My first vibrator scared me off from future toy purchases for YEARS! I don't even know what it was called (though if I could remember, I would trash it on here)... a yucky pthalate-filled "jelly" vibe that was insertable. In theory, anyway.
As a total n00b, I had no idea what to look for/look out for... So I ended up with this thing that smelled like those gummy-bait worms, which made my puss tackle-box fresh! Totally gross. I used a condom on it and the smell was still pretty awful. Also, the thing ATE batteries like there was no tomorrow, and the vibration sucked. I could hardly feel a thing, and the battery pack cap would fall off and the batteries would spill out.
I'm sure this is typical for firsts. I threw it away once I got a partner. Ha!