How to choose a sex toy

Criteria for selecting a suitable sex toy

The softness of sex toys

The softness of sex toys is probably the most important feature of dildos and anal plugs. We dedicate a separate article to the softness of dildos Soft dildos - what are they for, how to recognize them in the sex shop

Quality, safety and colour of sex toys

The safety of sex toys is often neglected even by reputable sex shops (more on the page About Redpipi). With metal objects, even a small irregularity can be very painful or even cutting inside and indicates a low quality sex toy. Perfumed vibrators or dildos, which can burn the sensitive mucous membranes of some people or even cover the rubber smell, are not suitable. Such often go hand in hand with toxins (more Sex aid materials).

Black and brown TPE sex toys, or any silicone toys, will not be stained with feces when used anal. On the other hand, light and flesh-colored ones, small dust, e.g. from a towel or hard-to-wash gel residues, are not visible. However, this is not essential for plugs, vibrators or double dildos, as you can hardly see them during use anyway :).

Size and suitability of sex toys

Don't go overboard with the size of sex toys. A well-washed salad cucumber or carrot can be used to test the size of a sex toy for vaginal or anal sex. For many people, these inexpensive natural sex tools may be enough. Hygienically, they pose a higher risk than purpose-made sex toys. But no one has ever died from a pickle. But other natural objects can hide other problems. For example, a pepper burns long after use, a banana - remnants of the flesh may remain, or the insufficiently smooth skin may injure, the cone may open and prevent removal. Similarly, whipped cream, marmalade or other snacks are not suitable as a gel or served on female genitalia or they provide good conditions for infection. You can find more about the suitability and risks of different materials of erotic aids in the link Sex toy materials and maintenance. Sometimes customers choose toys that are too small. A diameter of 3.5 cm should be easy for any beginner – even an adult – to handle in the anus.

A lot of people unnecessarily choose toys that are too small, up to 3cm in diameter. That's too small for both vagina and anal. Even baby poo is sometimes up to 5cm in diameter, so an adult can certainly handle a 3.5cm wide dildo to start with. But if your partner has a psychological aversion to anal sex, a small butt plug or small dildo to start with is not money wasted. Later on, these small sex toys can be combined with an established penis.

The added value of a sex toy

By combining different sex toys and situations, new and stronger experiences can be achieved. There is no point in having e.g. a hogtie cross, bed straps and other simple low quality bondage tools. These can be (in our case without any extra charge) more fully and safely replaced by a combination of good quality leather handcuffs and a rope or stylish chain. We also don't recommend cheap riding whips - a plastic bar wrapped in PVC leather gives just as blunt a blow as a plain plastic bar.

Why do sex shops have mostly sex toys from China and not from the USA or Europe?

We generally do not recommend European and especially not American sex toys. These are either overpriced products and even more often resale goods from China under an expensive western distributor's brand. The most famous case is the German distributor Orion and its brand You2Toys.

80-90% of erotic merchandise is made in China and this trend is getting stronger. China has been playing a major role in the sex toy segment ever since 2017, not only in price, but in materials and technology. For example, Liquid silicone Vibrators are only made in China, even though it is a technology purchased from Germany in 2019. In the West, production and often even development simply do not pay off. Reputable Western companies such as Doc Johnson and especially the relatively poor-quality Pipe Dream and the German Satisfyer offer 10, 20 year old products of lower quality, mostly also made in China. Until people stop buying them for that expensive money... Most of the erotic toys in every sex shop, including the highest quality ones, are therefore from China. Even Womanizer has been produced in China since 2024 (still in Germany in 2023).