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"No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap."
--Carrie Snow

"A mistake is simply another way of doing things."
--Katharine Graham

Check out the list we posted here: http://www.scarleteen.com/shop/safer.html

Lotz of people say Trojans are good, but I think they say that because thats really the only brand that they know, because its on TV all the time. I dislike those commercials so much, they are just annoying.

Latex, like any manufactured material, varies widely in it's quality from company to company and manufacturer to manufacturer. The cut is another biggie. Trojans tend to have the smallest cut of nearly any other brand, and a too-snug fit is going to contribute to breakage. In fact, it never fails that most condom breakage stories I hear (and boy, we hear plenty of'em) are with Trojan condoms.

Trojans are the most merketed in the states, and it is what most people use first because they have some name recognition.

But to be as honest as I can, if I had to choose between having intercourse with a Trojan condom and not having it at all, it'd turn out to be a very quiet and solitary evening. Bleck.

SafeSense (formerly Condom Sense) which I like a lot and where I have bought condoms in bulk for years now, has some great basic info on every condom they sell that can give you a better idea when comparing brands.

For instance, look at three varieties of very thin condoms: a Trojan Very Thin, the thinnest Trojans offers, a Crown Skinless (a less common brand as far as drugstores, but easy as heck to find in any condom store) and a Kimono MicroThin (which rates as one of the strongest condoms by FDA standards as well as one of the thinnest, and most health food chains carry them) and the measurements listed for them by the very helpful folks at SafeSense:

Trojan-Enz Nonlubricated:
length=199mm
width=53mm
thickness=.06mm

Crown Skinless
length=185mm
width=54mm
thickness=.047mm

Kimono Microthin
length=180mm
Width=54mm
thickness=.05mm

You'll notice that Trojans tend to be longer than most condoms, which is a bit silly since the shortest condom I have ever seen stretches easily to halfway up my arm. On the other hand, look at the width and thickness: they are less wide, which is what bothers most men and makes for a too-snug fit, and they are thicker than the other brands. In fact, their thinnest condom is actually the same thickness as other brands regular condoms, like Lifestyles.

The other thing to bear in mind is that international brands, or brands from other countries imported here have to pass stricter FDA standards than American-made condoms, like Trojans, do.

Hope that helps. Dear god, I'm a latex geek. The things I do for you!

Anyway, specifics, we like the Durex High Sensation Ribbed, no spermicide! They're wider in diameter, so my boyfriend finds them to be much more comfortable. I do like the textured condoms. Durex feel more comfortable for both of us, can't really explain it, it just does.

And as always, Astroglide personal lube. good schtuff!

I had a condom break on me once. And surely enough, it was a Trojan.

Really, I've said it before and I'll say it again (and believe me, I wouldn't say so if it wasn't, because it doesn't make us any pals): Trojans are very poor quality condoms. They're cut badly, and they don't wear well.

Do bear in mind that the FDA standards for condoms made in America are much less stringent than other countires regulations on condoms.

Emsily's brand list is all good in my experience, and so far as testing and stats go. And I'm still with Joryuu, Kimonos *are* the best thing on the planet, though the Microthins have a ring that may not work for very wise penises, but Maxx condoms are also a Kimono brand.

Wise penises? That is definitely one of the funniest typos I've ever seen Miz Scarlet. At least I hope that was a typo. If not, how would I know how wise a penis is? Should I give it an intelligence test before deciding which kind of condom to put on it?

Wise penises? That is definitely one of the funniest typos I've ever seen Miz Scarlet. At least I hope that was a typo. If not, how would I know how wise a penis is? Should I give it an intelligence test before deciding which kind of condom to put on it?

And as some good news, a spell-checking plug-in will be coming soon for this board, so I may soon be spared from being the butt of jokes all the time.

They reconstructed them as best they could (given pretty unsophisticated plastic surgery techniques at the time), so they don't look totally bizarre, but I they don't work for light contact activities light typing because 1) I have very little feeling in them and 2) the first finger is made from cartiledge that kida flops over when I try and push something with it.

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Heather Corinna
Editor and Founder, Scarleteen

TA

(PS. DONT WORRY, I'M NOT DAFT ENOUGH TO HAVE TOTALLY UNPROTECTED SEX, I AM ON THE PILL)

Next time you have a question, feel free to start a new topic, so it will be more noticable. Would you mind taking off the CAPS lock, too ?

Oh, and Welcome to Scarleteen!