Word has finally gotten back to me that the Health and Wellness Center is sick of my making fun of their condoms. While I believe it's perfectly legit to make fun of a condom brand that friends have nicknamed "the lead boot," I do feel bad that in recent years I haven't given good alternatives.
Although sex has a lot to do with the bump, grind, tease and rhythm you give it, without a good condom you'll be more preoccupied with consequence than whether you'll get another round.
If you haven't quite hit the "safer sex not needed" relationship (those who have gotten tested and are in a long-term, monogamous relationship), one of the best things you can do for your sex life is invest in good condoms.
The most basic thing everyone needs to be aware of with condoms is size -- not all latex is created equal. The much hated LifeStyles are made for guys on the smaller side of average. Other types which run small tend to be foreign brands, like Kimonos. For those who don't need to throw down for a box of Trojan Magnums quite yet but could use a little extra room, Durex often run a little bigger.
If you're in desperate need of sex and a bigger condom, try for the TheyFit brand. It's a brand of custom condoms where you literally download and print the rulers from the site (www.condomania.com), allowing you to order custom combinations. They're good condoms, but most people can work with the less expensive one-size-fits-all condoms which offer more variety.
The alternative to latex is polyurethane. It's a bit more expensive than latex but ends up costing a lot less than a latex allergy.
The benefit of departing from tradition is that these newer generations work with oil-based lube (since you can't use oil-base lubes with latex). If you're trying to combine chocolate sauce and whipped cream with sex, these would be your weapon of choice.If you're into athletic sex, I'd stick to the latex and lube.
The next consideration is to lube or not to lube. First, ignore all boxes with spermicide or "Nonoxynol-9." Spermicide means that the condoms have shorter shelf-lives. Additionally, condoms with this type of lube are more apt to cause issues requiring upping a woman's cranberry juice consumption.
So on to the important part -- the reviews. It's difficult to assign an overall "best" condom because everyone needs something different. The overall best basic thin condoms are the Crown Skinless Skin condoms (don't be fooled -- they are latex).
These also have the benefit of not having the latex smell that many condoms do and are tinted sheer pink to work better with more skin tones than the average white pasty raincoats.
A close second and a more popular brand among the college students is the Durex Extra Sensitive Lubricated Latex, as they're some of the thinnest around.
For minutemen there's help. Durex has a top performer in this category as well, the Performax Lubricated. If you still can't pull yourself away from the trusted Trojan branding, there's also the Trojan Extended Pleasure Climax, which will get you to the same place -- slowly. Ideally running through baseball stats should work, but if it doesn't, these condoms will add an extra few minutes to any night.Some companies went back to the drawing board and made new shapes instead of textures.
For example, LifeStyles came out with the Dual Pleasure condom, which kind of looks like a lightbulb on top. You don't have sex for the aesthetics, so don't buy condoms with that criterion either, since this one is a great feeling condom for guys and girls.
After all, you really shouldn't be looking at condoms all that closely anyway. LifeStyles Dual Pleasure provides more headroom than the normal shaped condoms and will increase feeling for both women and men.
Another top-rated condom is the Pleasure Plus condom. It's the same idea as the Dual Pleasure but a different brand. Both add room to increase friction for women, but Pleasure Plus improved this idea and put internal ribs in the condom -- at least some brands remember the guys.
It's been getting great reviews from both sides of the condom. If a girl is in need of more intense stimulation, turn to condoms with more ribbing like the Durex Mutual Pleasure (ribs and studs).
Finally, for those who haven't quite moved onto toys but need to take baby steps, check out the Trojan Vibrating Ring.
Think sex with a human vibrator. Each pack comes with a condom (although you can use whichever condom you want) and ring with a small plastic-covered battery pack attached. It's put at the base of the penis and then turned on for vibration. If you're one who's never been a big fan of condoms, try this pairing to change your mind.
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