together outside, the remote control is usually the most convenient; for long distance, you need the app. Here are the differences, the figures, and the models.
Guide · Masturbators
Choose a Fleshlight in three steps: first the format – Full Size, GO, Flight or Quickshot – by size and how much maintenance you can be bothered with, then the opening, and finally the texture. The material, SuperSkin, is the same in all of them, and it requires water-based lube, no soap on the sleeve and thorough drying.
Guide · Care
Store sex toys clean and completely dry, separately in a bag or in their own compartment, in a cool, dry, and dark place. Different materials can react with each other if they lie against each other; batteries should be removed during long storage, and rechargeable toys are locked with the travel lock and charged from time to time.
Guide · Vibrators
Fun Factory is best known for the Stronic pulsators, which thrust back and forth instead of vibrating. Beyond those there are rabbit vibrators, battery-powered models, air pulse stimulators, a cock ring and a dildo with no electronics. Here are the models, what sets them apart and what you should know about charging, run time and warranty.
Guide · Vibrators
Choose a G-spot vibrator if you mainly want internal stimulation, want to control angle and pressure freely or want to combine it with your own hand or a partner. Choose a rabbit vibrator if you want internal and clitoral stimulation at the same time in a single toy – but only if the arm reaches the clitoris on your body.
Guide · Lubricant
For anal sex without toys made of silicone, a silicone-based lubricant is usually the best choice: it doesn’t dry out, lasts longer, and works with latex condoms. If you’re using a silicone toy, instead choose a water-based lubricant and reapply often. Avoid oil-based products with condoms and lubricants that numb.
Guide · Lube
Water-based and silicone-based lube work with latex condoms; oil-based doesn't, because oil weakens latex. The same limit applies to most latex-free polyisoprene condoms, while polyurethane can take almost anything – but it's always the condom packet and the lube label that decide.
Guide · The G-spot
The G-spot is a sensitive area on the front wall of the vaginal canal, toward your stomach, a bit inside the vaginal opening—most often within reach of one or two fingers. It’s easiest to find when you’re already aroused, with a tempting “come here” motion or with a toy that has a curved tip.
Guide · Anal beads
Start with a silicone chain with small, graded balls and a sturdy loop or a wide handle that always stays outside the body. Insert one ball at a time with plenty of lubricant, remove them just as slowly, and wash the chain carefully afterward.
Guide · Clitoral stimulators
You use a clitoral stimulator by loosely placing the nozzle over the clitoris so that the edge seals tightly against the skin, start at the lowest level and let the pressure waves do the work—without pressing hard or moving it around too much. Here is the placement, the settings, the water, using it with a partner, and how you clean the nozzle.
Guide · Massage wands
A massage wand is best used on the lowest setting, against the body on the outside—often through fabric or with light pressure—because the large motor delivers deep, powerful vibrations. It works both as body massage and for intimate stimulation, alone or with a partner. Here’s the power, the technique, the choice between battery and cord, the accessories, and care.
Guide · Masturbator
Warm the sleeve in lukewarm water, add water-based lubricant, and regulate the suction with the cap if the masturbator has one. Afterward, you rinse the sleeve immediately, let it dry completely, and don’t put it back until it’s dry—care determines how long it lasts.
Guide · Penis ring
Wrap the ring around the base of the penis when the penis is limp or half-erect, with a little water-based lubricant, and keep it on for a limited time—one manufacturer states at most 30 minutes. Take it off immediately at numbness, coldness, discoloration, or pain, and never fall asleep with it on.
Guide · Vibrators
You use a vibrator best by starting externally on the lowest setting, letting your body get used to it, and then experimenting with placement, pressure, and patterns—using water-based lube if the toy is made of silicone. Here’s the whole path from unpacking and charging to using it solo or with a partner, cleaning, and storage.
Guide · Care
A sex toy without electronics in glass, metal, or silicone can last for many years if it’s cared for properly. A rechargeable vibrator is most often limited by its built-in lithium-ion battery, which gradually loses capacity over time and is rarely replaceable. The manufacturers’ warranties—from one year with Lovense to fifteen years with Satisfyer—say more about the terms than about service life.
Guide · Kegel balls
Kegel balls are weighted balls that are inserted into the vagina and held in place by the pelvic floor muscles while you move. You insert them with a little water-based lube, much like a tampon, leave the removal cord outside and take them out by relaxing and pulling the cord gently. If you have leakage, pain or a feeling of heaviness bearing down, the right first step is a healthcare professional – not a product.
Guide · Temperature play
Temperature play works in two ways: with a toy that has built-in heating – often to around 38 °C – or with a glass or metal toy that you warm in lukewarm water or chill in the fridge. Boiling water and the freezer are the wrong way to go, and the temperature should always feel pleasant against the skin before the toy comes near sensitive areas.
Guide · For couples
A chastity cage is chosen with the ring first, and then the cage: the ring should fit snugly without pinching, and the cage should be longer rather than shorter when you start. Wear the short one for brief periods at the beginning, always keep a key within reach, and remove it immediately if there is pain, numbness, swelling, cold, or discoloration.
Guide · PVC clothing
Choose PVC clothing sizes by the manufacturer's size chart and the measurement that governs the garment – the waist for skirts and corsets, the hips for trousers – and go with the larger measurement if the garment has no elastane. Hand wash in lukewarm water, dry with a lint-free cloth and store PVC on a hanger and latex powdered, each separately.
Guide · PVC clothing
Latex is natural rubber: a thin, stretchy membrane without fabric that clings to the body but can cause allergy and needs powder and silicone instead of oil. PVC is plastic that is softened to make it pliable. But most of what is sold as PVC and vinyl today is neither – it is polyester with a glossy polyurethane coating.
Guide · Vibrators
LELO's range consists of sonic clitoral stimulators (Sona and Enigma), vibrators (Liv, Ina and Switch), the couples' vibrator Tiani, the anal models Hugo and Soraya Beads and the LELO Beads Kegel balls. What they have in common is unusually open data sheets, a charging connector that only fits LELO and automatic shut-off after 20 minutes.
Guide · Vibrators
All Lovense models are controlled with the same app, so the choice comes down to where on the body the toy should go: the Lush eggs and Vulse are worn inside, Ferri on the outside of your underwear, Hush 2 and Edge 2 anally, Domi 2 is a wand vibrator, Lapis a strapless strap-on and Gush 2, Max 2 and Solace Pro are made for the penis. Here are the differences.
Guide · Accessories
A penis sleeve, or penis sleeve, is a sheath that you slide over the erect penis to provide more length, more circumference, or a different surface. Choose based on three things: the dimensions of the cavity in relation to your own size, the material (silicone is non-porous; TPE is not), and how the sleeve stays in place.
Guide · For couples
Bring it up at a calm moment outside the bedroom, start with what you are curious about rather than what is missing, and make it an invitation that can be turned down. Then choose together – ideally something simple to start with – and agree in advance that you can laugh, pause or stop at any time.
Guide · Prostate massage
The prostate is reached via the anus, a few centimeters toward the front of the body. As a beginner, you start slowly with plenty of glide lubricant and either a finger or a small, curved prostate vibrator with a wide base—and you stop right away if it hurts.
Guide · Rabbit vibrators
A rabbit vibrator has a shaft that is inserted and an outer arm that rests against the clitoris, so you get internal and external stimulation at the same time. Whether it works for you depends mostly on whether the arm reaches the clitoris when the shaft is positioned correctly—so the most important things to compare are the arm’s shape and flexibility, the dimensions, and the ability to control the motors separately.
Guide · Dildos
A realistic dildo imitates a penis in shape, surface, firmness and colour: a glans, veins and often balls, a skin-like surface and ideally a softer outer layer over a firmer core. Choose the material first – silicone if you want to be able to get it completely clean, PVC or TPE if price matters most – and then insertable length, diameter and base.
Guide · Vibrators
It’s fine to travel with sex toys, but pack them the right way: activate the travel lock or remove the battery so the toy can’t start in your bag, put it clean and dry in a bag or a case, and don’t forget the charging cable. Toys with lithium batteries are covered by airlines’ battery rules, and what’s allowed to bring differs between countries—check both before you travel.
Guide · Material
The materials that are usually called body-safe are non-porous: silicone, glass, stainless steel, and hard plastic such as ABS. They can be made completely clean. TPE, TPR, PVC, and rubber are porous and can only be cleaned on the surface, even when they are phthalate-free. Within the EU, four common phthalates are limited to under 0.1 weight percent of the plasticized material in goods.
Guide · Vibrators
Satisfyer sells everything from air pulse toys and rabbit vibrators to couples' vibrators, cock rings, masturbators and glass dildos. What most have in common is silicone and ABS plastic, IPX7, about 60 minutes of run time and a promised fifteen-year warranty with conditions. Models with Connect App in the name can be controlled with Satisfyer's app.
Guide · Vibrators
Satisfyer Pro 2 Generation 3 has two motors – air pulse and vibration – two removable caps, one of them with Liquid Air, a 500 mAh battery and USB-C charging, and comes with or without an app. Pro 2 Next Generation, which is Satisfyer's Generation 2, has air pulse only, a single head with no extra cap and a 220 mAh battery, but it is lighter and cheaper.
Guide · Masturbators
For most people, a torso—a heavy masturbator shaped like part of a body—is a more manageable choice than a full sex doll: it stays in place under its own weight, but you can lift it, rinse it, and put it away. Choose based on weight, number of channels, and material, and expect that caring for soft TPE or TPR takes as much time as the actual use.
Guide · Lingerie
First check what the set actually includes – the stockings and suspenders in the photo are often not part of it. Then choose your size from the manufacturer's size chart and the measurements the garment fits around: bust and underbust for a bra or corset, waist and hips for a suspender belt or knickers. If there is no chart, go for something adjustable.
Guide · For couples
A sex toy for long-distance relationships is an app-controlled toy that one person wears or uses, while the other controls it from their own phone via the internet—regardless of distance. The toy is paired via Bluetooth to the phone in the same room, and the manufacturer’s app forwards the control over the network. Here’s how it works, what you should check, and which models are built for it.
Guide · Vibrators
The best sex toy for women depends on where you want the stimulation. For many, the clitoris is the starting point, and then a clitoral air-pressure stimulator, a small vibrator, or a massager wand is the right type. If you want something inside, a G-spot vibrator or a dildo is the next step, and a rabbit vibrator does both at the same time.
Guide · For couples
A sex toy is a good gift for a partner if you’ve talked about it first and if you choose something simple: a toy made of body-friendly silicone, in a size that isn’t too big, with clear manufacturer specifications. The safest gifts are external vibrators, clitoral stimulators, and toys for both of you—not the biggest or most advanced model.
Guide · Vibrators
A thrusting vibrator—thrusting vibrator—moves back and forth by itself instead of just vibrating. There are two main types: the pulseator, where a weight swings inside a closed housing and moves the entire product, and the telescopic, where the shaft actually moves in and out. They differ in motion, water resistance, cleaning, and battery life.
Guide · Strap-on
A strapless strap-on is a harness-free double-ended dildo: the shorter, often bulb-shaped end is inserted vaginally by the wearer and held in by the pelvic floor muscles, while the longer end points outwards. No harness is needed, and the wearer gets stimulation at the same time – but it takes practice, and it doesn't suit every body equally well.
Guide · Vibrators
Svakom makes vibrators, prostate vibrators and masturbators, and many of its models have a heating function reaching 38 degrees, app control and a published noise level. The downsides are short run times and charging cables that differ between models. Here are the Svakom models group by group and how to choose.
Guide · Vibrators
A panty vibrator is a small, flat vibrator that’s worn inside your underwear against the clitoris and held in place by a magnet or a pocket in the clothing. It’s controlled with a button, a remote control, or an app, and it’s made to be worn hands-free—alone or with a partner who keeps control. What sets the models apart is the attachment, runtime, and control.
Guide · Vibrators
The lowest sound level we found published by a manufacturer is 36 dB for the Lovense Lush Mini, but that is the lowest level—not full power. Most manufacturers state either a maximum value, like LELO’s under 50 or under 60 dB, or no number at all. Here is what the figures mean, what actually affects the sound, and which models have a published value to go by.
Guide · Charging and batteries
A rechargeable sex toy is the most convenient in everyday use and is easier to make fully sealed, but the battery is built in and the charging cable is often product-specific. A battery-powered toy never needs charging and outlives its battery, but needs new batteries and often has a shorter run time. The most important things to check before buying are the charging connector, the run time relative to the charging time, and whether the cable is included.
Guide · Care and safety
The most common mistakes with sex toys are silicone lube on silicone toys, oil with a latex condom, anal toys without a flared base, boiling or dishwashing anything with a motor, and sharing porous toys without a condom. Almost all of them can be avoided by reading the manufacturer's manual and following a few simple rules.
Guide · Waterproof toys
IPX7 means that the product can be submerged in water: according to the standard IEC 60529, it is tested at a depth of one meter for 30 minutes. A vibrator with IPX7 can therefore be used in the shower and, unless the manufacturer says otherwise, in the bathtub. IPX4–IPX6 only means protection against splashes and jets, and a toy without a rating class should be kept away from water.
Guide · Male vibrators
There are three main types of male vibrators: vibrating masturbators that wrap around the penis, vibrating penis rings that also offer something to a partner, and prostate vibrators that are used anally. Which one works depends on where you want the stimulation—and whether you want to use it alone or with someone.
Guide · Anal toys
A vibrating butt plug is a plug with a motor that vibrates while it's in place. It's controlled with a button on the base, a remote or an app – and that choice matters more than the number of modes. Whatever the model, the same safety rules apply: a wide base, plenty of water-based lube and stopping if it hurts.
Guide · Dildos
Choose a size based on the diameter and the insertable length, not on the total length or the number in the product name. For a first dildo, a diameter of around 3.5–4 centimeters and an insertable length of around 13–15 centimeters is a reasonable and manageable starting point — and it’s always easier to size up than to undo choosing one that’s too big.
Guide · For couples
Choose Lovense if the toy will mainly be controlled from a distance: the Lovense Remote app has more long-distance features, the manufacturer states a longer Bluetooth range and several models have a very long run time. Choose We-Vibe if you're usually in the same room: several models come with a remote in the box, the materials are declared more clearly and the warranty is two years instead of one.
Guide · Vibrators
We-Vibe's range splits into three groups: couples' vibrators worn during sex (the Sync family and Chorus Pro), vibrators for solo use (Nova 2, Rave 2, Wand 2, Tango X, Touch X and Temp) and the air pulse models Melt and Melt 2. Here's what sets the models apart and how to choose the right one.
Guide · Vibrators
Womanizer and Satisfyer are built on the same principle – pressure waves in a small chamber over the clitoris – but prioritise different things. Womanizer's models consistently have longer run times, all-silicone in the more expensive models and refinements such as Smart Silence, while Satisfyer more often combines air pulse with vibration and app control, promises a longer warranty and sits in a lower price bracket.
Guide · Vibrators
For most people, the Womanizer Premium 2 is the safe choice: fourteen intensity levels, two head sizes, all-silicone and 240 minutes of run time. The Pro gives the same run time more simply, the Next gives the most adjustment, the Liberty 2 is for travelling, and the Duo 2, Blend and OG add G-spot stimulation.
Guide · Anal plug
As a beginner, you should choose a small plug with a clear, flared base, a narrow neck, and a non-porous material such as silicone or glass—and use it with plenty of lubricant, slowly, and without pain. The base is the most important safety measurement; you can always go up in size later.
Guide · Dildos
A good first dildo is made of silicone or glass, is moderate in size – check the insertable length and diameter, not the total length – and has a base that fits what you want to do. Here are the ten things that determine your choice, plus some models where the manufacturer lists the measurements.
Guide · Strap-on
A strap-on is a dildo that’s worn at the pelvis—either in a harness where the dildo’s base is held in place by an O-ring, or as a strapless model where one end is inserted and held in place by the pelvic floor. The choice between the two determines what you need to buy and which measurements you should check.
Guide · Vibrators
A clitoral stimulator is a collective name for toys that stimulate the clitoris. An air-pressure vibrator is a type of toy that creates pressure waves in a small chamber above the clitoris without vibrating against the skin, while a regular vibrator vibrates through direct contact. The technology determines how you use them and what they’re suitable for.
Guide · Care
Most sex toys are cleaned with lukewarm water and mild, fragrance-free soap or a sex-toy cleaner, before and after each use, and then allowed to dry completely. The material determines the rest: non-porous silicone, glass, and metal can be made completely clean; porous materials like TPE can only be cleaned on the surface; and toys with a motor can only be rinsed if the enclosure rating allows it.
Guide · Sex toys for men
The three most common sex toys for men do completely different things: a masturbator replaces the hand, a penis ring slows down blood flow out of the penis and is often used during sex with a partner, and a prostate vibrator stimulates the prostate from the inside. Start with the one that matches what you want to experience—most often, a masturbator is the easiest first purchase.
Guide · Beginners
The best first sex toy is small, easy to control, and made of body-friendly silicone. For the clitoris, it’s usually a small vibrator or an air pressure stimulator; for the penis, a masturbator or a vibrating penis ring. Here are the types and what you should check before you buy.
Guide · Dildo or vibrator
A dildo is a form without a motor that provides fullness and pressure, while a vibrator has a motor that creates vibrations. Between them there are vibrating dildos, rabbit vibrators, and G-spot vibrators that combine both—and which one you should choose depends on whether you’re looking for the feeling of fullness, vibration against the clitoris, or both.
Guide · For couples
The best sex toy for couples is the one that fits what you want to do together: a couple vibrator or a vibrating penis ring for intercourse, an app-controlled toy for playing at a distance, and a strap-on or massage wand if you want to switch roles or start slowly. Here are the types, the differences, and the models that are easiest to start with.
Guide · Lubricants
Water-based lubricant is the safest all-purpose choice: it works with all condoms and all sex toys and is washed off with water. Silicone-based lasts longer and works well for anal use and in water, but it can damage silicone sex toys. Oil-based should never be used with latex or polyisoprene condoms.
