this post was submitted on 15 Dec 2025
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I'd like to preface this by saying that I'm a gay dude, so naturally I might not be the best fit for this, but I figure I might as well weigh in with what knowledge I have.
My experience skews more towards dildos and the like, and at least there you rather get what you pay for. Cheaper products have cheaper materials, sometimes there are unappealing smells, or icky residue. I have a pair of dildos I've never used because they were so gross. Since then I've paid the premium for the good stuff, and it's been worth it.
In terms of vibrators, I've only ever owned two, a cheaper brand and a Lovense Edge 2. The cheaper brand conked out quite fast, and when I inspected it closely I noticed that the silicone had also torn in places. The Edge 2 on the other hand is solid.
That said, if the reviews are good, I'd be inclined to believe them. With the Lovense products I expect that a chunk of what you're paying for is just the bluetooth connectivity and app features. If you feel the need to hook your toy up with your phone or PC then it might be worth it, but if you're just after a vibrator with no frills attached, I'd give the cheaper ones a consideration.
The Edge 2, and I presume their other vibrators, have a proprietary charging connection. It's essentially just two metal contacts and a cable with a relatively weak magnet attached; it does the job but for the price I think the cable could be nicer. It does mean that the toy itself is entirely waterproof though.
As an aside, pick up some good toy cleaner that's compatible with the material of the toy you get. Lovense has a pretty alright guide on this. The nice thing about silicone dildos is that you can basically just boil them for a deep clean, but I'd this for electronic ones, waterproof or not. Look for something that's antibacterial.
I use the Bad Dragon cleaner, which is excellent. It cleans nicely, the pump produces a foam so it lasts long, and it's anti-bacterial. That said I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to order it on account of it shipping from the U.S. - it gets expensive and there will be something similar more readily available for you. Just look around.
In short, Lovense is a pretty safe bet but you're not going to have 6 times better orgasms. Check the reviews and particularly look out for what people are saying about the material, you want to avoid porous toys because they are much harder to sanitise properly. Since anal will be involved you'll want to take particular care that the toy is cleaned thoroughly, infections are no joke.
Play safe, and have fun.
I see it, 2 unprotected metal contacts. No corrosion so far? No charging problems due to defective contact?
I don't know if you're telling me to boil silicone toys with electronics and motors inside of them or not to boil them.
No corrosion, also no boiling. I realise my point didn't really get across well; good silicone is durable, and with simple non-electronic toys, like dildos, you can just toss them in a pot and boil for a while. What you want to avoid is oil-based or silicone-based lubricants because it can lead to material degradation, even if the silicone itself is really high quality.
My cleaning procedure for the edge is essentially to get the lube off, wash it with some anti-bacterial soap, and then dry it off immediately. It's been about two years now and it's in solid condition.
A little mixed up. Oil breaks down latex, not silicone. So it is unpopular mainly because of not being good with latex condoms. If latex isn't part of the situation, oils and fats are fine. There are commercial oil-based lubes, or any oil or fat that it suitable to eat can be used for sex. Olive oil, crisco, whatever is available and works.
But the silicone-based lube advice stands. Do not touch silicone toy once with even the whiff of silicone lube on your hands. That is certain ruin. I never have them both out at the same time. Keep them in different parts of you home.
Right! Thank you for the correction.