Vibes

We’ve made a very conscious decision to include only quality products in our Guide to save on your heartache and our through-the-mail headache. You may have seen products that appear to be less expensive but we caution you to look closer. Some of the countries producing sex toys have little or no concern about the performance of their product. Many use inferior switches and components manufactured in poor working conditions. When you combine low-end electronics with disgruntled workers you get, not surprisingly, unreliability and short life expectancy. We find too often people don’t complain about products that only work for a short time or people think of themselves as inadequate instead of the toy when they didn’t “get off” on it. As consumers we demand quality in the things we buy. Why should these products be any different? Often the sex toy trade uses our shyness or discomfort around sexual products to follow in the footsteps of snake oil salesmen. That attitude is not repeated in our Guide and so we’ve restricted our vibe selection to high-end electronics only. There are no cheap rip-offs lurking here to be fobbed off on an unsuspecting consumer.

The right tool for the job is key when selecting a vibrator. Yes, they all vibrate, so does the washer in spin cycle. However, it’s probably not the right tool for adding clitoral stimulation to sex play with your partner (though we’re always interested in creative endeavours).

Again ask yourself some questions. Do you want something for clitoral or penetrative stimulation, or both? If you require a lot of power, something that plugs in will give it to you. If intense vibration isn’t the main requirement, vibes that run on batteries offer more mobility and a smaller physical size. Battery operated vibes usually have variable speed while plug-ins have high/low settings.

Why do we care whether the intended use is clitoral, penetrative, or a combination? Because women orgasm differently, depending on which nerve system is being stimulated and knowing what sort of stimulation you’re after helps us match you up with the right product design to accomplish the task. Exterior stimulation (clitoral, labia and perineum) triggers the pudendal nerve system which responds to tactile contact. Internal (vaginal) stimulation triggers the pelvic nerve system which responds to firm pressure. Hence, an inert vibrating object will provide little or no vaginal stimulation when merely inserted but may, when placed across the clitoris and labia, be quite stimulating. Conversely, a dildo of the appropriate length and circumference, stroking upwardly against and along the vaginal walls can be very stimulating without any vibration whatsoever.

If you want clitoral vibration, you’ll need more than just a vibrating shaft. Vibrators work by stimulating the bundle of nerve endings clustered in the clitoris. A battery operated vibe designed for external use will more than do the trick for clitoral stimulation. External contact is crucial so make sure that any penetrative option has a corresponding base or extension for labia and clitoral contact.

Vibration may also be pleasant on the G-spot (many women find intense massage from specially designed dills to be a better choice here, though) and definitely gets the nerve endings in the rectum going. The key to penetrative vibration, however, is not just whether a product vibrates but also whether it is made of a material that will be safe and pleasurable for penetration. This fact pretty much rules out hard plastic, for example!

If you want combination stimulation try a dual vibe. Generally, with few exceptions, the silicone designs require manual manipulation while the Japanese food grade vinyl and the elastomer (and a few of the silicone) models rotate penetratively and vibrate clitorally at the flick of a switch. Japanese and German products are well made but akin to buying a car or stereo. The good ones run longer, but they all break down someday. Some of the classic-model Japanese vibes have food grade vinyl shafts. Classic design is always nice, but even food grade vinyl does have a somewhat limited life span (entirely dependent on use and user, but as a general rule, we say expect some colour degradation fairly early on). Shafts made of either the newer elastomer (vibes from Japan) or high-grade silicone (duals from Germany) will last a very long time. Elastomer is inert so will not degrade while sitting on a shelf, unused, but still porous enough that it will eventually degrade over the years. Silicone is inert and nonporous. It has a library life that is essentially a lifetime, meaning no visible degradation. That’s the shaft’s life span, not the mechanics, mind you! There’s more to this tutorial, so keep following along here a little longer. The mechanics necessary to operate any dual function are under a lot of duress so don’t expect a lifetime of use. Duration of use for the overall unit will inevitably be determined by the mechanics, regardless of the shaft’s material composite. For this reason, we highly recommend a silicone vibe with a replaceable motor or a combination of an external-use clitoral vibe and silicone dill or silicone plug (no mechanics) for vibrating penetration. This option is best for versatility and long term cost effectiveness.

To clean silicone sheathed vibes, hot water and basic hand soap applied with a damp cloth will be fine. If the vibrator shaft or bullet is made of food grade vinyl, remember that food grade vinyl is a material that absorbs body fluids and dissolves if exposed to oils. For this reason, we recommend using a toy cleaner, such as Better Sex Essentials. You can dilute most cleaners 1 tbsp to 3 cups water and apply with a damp cloth. Rinse with clear water after using the cleaner.

When cleaning elastomer vibes a mild antibacterial soap and water is sufficient. The material has some porousness, so be sure to rinse with clear water. Then air or towel dry. Other elastomer tips: it’s an inert elastomer meaning it will not break down over time nor adhere to other toys. It can be easily cleaned for one use or user but should not be shared without a condom. Silicone or water based lubricants are fine but oil based lubes should not be used. The oil will degrade the elastomer. When combining sex and massage remember that massage oils are just that: oil.

In all cases, never get water near electronic control panels or cords. If you can remove attachments and wash them separately, do so. If you do accidentally get water in your battery compartment, take out the batteries and let the vibe air dry. A damp Q-tip dipped in baking soda is small enough to get into the battery compartment and baking soda neutralizes acid, so try this cleaning technique should battery corrosion occur. Even with waterproof vibes, it’s a good idea to open up and let the battery compartment air dry after exposure.

We’ve classified our vibes by intended use (clitoral, dual clitoral and penetrative, clitoral or penetrative, and penetrative only) and mode of operation (battery operated or plug-in, rotating dual or manual dual vibes). We’ve also got some specialty vibes: water use and couple’s to add to your toy collection. Adjacent to their counterparts, we’ve included some related non-vibrating clitoral and penetrative toys plus add-on attachments or accessories.

Regardless of classification, vibes should be treated like any other good electronic device: never immerse in water when cleaning, don’t sleep on them, keep lube out of the control panel, insert batteries per instructions and don’t yank on those cords.