# What are the best condoms? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 30, 2004, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936 "2004-06-30T19:59:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936/1 "2004-06-30T19:59:40Z")
I know I’m pretty hard-pressed (tee-hee) to remember what brand I usually use. It’s just grab-and-go. But I do know that I haven’t found any I’m really happy with. Too thick, too much latex-smell, not enough sensation, etc. Tell me what I should be using! ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936/2 "2004-06-30T20:21:52Z")
I’ve had bad luck with Trojans - they tend to break for me. Spermicide brands tend to react with my skin (sex should \*not \* be painful!). The brand that I’ve had the best luck with is Durex. In the late 90s they were receiving the best consumer report numbers with the best breaking % numbers. I’ve never had one break and they’re very comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936/3 "2004-06-30T22:21:38Z")
My preferred brand is Kimono MicroThins. They are thinner and…wider than others I have used. 😃 Very comfortable and I’ve never had one break. ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936/4 "2004-06-30T23:04:21Z")
The only brand that’s ever been suitable for me are **Magnums**. “Yea, right,” you’re thinking. But I’m serious. It’s a girth issue. The normal ones are so tight that there’s no sensation transmitted thru them. And whatever you do, if your friend returns from Grad School at U. of Edinburgh and brings you home a six-pack of “Whisky-flavored Condoms,” take it from me, they aren’t intended for actual use as prophylactics. 😛 And according to **Mrs. Bug** , they don’t taste like Scotch Whisky, either. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936/5 "2004-06-30T23:04:42Z")
I’ve had two accidents with Durex - a breakage and a slippage. I was then advised (well, my girlfriend was 😉 ) by a sex-health worker that some people find Durex problemmatic, and recommended Mates Natural. They’re much thinner than Durex, but I’ve had no problems - they’re slightly tighter around the base, but have more room further up, which is the opposite of what I felt Durex were like. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936/6 "2004-06-30T23:12:09Z")
> [@bughunter](#): > > And whatever you do, if your friend returns from Grad School at U. of Edinburgh and brings you home a six-pack of “Whisky-flavored Condoms,” take it from me, they aren’t intended for actual use as prophylactics. 😛 Incredibly, they are actually manufactured to the normal required standards, and so are perfectly usable: [通过检测，正在跳转........](http://www.mccondom.com/shoppe.htm) ---
**Author:** ![cmason32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@cmason32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmason32)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936/7 "2004-06-30T23:14:32Z")
lambskin are nice. Just be sure you know the person with whom you’re using them. ---
**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936/8 "2004-06-30T23:21:55Z")
> [@cmason32](#): > > lambskin are nice. Just be sure you know the person with whom you’re using them. Meaning…? ---
**Author:** ![cmason32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@cmason32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmason32)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936/9 "2004-06-30T23:32:34Z")
> [@Jpeg Jones](#): > > Meaning…? lambskin condoms don’t protect against STDs, only pregnancy. But they will give you the closest feeling to actual contact. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936/10 "2004-06-30T23:43:44Z")
> [@cmason32](#): > > lambskin condoms don’t protect against STDs, only pregnancy. But they will give you the closest feeling to actual contact. Contact with a woman, or with a lamb? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936/11 "2004-06-30T23:50:24Z")
So, for a married and thoroughly monogamous guy like me, you can’t beat lamb? I’ve never tried it. Can anybody describe exactly how it feels different? ---
**Author:** ![cmason32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@cmason32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmason32)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936/12 "2004-07-01T00:07:25Z")
> [@Jpeg Jones](#): > > So, for a married and thoroughly monogamous guy like me, you can’t beat lamb? > > I’ve never tried it. Can anybody describe exactly how it feels different? I would say you can’t beat it. They are made of a membrane rather than an artificial material and therefore, IMHO, they are much better than latex condoms. They are more expensive, but worth it. I’ve seen them as much as $12/3 pack but you can get get a dozen for about $25 online. Target also has 3 packs for about $6. ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936/13 "2004-07-01T00:22:40Z")
As far as what’s available at the typical retail outlet (i.e. not the sex stores), I like Beyond Seven. Trojans are kind messy and smell strongly of latex. And God forbid I accidentally get the Trojan upside-down while putting it on. Besides the pregnancy risk, there’s also that intense urethral burning. ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936/14 "2004-07-01T01:40:51Z")
> [@cmason32](#): > > But they will give you the closest feeling to actual contact. This is something that sellers of lambskin condoms like to tell you, but in my experience, “Naturalamb” condoms give one the closest feeling to actually wearing a plastic Safeway bag over the end of your johnson during sex. They are in fact thicker than latex condoms, and don’t fit snugly except for the base which are too damn snug, and are too damn baggy at the end. For best sensation, use a lubricated latex condom and use a drop of water based lubricant on the inside so that you get a little extra slippage between you and the inside of the rubber. ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936/15 "2004-07-01T01:43:23Z")
Oh, and furthermore, there’s a disturbing little patched-over hole at the distal end of the lambskin prophylactic, which makes one wonder just precisely which part of the lamb I’m donning on my dapper dan. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![cmason32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@cmason32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmason32)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936/16 "2004-07-01T01:52:34Z")
> [@bughunter](#): > > This is something that sellers of lambskin condoms like to tell you What they like to tell me? I’m talking from personal experience. Not everyone will agree with me, but most people won’t suggest that I’ve been blinded by their marketing because I happen to like them. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936/17 "2004-07-01T03:27:53Z")
MrWhatsit and I tried using lambskin condoms twice. Both times, they fell off during the act. We have not tried them again. We also had a hell of a time with Lifestyles falling off, for some reason. His preferred brand is Okiedo, which I believe is Swedish, and is available from condom specialty stores here in the US. Now that we’ve moved out of Seattle and don’t have easy access to condom specialty stores anymore, we do mail-order. He also likes a brand called Beyond Seven, which is Japanese, I think. We used Trojans for awhile and they sucked. I usually can’t really tell the difference between one brand and another, but the Trojans felt like there was a plastic baggie down there. Very unpleasant. The Condomania website ([www.condomania.com](http://www.condomania.com)) has a fun little “Condom Wizard” that walks you through a series of questions and then tells you which condoms are right for you. Kind of nifty. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936/18 "2004-07-01T05:21:43Z")
Magnums etra-large :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936/19 "2004-07-01T05:26:36Z")
_Consumer Reports_ had an article on condoms a few years ago, including various actual lab tests. You can probably find this in any sizable library. ---
**Author:** ![BornOfStardust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@BornOfStardust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BornOfStardust)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936/20 "2004-07-01T05:50:38Z")
Durex High Sensation have been a hit with my boyfriend and me. He says they feel good for him (certainly better than the Trojans that came in those little packets they give out for free in college), and it’s pretty much the same to me either way so long as I’m not being burned or painfully rubbed by anything. No problems with breakage or leakage so far either. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-condoms/252936.md?page=2)