I’ll second the notion that ribbed/studded ain’t as great for the gal as they’re cracked up to be. The carpet burn sensation is not one you want. :eek: Or want to be responsible for causing.
For fun, you might check out Condomania . Not only do they sell condoms, but they have plenty of educational info on their website.
I purchased the sampler pack of condoms and a sampler pack of lubes to give to my best friend for her bachelorette party. (it was pretty funny to see her eyes get that wide when she opened it. 
) After I placed the order though, I though, “Actually, it’s a great idea.” You can try out a whole bunch of condoms, see which ones you like, don’t like, etc. They even throw in some of the more “fun” ones, like colored, flavored, textured. You never know what you might end up liking…
Plus the threw in a yellow condom with a happyface printed on the wrapper, and a little bowtie glued on. 
PS: Lucy Lube says “Wetter is better” so go for the lubes too!!!
You should give InSpiral condoms a try. They’re quite different from regular condoms. My wife and I love 'em. They’re kinda baggy, but they’re shaped differently than the other baggy condoms. If you can’t find Inspirals (and they’re kinda a pain to find unless you order them online), give Lifestyles a try. The ultrathins are good and, believe it or not, I’ve found that the ribbed ones aren’t too bad either. IMHO, trojans are just awful. They smell bad and don’t have the stretchiness I have come to expect from a decent rubber. 
No more Durex for me, thanks. I always have a hard time getting them over the end of my knob, and they just don’t feel comfortable to me. They also have a nasty habit of wrinkling up, or slipping off altogether.
My local gay pub leaves out a container full of Pasante brand condoms free for the taking, and these are as good as a condom gets IMHO. My preference is for the Large variety; they roll on easily and smoothly, fit perfectly and stay put. Prophylactic perfection.
I suggest going online to such a site and ordering a whole trial pack. You can get some really good deals. I just got a pack of 100 condoms for only like $25 including shipping. You can try out all sorts of brands and see which ones you like best.
Anyway, I suggest the Japanese ones for their insane thinness. They can be a little tight if you are well-endowed though.
I’ve brought from
http://www.condomusa.com/
Here you can get combos for fairly good prices. They include both American and Japanese condoms if you want to try them out.
and
This site offers large discounts. It was from here that I bought the 100 for $25.
Those raised, studded, ribbed… never noticed any difference with those. We tried this “Extra” pleasure (the ones with the strange heads) one too, but my Shiki couldn’t tell the difference.
count me in as one of the women who find that condoms significantly reduce sensation.
i hate, hate, hate them.
and ribbed/bumpy/spiky ones are just horrible.
the best ones (and this is out of a very bad lot) were the red packet Mates, but i don’t know if they’re available in the US.
all i’m saying is thank goodness for BCP and monogamy!
sorry, not US, i meant AUS.
A wise-ass friend in college once referred to that size box of condoms as “family size.”
It’s kind of sick in multiple ways, but now whenever I see one, that’s what I think (and now I bet you will too).
Bad on so many levels.
Alright, here’s a rather embarrassing question…but anyway:
If the woman is very much naturally lubricated, is this still necessary?
The boyfriend and I use Lifestyles thin (in the gray box). Never had any problems with breakage (even after rather… enthusiastic… sessions) or irritation. The lube issue is irrelevant (as long as there’s no spermicide), since we have to use buckets of lube anyway.
It’s been a number of years since it was relevant, but I found Trojan Magnums to be the best. NO, NOT because I’m “huge” or anything. More that they aren’t really THAT much bigger – just enough to allow an average-sized schlonger some slip 'n slide that dramatically improves sensation…
Mrs. Lizardo is one of the ladies who really can’t (couldn’t) tell the difference, so she just wanted ones that didn’t break. Never had much issue with that, so can’t comment in that arena.
A little Astroglide inside the condom increases the sensation of contact. 'Course, don’t use enough to make the condom slide off.
Let’s face it: condoms are a huge hassle and kind of ridiculous, but my wife got tired of diaphrams and I don’t have the guts to get my tubes tied, so we’re doing the condom thing.
We’ve always been less unsatisfied (and that’s the way you havta think about condoms) with the Klingtite Naturalambs brand. They are made from lamb intenstine I believe, so they are thin, strong, and able to transmit sensation. They are also lubricated by a medicinal smelling oil. These are not for you if you are concerned about STDs as the little critters can permeate the lambskin; but if you are monogamous and clean and concerned about birth control then consider this product. The other major drawback is the cost–regular retail works out to about 3 bucks a lay–though Drugstore.com offers decent sales.
I prefer the Durex “Extra Sensation” condoms. Those are the ones that I “feel” or notice the least. (Yes, I am female, and I can feel when there is a condom clad penis inside of me.) Trojan condoms are too thick and insulating, getting rid of virtually all sensation for me. Lifestyles condoms tend to move around too much–seems too loose.
As far as colors, those are interesting. Flavored condoms are nasty. Horrible. Like licking unsweetened kool-aid powder off of a rubber glove. And if they have the non-oxyidal 9, it numbs your tongue.
I have found the contraceptive film to be very good as a backup to condoms. Not messy like the foams, and it stays in place and effective up to 3 hours.