About Toy Measurements

How we measure toys                                                 

We try to measure most toys ourselves. This is not always possible, because there are just too many toys out there! So sometimes we have to rely on the manufacturer's measurements, if they provide them. In general, if the only measurement you see on a toy is the length, then we got that number from the manufacturer's catalog.

We measure toy length and insertable length with a ruler. Length is measured from the bottom of the toy (not including any suction cups) to the top. If a toy has a wide base (like the base of a butt plug, or the balls on a realistic dildo), we measure the insertable length from the top of the base to the top of the toy.

We measure the thickness of the toy with calipers, and the circumference with a tape measure. If there is a significant variation in the thickness of a toy, we list the smallest and largest thickness. If there is not much difference in the thickness along the length of the toy, we list the thickness at the widest point.

 

How accurate are the measurements?

We take all measurements to the nearest quarter inch. This does lead to some unusual results. You may see two butt plugs, each with a thickness of 2.25". But one is listed as being 7" around, and one as being 7.5" around. This may be because the first plug has a thickness just under 2.25", while the second is just over 2.25" thick.

We occasionally get email like this:

 

"Hey, your site says toy number QQ2847-39 is 2.25" thick and 7.5" around! Well when I was in high school I learned that circumference is diameter times "pi", so this toy should really be 2.25 x 3.1416 or 7.06" around! Please correct your site!"

Yep, we learned that in high school too. But mathematical formulas do not always apply to sex toys.

Please keep in mind that many toys are not perfectly round, and are not of a uniform thickness. If this were true, all toys would be perfect cylinders, which would make measurement very easy and play very boring. But the reality is that many toys are oval or have irregular shapes, particularly realistic dildos. Also, many toys are tapered, and depending on where you take the measurements, you can get very different results.

So, we appreciate your concern, but most of our measurements are done by hand and are accurate. Sometimes we do make a mistake, and if you notice a bad measurement and tell us about it, we will thank you and correct the error. But please don't send us geometry lessons!

Toy Softness

This is a very difficult measurement, because it's very subjective. What is "very soft" to one person might be only "slightly soft" to another. Also, there may be variations in the softness of the same toy because of minor changes in the formula of the material from one casting batch to another. So please take this rating as a general guideline, and not as an absolute measurement.

 

We measure toy softness on a five point scale:

Toy Flexibility

This is another tricky measurement, but we think we've come up with something that will give you a pretty good idea of how flexible (bendy) a toy is.

The measurement is based on how much a toy will bend if you hold it firmly at the base and push with moderate pressure at the top. A very flexible toy (like a long, thin double ended dong) may be able to bend completely over, and would get a rating of "5". Something like a hard plastic toy that doesn't bend at all would get a minimum rating of "1".