Rechargeable or Battery Sex Toys? Ready When You're Fucking Ready

You've finally got some time to yourself. The door's shut, your phone can wait, you're already undressed and very much in the mood, and your vibrator has taken the afternoon off. A flat toy is a very boring reason to change your plans.

Rechargeable and battery toys solve this differently. One needs time on charge, and the other needs the right spares. Choose the habit you can actually keep, and you'll spend a lot less time cursing and a lot more time coming.

Rechargeable: for your regular favourite

If the same toy gets frequent outings, charging it can become part of looking after it. Clean it, dry it and top it up, and then it's waiting for you in the drawer. No shopping lists, no dead AAAs, and it often has more oomph per size than you'd expect.

A rechargeable bullet like the Maia KONA is an easy favourite to keep charged. The catch comes when you've put it away flat and forgotten. Five minutes on the charger may not cover what you had in mind, and "up to" runtimes are the best case, as high settings use more power. Keep some charge in reserve. You don't need to test the battery's limits every time.

Batteries: keep the spares close

A battery toy lets you swap in a fresh set and get straight back to it, and that's a real plus if you'd rather keep spares than remember to charge. The Satisfyer Wand-er Woman is a big one that runs on batteries. The key word is spares. Stealing batteries from the TV remote only works until someone wants the TV.

Keep the right type and quantity together. AA, AAA and specialist cells aren't interchangeable, so get them from our batteries range before you need them. Replace the whole set, get positive and negative the right way around, and don't mix old and new cells or different types.

Buy for the feeling first

Rechargeable doesn't automatically mean stronger, and batteries don't automatically mean gentle. The head, contact area and settings tell you far more about how it'll feel than the charging cable does. If you love a broad wand head, don't give that up because something else has a clever charger. Browse the vibrator range for the shape you want, then choose your power, and try our first vibrator guide if you're unsure.

Which costs less?

If your toy gets plenty of use, disposable batteries add up. Recharging avoids that, though the toy itself may cost more upfront. If it only comes out now and then, a battery toy might be all you need. Paying more for a rechargeable you reach for several times a week makes sense. Buying features you don't care about to avoid the odd battery change doesn't.

Built-in batteries don't last forever, either. Don't open a sealed body yourself. If your favourite stops charging, read our charging troubleshooting guide first.

Give the cable a permanent home

A lead belongs with its toy. Label it and keep it beside the pouch, so getting ready doesn't involve comparing six nearly identical connectors while your patience disappears. USB describes the plug end of many cables, but the toy end may be magnetic, pin-style or a socket, and they aren't always compatible.

For battery toys, take out flat cells and remove batteries if you won't be using it for a while. Store spares away from metal and out of reach of kids. A travel lock, if your toy has one, stops it turning itself on in a bag.

Whichever you choose, you'll be getting rid of one more piece of practical bullshit between you and your own plans.