There are a lot of sex toys to choose from.

Innumerable sex toy options and innovations means that more people can find something that meets their needs. Which is awesome! But if you’re not already familiar with what kind of sex toys are out there, it can be hard to know where to start.

From air pulsation toys to vibrating strokers, here’s a summary of 25 toy types and their uses – with little nuggets of insight, based on years of… we’ll call it practice.

AIR PULSATION/PRESSURE/WAVE

There are a number of words used to describe these toys’ unique air-based technology, including wave, pressure, pulsation, and sometimes even suction.

Most air pulsation toys can be held with one hand, and have nozzles that fit over the clitoris or nipples. (If you have prominent labia, you’ll have to spread them to achieve a good fit.) These toys then envelope the clit with concentrated bursts of air that increase in speed or strength as you turn the toy up.

Depending on how sensitive your body is, the toy’s rhythmic pulsations can feel thumpy, fluttery, or like suckling. Some models pair the waves of air with vibration in the nozzle for an added layer of sensation.

The most prolific manufacturers of these toys are Womanizer and Satisfyer.

ANAL BEADS

One of the most pleasurable parts of anal sex is engaging the sphincter – that is, the ring of muscle in the butthole, which itself is highly sensitive. Anal beads are ideal for this. Inserting the strung-together beads stretches and massages the sphincter, and withdrawing them provides a stimulating pop! of pressure and relief. Most strands are tapered, with increasing bead sizes allowing for a gradual stretch. Some beads also vibrate.

Like all toys used with the butt, anal beads should have a prominent loop or flared base that’s wider than the beads themselves. This is to prevent the toy from being completely sucked in. Butt muscles are strong!

BONDAGE GEAR

Bondage gear is a broad category that covers restraints, blindfolds, collars, and more. These kinds of products are used to restrain (or decorate) eagerly consenting participants, limiting your movement and/or denying some of your senses. Bondage can inspire feelings of submissiveness, frustration, or even fear, all of which can be thrilling when experienced in a controlled setting. Denial and limitations can be powerfully arousing!

A few examples:

• Under the bed restraints fit beneath your mattress. A standard set binds your wrists and ankles spread-eagle, but some have variations with different restraint points.
• Blindfolds prevent you from seeing what a partner is up to. Anticipating their next move – and potentially being surprised by their choice – is hot!
• Ball gags – which use a ball of plastic or silicone to keep your mouth open – muffle your moans and can sometimes make you drool helplessly. Also hot!
• Spreader bars attach to wrist or ankle cuffs to hold your hands or legs apart, leaving your body open to lewd and lavish attention.

Bondage can be emotionally and physically intense even if you’re only playing with a simple pair of handcuffs. It’s important to thoroughly discuss your kinky plans with the partners you play with, continuously check in with each other during sex, and have a safety plan in place to deal with mishaps.

BUTT PLUGS

Butt plugs are toys made for inserting anally. They’re often – but not always – designed to be worn for a period of time, giving you the satisfying feeling of fullness. For an especially comfortable fit, consider plugs with thinner necks (which allow the sphincter to relax) and rectangular/t-shaped bases (because they can comfortably tuck between buttcheeks.)

Some butt plugs vibrate, have rotating beads in the neck, or are uniquely textured for added stimulation. Prostate plugs have specialized curves or ridges meant to target your prostate, the sensitive gland between the penis and bladder.

To compensate for the strong pull of anal muscles, a plug has to have a prominently flared base to keep it from sliding inside. This means that the base should be larger than the toy’s widest part.

COCK RINGS

Cock rings help create and maintain erections (by slowing blood flow), and sometimes delay ejaculation. Most are a simple band to place on your penis (either around the base of the shaft, or behind the balls) but some include an additional loop to fit the shaft and balls independently.

There are a variety of cock rings with a vibrating portion intended to stimulate the wearer and/or a partner during penetrative sex. For the best partnered experience when wearing a vibrating ring, it’s usually better to grind than thrust. Otherwise you’re repeatedly pulling the vibration away from your partner.

Not sure what size to buy? There are adjustable cock rings!

DILDOS

Whether you like your insertables long or short, thick or thin, rigid or squishy, realistic or abstract (or even science fictiony), there is a dildo (or a dozen dildos) out there for you. Dildos are made from many materials; some body-safe options include silicone, glass, stone, and steel.

In addition to varying in size and density, dildos can have a variety of textures and finishes. Like sex with fingers and penises, dildos feel best when used with lube. Dildos can be used vaginally and – if they have a flared base – anally. Most dildos with bases can be used in strap-on harnesses.

There are a variety of specialty dildos, such as double-ended dildos, g-spot focused dildos, dildos with suction cups, and dildos with a hole in the base to hold a bullet vibe. Some silicone dildos have multiple layers of silicone (“dual density”) to allow for a more realistic (soft over hard) feel. There are even dildos that ejaculate on command.

Because most dildos don’t require intricate mechanical workings like vibrators, many are hand-crafted by small studios like Uberrime.

DUAL STIMULATION (AKA RABBIT VIBRATORS)

The most common dual stimulating sex toy is the rabbit vibrator, a sex toy with an insertable shaft and a smaller external arm intended for clitoral stimulation.

Rabbits are incredibly popular, but it can be difficult to find the right one for your body. For the best experience, you’ll want to find a rabbit with the right shape (with the shaft and clitoral arm locations lining up with your specific anatomy – everyone’s body is different!) and the right type and intensity of stimulation for you.

Most rabbits are vibrators, but their motor strength varies. There are also a growing number of rabbits with innovative twists, like self-thrusting shafts, air pulsation for your clit, or a third branch for anal stimulation.

E-STIM

Electrosimulation toys – frequently shortened to e-stim or electro sex toys – utilize safe levels of electricity to create a myriad of sensations. Depending on the device and the setting, e-stim can feel like muscle-deep pulsations, prickling or tickling on the surface of your skin, sharp biting jolts, etc. E-stim toys are used for sensory play, sadomasochism, and/or to induce hands-free orgasm.

Some of the most popular types of e-stim toys include wands, TENS units, and so-called “cattle prods”. The Kinklab Neon Wand is attractive to beginners because it includes several glass attachments to try out different sensory experiences.

Do your research before playing with electrostim! Don’t incorporate other devices unless it’s a matching, on-brand attachment. Never use an electro sex toy near your heart, on your face, or over broken skin or piercings.

(EXTERNAL USE) VIBRATORS 

While most people are familiar with vibrators, many don’t realize how widely vibration can vary. Vibrations can be buzzy (meaning they’re surface-level and can become itchy or numbing), rumbly (meaning they’re thumpy and reverberate deeply), or some combination of both. Vibrations can be incredibly strong, or whisperingly soft. They can be pinpoint or broad. Just like anything else, your body might have some distinct preferences when it comes to vibrations.

External use vibrators come in innumerable shapes for countless uses. Some utilize interesting textures, or have bonus features like remote controls, loops or sleeves for your fingers, or interchangeable tips. Most modern, quality vibrators are rechargeable, and many are waterproof for easy cleaning and bathtime use.

A few examples:

• Bullet/“lipstick” vibes are slim and small, and some can be tucked into pockets in strap-on harnesses, the bases of vibrating dildos, or textured sleeves.
• Penis wands are vibrators with dual wings that can be used for stroking penises.
• There are vibrators shaped to fit on your fingertip, or rest comfortably in your palm, or that have handles.
• Underwear vibes (sometimes called panty vibes) can be situated in your underwear and adjusted via remote control or phone app.

Vibrators can be used anywhere on your body. Your genitals, your nipples, your taint, the soles of your feet… though the latter might require some restraints.

IMPACT TOYS

An impact toy is anything used for tapping, striking, or thumping an eagerly consenting participant. Impact toys include paddles, floggers, whips, canes, riding crops, and more. Some – like lengthy floggers and bull whips – require practice and even formal training before safe use. Paddles and short to mid-sized riding crops are great entry-level choices.

Impact toys can be used to mix pleasure and pain, to consensually punish or humiliate, to offer a sensory challenge, etc. Different toy types offer different kinds of sensation, such as thuddy, stingy, or burny.

Like bondage, impact play should be thoroughly negotiated ahead of time, including where and how hard the receiver would like to be struck. Start off gentle: rub their skin to wake up their nerve endings, then give them a few testing swats to get used to the sensation. When they’re comfortable, deliver a few firmer strikes – but vary the location a little.

Do not hit someone on the spine, lower back, or over internal organs.

INSERTABLE VIBRATORS

Insertable vibrators are vibrators optimized for vaginal or anal use, but can also be used externally. They are typically longer than other vibrators, and some are shaped for g-spot, a-spot (anterior fornix, the sensitive area in front of the cervix), or prostate (“p-spot”) stimulation specifically.

Like dildos, there are infinite variations to insertable vibrators. Size, shape, vibration power (and quality), and noise level are just some of the things that differentiate vibrators from each other. While some still use batteries, most modern vibrators are rechargeable, and many are waterproof for bath and shower use.

Being penetrated can be incredibly pleasurable, and the addition of vibration intensifies and can often enhance the experience. Vibrators’ unique shapes and features give you the ability to explore your body in specific ways, such as the curve on many g-spot or prostate vibrators providing targeted stimulation.

KEGEL BALLS

Kegel balls (sometimes called “love balls” or “ben wa balls”) are circular, weighted toys you can insert vaginally to exercise your pelvic floor muscles. Pelvic floor muscles form a basket that supports your bladder and reproductive organs. Increasing your control over these muscles has many potential benefits, including improving the strength (and frequency) of your orgasms.

There are a variety of options when it comes to kegel balls. Some contain moveable balls that “jiggle” when you clench or move around. Others vibrate, or have apps that help you track your progress. Kegel balls often come in sets so that you can gradually increase the difficulty of your exercising.

Most kegel balls have a string for easy removal. Beware of kegel toys that are made of unsafe materials, including the sting.

LICKING/FLICKING “ORAL SEX” TOYS

Sometimes called “oral sex simulators,” these toys are incredibly varied in design but have a similar aim: to flutter, lick, or flick you to orgasm. Some toys do this with flexible silicone flaps that flutter rapidly, or tabs on a spinning wheel that smacks your junk. Some have more rigid “tongues” that wave or waggle mechanically.

Most lickers are designed specifically for clitoral use, but can be used on other body parts as long as the flapping isn’t contained in a nozzle. For ideal results, use lube liberally and make sure you’re physically aroused enough to enjoy the toy’s robust physical stimulation.

This is a much smaller category of toys than vibrators or dildos. They’re often stocked alongside regular vibrators rather than getting their own section.

NIPPLE CLAMPS AND SUCKERS

While clamps and suckers (toys that exert suction pressure) can be used on a variety of body parts, the most commonly associated use is on nipples, which are rich with nerve endings. Clamps and suckers can be used sensuously or sadistically (or both) depending on the amount of pressure desired.

Clamps come in a number of styles, including classic alligator clamps with rubber-sheathed tips and turn-screw adjustment, or tweezer style clamps with sliding ring adjusters. Some clamps are decorative with feathers or jewels, and others increase the intensity with chains or optional weights.

Suckers – sometimes called twisters – fit over your nipples or clitoris and are either squeezed (if they’re bulb shaped) or twisted (if they’re cups with twist tops) to create suction.

OSCILLATORS

Like licking toys, oscillators make up a subset of toys that are generally stocked alongside vibrators, but the distinctive stimulation they provide is more physical and targeted. Oscillators are strong, ultra-pinpoint toys. Their small tips oscillate (rapidly swing back and forth or in tight circles) against the body part of your choice.

For the best results, you have to hold the oscillating tip so that it hovers against your skin. Trying to press down on it will slow the tip and limit the intensity. Like licking toys, it’s best to be aroused before use!

The most famous oscillator is the widely-praised, decades-old Eroscillator. More recently, Zumio has released four variations of their own popular oscillator.

PENIS SHEATHS AND BALL STRETCHERS

Both penis sheaths and ball stretchers are intended to increase sexual enjoyment.

Penis sheaths – also sometimes called “penis extenders” or “cock sleeves” – are sleeves worn over the penis to increase size and girth for penetration-based sex. The inside of the sheath is often uniquely textured to provide extra stimulation to the wearer.

Ball stretchers are thick rings worn on the scrotum to pull the testicles further away from the body. This can be incredibly pleasurable, as it places your balls nearer to the your thighs and heightens their sensitivity. Similarly, ball spreaders separate the testicles to constrict and sensitize them.

POSITIONING AIDS AND SEX FURNITURE

Sex swings are arguably the most recognizeable positioning aid thanks to a million pop culture jokes… but the possibilities don’t end there. There are a number of pillows, mini furniture pieces, straps, and slings designed to make various sex acts and positions more accessible, comfortable, and/or kinky.

A few examples:

• Ramp pillows can be laid on in a number of positions to ease the strain on your back, knees, or hips, while also angling your body for easier oral sex, penetration, etc.
• A doggy style strap loops under your hips and gives a partner better control while thrusting.
• Toy mounts hold large toys steady so you can straddle them or scoot up against them for hands-free use.

The most well-known manufacturer of sex pillows and furniture is Liberator, who make high-density foam products with removeable microfiber covers.

PUMPS

Pumps come in a number of different forms, and can be used on nipples, clitorises, penises, vulvas, and breasts. To pump, you place a cylinder or cup over your skin and use a lever or trigger (if the pump is manual) or button (if the pump is automatic) to withdraw air and exert pressure.

Pumping can be done to achieve a desired effect such as facilitating an erection, hardening nipples, or temporarily swelling a vulva. But it can also be done just for the pleasure of sustained or pulsating suction. Pumping tends to temporarily increase sensitivity, leaving your skin flushed and tender and thus a prime target for sensory toys.

Some pumps pair vibration (or even mechanically waggling tongues) with their suction. Many pumps are independent units, but there are interchangeable sets that allow you to switch out the cylinders or cups so you can use it on other body parts.

If you’re a pumping beginner, listen to your body and stop if the pressure becomes painful. Limit pump use to 15 minute intervals, with breaks in between to let your blow flow return to normal.

SELF-THRUSTING TOYS

They thrust, they gyrate, they corkscrew – and they do it all on their own! Self-thrusting sex toys are fucking machines that come in handheld form. There’s no standard mechanic either; these toys use everything from magnets to accordion-style condensing shafts to keep themselves moving. There are self-thrusting dildos and vibrators, anal probes, and even rabbits. Some vibrate, and some just stick to scootin’.

Most of these toys require you to hold them in place so they don’t jiggle themselves right out of your orifice. Like dildos and other internal use toys, self-thrusters should be used with lube to reduce friction. If you’re planning to use a thruster anally, make sure it has a prominently flared base.

There are a number of companies who make self-thrusting toys, with the most notable being Fun Factory and Velvet Thruster.

SENSATION TOYS

Sensation toys are products used to tantalize, torture, and tease by stimulating your skin or by engaging or limiting another sense. Toys made specifically for sensory play include feather ticklers, prickly pinwheels (also known as Wartenberg wheels), nipple clamps and suckers, and more.

Toys with other primary purposes can become sensation toys, such as using an oscillator on your nipples, trailing a riding crop over your thighs, or cooling down a glass dildo in a bowl of crisp water for temperature play.

Sensation play can be part of foreplay, something you do during sex to draw things out, or as part of edging and orgasm control.

STRAP-ON HARNESSES AND DILDOS

Strap-on harnesses and harness-ready dildos are used for penetration or blowjob play. Penetrating a partner or being penetrated by one can be an incredibly erotic, pleasurable, and affirming experience regardless of gender.

There are several styles of harness, including the classic two-strap harness (which goes around your waist and between your legs), panty and brief harnesses (also known as “underwear style”), and thigh harnesses that fit around your leg. There are even harnesses built to accommodate people with penises (like hollow extension harnesses.)

Strap-on harnesses are made from a number of materials, including neoprene, spandex, and leather. Most harnesseshold your chosen dildo in place with an o-ring made of metal or silicone. When shopping for a harness and toy, make sure the diameters match up!

Strap-on harnesses provide a customized penetrative experience since there’s a wide variety of dildos and vibrators you can use. There are strap-on accessories including buffers that can change/enhance things for the wearer. There are also so-called “strapless dildos,” which have an insertable bulb to be worn for strap-on play, but they should be paired with a harness for stability’s sake.

STROKERS

Strokers – also known as sleeves, masturbators, or “pocket pussies” – are manual toys used to encase and stroke cocks. Many strokers are shaped like genitals for visual enticement, but there are an increasing number of abstract designs.

Because an ultra-soft feel is most desirable for this kind of stimulation, many strokers are made from a porous material and eventually have to be thrown out, but there are body-safe silicone options. To make porous materials last longer, thoroughly clean after use and then allow the toy to air dry before storing it.

Fleshlight is such a prolific manufacturer of this kind of toy that their name is often used interchangeably with “stroker.”

VIBRATING MASTURBATORS 

Vibrating masturbators are toys intended for penises that have some kind of vibration or suction element. Many of these toys are modeled after manual strokers, but there are also wands with wings for stroking, vibrators that loop around the shaft, and toys that only envelope the head.

Some masturbators go well beyond simple vibration. Automatic strokers, for example, mechanically suck and contract at various speeds to massage your penis.

WAND VIBRATORS 

Wand vibrators are the powerhouse of sex toys, with broad, rounded heads and vibrations that are usually significantly stronger than your average vibe. Most wands are large and sometimes even bulky, but these days there are plenty of petite wands available as well.

Many wands have optional attachments that fit over the toy’s head. These attachments can provide new textures, insertable shapes, and strokers.

The wand that started it all is the Magic Wand, previously known as the Hitachi. There is an updated version of the original, corded Magic Wand with a body-safe silicone head and more buttons. You can also get the Magic Wand Rechargeable, which ditches the cord completely.

WEARABLE VIBRATORS

Wearable vibrators include toys like underwear vibes and hinge-style couples’ vibes for dual stimulation during penetrative sex involving vaginas. There’s even a wearable vibe for scissoring! These vibrators can be used hands-free. They usually come with a remote or app compatibility (or both) to make swapping through settings easier.

We-Vibe makes the most popular couples’ vibes, particularly the Chorus. One arm of the Chorus is inserted into your vagina, while the other is situated against your clitoris. The internal portion of the Chorus will also vibrate against a partner’s penis or dildo.

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