Firstoff- what is silicone anyhow? Silicone is a chemically-inert mixed organic-inorganic polymer compound typically comprised of silicon, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. For the science nerds out there (or those who just like to be technically correct), silicones are more precisely called polymerized siloxanes or polysiloxanes and have the backbone chemical composition of [R₂SiO]_n. Due to the variability  in the length of this backbone chain, it’s organic groups, and how they crosslink, silicone can take on a wide array of consistencies from fluids and gels, to rubbers or hard plastics.

What does that mean? It means it’s an awesome material that can come in a lot of textures which is non-toxic, is non-reactive and is not prone to microbial growth. In the sex utensil world there are generally two main forms of silicone which you’re likely to find: silicone oils (lube) and silicone rubber (utensils).

I won’t go super in-depth into silicone oils in the form of lube here, as that’s fodder a different post entirely, but there are a few things to mention. Silicone can be found in lubes, in pure-silicone and in hybrid water-silicone or oil-silicone blends. The important thing to remember here is to check your lube for ingredients that end in either -cone or -oxane as that will indicate the inclusion of silicone oils in the product. Silicone is totally safe and actually pretty awesome in lube but, because of the nature of silicone bonding only to itself, silicone in your lube can interact with the solid silicone causing the texture to change and the exterior of your beloved sex utensil to deteriorate. It’s the old “like dissolves like” rule. Yes- there are high-quality silicone lube companies out there (and silicone sex utensil companies) who tout their products as being cross compatible. These are usually companies who have higher standards as to the sourcing and chemical composition of the silicone oils they use, and thus a guaranteed consistency of product. I still don’t recommend silicone lube on softer silicones or dual-density silicones, but if you want to try it on a single-shore utensil, do a patch test on the base first. Most people say you’ll see/feel a reaction immediately but I actually prefer to leave it sit for a few minutes, give it a rub, clean it up, and then check back tomorrow. I’ve found some silicones have retained changes such as fingerprints following this type of patch-test, which never felt “sticky” or “gummy”.

Solid silicone used for sex utensils come in pretty much two camps: firm and soft. This is where you hear folk talk about “dual-density”, “single-density”, “VixSkin“, “O2“, “Super-Soft” and similar terms. Density in this case is a bit of a misnomer, the actual term here is shore strength or durometer. So-called “single density” utensils are the most common, where the item is comprised of the same shore silicone the whole way through. Think about filling your grandmother’s Jell-O mould with all one flavour. This is going to be the case for most dildos and butt plugs. The silicone exterior on vibrators is also in this category, though the process on those is a little different in the casting.

“Dual-density” is a little different. These are a core of firm silicone with a softer shore silicone on the outside. This gives them that nice squeezable and often more “realistic” feel, and is generally accomplished by formulating the silicone with a higher volume of silicone oils to solids. Think about the difference between making regular Jell-O vs. Jell-O Jigglers, the less water you use the firmer your dessert came out. That’s kinda how the difference between the two silicones works, and also how “super-soft” silicones work.

So that brings me to the question that sex-bloggers everywhere get constantly asked: how do they compare? The convenient thing about having a large sex-utensil collection, and friends with equally large collections, is that I can sit poke and prod the various textures to compare side-by-side. Consider this a Mohs Scale for dildos. Remember, these differences in sex utensil textures and how they feel when used in a vulva or anus will vary from human to human.

So, in orders of perceived shore strengths on silicones, hardest to softest:

• Tantus handled toys and paddles
• Early PleasureWorks realistics
• Jollies
• Fuze
• Tantus plugs/dildos
• Vamp RegularSkin
• FunFactory
• Vintage Vixen Creations (Circa 90’s/early 00’s)
• Doc Johnson Platinum
• PleasureWorks
• BS Atelier
• Tantus O2
• Vixen Creations
• Bad Dragon 8
• Tantus “Cowboy Line” (Circa 2014 and onward)
• Tantus SuperSoft
• Dils4Does
• Vamp SoftSkin
• Bad Dragon 5
• New York Toy Collective
• VixenVixSkin with core
• Bad Dragon 3
• Vixen VixSkin without core

I find VixSkin to be softer/more malleable than Bad Dragon’s #3, but it depends on if you’re talking a through-and-through #3 or not, since VixSkin is generally cored. Tantus has a few different shore strengths that they work with, so that really depends on if you’re looking at a standard, an O2, or a SuperSoft model. Their (often but not always) matte silicone as used for things like Anaconda, paddles, G-Force, etc. tends to be a bit firmer, and the silicone used for the “Cowboy” line (Hoss, Cowboy, A-Bomb, etc.) has recently been reformulated to be slightly lower shore strength. Same thing with the Tantus O2 line- they’re cored a lot firmer than a standard single-shore but then have the softer skin, giving them a combined tactile feel of something in-between.

You’ll notice that I didn’t include vibrators up there. Silicone vibrators are a little different, and generally come in two styles: those that have a silicone skin over the mechanics, and those that are powered by a removable bullet. The latter fall into the above scale, where the former tend to take on the firm properties of the hard plastic which they encase (LELO is a great example of this). There are a few exceptions to this, and they are as follows (in no particular order at this time ((Check back in the next week or so, and these should be listed hierarchically too. I’m still doing a bit of research on these ones))):

• FunFactory
• JimmyJane
• Iroha
• Leaf
• WeVibe
• JeJoue
• Jopen Vanity
• Crave

Now the next big question, or piece of misinformation that is out there: can you store silicone sex utensils together? YES! I’m not entirely sure where this fallacy came from, but it’s been taught and re-taught since time immemorial. I’ve even seen it taught to folk in the so-called progressive sex-positive shops by progressive sex-positive educators. You most definitely CAN store your silicone sex utensils all together, in a jumble, if you like. A lot of folk still opt to bag their various dildos and plugs separately for ease of cleaning, to prevent lint and pet hair accumulation, and just to keep things a little more organised. That’s totally cool, you just don’t HAVE to. Vixen’s VixSkin products are best kept standing-up, so keeping those separately is a wise idea. They won’t melt or break down if stored with other silicone, but they may go a little lopsided if stored bent at all for a long period of time.

Ok, I lied. I have an idea of where this “don’t store silicone with silicone!” business came from- products that are labeled as silicone, “silicone quality”, “silicone like”, or have confusing terms such as “sil-a-gel” on the packaging but which aren’t actually silicone. The unfortunate fact of the matter is that the adult product industry is still by-and-large unregulated ((Condoms are FDA classified as a Class II Medical Device, mostly due to the disease-control aspect, however some companies are moving towards getting their sex utensils and/or lubes classified in this way as well.)). This means that no one is overseeing what goes into products or how companies label said products. There is no “10% rule” ((A fake rule of unknown origin purporting that a product may contain as little as 10% silicone in order to be labeled as such. No such regulation exists in this industry.)) that sometimes gets talked about. There is no oversight preventing phthalates, VOCs, heavy-metals, or other toxins (many of which are banned in other household products, items for children or pets, or which consumers actively avoid) from finding their way into sex utensils and thus into your body. Scrutinise the packaging- something that says it’s silicone may later say it’s non-descript elastomer or TPR ((Not to say that TPR or TPE are particularly “bad”. I have menstrual cups made from TPE. These materials are simply not silicone and thus shouldn’t be marketed as such. Methods of cleaning and product life change based on material)). Does it say it’s silicone, or “silicone-grade”? Is it optically crystal-clear (not just translucent)? I often hear folks say they don’t want something silicone because of the “silicone smell” or “silicone taste” which- after much discussion I determine that what they’re talking about is PVC that is labeled with the misleading ((Whether or not it is the intention of this term is irrelevant at this juncture)) “Sil-A-Gel” which technically isn’t a material at all but rather:

Sil-A-Gel is an ingredient that we add to all of our PVC material during the manufacturing stage. It is not a material unto itself. It is anti-bacterial, cadmium and latex free and utilizes ingredients that are on the FDA Safe Ingredient List….that is where the SIL stands for. This was not meant to trick anybody into thinking that this was a silicone product. — Doc Johnson’s Director of Product Development and Licensing

I’d also like to briefly address the “flame test” ((Taking sex utensils to a flame or bunsen burner in the assumption that 100% silicone products will not ignite, burn, or otherwise be damaged by standard low-heat flame)) that has been the standard for many sex utensil testers and sex bloggers for some time now. When this test first began being used, the methods of silicone production were mostly open-ended one-piece moulds into which the silicone was poured. Think again about that Jell-O mould, or a popcicle mould. Like that. More recently, two-part moulds have come into use with injection moulding (LIM ((Liquid Injection Moulding))) which has necessitated a slightly different formulation to the silicones. These are still 100% silicone utensils (when from reputable companies) but when put to the “flame test” may appear to fail. There are a variety of reasons for this, which all come down to chemistry. The softer shore silicones may also smoke, ash, and/or go brittle in weak or thin areas due to the high volume of silicone oils used to create that texture. Does this mean that the “flame test” isn’t a good metric? Not exactly. Boiling and “flame testing” are still the most accessible means of investigating materials that most consumers have. Reverse engineering is still going to be the most accurate, but it’s prohibitively expensive even for professionals in the field.

So once you have your nice silicone sex utensil, how do you take care of it? I already mentioned avoiding silicone lubes (at least until after you do a patch test and determine if the lube you’re using is compatible). One of the reasons silicone is used for both sex and food applications is that it’s really easy to clean, and it doesn’t readily absorb things. People will say that silicone is non-porous and non-staining. These are true to a point- silicone, just like really everything in the world, is permeable by something. What we’re really talking about is the size of the pores in a material, the depth of that pore network, and the ability for those pores to create a dark and damp environment perfect for bacterium and fungi to grow combined with the ability to expose the material to a hostile environment. Generally the hostile environment of choice at home is boiling water. Because the surface of silicone is not very habitable to microbes, and it is a material that is easily cleansed to a safe degree using good old-fashioned hot soapy water, you don’t need to boil it every time you use it. I do recommend doing so if you’re using it both anally and vaginally, or if you’re sharing with someone else. Similarly, if you draw on your silicone with an indelible marker? You’re going to stain it. That’s how indelible inks work. I’ve also had the softer silicones stain from contact with more unstable non-silicone materials, so do be careful there. I personally don’t use toy-cleaner sprays because they are essentially room-temperature soapy water in a spritzer, but if you’re in a situation where you can’t readily wash up and you want to do a quick clean-up? Go for it. I’d still give it a go in the sink with some hot water later. Think of it like your cooking utensils (now do you see why I favour that term?).

A quick word terms of cleanliness– sanitising, disinfecting, and sterilising are not quite as interchangeable terms as they often are used to imply. All three of these are cleaning, but to increasing degrees of meticulousness. Sanitising is what you do when you wash something with soap and water. This removes surface debris and microbes. Don’t worry too much about so-called “antibacterial” soaps here, as all soaps are antibacterial in that when combined with hot water, they help remove bacteria from surfaces. Antibacterial soaps are not disinfectants, and I recommend against the use of soaps or cleansers that are abrasive as these could damage your item. Disinfecting means pretty much what it says – it removes most of the organisms present on the surface that can cause infection or disease. Sterilisation, on the other hand, is the killing or removal of all disease causing organisms. Boiling, using a bleach solution or a hospital-grade solution such as Cavicide are the big guns of cleaning, and each has their own varying effectiveness against various human-bourne pathogens. While this isn’t something that most average sex utensil users will ever have to deal with, it may be pertinent if you are engaging in high-risk activities such as blood-play or scat-play, or if you are using the same toys with a variety of people (often the case for sexworkers). Research the best method of disinfection and sterilisation for your given situation if this applies to you.

A huge thank-you to everyone who helped me by sending me things or letting me squeeze their cocks. A special thank-you to SheVibe for my first BS Atelier, Fuze for contributing a Tango (which will make another appearance in a future Epic Guide), and ArchVixen for access to the newer softer PleasureWorks.

So let’s start with the basics, the four main types of lube: water-based, silicone-based, hybrid, and oil-based. Water-based lubes are going to be the most versatile of the bunch. Water based lubes come in a wide variety of textures, from thin and watery (perfect for masturbation sleeves and donning male chastity devices ), through ones which mimic natural body fluids, to thick and gel-like (good for toys and butt play as they provide more cushion and stay-put better). Water-based lubes will absorb into the body and/or dry during use, but a quick spritz of water or a little saliva will quickly revitalize them ((This is where you can use spit for lube, because you’re not really using to for lube, just to reactivate it)). Water-based lubes can also be found in warming/cooling formulas for those who like a little more sensation in the mix, and this is also where most flavoured lubes are as well. I’m particularly fond of the Sliquid Sea or Oceanics for my all-purpose lube, and the Sizzle or Sensation for a warming/cooling (which I feel as cooling). Good Clean Love makes my favourite water-based gel style lube, hands-down. Flavours have never really been my thing, but I will say that the Sliquid Swirl lubes are the best I’ve found, the Green Apple and Cherry Vanilla both being almost tasty enough to consider putting atop ice cream. Fun fact- the Swirl flavours were originally based off Jolly Rancher candy flavours.

Silicone lubes are super long-lasting, uber-slick, waterproof workhorses of the lube world. These also come in a few textures, though not as wide a variety as found in water-bases. Also used by latex enthusiasts to aid in wearing as well as to shine skin-tight latex attire, a little bit goes a lo–ng way with these. The caveat with silicone lubes though is an important one- silicone lube is NOT compatible with silicone toys. Like dissolves like, and nothing is sadder than your favorite toy going weird ((A few high-end silicone toy manufacturers have come out to say that their toys are compatible with specific brands/formulas of silicone lube. I’ve seen strange things happen with silicone-on-silicone action so try that at your own risk)). How to tell if your lube is silicone? Look for product names like “platinum” or “silver”, and ingredients that end in -cone. Not sure about your toys? You can always cover a toy in a condom (unlubed, most condoms these days are lubricated with silicone lube unless specifically marked as water-based), tie the condom off over the base, and you’ll be safe. Silicone lubes are taste-less, though the texture can be pretty strange in the mouth. I say it’s like eating butter, but apparently that idea is gross to a lot of people? So maybe it’s more like a spoonful of olive oil. That sounds pretty naff to me too, really. It coats your mouth in a strange way that I don’t like, but apparently some folk do. I was a silicone lube devotee for most of my sexually active life, that was until I discovered better butt lube (more on that in a few paragraphs). The Pjur Gel was my favourite silicone lube for a long time, but the newer ÜberLube has become just as much of a go-to lately. Just be careful, silicone lubes can be super slippery so spills and dribbles on a hard floor can be dangerous, and if you have round twisty style doorknobs, you can get locked on the wrong side of the door. Not that I’d know anything about that…

Hybrid lubes are the most relatively new lubes on the market, though they’ve been around for a while now. These are a creamy blend of water-based lube with a small amount of silicone blended in to create a very soft and smooth lube experience. Often labeled as “silk” lubes, they were originally created with treating vaginal-dryness in mind. While these do contain a small amount silicone, they are generally safe with silicone toys due to the process of combining with the water-base, however you can use a condom over the toy if you are uncertain. Unfortunately, hybrid lubes often have a very bitter acrid taste to many individuals. I’ve never been a huge fan of these, though I know many who absolutely swear by them. Liquid Silk was probably the most widely recognised hybrid lube until it was taken off the US market in the mid-aughts, and also the worst tasting of the lot. I’ve found the Sliquid Organics Silk to be the “best” tasting hybrid I’ve tried to-date, but that’s not to say that it still doesn’t taste weird and numb my tongue a little.

Oil-based lubes are also super long-lasting like silicone lubes. They don’t dry out, and they are nice and slick against the skin. Oil lubes can cause some issues with vaginas, clogging pores for some or altering the pH which can lead to infection. Oil lubes are also a no-go with latex and polyisoprene (condoms, gloves, oral dams, inflatable toys) but can be safely used with FC2, nitrile gloves, polyurethane condoms and/or polyurethane dams. Oil based lubes might not be good for vaginas, but they are just dandy with butts and penises and toys and for eternal-plumbing masturbation. Anal fisting? Oil lubes are one of the best-ever things for it. There’s a reason all those crisco-as-lube jokes exist! (Please stick with actual sex lube though and leave the butter, olive oil, peanut butter, nutella, and even coconut oil in the kitchen.) Butt toys and anal sex? Oil lubes eclipse water-bases by far, particularly since most good butt toys are silicone the use of silicone lubes is out of the question without condom-ing the toy, which doesn’t always work depending on shape/size/style. Oil lubes also come in a variety of sensations including warming (with capsaicin or menthol) and cooling (with menthol). I personally have switched over to using oil based cream lubes for anal play almost exclusively now, and my rear end is so much happier (and greedier) for it. What once was an impossible or uncomfortable toy suddenly becomes my butt’s best friend, with a good cream lube. I’m partial to Elbow Grease or Slam Dunk, but other friends of mine are Boy Butter fans. Oil-based cream lubes (sometimes called fisting lube or male-masturbation cream) can be trickier to find sometimes, as many of the woman-oriented boutique shops don’t carry them. You’ll want to check gay-male oriented shops or places geared toward the Leather community.

So now that we’ve covered the basics a few quick notes about some ingredients to watch out for. This is where the “paraben-free” and “glycerin-free” labeling comes into play. First up- parabens. Parabens are a common preservative used in more products than you probably realise. Recent studies have caused a critical eye to be turned toward them, enough that several countries in the EU have actually banned their use in consumer products. The studies in question seem to indicate that high levels of parabens have been found present in women with breast cancer, though a direct link has not yet been established. This uncertainty has led many companies to take a more cautious approach and remove parabens from their products, and many consumers are seeking paraben-free cosmetics, personal care products, and lube. Some people also have contact sensitivities to body products containing parabens.

Glycerin is a sugar-alcohol (a type of sugar derivative) and is a common ingredient in A LOT of water-based lubricants. Glycerin has long be the go-to ingredient for water-based lubes to create long-lasting lubrocity. Glycerin and other sugar derivatives are also common sweeteners for many flavored lubes. Unfortunately, glycerin and other sugar derivatives will often cause problems for many women, especially those who are prone to UTI’s and yeast infections.

Just when I thought my guide through lube-lane was finished, I realised I’ve left out two important things: desensitising lube, and the weird powdered lubes. Shit. Ok…

Desensitising lubes are a thing that exists but which I will very very rarely suggest to anyone. You’ll find them in pretty much all the lube categories. They generally are made with benzocaine or lidocaine in them, which is the same stuff that you find in sunburn spray, treatments for teething baby’s gums, and some sore-throat lozenges. While OK in small doses, large amounts of these ingredients can be pretty risky to your health. Desensitising lube also prevents you from feeling pain, discomfort, and much of anything (same goes for any bodypart which your partner may insert into your numbing-lubed orifice). Pain and discomfort is an important signal from your body which should be paid attention to, not covered up. When do I think that these lubes are acceptable to use? A few specific instances: either when someone has a wonky nerve ending that, despite Doing It Right, prevents them for having enjoyable penetration (at which point apply the numbing agent just to that area), OR for people who are experienced in Doing It Right and are using the numbing agent as a sensation-play tool. That’s pretty much it.

This last one is weird, and there’s no other way to put it. Powdered. Lube. This is something that unless you’re part of the Leather community, gay-male community, or in the livestock veterinary business, you’ve probably never heard of or seen. Up until recently there was only one powdered lube on the market- J-Lube. J-Lube, originally a veterinary lubricant for birthing livestock, is a powdered lube that you concoct at home and allows you to make literally gallons of lube incredibly cheaply and to your personal preference. This is hands-down the single most slippery stuff on the planet, and also the stringiest thing I’ve ever encountered in my life ((Seriously, pizza cheese can’t even hold a candle to this stuff. I often wonder if it’s what they use in movies to make gut-slime and monster-snot.)). J-Lube completely not-vagina friendly due to being primarily sucrose, it is however great for extreme anal play. For a while I’d seen a new powdered lube popping up on shelves- Fist Powder, which from what I can tell is similar to J-Lube. I’ve not tried it, but the Mr. S folk say seem to think it’s superior to J-Lube. Interesting! There’s even a new vulva-friendly powdered lube from a company in Germany, called X Lube. Gotta say I’m lovin’ on the X Lube right now- it mixes up super easily so all you need to do is add some powder to a water-bottle, shake, and go!

So there you go. A lot of the things you wanted to know, and a few things you probably didn’t, about lube. There is so much more which can still be said about lube and comparisons to be made, but I’ll save that for another time. Of course individual reviews of my favourites are a given as well. If you made it all the way to the end of this give yourself a pat on the back, a gold star, or an extra jerk-off session. You deserve it. That was a lot.

Silk is a natural protein fibre, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fibre of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity (sericulture).

[…] Silk production also occurs in Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, and ants), silverfish, mayflies, thrips, leafhoppers, beetles, lacewings, fleas, flies, and midges. Other types of arthropod produce silk, most notable the various arachnids such as spiders (see spider silk).

— Wikipedia

See that, Pipedream? You know what that is? That’s the definition of silk. Notice what’s not mentioned there? Cotton. Nylon. Polyester. This is because silk is a noun, not a adjective. Don’t believe me? Here let the fine folk of Merriam Webster weigh in on the matter:

Silk: noun, often attributive

1: a fine continuous protein fiber produced by various insect larvae usually for cocoons; especially: a lustrous tough elastic fiber produced by silkworms and used for textiles

2: thread, yarn, or fabric made from silk filaments

My issue here lies in the copy and supposed intent of this PVC glitter vibrating dildo. It’s something I’ve seen on things before, but never have I seen it quite so egregiously as on the Cliterrific.

Cliterrific is an 8 inch wonder designed specifically for clitoral stimulation. Turn up the heat with these erotically designed multi-speed soft pliable jelly stimulators with sensuous glitter.

Wait, WHAT? CalEx, where the fuck do you think my clit is located? I know that we’re having to remind people not to learn how to have sex by watching porn, but do we need to update that to not learning anatomy via porn as well? Newsflash: Deep Throat was a porno flick and not based on an actual medical condition. Clitorises (clitori?) aren’t located in our throats, nor are they located within the vaginal canal, as you seem to think based on the design of this stinky dick.

I mean really, clitoral stimulation? It’s a fucking 8″ long, 2.25″ diameter girthy-as-fuck vibrating dildo! I’m almost tempted to use the much loathed term of “dong” to refer to this thing. I understand that people joke about men not being able to find the clit and yada-yada-yada but seriously- a dildo as a clit toy? That’s like all the glass toys I see labeled as “massagers”. For anyone who might not know (and apparently the folks over at CalEx) here is a basic illustration of the female crotchical region. Now, I understand that the clitoris is more than just the little eternal piece of erectile tissue that most people think of when referring to the clit, but I think it becomes pretty clearly apparent that an inserted dildo is not coming anywhere NEAR the clit. Yes- you could use this big stinky faux-phallus on your clit, but there are SO MANY toys, such as those at Secret By Me, that are better suited to that, even at the incredibly cheap price of the Cliterrific.

I’m a talkative person, but from the first day I set eyes on this I have been dumbfounded in it’s stupidity. That’s been nine months now, that I’ve seen this thing and boggled at it. I re-arrange retail walls, and every time I move it I gag a little. I re-read the copy on the back of the packaging and I can feel my blood-pressure go up and the knot form in my stomach. Thankfully, in that same nine months, I have yet to have someone want to purchase it from me. I’m not sure I’d be able to handle that.

If for some ungdly reason you actually WANT one of these, you can get it at SexToyFun. Personally I don’t see why you’d want it though. I do think that the little video they have on the page about it is pretty frickin’ hilarious though. I wish I could embed it over here. Oh man do I ever.

The Berman Venus G is a slim silicone vibrating G-spot toy from Dr. Laura Berman. The first thing I noticed with this is that it is indeed slim, only 1″ in diameter. The tip of the toy, where it curves up to nudge the urethral sponge, tapers a bit as well. Now, I wouldn’t call myself a size queen (toys like Vixen’s Randy scare the crap out of me), but I found the dainty diameter of this toy a bit underwhelming. This is probably perfect for some folk, but I’m finding that I prefer a girthier toy for this sort of play. I had a hard time getting firm yet comfortable pressure, as the narrowness of the tip of the toy felt more pokey- like the tip of a finger rather than finger pads. I was also unable to really feel much of the rings on the shaft of the toy when I used it for thrusting due to the narrowness of the toy.

The vibration doesn’t really do it for me either on this. I find that the vibration from the three AAA batteries to be remarkably low, given that my beloved Laya Spot was a two AAA toy and definitely blows this out of the water with intensity. If you want very gentle vibration then the Berman Venus G is probably great, but especially for internal vibration I need something far stronger. I will say it is amazingly quiet though, which is always a nice treat.

While I generally prefer smaller palm-able toys for clitoral stimulation, I thought that maybe something longer like this might make it ideal for using on myself whilst wearing a harness, or during partnered sex. So I gave it a shot as a clit vibe, and still that low-intensity vibration killed it for me. I need more oomph than this is capable of even at it’s strongest setting. I really wanted to find a way to make myself love the Berman Venus G, but I just wasn’t feeling it- literally.

Despite this toy being made by Cal Exotics, a company who still manufactures a lot of jelly and PVC toys, it successfully passed the ‘is it really silicone?’ test of attempting to light it on fire with a match. It didn’t burn, melt, disfigure, discolor, or retain soot marks after washing so I feel confident saying that this is indeed 100% silicone. The silicone is of the shinier and thus stickier variety, so this is definitely a toy to keep in a plastic baggie or some other protective sleeve, and it does need wiping down before use just to make sure all the cat hair and dust bunnies are gone. The battery case is actually plastic, not metal as I’d assumed it was. The construction is simple but nice, and the controls were really easy to use even when my hands were all slimy with lube. The battery-cap on this though is tricksey indeed and requires screwing it on just-so.

In the end, the Berman Venus G is just not quite what I’m looking for in my G-spot escapades. It might be someone’s perfect toy, but it’s far from mine. Big thanks to Babeland for being awesome (I bought my first sex-toys from them, many years ago) and sending me the Berman Venus G to play with. I can’t wait to further explore their wide array of G-spot vibrators!

The lube in question is the Tenga Hole Lotion in the Real texture (red bottle). It has a really nice texture, akin to many traditional silicone based lubes. I’d say it’s a medium thickness in texture, with little to no tackiness to it at all. This is what really amazed me- it didn’t seem to dry up or get sticky and gummy in the way that I’m used to water based lubes doing, and it lasted what seemed like forever. This makes sense when I think about Tenga’s main product line- a wide array of male masturbation sleeves. A sticky, gummy, easily dried up lube would be a horrible thing for use with the rest of their offerings, so why wouldn’t they make something pretty amazing? Cleaning up is super fast with this one too, as it’s water based. I’d forgotten how easy it is to wash off non-silicone lubes. That was definitely a perk.

I haven’t tried the Hole Lotion for vaginal or clitoral use however, and likely will not. As rad as it was, the Hole Lotion does contain glycerine. For a male toy lube this is perfectly fine, as well for anal use, however for vulval-vaginal use I steer clear of glycerine as I am one of those unfortunates in whom it can induce yeasty issues.

The verdict? Tenga makes some rad toys, and a darn good lube to go with them which is also lovely for use with butt play, and for clitoral and/or vulval use for those who aren’t glycerine averse.

One final note- Tenga products are imported from Japan. Shops such as Babeland and GoodVibes carry Tenga toys but they don’t carry the Hole Lotion lines, so it can be a bit tricky to find. I was able to locate it on SheVibe and Amazon however, as well as a few japanese import sites.

Tenga Hole Lotion (real texture) ingredients are: Water, Glycerin, Ethanol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, Phenoxyethanol, EDTA-2Na, Paraben, Polysolvate 80, Sorbitan Cocoate, Fragrance