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The Greatist Community Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest TikTok Spotify YouTube About Greatist Who We Are Our Editorial Process Our Product Vetting Process Content Integrity Conscious Language Health & Wellness Food Fitness Faves Connect SUBSCRIBE 25 O-mazing Sex Toys to Gift Yourself or Someone Special This Year Types of sex toys We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Here’s our process. Why do we love opening gifts? It’s the thrill of guessing what’s under the wrapping, that sweet carnal release at the first tear of paper, and the warmth that lingers from knowing someone cared enough to get you something nice. You know what does those same things? Orgasms! So why not give the gift of the Big O with a sex toy this holiday season? Rhetorical question! Assuming you and the gift recipient are close, there’s no good reason not to.
That’s why we put together this list of 25 sex toys that totally live up to the buzz. Design by Alexis Lira How we chose Pleasure and pleasure products aren’t one size fits all, so it’d be impossible to point to just one sex toy and say “Get this!” Instead, we rounded up 25 high quality, body-safe sex toys and pleasure aids, including descriptions of the type of pleasure they’re designed to provide — plus, what types of bodies and sensation-seekers they’re best for. Pricing guide $ = under $50 $$ = $50–$125 $$$ = $125–$200 $$$$ = over $200
Best vibrator for newbies We-Vibe Tango X Price: $$ Slightly bigger than an adult’s thumb, the We-Vibe Tango X is the perfect gift for anyone who is new to (or scared of) sex toys. This petite powerhouse of a vibrator features 8 different intensity levels, giving new sex toy users and opportunity to explore just how much rumble they wanna add to their rumble and tumble. And (!) it only has two buttons, making it easier to use than many vibes on the market today #Bless. Best bullet vibrator Drift Warming Bullet Vibrator Price: $$ Cue Nelly because it’s getting hot in here… literally.
Liberator Sex FurnitureWith a click of a button, this Lori Dicarlo vibrator warms up to 104°F (40°C) (jusssst above body temp). This feature will encourage your giftee to get theirs even on the coldest day. Hot tip: If you’re willing to spend little extra dough on your gift, include some arousal oil in the package. The warmth of the toy helps keep the oil the perfect consistency. Best wand vibrator Hitachi Magic Wand Plus Price: $$ The Hitachi is to pleasure toys what Shakespeare is to literature: an effing classic. This microphone shaped machine entered the world in the 1960s as a back massager, got a little rebrand with the help of sex-positive feminists of the 70s (does the name Betty Dodson ring a bell?), and has since been rebranded as the Magic Wand. These days, the Magic Wand is still the most powerful vibrator on the market. It features only two intensity levels, but they’d best be described as Ultra Intense and Ultra-X Intense. In other words, it’s not for the faint of heart crotch. Best vibrator on a budget Sweet Vibes Charmed
Price: $ The type of stimulation a vibrator provides is generally classified as either pinpointed or broad stimulation. As you might guess, pinpointed stimulators typically stimulate a very small surface area while broad stimulators massage a larger proportion of the erogenous zones. Every pleasure-seeker has to figure out for themselves which type of stimulation is best for them. Thanks to this wand vibrator, you don’t have to choose. In addition to sporting the broader microphone shape, this toy features a curved fin designed to apply super-pinpointed pleasure. Plus, it’s easy on your wallet. Best vibrator for pinpointed stimulation Zumio X Price: $$ Shaped like an electric toothbrush, this baby sports an easy-to-hold handle with a thin Spirotip that juts out the end. (The Spirotip does all the stimulating). No larger than a nose-stud or freckle, the itty bitty ball-shaped tip moves in micro-circles, like a finger.
While Zumio currently has three different products (listed here in order of least to most intense): the Zumio S, Zumio X, and Zumio E, we recommend the Zumio X which is the oldest and most tried-tested-loved product from the manufacturer. Highest quality suction toy Womanizer Premium Price: $$$ Is your gift receiver *heart eyes* for a tongue tornado? Give ‘em the gift of swirl and suck with an oral sex stimulator, like the Womanizer Premium. This oral sex stimulator is ergonomically shaped to fit in your palm and it features a little nozzle that’s designed to cover those nerve-dense external stimulators. For an even more realistic experience, try pairing the toy with lube. Best discreet suction toy Biird Obii Price: $$
Jiggle BallsThe most discreet (and cutest) suction toy in the history of suction toys, the Obii is perfect for any pleasure-seeker who enjoys clitoral or nipple stimulation. Visually similar to a Pokemon character, this chickadee shaped toy is coated in body-safe silicone, and available in Easter-egg colors (mint, yellow, and pink). It also comes in a cute carrying and storage case. Best rabbit vibrator Calexotics Jack Rabbit Signature Heated Silicone Rabbit Price: $$$ If your bb is a “Sex and the City” fan, they’ll recognize this toy’s two-pronged shape from the infamous episode where Charlotte skimps on plans to use a very similar-looking vibrator. Known as a rabbit vibrator, the Jack Rabbit Signature Heated Silicone Rabbit features one vibrating arm for internal G-zone stimulation, and a second arm for external clitoral stimulation. (Blended orgasm, anyone?). True to its name, this seven-speed vibrator literally heats up. It features a unique heating element that reaches a soothing temperature in just four minutes. Fun! Best G-spot vibrator Satisfyer Yummy Sunshine Vibrator Price: $ Designed as a G-spot stimulator, this 12-intensity vibrator features 6 insertable inches and a curved tip for internal pressure.
The one con: The battery only lasts 30 minutes, so the odds of it dying before you “die” (er, la petite mort) are higher with this vibe than others. Best hands-free vibrator We-Vibe Moxie Price: $$ Long distance lovers need not look further than the We Vibe Moxie. About the size of a pendrive, this vibrator can latch into your fave boxers, boy shorts, and bikini-style brief via a magnet, making them buzz. Here’s why it’s so clutch for bicoastal babes: The Moxie can be controlled from afar with the help of the We Vibe App. Best rideable vibrator The Unicorn Sex Machine
Price: $$$$ Hey moneybags, if your giftee L-O-V-E-S vibration and already has a hearty collection of toys, consider The Unicorn Sex Machine. A saddle-shape, The Unicorn Sex Machine is designed to be mounted until the rider moans. There are a wide variety of attachments for the machine, so whether you’re looking for external, anal, or vaginal stimulation, there’s an attachment perfect for you. Fair warning: This big boy is as loud as it is intense. Meaning, very. Best beginner anal sex toy Tango Plug Price: $ If you and your giftee have talked about traveling south, start with the Tango plug. One of the best beginner plugs on the market, this ultra-affordable plug is no thicker than your middle finger. Just remember: Lube is a nonnegotiable for butt play. So, you’ll also want to throw in a water-based lube like Cake Tush Cush. 1 Best intermediate anal sex toy
Other sex toys for women The above are some of the top-rated female sex toys but there are still other options to consider. Kegel balls or ben wa balls are another popular option that also has great benefits for the health of your pelvic floor, or you could try something like a finger vibe or vibrating panty. These last two are particularly fun as a first time sex toy when you are playing with someone else too. What are the best sex toys for beginners? Finding the best sex toys for beginners is actually an easy task if you know what to look for. Start with a toy for an area that you know you get great pleasure from and start small. At least if a toy is too small you can still use it, whereas if a toy is too big you may struggle to use it properly or even to use it at all. And, no matter what type of toy you start with, make sure you always buy high-quality sex toys. This doesn’t mean you need to buy the most expensive toy out. Check out reviews from customers and make sure you are finding a toy that is body safe and is going to last more than a couple of uses.
The world of sex toys has never been more inviting, inclusive, and destigmatized than right now, offering new possibilities for women and other marginalized identities to explore their sexualities. Or at least, that’s what should be happening in theory. Over the past several years, a wave of feminist sex tech companies has revolutionized the male-dominated industry by redefining toys as part of sexual health rather than an illicit perversity. With groundbreaking products engineered for a wider variety of bodies, shame-free messaging, gorgeously empowering design, and anti-male gaze marketing, companies like Dame, Maude, Crave, and Unbound ushered us into a new era of pleasure tech.
“We're living through a golden age of sex toys, a kind of a renaissance where we have access to such incredibly well-constructed and innovative products,” said Ian Kerner, a sex counselor, psychotherapist, and author of She Comes First. “We're living through a golden age of sex toys." The trend shows no sign of stopping, either. A 2018 global market report projected the industry would reach $35 billion by 2023, tracing its growth to this repositioning and rebranding, and the public’s overall “increase in openness, drive for excitement and adventure, passion for quirky products and heightened desire for experimentation.”
Culturally speaking, the sex toy stigma grows more extinct by the day. But it hasn't wholly disappeared. “The shame has lessened, but for some women buying a tool exclusively for their own sexual pleasure is still a big leap,” said Hallie Lieberman, author of Buzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy. “A lot of women still don't think that they deserve that or that it will reflect poorly on who they are as a woman.” To be fair to us, counteracting centuries if not millennia of internalized shame from heteronormative patriarchal society is tough. Many of us might not even fully realize where our hesitation to experiment with sex toys really comes from. When sex toy company TENGA’s 2019 Self-Pleasure Report survey asked participants why they didn’t, 49 percent answered with a variety of expected anxieties and shame. But an overwhelming 54 percent simply said it was because they didn’t think they “needed” one. Judging from the well-documented gender disparity in orgasms in heterosexual intercourse, though, it’s clear our notions of who “needs” to (or gets to) feel satisfied in the bedroom is not equal.
Stim Machine“One of the most common reactions to the thought of using sex toys if you haven’t before is, ‘Oh, those aren’t for me.’ At least, that’s the initial thought I had before I owned a vibrator and lubricant,” said Polly Rodriguez, now CEO and co-founder of her own sex toy company, Unbound. (Note: We’re mostly focusing on heterosexual women and couples here because TENGA’s survey and the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior conducted by Indiana University both suggest LGBTQ folks — especially those with labias — are way ahead of the curve, disproportionately making up the demographic already participating in the sex toy revolution. In this rare case, the straights need more help getting past a heteronormative shame. For LGBTQ folks looking for advice, both Unbound's and Dame’s blogs publish fantastic LGBTQ-focused guides.) Mashable Image The Crescendo is designed to fit a variety of bodies and sexual orientations. Scroll to the end for a full review. Credit: Mashable Composite: Mystery Vibe / Bob Al-Greene / Mashable As it turns out, despite years of slut walks and the anti-slut-shaming movement, the fear of being categorized as a hypersexual woman still rears its head. But not wanting to be one of “those” women who “needs” a sex toy goes even deeper than that.
It comes back to the historied, outdated (not to mention heteronormative) belief that women’s pleasure should only come from a man, and that her sexual awakening should happen with him during intercourse. “It’s like, if I have to use this technology to get off, it feels like I’ve failed as a woman,” Lieberman explained. The focus on the phallus as a more “natural” form of female pleasure is why dildos that mimic the male anatomy were such a central focus of the sex toy industry for so long, despite the fact that many other types of toys — like those for clitoral stimulation — were found to be more satisfying to more women. Some of women’s sex toy shame can be blamed on Freud, Kerner said. He incorrectly theorized that clitoral orgasms were an immature state of a woman’s sexual development, with properly functioning females eventually maturing into vaginal orgasms. “He never described how this would happen,” said Kerner. “But there’s still this idea that somehow clitoral orgasms aren’t ‘real’ orgasms.” "If I have to use this technology to get off, it feels like I’ve failed as a woman.” Meanwhile, research suggests 37 percent of people with vaginas need clitoral stimulation to achieve orgasm, while only 18 percent said penetration alone was enough. Yet the unrealistic ideals of what women’s pleasure should look like persists, despite being incompatible with how most people with vaginas reach climax.
“What I hear from some women is that introducing a vibrator into sex is an indirect admission that something is wrong, that the intercourse isn’t working. And rather than thinking, ‘Well, there’s probably a good reason for why it isn’t working for me,’ they instead internalize that as feeling sort of broken or defective,” said Kerner. “So you have a lot of women coming in and asking, ‘What's wrong with me? Why can't I get off the normal way?” This unconscious fear is closely tied to another common myth around sex toys: that they’ll replace human (presumably male) partners who can’t satisfy women as well as the technology. SEE ALSO: Why did Tinder make a show about the apocalypse? We drank margaritas and found out. Who can forget the Sex in the City episode when Charlotte needs a “Rabbit intervention” so she can stop getting off so much to her vibrator and go back to being in a real relationship. Lieberman even pointed to this trope being in one of the earliest Greek plays, Lysistrata, where women threaten to replace the men at war with dildos.
Penis Sex ToyIn the modern age, the fear that women will become so addicted to toys manifests in memes comparing sex toys to partners, or even Cardi B in Hustlers boasting that her pink vibrator is the best and only boyfriend she will ever need. Mashable Image The Fin is a life-changing partnered sex vibrator. Scroll to the end for a full review. Credit: Mashable Composite: Dame / Bob Al-Greene / Mashable Women in heterosexual relationships still often worry that asking to introduce a vibrator or toy into the bedroom will make their partner feel emasculated. In his work with couples, though, Kerner has never found this to be the case, with “most men seeming very receptive to wanting to create experiences that are mutually pleasurable.” If that’s a particular worry, though, partnered sex toys can alleviate the stress of making it about your pleasure alone.
The highly-rated (and also woman co-founded) Crescendo from MysteryVibe is ideal for beginners looking for versatility, designed for solo or partnered play, various positions, and various bodies and sexual orientations, too. For me, something as ingeniously simple, unintimidating, and Intuitive as Dame’s Fin was nothing short of revolutionary, leading to my first simultaneous orgasm with a partner ever. “The new wave of sex toys have opened people up to the idea that toys and masturbation are not in opposition to a relationship. It’s not one or the other. Women don’t have a limited amount of sexual energy,” said Lieberman. Still, the myth of sex toy “addiction” or that vibrators cause permanent desensitization or make it impossible to cum any other way persists. Luckily, there is zero empirical evidence to support these concerns. "Women don’t have a limited amount of sexual energy.” What’s funny, Lieberman noted, is that concerns over vibrators being addictive only started in the 1930s, once sex toys began being openly sold in markets rather than controlled by doctors. That’s when the concept of “dildo attachment” came into the conversation, which claimed to make women stop wanting sex with their husbands.
At worst, Kerner said, vigorous habitual use of a sex toy can simply cause over-familiarity with that specific intense sensation that can’t be replicated by a person. But that’s no different than men who develop difficulty climaxing during intercourse because they masturbate with a very tight grip that can’t be replicated during penetration. Both are easily fixed with a simple break. “Just stop using it for a few days. It’s not heroin. You can put it to the side, and use your hand or go manual with your partner, and it will return to being just as pleasurable,” said Lieberman. One legitimate health concern, however, relates to the type of material used for sex toys. Rodriguez emphasized the importance of medical-grade rather than food-grade silicone, since they often go inside the most absorbent parts of your body. Be very wary of buying anything on Amazon, which often sells knock offs. On the other hand (pun intended), what more masturbation can do is actually improve your capacity to orgasm in general, and give you the space to learn exactly what kind of touch and sensations you like, which you can then communicate to your partner. But outside of its benefits in partnered sex, the power of sex toys is about rediscovering what pleasure means and feels like to you alone. Mashable Image Vibe is one of the cheapest, most beloved beginner toys. Scroll to the end for a full review. Credit: Mashable Composite: Maude / Bob Al-Greene / MASHABLE “I think masturbation is one of the healthiest things we can do when it comes to understanding and appreciating our bodies. For me, and for many in our community, self-pleasure helps us reclaim our bodies for ourselves,” said Rodriguez.
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