Vibrators have always been sold as personal-care devices, since their invention in the late 1800s as a medical aid to help relax and calm women.
You can pick up any number of large wand vibrators -- made by respectable companies like Dr. Scholl's and Hitachi -- at your neighborhood drugstore or supermarket. Of course, nothing on the packaging does more than hint that you might use these "personal massagers" on your more intimate body parts.
But last month, Trojan penetrated the mainstream market with a disposable vibrating cock ring, available in condom aisles across the country, from CVS to Walgreens. The ring comes with a condom and is part of Trojan's Elexa product line, which also includes "freshening wipes" and lube, all aimed toward women.
The Elexa is not the only disposable vibrating cock ring on the market. The Pleasuring disposable has been available for a while now, and vibrating rings are old news to sex toy enthusiasts.
But Trojan is to condoms as Kleenex is to facial tissue, and it's the Elexa that has brought these devices to mainstream attention. Hey, if O, The Oprah Magazine can recommend it, it's got to be good, right?
So I bought four, and I recruited some volunteers to help me take the rings for a test drive. We paired off, agreeing to share our impressions the next day ... but not too early in the morning.
The ring that goes around the penis is no thicker than a woman's wedding band. It's soft and stretchy, not so small as to constrict, nor so big as to slip off.
The vibrating part goes on the top of the shaft, at the base of the penis, just in front of the rim of the condom if you're using one (illustrated instructions).
The vibrator looks like a small pink version of a St. Bernard dog's brandy keg. It has a nub intended to increase clitoral stimulation, although I didn't feel anything nub-like and none of my female testers mentioned it.
One male friend, who wondered how the Elexa would compare with "similar devices that you can't get in supermarkets," praised the discreet form factor and the convenience of the one-time-use design.
"It's not as powerful as (non-disposable vibrating cock rings), but it's certainly less intrusive," he reported. "For people who haven't used something like this before, it's a good place to start. If you don't like it, you can just throw it away, instead of having this dirty little secret in a drawer somewhere."
A girlfriend echoed his sentiments, pointing out that the gentler vibrations work well for post-orgasm stimulation, should her lover climax before she does -- or if she simply wants more.
"At some point I noticed it was losing some juice, although it was still pretty vibratey," she said. Then she laughed self-consciously. "But I can't remember when exactly that was."
Odd as it might sound, I've never actually used a vibrating cock ring. Leather, yes, and I think silicone once. But never with an attached vibrator.
I approached the experiment with some trepidation. I kept imagining the little battery cylinder banging into me during sex, and I wondered if the vibrations would be overpowering or numbing for either of us.
I am happy to say that Trojan chose its materials well. The vibrator yields, even if you grind yourselves together, and the ring did not get in the way of deep thrusting. It also turns the entire penis into an intimate massager. I could feel him vibrating slightly deep inside, not just on my clit or labia.
But last month, Trojan penetrated the mainstream market with a disposable vibrating cock ring, available in condom aisles across the country, from CVS to Walgreens. The ring comes with a condom and is part of Trojan's Elexa product line, which also includes "freshening wipes" and lube, all aimed toward women.
The Elexa is not the only disposable vibrating cock ring on the market. The Pleasuring disposable has been available for a while now, and vibrating rings are old news to sex toy enthusiasts.
But Trojan is to condoms as Kleenex is to facial tissue, and it's the Elexa that has brought these devices to mainstream attention. Hey, if O, The Oprah Magazine can recommend it, it's got to be good, right?
So I bought four, and I recruited some volunteers to help me take the rings for a test drive. We paired off, agreeing to share our impressions the next day ... but not too early in the morning.
The ring that goes around the penis is no thicker than a woman's wedding band. It's soft and stretchy, not so small as to constrict, nor so big as to slip off.
The vibrating part goes on the top of the shaft, at the base of the penis, just in front of the rim of the condom if you're using one (illustrated instructions).
The vibrator looks like a small pink version of a St. Bernard dog's brandy keg. It has a nub intended to increase clitoral stimulation, although I didn't feel anything nub-like and none of my female testers mentioned it.
One male friend, who wondered how the Elexa would compare with "similar devices that you can't get in supermarkets," praised the discreet form factor and the convenience of the one-time-use design.
"It's not as powerful as (non-disposable vibrating cock rings), but it's certainly less intrusive," he reported. "For people who haven't used something like this before, it's a good place to start. If you don't like it, you can just throw it away, instead of having this dirty little secret in a drawer somewhere."
A girlfriend echoed his sentiments, pointing out that the gentler vibrations work well for post-orgasm stimulation, should her lover climax before she does -- or if she simply wants more.
"At some point I noticed it was losing some juice, although it was still pretty vibratey," she said. Then she laughed self-consciously. "But I can't remember when exactly that was."
Odd as it might sound, I've never actually used a vibrating cock ring. Leather, yes, and I think silicone once. But never with an attached vibrator.
I approached the experiment with some trepidation. I kept imagining the little battery cylinder banging into me during sex, and I wondered if the vibrations would be overpowering or numbing for either of us.
I am happy to say that Trojan chose its materials well. The vibrator yields, even if you grind yourselves together, and the ring did not get in the way of deep thrusting. It also turns the entire penis into an intimate massager. I could feel him vibrating slightly deep inside, not just on my clit or labia.
"At first there was this weird mental pressure to be done in 20 minutes," said one of my female testers. "But it does have a shut-off."
I did suffer some minor skin irritation the next day or two. I don't know if this is my usual sensitivity to latex rubber, or if I should have used more lube. It's possible that in our eagerness to experience all 20 minutes of battery life, we didn't spend enough time warming up.
At about $9 a pop, disposable vibrating rings are comparable to one dose of Viagra. Women with low libidos might want to check out a device like the Elexa as a temporary measure until the FDA gets its head out of its ass and approves a longer-term solution.
These devices won't increase your libido -- but if you can make yourself get started, you might find that you're more into the sex than you expect. It certainly helped us (well, OK, me) disconnect from the stress of the day and reconnect with one another.
I'm taking about a dozen to Texas this week to hand out to my girlfriends while I'm on vacation. For as innocuous as it is, the Elexa ring is not sold in Texas, nor is it available in Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi or Virginia.
Trojan apparently doesn't want to take on the nonsensical laws those states have about sexual behaviors among consenting adults.
And unlike Dr. Scholl's and Hitachi personal massagers, a vibrating cock ring cannot pretend to be anything other than what it is, although one tester mentioned that it might pass for a ponytail holder or a cat toy.
"Like any sex toy, success has a lot to do with the humor and willingness of the couple," concluded a female volunteer. "You need to keep an open mind -- and recognize that this won't make up for lack of skill."
See you a week from next Friday,
Regina Lynn
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,...w=wn_tophead_2
Whilst the Trojan story in itself is proof that vibrators and the likes do seem to be heading in a more 'mainstream' direction im also a little confused with Wired for publishing the article. They seem to (over the last 12-36 months) be heading in to more of an 'adult' orientated direction, im wondering if 'mainstream news' isnt as profitable as it once was maybe?
Regards,
Lee
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Originally Posted by Lee
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