I kinda let loose on my blog today with a bit of a rant against the term "good for beginners" which is used too often on vibrators that are mediocre, weak, etc. Just because someone is new to sex toys doesn't necessarily mean that they want or need a subtle vibrator. It's about one's level of sensitivity to sensations, not one's "experience level" with sex toys. Had I listened to reviews of weak, surface-buzzy toys when I was starting out with sex toys I would have continued to assume that orgasm wasn't possible and that I was broken.

I'm pretty sure I've done this myself in reviews and have vowed to do it no more.

Call a spade a spade. Say it didn't get you off. Say that it would be good for someone who is very sensitive to vibration. Or maybe it's so weak that it could possibly only ever be good for a tease and rarely an orgasm. But let's not steer wrong those who are desperate for an orgasm and are unable to achieve it via fingers/tongue/cock etc. less

Oh my god for months now I had been thinking that exact same thing every time I saw this in a review or thread! Just the other day someone said it in the forums and it was a reviewer I totally wouldn't have expected it from and I was SO close to being like "wtf you should know better."

To me, "good for a beginner" is more about being easy to use and being, idk, unintimidating. Not in a sensation way, but in a "not a giant veiny loud vibrating dong with foul pictures on the box that's going to make someone feel insecure about using the toy and toys in general" sort of way.

Versatility is also a good quality for a beginner toy, because they can use it in different ways to find out what they like, instead of necessarily having to buy three different things to determine whether they prefer internal or external vibrations, strictly penetration, etc.

The number one thing for me in a "good beginner" is that it should have a higher likelihood of not giving them a bad experience or otherwise letting them down. Not mediocrity. Many of us may have started out with crap toys when we began, but it's not because they are good for beginners. It's because we didn't know better or have people to tell us otherwise. Hint: those people are us. Why are we perpetuating the meh first toy tradition now?

I've even heard someone say the Hitachi wasn't good for beginners because of it's strength and whatever. It's the top rated vibrator of like all time. It's the #1 rated vibrator on Amazon. How the heck does it magically become an inappropriate choice for a beginner? It's a good toy. It will always be a good toy. I do not understand lol less

Versatility, yes! Unintimidating....eh. Again I think that that is more down to the person. Are they looking at vibrators and giggling? Then they're not comfortable with their own sexuality and *owning* their sexuality and their orgasm. For others, having something that resembles a bio-cock might be just what they want.

I'm not sure if the market-flood of "anatomically correct" dildos and vibrators is because the el-cheapo manufacturers think everybody wants that (for the "fantasy") or because it's always been flooding the market and newbies see it as "oh that's what is the most common, therefore I should get it too". less

I kinda let loose on my blog today with a bit of a rant against the term "good for beginners" which is used too often on vibrators that are mediocre, weak, etc. Just because someone is new to sex toys doesn't necessarily mean that they want or need a subtle vibrator. It's about one's level of sensitivity to sensations, not one's "experience level" with sex toys. Had I listened to reviews of weak, surface-buzzy toys when I was starting out with sex toys I would have continued to assume that orgasm wasn't possible and that I was broken.

I'm pretty sure I've done this myself in reviews and have vowed to do it no more.

Call a spade a spade. Say it didn't get you off. Say that it would be good for someone who is very sensitive to vibration. Or maybe it's so weak that it could possibly only ever be good for a tease and rarely an orgasm. But let's not steer wrong those who are desperate for an orgasm and are unable to achieve it via fingers/tongue/cock etc. less

Oh my god for months now I had been thinking that exact same thing every time I saw this in a review or thread! Just the other day someone said it in the forums and it was a reviewer I totally wouldn't have expected it from and I was SO close to being like "wtf you should know better."

To me, "good for a beginner" is more about being easy to use and being, idk, unintimidating. Not in a sensation way, but in a "not a giant veiny loud vibrating dong with foul pictures on the box that's going to make someone feel insecure about using the toy and toys in general" sort of way.

Versatility is also a good quality for a beginner toy, because they can use it in different ways to find out what they like, instead of necessarily having to buy three different things to determine whether they prefer internal or external vibrations, strictly penetration, etc.

The number one thing for me in a "good beginner" is that it should have a higher likelihood of not giving them a bad experience or otherwise letting them down. Not mediocrity. Many of us may have started out with crap toys when we began, but it's not because they are good for beginners. It's because we didn't know better or have people to tell us otherwise. Hint: those people are us. Why are we perpetuating the meh first toy tradition now?

I've even heard someone say the Hitachi wasn't good for beginners because of it's strength and whatever. It's the top rated vibrator of like all time. It's the #1 rated vibrator on Amazon. How the heck does it magically become an inappropriate choice for a beginner? It's a good toy. It will always be a good toy. I do not understand lol less

I kinda let loose on my blog today with a bit of a rant against the term "good for beginners" which is used too often on vibrators that are mediocre, weak, etc. Just because someone is new to sex toys doesn't necessarily mean that they want or need a subtle vibrator. It's about one's level of sensitivity to sensations, not one's "experience level" with sex toys. Had I listened to reviews of weak, surface-buzzy toys when I was starting out with sex toys I would have continued to assume that orgasm wasn't possible and that I was broken.

I'm pretty sure I've done this myself in reviews and have vowed to do it no more.

Call a spade a spade. Say it didn't get you off. Say that it would be good for someone who is very sensitive to vibration. Or maybe it's so weak that it could possibly only ever be good for a tease and rarely an orgasm. But let's not steer wrong those who are desperate for an orgasm and are unable to achieve it via fingers/tongue/cock etc. less

The realistic penis used to be the default sex toy for women, with the blow up doll being the default for men. I'm talking 20 years ago, when I made my first sex toy purchase. There was a lingerie shop that had a sleazy back room for 18 and overs, and that's where the toys were sold.

Some sex toy manufacturers (Cal Exotics is particularly bad for this) still use a lot of porn imagery on their packaging, which I think would be off-putting to most beginners - heck, it's off-putting to me! But if the 'sleazy packaging' warning is included in the review, the buyer can make the decision for themselves.

The main thing is that there's a difference between a toy that's just a poor match for you and a toy that's crap. If it's crap, it's crap. Don't recommend it to anyone, especially sex toy newbs. less

This was actually brought up before in this thread. I think as a community a lot of us have dropped the phrase from our vocabulary, at least as a synonym for "this toy sucks". Some toys are best for beginners and disappointing for advanced players. But, no one likes a shitty toy. No one. less

Wait, so I shouldn't leave a gigantic blow-up doll on the front porch of my male-bodied friend's house, ring the doorbell, and run away? You mean that this is not the best way to introduce him to sex toys???????

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Oh my god for months now I had been thinking that exact same thing every time I saw this in a review or thread! Just the other day someone said it in the forums and it was a reviewer I totally wouldn't have expected it from and I was SO close to being like "wtf you should know better."

To me, "good for a beginner" is more about being easy to use and being, idk, unintimidating. Not in a sensation way, but in a "not a giant veiny loud vibrating dong with foul pictures on the box that's going to make someone feel insecure about using the toy and toys in general" sort of way.

Versatility is also a good quality for a beginner toy, because they can use it in different ways to find out what they like, instead of necessarily having to buy three different things to determine whether they prefer internal or external vibrations, strictly penetration, etc.

The number one thing for me in a "good beginner" is that it should have a higher likelihood of not giving them a bad experience or otherwise letting them down. Not mediocrity. Many of us may have started out with crap toys when we began, but it's not because they are good for beginners. It's because we didn't know better or have people to tell us otherwise. Hint: those people are us. Why are we perpetuating the meh first toy tradition now?

I've even heard someone say the Hitachi wasn't good for beginners because of it's strength and whatever. It's the top rated vibrator of like all time. It's the #1 rated vibrator on Amazon. How the heck does it magically become an inappropriate choice for a beginner? It's a good toy. It will always be a good toy. I do not understand lol less