Finding the Right Fit: A Guide to Choosing Your First Sex Toy

With so many choices and so many different possibilities, buying your first sex toy can seem like a daunting task, but not to worry! The Sexyland Fun Specialists are always here to help you pick a toy that’s right for you, either in-person if you’re shopping at one of our adult stores or via our Live Chat if you’re browsing Sexyland online. Here’s everything you need to know so that your first time going sex toy shopping is every bit as joyful as you deserve!

How do I choose my first sex toy?

Different sex toys do different things and come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and functionalities to suit anyone’s desires. Make a mental checklist of personal preferences and expectations to help narrow down your options and ask yourself the following questions:

• What part(s) of my body do I want to stimulate? — while sex toys are most commonly associated with genital use, there are plenty of versatile toys that suit lots of erogenous zones, inside and out, and for all genders. Some of the most popular spots people want to stimulate are the G-spot, clitoris, anus, penis, prostate, and nipples.
• What sensations do I want to feel? — most people think of vibrators when imagining the standard adult toy, but there are so many more stimulation types than just vibration on offer, such as thrusting, rotating beads, suction, warming, and more!
• Will I be using this toy on my own, with a partner, or both? — theoretically, even toys designed for solo use can be fun with a partner if they use it on you, but sex toys for couples are specifically designed to involve both people to a relatively equal degree.
• Do I want something penetrative (a toy that goes inside your body), non-penetrative (a toy that stays outside your body), or penetrable (a toy that your body goes inside)? — all answers to this question are valid, and it depends on your own personal preference/comfort level, as well as what body part you want to stimulate. If you want something penetrative, consider the different sex toy sizes available and what you’re comfortable with putting inside your body.
• What do I want my toy to look like? — some folks prefer sex toys that look and feel like realistic parts of the human body (like dildos and masturbators) for visual inspiration while others like discreet designs that don’t look like sex toys at all. You may even find yourself leaning towards toys that look anatomically inspired (but not anatomically accurate) in terms of shape!
• What is my budget for a first sex toy? — plenty of the best sex toys for beginners out there won’t break the bank, though it may also be worth considering investing in a high-quality toy to ensure your first experience is a good one and fosters your interest in exploring even further! The material quality, additional sex toy features/functionality, and user-friendliness will also influence the final price of a sex toy.
• How much effort am I willing to put in to keep my toy in good condition? — while all sex toys need to be cleaned, some make it easier by being made of waterproof, non-porous materials (more on that later). You can also decide between rechargeable vs battery-powered toys in terms of keeping your toy at full power.

Understanding Different Types of Sex Toys

Once you’ve got your answers to the questions above, the next thing to consider is what type of toy will meet those criteria. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of the different types of sex toys you can choose from when starting out:

Vibrators

The most basic vibrators are usually straight or curved rods made of body-safe plastic, silicone, and even metal in some cases. Both shapes can be used internally and externally, though the curved shapes are better suited to internal use as they can reach the G-spot, which is about 2–3 inches inside the vagina on the front wall.

Rabbit vibrators

These are a specific type of vibrator with an insertable shaft and an external arm to simultaneously please both the G-spot and the clitoris, which is located under a hood of skin above the vaginal opening and urethral opening.

Bullet & egg vibrators

These are essentially mini versions of a vibrator and are great for travelling due to their compact size. Vibrating bullets are best for concentrated external stimulation around the clitoris and nipples while egg vibrators are designed to go inside the vagina to stimulate the inner walls.

Wand vibrators

Known for their high-powered vibrations, wands can take care of your whole body and massage tired muscles as well as your genitals for intense external pleasure. Depending on the manufacturer and model, some wands have attachments available to fit over the wand head and offer different sensations, such as internal or penis-stroking pleasure. They can be cordless and rechargeable for lightweight, easy-to-manoeuvre designs or plug into wall power for non-stop vibrations at max power!

Panty vibrators

As the name suggests, these vibrators slip neatly into the wearer’s underwear to stimulate the vulva, clitoris, and occasionally the vaginal interior, depending on the design. They’re almost always remote-controlled and/or app-compatible for the wearer or a partner to control hands-free, and are usually whisper-quiet for public play if you feel like putting your poker face to the test…

Finger vibrators

These gender-neutral vibrators fit over the user’s finger and direct the vibrations wherever you point your finger on your body or a partner’s. Pleasure doesn’t get much more simple than that, making finger vibrators one of the best sex toys for beginners!

Clitoral stimulators

These sex toys are great for vulva-havers who prefer external pleasure concentrated on the clitoris, which is one of the most sensitive pleasure zones. They’re usually small in design so they can focus the stimulation (usually vibration or suction) on a precise area like the clitoris or even the nipples.

Masturbators

Also known as 'strokers', these sleeve-like toys simulate the feeling of penetrative sex for people with penises. They come in a variety of designs, including realistic entrances shaped like a vagina, mouth, or anus, as well as non-gendered openings and are usually made from TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) or TPR (thermoplastic rubber) to emulate the realistic fleshy feeling of another person (though silicone strokers do also exist for the most hygienic and easiest cleaning). They’re often lined with interior textures for extra stimulation and can be motorised to produce vibrating, suction, thrusting, and even rotation sensations, or completely manual for the user to stroke up and down by hand.

Cock rings

These stretchy rings fit around the base of the wearer’s penis and restrict blood flow away from their erection to keep it harder for longer and intensify their orgasm! They’re available in non-motorised and vibrating designs, and there are also models with protruding sections to stimulate a partner’s clitoris for more pleasurable couples’ use.

Anal plugs & beads

These toys are designed for internal use in the anus and provide a full feeling back there that many users love. They’re also a great way to get yourself accustomed to penetration in the leadup to anal sex! Butt plugs are designed with tapered tips for easy insertion and flared bodies to provide a satisfying fullness when worn while anal beads provide a ‘rippling’ sort of sensation that massages the anal entrance and walls when they’re pushed in and pulled out.

Prostate stimulators

While anyone can use a prostate stimulator, AMAB people with prostate glands will get the most pleasure out of them. These sex toys are inserted into the anus and have elongated, angled heads to help reach the ultra-sensitive P-spot, which is sometimes called ‘the male G-spot’. The sensation of a prostate orgasm is different to that of a penile orgasm, and even if you don’t orgasm, the sensation of massaging the prostate massage feels amazing! The non-motorised versions usually rely on sphincter muscle contractions to rub against the P-spot while the motorised models vibrate, thrust, and even run rolling beads over the sensitive area to concentrate the stimulation right where you want it…

Dildos & dongs

These phallic toys are designed for internal use and are available with or without extra functions like vibration, thrusting, rotating, and even squirting for the lifelike sensation of ejaculation! There’s a huge variety of sizes, shapes, and aesthetics, including realistic dildos, and most come with suction cup bases for hands-free fun, either solo or with a partner since the suction cups are almost always compatible with strap-on harnesses. Speaking of which…

Strap-ons

A strap-on is typically a combination of a harness and a dildo that the wearer uses to penetrate a partner. They can come as one solid piece with the probe built-in or as a combo set that lets you swap out the attachments. They’re available in solid, hollow, and strapless designs to suit everyone’s anatomy — solid designs are best suited to users without penises while hollow designs fit over a wearer’s penis, with options to suit erections or flaccid penises. Strapless strap-ons have a short bulb for a vagina-having user to hold in place with their kegel muscles while they thrust the longer probe into their partner.

Vibrations and Sensations: What to Look for in Your First Toy

One of the most important factors to consider when sex toy shopping is safety. Ideally, you want non-porous, phthalate-free, and non-toxic sex toy materials, such as silicone, glass, and body-safe plastic as these are easy to sterilise and won’t harbour germs, bacteria, or mould. To ensure your sex toy is safe, you can always ask Sexyland’s Fun Specialists.

You’ll also want to decide what user-friendly sex toy features are worth investing in, such as:

• long-distance app control
• whisper-quiet motors for discreet, distraction-free play
• waterproofing so you can play everywhere from the sheets to the shower
• lockability to ensure your toy doesn’t go off when you’re not trying to get off
• rechargeable vs battery-powered sex toys for easy power top-ups

Details like these can impact the toy’s versatility and how comfortable the user experience is, so don’t forget to consider your toy’s care requirements and performance outside of the bedroom.

Ready to start your sex toy shopping journey? Pop into one of Sexyland’s adult stores or choose your first sex toy from our extensive online range and get 2hr Delivery on selected bestsellers! Our knowledgeable Fun Specialists are always available to provide advice on buying your first sex toy with care and professional poise so your experience is as fuss-free as possible.