I review sex toys for sextoy.com. You can find Avanti Bare and Lifestyles’ Skyn condoms on their site.
Back in April, I shared my love of polyisoprene condoms, a newer non-latex material, in my review of Avanti Bare condoms. But there are two different brands of polyisoprene condoms available: the brand from Durex I had already reviewed, and Lifestyles’ Skyn condoms. In my sex life I use both interchangeably, both for safer penetrative and oral sex as well as to protect vibrators or other sex toys I share. All of my lovers have come to prefer polyisoprene, but neither I nor they seemed to care which brand we used. I was curious whether there was a detectable difference between the two; was one brand better than the other?
I selected some of each variety on my last sex toy order in the hopes of putting them to the test. At first I just tried alternating, using a Skyn during one session of intercourse and then switching to Bare for the next. Unfortunately, the difference in quality, if there is any, was far too miniscule to tell.
I decided there would be only one way to put this to rest and so I set aside one of each for a special occasion. On my pet’s last visit, she agreed to help the experiment. After giving her a strong orgasm with my favorite vibrator, I got on top of her and we began to fuck enthusiastically while I wore a Bare. When I judged myself roughly halfway to orgasm, I paused, took off the first condom and replaced it with a Skyn.
Afterward, we compared notes. We both seemed to enjoy the first condom slightly more — though Pet guessed wrongly about which one it had been when I asked. But we had a hard time articulating any differences. Did the first condom fit better? Was Bare just better because it was different, since we’ve used Skyn more (for reasons I will detail below)? In the end, our last test comparing the two was almost as inconclusive as the rest.
While there is little difference in the sensation they offer, there is still a clear winner. Since I wrote my last review, Lifestyles Skyn have started appearing in stores and online in boxes of 24; Durex’s Avanti Bare is still only available in quantities of 12 or less. Further, while I’ve received reports that polyisoprene condoms are more comfortable than latex for the especially well-endowed, only Lifestyles now offers Large-size polyisoprene condoms.
My love of polyisoprene condoms continues unabated. Even after all this testing, I don’t find prefer either brand — I’d use either happily. My sex life is a busy one, however, so as long as Lifestyles continues to offer Skyn condoms in greater quantities I will continue to buy them more often.
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Disclaimer: Although I am not paid for these reviews (unless you purchase something via an affiliate link), vendors send me free toys in return for my honest opinion.
