I own an item of that particular sort, purchased for me by a former lover, which I use on a regular basis. Now that porcupine has so thoughtfully provided the link, I may just buy one for myself, since the one I have is covered in some substance that is supposed to be fleshlike but is instead sticky and weird and I’m not too fond of it.
Geobabe, I really should get ask Good Vibrations to give me some sort of kickback for all the customers they get from my recommendations. 
No doubt! I just dropped a good chunk of change on 'em.
Shouldn’t be too difficult. After all, I got wood…
Ooooh… What’d ya buy? Links!
Ah, what the hell. The number of random email and IMs has dropped off lately. For your viewing and whatever other pleasure, I give you: The Purple Plunge, the Smoothie (in “pearl”) and last but certainly not least, the Scorpio. I will entertain offers from attractive single male Dopers for assistance in testing out said appliances.
::Views links::
Oh, my…
I can attest for one or two of those.
Rocking times in the Geobabe house!
Mine too, lives in a nightstand drawer, sadly neglected. (Aw, the life the of a neglected sex toy…)
For my 16th birthday, a couple of my friends presented me with a vibrator.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It’s still a topic of much amusement and discussion among aforementioned friends.
Uh, anybody know the SDMB policy on links to dildo sites? I know they really frown on links to pics of naked people.
Those are okay. We had this discussion back before pepperlandgirl got married and she was looking for “something special”.
The thread I was talking about is here
I think it would depend on the toy store. I know that GoodVibes doesn’t show pictures of naked people, just the toys themselves.
I own three toys, only one of which I use on a regular basis. It’s a little blue ball thing, designer for, uh, external application. It lives in a little basket by my bed and I love it dearly. As hardygrrl once memorably described vibrators - they’re like crack for the clit. Awww yeah.
I bought all my toys and sundry playthings myself - I don’t find it embarressing. I buy my own porn too. Gotte love us liberated women.
I have 2. One is definately phallic, and the other not so much.
I use them almost exclusivley solo, and I bought them both at the same time because I couldn’t choose between the two. 
I have found them to be a great investment. I have also discovered that they work very well together. Fresh batteries are something that will make me go to bed early.
::yawn:: Hey, look at the time…
Rose
I’m a male, but I can contribute by saying I have bought toys to be used by women solo and dual. Kind of a funny story actually…
I was about 19, and a friend of mine lamented to me one day that her “friend” was broken and she missed it dearly. She was too afraid to go into a porn store and buy another, so I was enlisted to help. It was vaguely implied that if I bought it for her, I might get to see her use it.
Never having been in a porn shop, I was a bit overwhelmed. Naturally, the vibrators and such were not out where I could just grab one and pay for it.
No, no.
I have to go to the counter and ask for HELP. There’s a big fat guy at the desk. I tell him in a confidential tone of voice that I need that vibrator over there.
“That one?” he says, a bit too loudly to suit me.
I nod. He looks up with a slight smirk and says, “Oh, you’ll LIKE that one. We sell a lot of those.”
I fix him with glare and say, “I know you’ve probably heard this before, but… it’s for a friend.”
“Uh huh”
(Remember the Woody Allen movie “Bananas”? This happened after the movie was made, but played out the same…)
As he unlocks the cabinet. He pulls the toy out, examines it, and mutters, “There’s no price on it.” He holds it up, and yells to the other end of the store, “HEY ERNIE! HOW MUCH IS THIS… (looks at package) PINK PUSSY PLEASER?!”
I throw a twenty on the desk, grab the bag, and leave. Never did get to see her use it either…
So Geobabe, now that I’m older and wiser, can I be of assistance?
Geobabe is my new favorite doper…
God, I love bein’ popular.
So, Geobabe, how YOU doin?
[sup][sub]Oh damn, I knew I shouldn’t have gone and pissed you off in that chipmunk thread.[/sub][/sup]
Heh.
My husband bought me a vibrator, and attempted to use it on me. I had to tell him, once again, that my main source of sexual pleasure is my clit. I have been attempting to tell him this for some years now, but it hasn’t sunk in yet.
I did enjoy it, when I used it as I liked. I sort of broke it, and now I’m thinking about getting another one. I take Paxil, which has really reduced both my drive and my ability to reach orgasm, plus I’m diabetic. The vibrator was a definite help.
So, the answer to your question is…my husband bought me the first one, but I did enjoy using it for my own gratification. If this household gets another vibrator, I will probably be the purchaser.
You didn’t ask, but I’m gonna tell you anyway…many women really like those handheld shower massagers, the ones with variable speeds and sprays. I learned the joys of these when I was a teen. Mmmmmmm…very nice, really puts a glow on the skin.
For what it’s worth, I’ve purchased a couple of Playgirl magazines, and frankly, they just don’t appeal to me. Most of the guys in those issues were rather unattractive to me. Frankly, I think it’s likely that Playgirl’s customers are mostly gay men, or straight guys trying to “loosen up” their SOs, or trying to get a handle on What Women Want ™. Most of the women I’ve talked to are of the same opinion. However, I haven’t done a real study on this, it’s just my take on a lot of random conversations.