Are Expensive Sex Toys Worth It? Spend on the Bits That Get You Off

Your clit doesn't know what the vibrator cost. Neither does your cock. They'll have strong opinions about what it does, but that gorgeous box isn't getting invited into bed.

An expensive sex toy is worth the money when it gives you something you really want: a shape that fits you, controls you can use with your eyes shut, a sensation you can't get anywhere else. Paying more just because it must be better is a great way of owning an impressive object you use twice.

Compare toys that do the same job

A little bullet and a big thrusting rabbit aren't two prices for the same orgasm. One gives you focused vibration on one spot. The other is doing several things at once, needs both hands and an unhurried Sunday morning, and takes up half your bedside drawer.

So pick the type first, then compare within it. If you want a small external vibrator, start with bullet vibrators. The Maia Indi is $32.95, and for that money, you're getting 3 speeds, 9 patterns, a silicone coating, a recharge cable and a submersible body you can take into the shower. That's a serious amount of fun for less than a decent dinner for one.

Otherwise, a quick browse for something discreet can somehow end with a toy that needs its own room. Great if that's what you wanted. Less great if a sale banner got to you.

What the extra money can actually buy

This is where the dear stuff can earn it. It can buy you a kind of movement that a cheap motor can't do. The Adam & Eve Hyper Wave has waving arms tucked inside the shaft that give you a back-and-forth motion against your G-spot, plus a flexible flicker on your clit. At $179.95, you can't compare it with a bullet, because a bullet can't do that, and if that's what you've been lying awake wanting, then fair enough, and well done.

It can also buy you serious power. The Adam & Eve Her Majesty is a 29 cm wand with deep, rumbly vibration, and 10 modes at 3 intensities each. If you're someone who's flattened every cheap vibrator you've ever owned and is still waiting, a deep rumbly motor is exactly the thing to spend money on. If you find a phone on silent a bit much, save your $220.95.

Pay for controls you'll enjoy using

Separate intensity buttons can be worth having if you hate going through every setting to get back to the one that was working. A comfortable handle can matter more than a dozen extra patterns.

Picture yourself actually using it, with your legs apart and your brain turned off. Can you reach the controls? Do you want broad pressure or a small tip? Vibration, air pulses or movement? More features only help if they're features you want.

An app can be brilliant for remote play, particularly if someone else is holding the phone and enjoying it. If the idea of touching your own phone mid-wank just annoys you, there's no need to pay extra for the privilege.

Count the batteries, cables and parts

A rechargeable toy saves you keeping spare batteries around, but it does need charging. A battery toy lets you swap and keep going, with the ongoing cost that brings. Our rechargeable and battery comparison covers that choice, and neither one tells you how strong the toy will feel.

Replacement cables and sleeves matter over time too. A brilliant toy is much less brilliant when the one missing cable means your evening has become a search of every drawer in the house, with no pants on.

Expect clear information at any price

An expensive description can still be vague. You should be able to find the material touching your body, how to clean it and what the water resistance actually means, without decoding a paragraph of sexy adjectives. Our sex toy materials guide explains all that. A plush presentation box tells you very little about the silicone inside it.

Support matters too. Our returns policy explains product problems separately from changing your mind. A warranty isn't a promise that a particular shape will suit your body.

Buy the features, keep your budget

Pick the two or three things you care about most, and a price you're happy to pay. If the dearer toy does those things better, spend the money and enjoy every cent of it, repeatedly. If it mostly adds functions you'll never touch, keep your cash.

A simple toy that reliably makes your toes curl is a bloody good purchase, even if the box doesn't look like it contains jewellery.