I know the glass use to make glass dildos is really rigid and solid and safe, it's not about that.
I am a bit concerned because I've read recently about "polariscopes" which can be used to see the stress inside glass. The more stress there is, the more likely the dildo is gonna break or the less safe it is. I've also read that scratches or impacts can affect the toy's safeness. I love glass but I'm a bit worried right now about all that because one of my glass dildos had a little scratch on it when it arrived. It's not deep or anything and isn't important enough to potentially hurt me, it's just something on the surface but it had me a little insecure.
What do you think about all this? Have you heard about such things?
You can do this test yourself with a polarizing lens from a SLR camera. Basically, cheaper glass is generally not annealed, and therefore is more likely to be under stress and break - this shows as rainbows or lines & patterns in the test. Surface scratches are unlikely to cause a problem providing they are only surface. Any deep slices would concern me though. It's incredibly unlikely that glass will break in use, if it's weak in any way, it's more likely to break whilst cleaning etc. Providing you don't drop it, or bang it around, and your glass is virtually flawless, it'll be fine to use
I'd be amazed if they were allowed to sell glass dildos that don't pass stress tests. I certainly haven't heard any horror stories of somebody getting shards of glass up their bum from a dildo gone wrong anyway.
I believe although Im not 100% certain that the glass used to make glass toys is the same as Pyrex dishes. As you know Pyrex has to be freezer, dishwasher and oven proof and I know my dishes are scratched yet still stand up to being put in the oven and freezer.
Then you'll be surprised MK7! Sadly it's not very regulated, and there are a LOT of cheap Chinese manufactured pieces out there being sold as artisan or hand blown. All Chinese made isn't bad btw, but these pieces are made for pence and knocked out at a crazy rate
Then you'll be surprised MK7! Sadly it's not very regulated, and there are a LOT of cheap Chinese manufactured pieces out there being sold as artisan or hand blown. All Chinese made isn't bad btw, but these pieces are made for pence and knocked out at a crazy rate
I am just wondering how to differentiate the cheap dangerous ones from the ok or great quality ones as a costumer
Then you'll be surprised MK7! Sadly it's not very regulated, and there are a LOT of cheap Chinese manufactured pieces out there being sold as artisan or hand blown. All Chinese made isn't bad btw, but these pieces are made for pence and knocked out at a crazy rate
I am just wondering how to differentiate the cheap dangerous ones from the ok or great quality ones as a costumer
I think the easiest way to be safe is to stick with known sex toy retailers, whether that's sites like Lovehoney or a dedicated (known) glass toy site. The toys may not be regulated but sites like Lovehoney will regulate what they choose to stock (and avoid dangerous ones). Generally online I'd go with the 'if it's too good to be true, it is' logic of avoiding suspiciously cheap items but giving others a go, but when it comes to insertable glass I personally wouldn't even take the risk by straying from known retailers. Never going to be a deal good enough to outweigh the risks of recieving a poorly made glass toy.
Checking out blog reviews is often a great way to ensure the item/place you're buying from is reputable too, if you're not sure.
Then you'll be surprised MK7! Sadly it's not very regulated, and there are a LOT of cheap Chinese manufactured pieces out there being sold as artisan or hand blown. All Chinese made isn't bad btw, but these pieces are made for pence and knocked out at a crazy rate
I am just wondering how to differentiate the cheap dangerous ones from the ok or great quality ones as a costumer
I think the easiest way to be safe is to stick with known sex toy retailers, whether that's sites like Lovehoney or a dedicated (known) glass toy site. The toys may not be regulated but sites like Lovehoney will regulate what they choose to stock (and avoid dangerous ones). Generally online I'd go with the 'if it's too good to be true, it is' logic of avoiding suspiciously cheap items but giving others a go, but when it comes to insertable glass I personally wouldn't even take the risk by straying from known retailers. Never going to be a deal good enough to outweigh the risks of recieving a poorly made glass toy.
Checking out blog reviews is often a great way to ensure the item/place you're buying from is reputable too, if you're not sure.
This, to a point. Generally it's absolutely true, but a dedicated glass site hoodwinked a LOT of people last year. Not only on a moral and ethical level, but also by selling mass-produced, unannealed glass and passing them off as handblown pieces. They were very expensive, and they made them look the part by adding nice bags and personal touches. So bad!
The test is very simple to do, and those lens are only a couple of pounds online. Even ones that aren't annealed are still hugely unlikely to break during use though. They'll still be borosilicate glass, and very tough :-)
The test is very simple to do, and those lens are only a couple of pounds online. ....
How does it work? I still have a polarizing filter (it's not a lens) from SLR days, but if I simply look through it at glass I don't notice anything....
The test is very simple to do, and those lens are only a couple of pounds online. ....
How does it work? I still have a polarizing filter (it's not a lens) from SLR days, but if I simply look through it at glass I don't notice anything....
It works by basically holding the lense and the dildo up to a light source. I find it easier to use a complete white page on my PC monitor/laptop by just opening an empty word doc or paint. Hold the dildo up in one hand and the lense in the other. It'll show as annealed if there's no rainbows in the dildo, or not if it's 'rainbows'. It's basically like a kledoscope
Sorry Talia, I wasn't very clear there. Yes, a lens filter is what you need. I do it the same as FA, except I white screen my TV because it gives off more light than my laptop. You can also try some sunglasses.
Quality ones should be Borosilicate glass IE Pyrex so are very strong so dont worry, also they are not "toughened" like a car side window, so a scratch or sharp impact onto a hard floor will not cause it to shatter into milions of bits, though if you drop it onto a concrete tiled floor it could break in two.
The only time its a problem is if you drop it on a hard floor/bath/etc in normal use no issues
Dangerouslilly has published her article on glass toy safety on her blog - she says essentially the same as Foxxy in her first post: Most (all?) cheap toys are not annealed but still very unlikely to break while in the body. Unless they have an obvious weak spot, like a finger loop on a butt plug...
I know!!! I'm even more scared now that it went out but i guess everything'll be ok anyways. Thanks for the answers guys and talis for the info bout the article
I believe although Im not 100% certain that the glass used to make glass toys is the same as Pyrex dishes. As you know Pyrex has to be freezer, dishwasher and oven proof and I know my dishes are scratched yet still stand up to being put in the oven and freezer.
You should be fine.
Yep it is. It's not normal glass used for cheap windows or Nutella jars (although those jars can be extremely durable) It's industrial grade Pyrex, the same thing I use daily in chem lab, just shaped differently. And pyrex is extremely durable, even when exposed to extreme temperatures.
Dangerouslilly has published her article on glass toy safety on her blog - she says essentially the same as Foxxy in her first post: Most (all?) cheap toys are not annealed but still very unlikely to break while in the body. Unless they have an obvious weak spot, like a finger loop on a butt plug...
I was surprised the Lovehoney dildos were not annealed
This is very interesting reading. I'm not entirely sure on what conclusion to draw, though. Clearly, annealed glass is the preferable option when given a choice. But what exactly is the problem with unannealed glass, like the Lovehoney brand toys? That they are unlikely to break with regular use, but they are likely to have a shorter life span and are more likely break at some point even if taken care of properly? That temperature play is likely to stress them to the point of breaking? But ultimately, they're still safe to use so long as you don't expose them to extreme temperature changes or drop them and you inspect before every use?
I'm interested to know if I've got the point or am way off the mark, mostly because the selling points used for glass toys (apart from hygeine and such) are that they can be used for temperature play and that they'll last 'a lifetime' if taken care of properly. If that is only correct for annealed glass toys, I'd like to know. Mostly so I can treat my current glass collection properly.
I'm assuming none of us need to rush out and bin/replace all our unannealed dildos in any case, right?