00 SEX Condoms

STYLE GADGETS BODY WHEELS CULTURE

Given the vast differences

in penis dimensions,
the one-size-fits-all
approach is unrealistic.
—Michael Reece of the Kinsey Institute
for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction

PAUL ARMBRUSTER

FEBRUARY 2006
 00

How we
tested
Rubber First we consulted the
professionals—doctors,

Made
safe-sex advocates,
porn-video producers,
and managers of
premium adult boutiques
such as Condomania in
Wearing the wrong condom can Los Angeles, Babeland
really kill your buzz. Cargo went in New York City, and
Good Vibrations in San
to the mattress to find the perfect Francisco. With their
prophylactic for every person help, we narrowed the
test group down to
Most men will make do with whatever condom is 30 (including top new
handy whenever the need—ahem—arises. But is models, old standbys,
“good enough” sex really good enough for you? The and best sellers). Three
fact is, choosing the right tool for the job can mean the samples of each were
difference between a night to remember and good sent to 10 testers who,
night for your member. after using them, filled
What you may not know, however, is that the days out a questionnaire
of numbing, standard-issue combat socks are long rating them for comfort,
over. A casual stroll down the aisles of even the fit, and sensitivity.
average drugstore reveals the overwhelming number The scores were then
of choices available today—regular, large, extra-large, tabulated to determine
super-thin, lubricated, specially coated to heat things the winners.
up (or slow them down with a mild numbing agent),
not to mention all manner of ribbed, colored, and
“shaped for extra pleasure” styles.
“The world of condoms has changed drastically,”
explains Michael Reece, professor at Indiana
University and researcher at the Kinsey Institute for
Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction. “You
don’t need to pick up the same condom every time
just because it’s familiar. Men should find the one
that’s right for them.”
Of course, bed testing every one of the hundreds
We put the
of brands and varieties available would call for an
individual with serious stamina. So we did the dirty
top picks
work for you. Cargo editors and a team of enthusiastic
helpers put the top condoms through a rigorous
through a
round of human trials. The results ranged from “it
ripped” to “it felt so good I forgot it was on.” After
rigorous
tallying the notches in our bedposts, we picked the
best of the bunch in eight categories. —JOHN F. MEILS
round of
human trials.
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Info
00 SEX Condoms
STYLE GADGETS BODY WHEELS CULTURE
Professional
grade
When it comes to pulling on
protection, what do porn actors
who do it for a living use?
Straight: Condom use on
heterosexual film sets is
inconsistent, according to Sharon
Mitchell, executive director of the
Adult Industry Medical Health Care
Foundation. Only two companies,
Vivid and Wicked, are “condom
only,” meaning actors in their films
are always required to use them.
A spokesperson for Vivid laughs
when Cargo pops the question
about what its preferred product is.
“Of course, we only use one kind,”
she says. “Vivid brand condoms.”
Other companies, however, favor
Crown Skin Less Skin and Beyond
Seven. The reason? They appear
more camouflaged on screen,
explains Mitchell. “Crowns are
pink, and Beyond Sevens have a
blue hue, which achieves a similar
transparency for black men.”
Gay: Condom use is more prevalent
in gay porn. All the major companies
are condom-only. Brand preferences,
though, are not as uniform. “We
use whatever is around,” says one
veteran actor. For others, though,
bigger is always better. “We use
Trojan Magnums and Magnum
XLs about 99 percent of the time,”
says Hot House Entertainment
production manager Robert Drake.
“We’ve been using them for
years,” he says. “They work
well for us. We haven’t needed
anything else.” —J.F.M.
Visit cargomag.com to
get the lowdown on the best
lubes for every kind of
grown-up fun.
FEBRUARY 2006
Best Standard
$8.99 Durex Natural Feeling
Box of 12, justrubbers.com.
LOWDOWN The gently lubricated Durex
was ranked the most dependable and
comfortable of the all-purpose, traditional
models. In fact, there wasn’t a single
complaint about it. Easy roll-down and
the sturdy feel vaulted it to the top of
the heap. One tester said, “It just made
me feel very safe.” Length: 7.9 ; width: 2.1 ;
thickness: 0.002 .
Best Ultra-Thin
$12 Kimono MicroThin Large
Box of 12, mayerlabs.com.
LOWDOWN The Japanese-made
Kimono is almost 40 percent thinner
than standard American condoms.
“It’s sleek, smooth, and almost
unnoticeable,” said one very pleased
tester. But it’s still smaller than average,
and it can make a man feel squeezed
in if he happens to be a “bigger” guy.
Length: 7.7 ; width: 2 (head), 2.1 (shaft);
thickness: 0.001 .
Best New Shape
$9.99 Inspiral
Box of 12, drugstore.com.
LOWDOWN Panelists preferred styles
with extra room at the top for a looser
feel. Inspiral has a ring of excess rubber
all the way around the base of the head,
not just underneath it like other “shaped”
socks. “It looks weird,” said one man,
“but when the extra latex rubs, it feels
good.” Dissent came from a tester who
thought there was “too much extra
plastic.” Length: 7.5 ; width: 2.7 (head),
2.1 (shaft); thickness: 0.003 .
Best Textured
$2.40 Birds ’N Bees
Pack of three, babeland.com.
LOWDOWN A series of slender rings near
the top as well as an all-over pattern of
“sensi-dots” (little raised nubs the size
of pinheads) make this a ribbed-for-her-
pleasure winner. The Swedish design
received kudos from our female testers: “It
felt like there was something a little extra
going on.” But some guys did admit that
PAUL ARMBRUSTER
they might be intimidated to whip out the
pink flowery package in front of anyone
but a very intimate partner.
Length: 7.3 ; width: 2.1 ; thickness: 0.002 .

Best Warming
$12.04 Trojan Shared Pleasure
Box of 12, drugstore.com.
LOWDOWN A thin coat of dehydrated lube
warms things up when it comes in contact
with bodily fluids (to make the latex feel
less cold). This Trojan ranked tops because
it fit better than competitors’ and, according
to one tester, “has the most lubrication.”
Women were less impressed. “These should
be called his pleasure,” noted one, whose
male partner got a little overheated and
pulled the trigger early.
Length: 7.1 ; width: 2.1 ; thickness: 0.055 .
Best Polyurethane
$11.82 Durex Avanti Superthin
Box of six, drugstore.com.
LOWDOWN Just two major companies cater
to the latex-intolerant, those whose skin can
burn from contact with rubber. Durex is the
only brand in this category that doesn’t use
the sometimes-irritating contraceptive lube
nonoxynol-9. Polyurethane doesn’t stretch
much, but it actually conducts heat better
than latex. “It feels like a plastic bag,” said
one tester. “But the alternative is worse.”
Length: 7.1 ; width: 2.5 ; thickness: 0.002 .
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: PAUL ARMBRUSTER; COURTESY OF VIVID ENTERTAINMENT GROUP; COURTESY OF HOT HOUSE VIDEO; PAUL ARMBRUSTER (3).
Best Extra-Large
$11.51 Trojan Magnum XL
Box of 12, drugstore.com.
LOWDOWN “Extra-large” is an extra-
confusing category. For one thing, the label
usually means the condom is longer, not
wider. Magnum XL wins for being both.
The XL also comes with more lube to keep
things moving. It even tested well with guys
of average proportion: “I like the free feeling
from the extra room,” said one. A word of
caution for the overly ambitious: If an XL is
too baggy, it can slip off. Length: 8.1 ; width:
2.2 (head), 2.1 (shaft); thickness: 0.055 .
Best Smaller
$9.95 LifeStyles Snugger Fit
Box of 12, condomania.com.
LOWDOWN The average condom is
about 2 inches wide, while the average
penis is around 1.6 inches wide, so
we were surprised to find only a few
closer-fitting options. Lifestyles’ model
is significantly narrower than average,
and unlike competitors it is made without
potentially irritating spermicide. “I hate the
name,” said one man. “Even though it’s
appropriate.” Length: 7.1 ; width: 1.9 (head),
1.7 (shaft); thickness: 0.003 .
00
Watch
out for
paper cuts.
Download,
print, and
cut out this
guide to get
a custom-
size condom
of your own.
condomania
.com.
If the
glove fits...
“Given the vast differences in men’s
penis sizes,” says Michael Reece
of the Kinsey Institute at Indiana
University, “the one-size-fits-all
approach is unrealistic.”
And he should know, having just
finished working with 1,400 men in
all 50 states as part of “The Condom
Fit and Feel Study” at the Kinsey
Institute, in partnership with Indiana
University. While the results have
yet to be published, the conclusions
have been shared with Cargo:
A comfortable fit is one of the
most important factors in a man’s
performance and his enjoyment of
sex. “When men were able to use
something that fit properly, they
rated the overall experience as
more satisfying,” says Reece.
If off-the-rack gear isn’t lighting
your fire, you might want to try a
custom-size coat. TheyFit condoms,
available at condomania.com, come
in 55 unique combinations of length
and girth (surprisingly, according to
TheyFit, no size accounts for more
than 5 percent of sales). To order,
download, print, and cut out the
measuring charts (shown above).
Then enter your coordinates online.
A pack of 12 costs $11.95 and should
arrive in about 10 business days. Our
testers went wild for TheyFits. “It’s
like wearing nothing at all,” raved
one. “These are, seriously, the best
I’ve ever used.” —J.F.M.