I’m a full-time writer and sex educator who has tested more than 500 different sex toys in the past 25 years. I began blogging about sex toys in 2011, and I worked as a toy tester and copywriter for the retailer The Stockroom before I began reviewing sex toys for Wirecutter more than a decade ago.

I received my master of public health degree in 2014 from Indiana University, where I assisted research scientist Debra Herbenick with academic and consumer research related to sex-toy use. While at Indiana University, I worked as a blogger and sex educator at the Kinsey Institute.

As part of my research for this handbook:

• I consulted sex educators and owners of sex-toy shops. I’ve also consulted all manner of sex-toy users, from first-timers to people who use vibrators daily, including people across gender identities and sexualities.
• I attended several trade shows to better understand the growing and changing sex-toy market.
• In addition to testing vibrators myself, I recruited additional people to use the top contenders and share their feedback.
• Like all Wirecutter journalists, I review and test products with complete editorial independence. I’m never made aware of any business implications of my editorial recommendations. Read more about our editorial standards.

Vibrators are for everyone. And they can be a godsend in particular for people who are unable to reach clitoral orgasm easily from manual masturbation, oral sex, or penetrative intercourse alone. Many are also suitable for penile and nipple stimulation.

But buying sex toys can be an intimidating experience for newbies and experienced users alike, and not just due to the buyer’s shyness. High-quality sex toys are often expensive and nonreturnable, you have hundreds (if not thousands) of sex-toy models to choose from, and the criteria for what makes a good sex toy can be highly subjective. Determining what toy will work top for you based on reviews can be difficult because every person’s sexual response is different. Nobody wants to spend $100-plus on a toy that turns out to be a dud.

We’ve focused on toys that will work well for most people, including beginners. We’ve also included a budget option for anyone who is looking to test the waters before diving in.

We identified several vibrator features that were most important to our experts, our testers, and a general sample of sex-toy owners:

• sufficiently powerful stimulation to induce an orgasm (one tester listed her top three criteria as “strong vibrations, strong vibrations, strong vibrations!”)
• multiple or variable speeds
  
• made of high-quality, easy-to-clean, nonporous body-safe material, such as silicone or ABS plastic
• long battery life, with a priority on rechargeable devices
• easy to hold and easy to operate, with intuitive functions

We also considered warranty coverage.

Across 11 years of testing, we’ve relied on 12 people — ranging in age from early 20s to late 70s — to compare vibrators. Prior to participating in our tests, all of our panelists had used vibrators and were reliably able to achieve orgasm through vibrator use, though some were more experienced than others. We instructed our testers to use each toy themselves and to incorporate these toys into partner play when possible. We’ve also solicited long-term testing feedback, including from folks who bought their first vibrators based on the advice in this handbook.

We’ve evaluated battery life by cycling the devices on and off for 20 minutes until they died, assessed overheating by letting them run for extended periods, and tested the water-submersible function of waterproof vibrators. We’ve also tested interactions with lubricants.

Top pick

The top vibrator

Magic Wand Rechargeable

No toy matches the power and intensity of the widely beloved Magic Wand. The intense stimulation it provides can be particularly helpful for people experiencing diminished libido or sensitivity.

$130 from Amazon

$131 from Adam & Eve

$135 from Lovehoney

We recommend the Magic Wand Rechargeable, an improved version of the ultra-powerful Magic Wand Original. The cordless Rechargeable model offers twice as many levels of stimulation as the Original version — including gentler options — plus an assortment of vibration patterns, an easy-to-clean silicone head, and a rechargeable battery that works with or without the power cord, with no significant decrease in power in the latter case.

It works. Virtually all of our testers reported that the Magic Wand was the only toy in our test group that could consistently bring them to an intense climax quickly, intuitively, effectively, and predictably. In an essay published in the book Mothers Who Think, sex expert Susie Bright calls the Magic Wand a “miracle” because its power enables many users to have an orgasm within 60 seconds. Multiple academic research studies have found that prescribing the Magic Wand is one of the most effective therapies for women who struggle with chronic anorgasmia, or the inability to reach orgasm.

“The top penis toy, in my opinion, is the Magic Wand,” a tester who helped us review penis strokers told us. Using it on the frenulum (the underside of the penis head) or perineum (the flesh between the genitals and anus), they said, is “pure bliss.”

Several trans-feminine people we interviewed also expressed that the Magic Wand was integral to their gender-affirming masturbation experiences.

The rechargeable battery is sufficiently long-lasting. It lasted three and a half hours, spread out over a series of 20-minute intervals, at maximum speed; it may last longer at lower speeds. If it runs out of power, you can connect it to the removable AC cord and continue using it.

It offers a variety of speeds and vibrations. The Rechargeable version has four intensity settings, two more than the Original model. You control it with three buttons: The first turns the vibrator on, the second cycles through four speeds ranging from relatively gentle to face-meltingly intense, and the third cycles through four vibration patterns (alternating long and short pulses, a slow long pulse, a fast short pulse, and a low-to-high “wave”). The console lights up with blue bars to indicate the strength of the vibration. People who might have previously needed to use the Original version through a blanket or pants may find the lower, gentler settings of the Rechargeable model to be more comfortable.