I know some of you have been around the block a few times… in the back seat. So I turn to you for advice. What brand/line do you find works best? By best, I essentially mean erotically, but prevention of pregnancy/STDs are important as well, of course.
I am mainly interested in the guy POV here, but comments from the ladies are also welcome.
Female response here:
The lubricated ones are nasty–wet and sticky. I’ll take care of my own lubrication, thank you very much. (Although I will grant you that the lubrication does help glue it on, if you’re only at half-mast.)
The flavored ones are, IMHO, silly. But hey, the biggest sex organ is the brain, and if it turns you on to be wearing Wild Strawberry on your johnson, then more power to ya.
The best ones are the good, expensive ones, that won’t break. You get what you pay for.
[Edited by slythe on 11-25-2000 at 11:22 AM]
Trojan lubricated is all that I have ever used. The lubrication doesn’t bug me except when I’m trying to put it on him. Then it gets all over my hands, so I just wipe it on his bed sheets.
It depends.
Size is an issue - fighting a too tight condom is a mood spoiler. As for the flavoured ones, while I agree that they’re silly, at least they don’t stink of rubber. Having one’s honoured member smelling like an inner tube isn’t that bloody erotic. (Not that I’ll in any way wish to offend anyone who might find this a turnon.)
When you move towards the higher end of the price scale, most condoms will be lubricated. While some might find it unpleasant, I think they’re a tad easier to put on.
There’s really nothing for it but experimenting a bit.
S. Norman
My vote is for the unbroken kind! 
Sorry, I haven’t ever had the chance to be the first smart-ass in a thread. I just couldn’t help myself.
I’ve said it before on these boards and I’ll say it again - Peppermint condoms are NOT for insertion!
[sub]this public service announcement brought to you by tatertot, who has had more bad experience with minty fresh pink parts than anyone else she knows[/sub]
Avanti are great because they are polyurethane and you can use an oil based lubricant with them. They also feel nicer when they are inside…
Why don’t you just buy unlubed ones and do the lubing yourself? I mean, sometimes lube isn’t needed.
I know, but you make do with what you have. I can’t make trips to Wally World all the time.
Just a note: Trojan condoms suck. They’ve repeatedly failed consumer tests, whereas every other major American brand passed. Hooray for advertising power making an inferior product the standard!
I hate condoms. I’ve used maybe 3 in my lifetime. However, I just saw a programme on the Discovery channel called “Eros”. It’s a weekly show, and the theme is sex. Great show. The hostess has the sexiest French accent.
Her last guest sold condoms out of Montreal. The top of the line, according to him was a brand called “Vis-a Vis”.
It fit the fallic model much better than the others. You know that difficult area from “knob to shaft”? There is usually a gap, or bubble of air trapped between the two structures. Not with the Vis-a-Vis.
He tried to break it with his finger, and couldn’t. The Hostess then tried with her rather long nail, and she didn’t break it either.
It’s the top of the line and there’s little doubt that it’s quite pricey.
Oil based lubricants aren’t absorbed and linger around inside, harboring bacteria and providing a nice happy invitation for infection.
I love the idea that there’s a consumer group somewhere testing condoms. How come THEY don’t publish their results with the same fervor that the toy safety people do?
In my extensive research for the best condom, I found the Kimono Micro Thin. Next best thing to wearing nothing, for both me and my boyfriend.
Also, I second what OpalCat said: oil based lubes are BAD. Don’t use them.
We tried regular Trojan lubricated ribbed condoms but we had a problem with the fit. We switched to Trojan Magnums libricated ribbed condoms and we’ve not had any problems with breaking, leaking, or fit. But we’re all individuals and you should try many different brands to find the one you two kids like. Talk about a fun experiment.
Marc
Then make him do the running to Wally World. And tell him he’s not getting in if he brings back the cheapest brand he finds.
A modest proposal for y’all:
Try lubricating the INSIDE of the condom. The slippery friction between the inner surface of the condom and Mr. Happy as He moves around can be quite reminiscent of condom-free coitus. (Just make sure you hold onto the condom with your fingers when you pull out, though!)
Personally, I hate Trojans. They’re too thick (did someone mention inner tubes?), and they smell too much like rubber. I find them painful.
My preference is for Shields. Can’t get them in this country/on this coast, though.
The Durex Avantis, as mentioned above, are indeed polyurethane which means that you can use oil-based lubricants safely (bacterial infection risk notwithstanding). But lubricants aside, the real beauty of polyurethane is that
it’s thinner than latex, about .04 mm, and
it transfers heat–so you can feel more “in touch.”
The downside is that poly is less stretchy than latex and can therefore break easier if you put it on improperly and leave an “air bubble” at the tip. Durex’s own research study, available at http://www.durex.com/scientific/faqs/faq_6.html suggests that they’re pretty hardy. But some skeptics have rightly pointed out that while poly blocks sperm just fine, studies in its efficacy in stopping tiny viruses are still being conducted. So there’s a risk.
Also, they cost more–about $8 for a six-pack. Trojan has its own poly called the Supra, which is comparable but cheaper–about $6 a pack. Personally I think the Avantis are thinner, which is usually the case when comparing any Trojan with any Durex (or Sheik, Ramses, etc.)
If you’re not sleeping with high-risk partners and are more interested in contraception, I highly recommend you try an Avanti. The heat transfer thing is just fantastic. I live overseas and I’ve paid to have them shipped to me!
