Smooth Sailing

While not a standout, Glide's safe, water-based formula allows it to find a place in a wide array of sexual activities, including the use of silicone toys. Though it's not a particularly thick lube and won't last as long as many silicone-based alternatives like ID Millennium, I've found that it's plenty appropriate for anal plugs and basic thrusting toys.

One of the pitfalls of many lubricants is their delivery mechanism, which can make them difficult to dispense in the heat of the moment and often results in a bit of a mess. Fortunately, if you purchase Glide in the 17.5 or 35.5 ounce size, you get a sturdy twist-lock pump that makes dispensing your slippery goo about as pleasant an experience as one could expect.

The texture of ID Glide is distinctly slick but not gooey like a gel product and is easy to wash out and off of your various thirsty orifices with just a little splash of water. Unlike some water-based lubes, which can tend to be too runny, Glide does have a bit of viscosity to it and will hold its own against gravity for at least as long as necessary. It's a nice in-between formula that is easy to pump but won't run off your fingers during application.

While its taste is quite bitter, Glide's "odorless" odor can be somewhat appealing, preference depending. It's not terribly strong, but there is a distinct smell reminiscent of an afternoon at the beach. If you pressed me to put a finger on it, I'd say that it's somewhere between your run-of-the-mill sunscreen and a good car wax. It's certainly nothing extravagant, but on the plus side, you need not worry about any unpleasant mixture of artificial fragrance and natural body odors, a staple of some overly-scented products. The smell washes out quickly when rinsed with water and does not permeate the container.

I can't say that Glide gave an over-the-top performance, but I don't think it was designed to. What I can definitely say is that it's safe, reliable, and gets the job done for both vaginal and anal play. I was concerned about the latter, considering that water-based lubes are generally absorbed very quickly when deployed in the rear entry, but I have to admit that I was impressed by the amount of staying power this relatively thin lube was able to muster. Cleanup is easy, but there is a downside to this as well: no shower play. Well, okay, I guess you could use it for shower play, but in that case, I'd highly suggest that you invest in the big ol' 35.5 ounce jug because you're going to run through it very, very quickly.

As far as water-based lubes go, I think ID Glide got it right. The product strikes a good balance between ease-of-use, safety, and lubrication.

While I can't speak for their whole variety of sizes, the 17.5 ounce container was packaged in a simple plastic bag for shipping. The container itself is an appealing ocean blue, and it comes with an easy-to-remove cap and a very sturdy pump. The pump head itself twists to lock and unlock and features a large, textured nub on top to prevent slippage when going back for seconds. While I'm sure the smaller sizes are great for travel, if you're looking for something to keep at home, I'd go ahead and invest in one of the two larger sizes for this exclusive benefit.