No longer some piece of plastic you get from a shady store off the highway, sex toys are now a $15 billion industry, according to Forbes. Not only are sex toys pleasurable, but a study by The Kinsey Institute found that women who use sex toys regularly have better sex lives, stronger orgasms, and are more likely to stay on top of their sexual health than women who don't use them.
"As a sex therapist, I am a pretty big fan of anything that can bring more orgasms into the world. Vibrators can be purchased easily and cheaply, and can reliably produce orgasm for the vast majority of women," sex therapist Vanessa Marin wrote for Bustle.
Despite having tried easily hundreds of vibrators, there are a handful of sex toys that are among my favorites. But the one that sticks out as having changed my life will always be the Babeland Silver Bullet. It's pretty much the toy that helped me truly embrace my sexuality and really learn how to orgasm, how to control my orgasm, as well as a greater understanding of my body.
Because for many women there will always be that one sex toy that was a total game-changer, I asked 17 women what sex toy changed their life. Here's what they had to tell me.
1Talia, 28
"One of the most amazing sex toys I would recommend is the We-Vibe Tango. It's a bullet vibrator that's very portable and light, but it's something not to be underestimated. It's strong and very easy to use and it definitely gives pleasure most men fail to convey. I like being by myself sometimes, being the strong independent woman I am, so the We-Vibe Tango is perfect for those wine nights where you just want to spoil yourself.
We-Vibe Tango, $79, Babeland
2Zebra, 39
"The banister at my childhood home will always be my all-time favorite sex toy for making me aware, at a very young age, that my body would offer me lovely feelings so long as I celebrated them with abandon and without shame."
3Alyssa, 26
"The adult toy that changed my life was the body massaging wand from Brookstone. Granted, it’s meant for other parts of the body, [but] it has proven to be the best addition to my collection."
4Megan, 30
"The Pocket Rocket from Doc Johnson is the sex toy that changed my life! It was actually the first sex toy I ever used. It's small, easy to transport, and surprisingly powerful. For me, it's all about the clitoral stimulation, so this toy is a great economical choice!"
Pocket Rocket, $42.30, Doc Johnson
5Sara, 44
"Hitachi Magic Wand, because it taught me that women too can have orgasms as quickly as your average horny teenage boy."
Hitachi Magic Wand, $59.85, Babeland
6Dara, 38
Wet lubricant makes a product called Silk. It's a hybrid lubricant and it's amazing. It has changed my life because you can use it so many different ways and it can even be used with most toys! It's very silky and creamy and dries to a powdery finish with is amazing for clean up."
7Carol, 59, Staff Sexologist At Good Vibrations
My very first vibe, snagged from the hall closet in my ancestral home, was a VERY old-school, Swedish massager. 'Is that a vibrator?' I wondered — and OMG yes it was! First orgasm — first *several years* of orgasms. And evidently my parents were not in the know. No one ever asked where it went.
The follow-up is (of course?) the Magic Wand. I learned about it in the 1980s from Betty Dodson and it has been my faithful friend, as it has been for so many other people."
Hitachi Magic Wand, $59.85, Babeland
8Lori, 34
"It might sound strange and it probably doesn’t ‘technically’ count as a toy, but the water jet in the pool where I grew up. A friend had told me if you pushed your crotch to it, it would be feel really good. Since she was a little older than me and I looked up to her, I did it one day after school — I was 10. She was right! There was this rush of a sensation and I couldn’t pull myself away. I didn’t have an orgasm the very first time I tried it, because the feeling was so overwhelming that I thought something was wrong with me, but I certainly did every time after that that followed. Not exactly a toy, but did change my life!"
9Khloe, 28
"For me, I would say the Blind Date 3-Speed Dual Action Vibrator,. It changed my life because it was my first ever toy and made me really open up, to myself, with my sexual needs and wants, and to be completely comfortable with myself. Self-pleasure is great!"
10Carolyn, 31
"Recently a guy insisted I own a Hitachi Magic Wand I had always heard of them, but every time I'd look at one, I'd be immediately turned off with how old-fashioned and huge they are. I also didn't like that they were hiding under the label of 'massager' when they were clearly a sex toy. It felt like a 60s housewife being ashamed of her orgasms or something. Like I imagined one of the sons from Home Improvement finding it in Jill's night table? You know what I mean?
BUT this wonderful man bought it for me, so why not? And yes while it is big and huge and very odd looking, it is great for a busy, 31-year-old woman like myself with an out-of-control sex drive. I had just 30 minutes to kill before I had to leave last night and it is QUICK. It was almost addicting."
Hitachi Magic Wand, $59.85, Babeland
11Maureen, 35
"The WaterSlyde changed my life because before using it I would become desensitized by high powered vibrators. I now enjoy the gently yet powerful flow of water from the Slyde and then I'm ready to be with my husband."
WaterSlyde, $24.95, WaterSlyde
12Tracy, 49
I own a whole variety of sex toys (including a WeVibe, a LELO, and a glass dildo), but the best sex toy ever is the Hitachi Magic Wand. I can't say it changed my life but it has definitely pepped up my sex life. I use it solo and with partners. It is the strongest vibe I have ever used and it adds to masturbation, sex, and also to foreplay. My boyfriend likes to use his hands on me, and with the vibe on my clit, it's amazing.
Hitachi Magic Wand, $59.85, Babeland
13Crystal, 49
"The Womanizer Plus, but it is a game-changer. (Terrible name for a toy, I know. They are German. Womanizer has a different meaning in German, apparently.) It provides vibration and suction to your clitoris using a brand new technology that was only created in 2016. I own a boutique for women of size and the Womanizer Plus has been a game-changer for me and for lots and lots of my customers. The Womanizer Plus is 8.25" lock and the suction cup/vibration is on the tip. This toy adds eight inches to your reach and once you latch it on to your clitoris — HOLY HELL. I have been educating and entertaining people about sex toys for over 15 years, [but] this is seriously a GAME CHANGER. Honestly, I have never gotten horny for a sex toy until now. But, with the Womanizer, I am honestly sometimes here at the shop and I cannot wait to go home and use it.
For me, it gives me cluster orgasms. So just BAM. One after another after another after another. Almost too quickly, sometimes. I LOVE it. Can you tell? I honestly own every sex toy know to women. This one is fab and I really love the new version — the PLUS — because it is so much longer. (There is another version called the PRO, but it is only six inches long.)
Of course, I would also add that when I was 17, the Hitachi Magic Wand blew my mind. Now that I am 49 and have been around the block a few times — MIND BLOWN by the Womanizer."
The Womanizer Plus, $219, Babeland
14Sarah, 33
"A few years ago, I struggled a lot with mental health issues — primarily anxiety. Permanent stress and occasional panic attacks choked my sex drive and made it almost impossible for me to enjoy sex. As a sex blogger, naturally this was really worrying: sex wasn't just a hobby for me — it was my greatest love, as well as my career.
Then, at the Eroticon conference in 2014 I was given a Doxy Massager. The first time I used it, I made so much noise my other half recorded it for posterity, and I haven't looked back. I'm now one of the biggest evangelists for this toy, because it made such a difference to me — I had never used a wand toy before and the power came as a revelation. While everyone's sexual preferences are unique, for me power is clearly really important — even when I am struggling to climax (when I'm on new SSRIs, for instance), powerful toys can usually do for me what my own fair hands cannot."
15Meg, 31
"It’s difficult to narrow it down to just one, because there’s been a few that changed my life, but I have to say the Hitachi Magic Wand. A partner I had in my early 20s had one (this was before I had a vibrator of my own) and every time he used it on me, my mind would be blown and orgasms wouldn’t stop. I eventually got my own and use it almost every day."
Hitachi Magic Wand, $59.85, Babeland
16Kate, 27
"I'm 27. I'm a virgin and couldn't orgasm in masturbation at all before sex toys. My favorite sex toy is the 7 Wonders bullet, one reason being its great battery life. I haven't had to change them since I got it in February."
7 Functions Wonder Bullet, $12.13, Amazon
17Tiffany, 43
"The sex toy that changed my life is the LELO Soraya! I have several, but the Soraya — It literally brings me to orgasm in three to five minutes. It is a beautiful Cadillac version of a Rabbit. Because of my busy schedule, and like most women, it is easy to put "Me" time the last on the list of things to do. I know with the Soraya, I can get the job done quick, so there is no excuse not to self-pleasure. As Mae West said best, 'An orgasm a day keeps the doctor away.'"
LELO Soraya, $219, LELO
I think if this were some sort of competition, the Hitachi Magic Wand would win. But since it's not a competition, it's clear to see you never forget the vibrator that changed your life. Sort of like how you never forget your first love — no matter how hard you try.
