Can anyone here tell why all the rage with silicone toys?
I hear they're very easy to clean really well and that they are high in quality. But there are so many downsides. They melt, can't use silicone lube with them and cost a fortune. Are they really worth it? Are they in any way less prone to alergies? I've got an old jelly plug. My first toy. Apart from not being clear coloured anymore, it's still like new, after roughly 6 years. And costs a third of what a silicone plug does.
I made an order recently for my first silicong plug, a 2" thingy. But then I got lucky as it was out of stock and backorderd so I just canceld the order. The thing that put me off the most (apart from the cost) is the fact you can't use silicone lube. Which for larger toys I believe you just really need to have. And even if you decide to use the correct lube with that toy, you can't use that toy in the same session as your other toys with which you use silicone lube.
Anyway, not a rant, just a question with some of my observations and experiences.
With silicone, it's not just that it's easy to clean, it's also that it's easy to sterilize. Porous toys, like jelly rubber, can absorb materials that come into contact with them and retain them, including oils, bodily fluids, soaps, dirt ect. Since it can hold onto these things, you increase your likelyhood of either passing on an STD to someone else or harbouring bacteria that you can infect yourself with, even if you're only using it solo. They also generally degrade the toy. That your toy is no longer clear is probably an indication that the surface has become degraded or saturated with materials.
Plus, a lot of the toys that are rechargable tend to be silicone, and i'm a recharge fiend. =)
Just as a notice about the melting. Any toy that is of a floppy material like jelly, silicone ect, can melt if in contact with other toys. Just the nature of the beast. I feel kind of daft whenever I cringe at someone storing toys in a way that they touch eachother. Gives me the jeebies. I read far too much about toys.
I like glass. Easy to use, easy to clean, won't melt, okay with any type of lube. If they could come up with a luxury glass vibrator with a quality rechargeable motor, I'd be sold.
I have lots of different toy types including jelly and silicone.
Personally, I prefer silicone, you can really feel the quality.
Generally as its smoother, it slips in easier. Silicone doesn't just randomly melt, if you put silicone toys together then due to the residue on the outside they may melt, however if you keep them seperately or in bags then there won't be a problem.
I have never used silcone based lubricant as I have silicone toys. However, I used anal lubricant for anal as its thicker than usual water based lubricant. The OH nor I have never had a problem with water based anal lubricant.
Generally, yes silicone is more expensive but it is definitely worth it.
Most of my toys are silicone except my rabbit which is jelly..
Comparing silicone with jelly (bare in mind i dont have muct experience with jelly toys) I find that silicone definately feels nicer, soft yet firm, easier to clean and it doesnt accumilate dust, hairs and dirt, Jelly also generally has this awful chemical smell for awhile, even after multiple washes
For me also I just love the look of them, I'm not really much of a realistic dildo person, infact I've never had one, all my silicon toys look so pretty I wish i could just put them all on the window sill to show them off :P
I also dont have a problem when it comes to lube since all of my lubricants are water-based
I have just recieved a Lelo Gigi today and I cant wait to try it out the feel of it is fantastic too x
Agree-ing with everything that's already been said. Being a sensitive soul all my toys are of the safe types of material. I used to buy jelly vibrators but found them to be of lesser quality than the silicone/ safer maerials. By this I also mean the motors - they never lasted as long as the safer material/better made toys. Lh has had some AMAZING silicone toys in the sale recently!! I don't know about the anal silicone toys but most of the silicone vibrators come with own storage bags, and are in packaging that is lush. D69x
I really don't know why everyone keeps saying that you can't use silicone lube with silicone toys. I read an article on the Tantus website years ago that said that you can use good quality silicone lubes (e.g. Pjur original) on high quality (i.e medical grade) silicone toys and we have found this to be true for all the silicone toys we have (and that is most if not all of them).
Unfortunately, there are a number of manufacturers that say their products are silicone when they are not and I think this probably causes a lot of confusion.
As for silicone melting?? it's good for over 250 degrees C!
Aww, this kinda makes me sad I canceled my order. Oh well.
I'll get a silicone toy to try, after I get the ones I really lust for, these are made from non-silicone materials. I love glass and want a Sasha Grey buttplug but it's too expensive. For now.
theres nothing I can say that hasn't already been said but I love silicone toys. They are brilliant and well worth the money, and if you get a good quality one for example from Tantus (I have many from them), they can last you a lifetime! The only thing you will have to worry about is getting bored of the same dildo, not it breaking or getting nasty infections from pourous toys that contain nasty phalates! I can't think of anything worse!
I really don't know why everyone keeps saying that you can't use silicone lube with silicone toys. I read an article on the Tantus website years ago that said that you can use good quality silicone lubes (e.g. Pjur original) on high quality (i.e medical grade) silicone toys and we have found this to be true for all the silicone toys we have (and that is most if not all of them).
Unfortunately, there are a number of manufacturers that say their products are silicone when they are not and I think this probably causes a lot of confusion.
As for silicone melting?? it's good for over 250 degrees C!
I have heard this aswell. A website I know off has a list of silicone lubes that are safe to use with their brand of toys. However, I believe that a lot of silicone lubes that are safe for one type of silicone toy would not be safe for another even though they are both good quality. I guess it's better to be safe than sorry and end up ruining a loved toy.
As for the melting, it's not the temperature that causes the melting, it's the chemical reaction between the two types of silicone. =)
I have heard this aswell. A website I know off has a list of silicone lubes that are safe to use with their brand of toys. However, I believe that a lot of silicone lubes that are safe for one type of silicone toy would not be safe for another even though they are both good quality. I guess it's better to be safe than sorry and end up ruining a loved toy.
As for the melting, it's not the temperature that causes the melting, it's the chemical reaction between the two types of silicone. =)
Well all I can say is that we have toys from quite a number of sources and they have all been OK with the three types of Pjur lube we have. We do always check toys with a tiny drop put on an out-of-the-way spot on the toy just to see so we wouldn't ruin a toy anyway (though I would be highly suspicious of any toy that failed the test). Also, I have never had any reaction between two silicone rubbers either in toys or in mould making or silicone fuel plumbing so I thing the possibility of two reacting like this is most unlikely. Certainly not common enough to put you off buying silicone toys.
I suspect some of the scare stories about silicone are put about by outfits that want to sell you cheap jelly toys.
Not that i'm aware of. lelo for example only sell silicone, safe hard plastic and metals, and they reccomend avoiding silicone lubes. Perhaps you've just been lucky and the lube you've bought works with the toys you've had? I wouldn't risk it personally, all the respected sex toy companies, educators and stores I've ever read have said to avoid silicone lube with silicone toys and have given info about why, such as breaking down the surface and it becomming tacky. I've also read of people who've had that happen to them. Anyone who's bought different silicone toys from different companies, like Lelo and funfactory and we-vibe, will know that their silicone feels different from eachother.
Silicone is still an expensive product and I really do not want to risk it. I'd love to be able to use silicone lubes with toys, but I have so many different toys from different companies that I wouldn't trust it.
Sell me cheap jelly toys? Considering how many people here do buy them, it is not putting us off I would say. To be honest, the only jelly toy I own is a dildo and butt plug, neither is used often and I went for cheaper, because I was not sure it would work for me (relatively new to sex toys), one vibrator is completely medical grade silicon and the other is hard pastic (Lelo) with bit of silicone. I dont need tuns of toys as long as the I have works. I would not dare to use silicone lube though, as I am worried still. and mainly I use clitoral toy for single play, so the use of lube is not that fast and not sure the price tag on silicone lube would actually be worth for me. I do own silicone lube, but does not get used so often. And I dont want to risk either of my 2 favourite vibrators.
and yes, both silicons on my toys are bit different on the feel side.
Not that i'm aware of. lelo for example only sell silicone, safe hard plastic and metals, and they reccomend avoiding silicone lubes. Perhaps you've just been lucky and the lube you've bought works with the toys you've had? I wouldn't risk it personally, all the respected sex toy companies, educators and stores I've ever read have said to avoid silicone lube with silicone toys and have given info about why, such as breaking down the surface and it becomming tacky. I've also read of people who've had that happen to them. Anyone who's bought different silicone toys from different companies, like Lelo and funfactory and we-vibe, will know that their silicone feels different from eachother.
Silicone is still an expensive product and I really do not want to risk it. I'd love to be able to use silicone lubes with toys, but I have so many different toys from different companies that I wouldn't trust it.
Well, the info that some silicone toys were OK with some silicone oils came from Metis Black, President of Tantus - someone who is in a good position to know. I have simply taken that and tested our silicone toys and confirmed her info to be right. As for being lucky, I don't think so. We have tested Pjur lubes on Tantus, Fun Factory and Vixen products as well as the we-vibe and several other LH silicone toys (cock sleeves etc) of unknown manufacture and the result has been universally OK. Also, like lots of car fanatics I have used silicone coolant hoses and sprayed them over with silicone oils with no ill effects.
What silicone rubber really does not like is mineral oils - they turn it into something that can only be described as gorilla snot. So I suspect some of the issues come from so-called silicone lubes with other components that do attack the silicone rubber. The Pjur lubes are just silicone oils with nothing else added.
I have experienced silicone 'melting' once, when I unthinkingly used some facial cleanser to clean a toy. The cleanser contained oil, and the toy became really sticky all over and unpleasant.
That's what I mean though by some lubes being okay with some toys. If it's not the silicone in the lube that's the problem thengreat, but that's only one lube being tested. If it really is added mineral oil then i'm kinda shocked at anyone that would add mineral oil to a lube considering the condom incompatability. I can forgive oil because it's primarily used as a massage lotion.
I guess this is something I should really look into, cause i've been avoiding all silicone lubes in fear of them damaging my toys. I really wont be using a lube that hasn't been tested though, cause my toys aren't lab rats. =P
I'll have a look at the Pjur ones. Thanks for the info. =)
The question is: is it worth the risk?! I read it depends on the silicones BOTH in the lube AND in the toy! So it can potentially happen. Maybe some combinations are less likely to cause it, but who knows what it will do in longer run? Not sure I would risk a toy worth like £100 (dont own one, but if I would I would not take the risk). I do prefer water based lubes anyway for some reason. I dont have to worry about the silicone potential problem, and also its more easier to get it off after I am done. I hate how long it takes for silicone lube to get off me (we dont usually need lube with partner, so I keep lubes mainly for my own solo play).
As Metis says:- "Eros Pjur and Tantus Silicone have each conducted of experiments on this problem. We've never had any incompatibility with the other's products, but that hasn't always been the case with other silicone toys or of other silicone lubes. It's easier to explain a hard fast warning than to start trying to figure out the exceptions."
However, you can conduct a test on 1 square mm of the toy to check and as Metis points out, if there is going to be a problem, the reaction is immediate so its easy to tell if there is an issue. However, I really have yet to see an issue with any silicone oil on any silicone rubber (I have also tried silicone oil sprays on silicone fuel tubing for methanol engines!). Perhaps there is a difference between platinum cure and tin cure silicone rubbers but I'm fairly sure I have used tin-cured silicone for moulds that were ok with silicone release agents and the high quality toys are all platinum cured.
I looked at all the silicone lubes, and all of them say they are condom safe. (other than sliquid silver, which must be a mistake because other sliquid silicones are fine and it has the same ingredients exactly as pjur)
Now, if any of them has mineral oils in them they couldn't be listed as condom safe. So is this silicone problem a myth? I find it strange that sooo many companies and people have been told not to use silicone with silicone without their being a reason. Do the guides have to be rewritten? =S
I'm still not sure if i'll get a silicone lube anyway. The added slickness would be really nice, but not being able to wash it off easily combined with staining, and having little free silicone molecules running down my drain potentially building up environmental damage isn't really appealing.