Took me years to figure out condoms come in sizes

[Mi****]

Old lesson for me but worth passing on. I spent years assuming condoms were just uncomfortable by design, because that's what everyone says about them. Turns out they come in sizes and the measurement that matters is girth, not length. The number on the box is nominal width.
What bugs me looking back is that it wasn't only comfort. Too tight breaks more, too loose slips more, so I was getting less protection the whole time and didn't know it. Check the nominal width rather than the word large, since large isn't standardized between brands.
Anyone else take way too long to find this out?

[Emily-4998]

Till i was 30

[Sy****]

This is why I have the guy buy his own, I definitely disliked hearing “Just buy for me” like I’m supposed to know the correct sizing 😂

[pa****]

They should have sizing charts with little holes like you’re trying to find a screw at Lowe’s

[KD****]

Hex Condoms have been my favorite; they don’t feel restrictive and come in sizes

[Fu****]

... You've got to be shitting me, that makes it so much easier.

[da****]

Hahahaha wow

[Mi****]

31 minutes ago, KDKush said:

Hex Condoms have been my favorite; they don’t feel restrictive and come in sizes

Just looked these up, LELO HEX, and I can see the appeal. The hexagonal structure thing is a real design idea, not just marketing

Price is the wall for me though. Where I checked, a 12 pack runs around seventy Canadian. I landed on SKYN Elite Large for my fit and that's about eleven Canadian for twelve condoms, so I can buy six packs for the price of one HEX. At the rate I'd go through them that difference adds up fast.

Worth knowing they're different materials too. HEX is natural latex, SKYN is polyisoprene, so if you or a partner has any latex sensitivity that's the deciding factor before price even comes up. Lube rules are the same for both though, water or silicone only, no oil on either.

If you've got the budget I'd still be curious how HEX compares on feel, since the fit sounds like it's in the same range.

[KD****]

28 minutes ago, MisterLove69 said:

Just looked these up, LELO HEX, and I can see the appeal. The hexagonal structure thing is a real design idea, not just marketing

Price is the wall for me though. Where I checked, a 12 pack runs around seventy Canadian. I landed on SKYN Elite Large for my fit and that's about eleven Canadian for twelve condoms, so I can buy six packs for the price of one HEX. At the rate I'd go through them that difference adds up fast.

Worth knowing they're different materials too. HEX is natural latex, SKYN is polyisoprene, so if you or a partner has any latex sensitivity that's the deciding factor before price even comes up. Lube rules are the same for both though, water or silicone only, no oil on either.

If you've got the budget I'd still be curious how HEX compares on feel, since the fit sounds like it's in the same range.

I don’t know how it ‘feels’ because it doesn’t. Like yeah the sensitivity is still less than raw; but it doesn’t feel like something is ‘on’ I haven’t tried the skyn ones, I’ll give them a shot. I’d have trouble keeping an erection with most condoms; they feel like they squeeze the life out of me, so when I found these and they worked, I just stuck with it.

Didn’t think about the price because no matter the price; kids are more expensive. After a quick Amazon search; a 36 pack is $20 American; maybe Canadian prices are affected by crossing the boarder or something.

[lo****]

From a girls perspective skyns are yucky and make me smell weird 😣

[Mi****]

44 minutes ago, KDKush said:

I don’t know how it ‘feels’ because it doesn’t. Like yeah the sensitivity is still less than raw; but it doesn’t feel like something is ‘on’ I haven’t tried the skyn ones, I’ll give them a shot. I’d have trouble keeping an erection with most condoms; they feel like they squeeze the life out of me, so when I found these and they worked, I just stuck with it.

Didn’t think about the price because no matter the price; kids are more expensive. After a quick Amazon search; a 36 pack is $20 American; maybe Canadian prices are affected by crossing the boarder or something.

Kids are more expensive is the correct math and honestly the whole reason I care about getting this right. I'm planning to stay child free long term, seriously enough that a vasectomy is on the table eventually, so the barrier is doing real work for me and I'd rather it be one I don't dread using.
I think I found the price gap though. HEX Original is 54mm and Respect XL is 58mm, and Original is way cheaper. My seventy was for the XL, your twenty was probably the Original. Which is interesting on its own, because 54 is basically standard width and you said most condoms squeeze the life out of you. Might mean what fixed it for you was the material and the structure rather than extra room.

Almost raw is exactly what I'm chasing and SKYN is the closest I've gotten. HEX is going on the list. Appreciate you actually digging into it instead of just naming a brand

[Mi****]

3 minutes ago, lovekillsslowly said:

From a girls perspective skyns are yucky and make me smell weird 😣

That's actually really useful to know and I don't think you're imagining it. I went looking and SKYN adds what they call a sensual masking agent, which is a fragrance, apparently patchouli oil.

Condoms aren't required to list ingredients so there's no way to know that from the box. Fragrance near sensitive tissue is a known irritant, so a reaction to it makes complete sense.

Kind of annoying that I've been using these for a while and had no idea there was added scent in them. If you've landed on something fragrance free that actually works, I'd take the recommendation, that's a factor I hadn't even thought to check for

[KD****]

7 minutes ago, MisterLove69 said:

Kids are more expensive is the correct math and honestly the whole reason I care about getting this right. I'm planning to stay child free long term, seriously enough that a vasectomy is on the table eventually, so the barrier is doing real work for me and I'd rather it be one I don't dread using.
I think I found the price gap though. HEX Original is 54mm and Respect XL is 58mm, and Original is way cheaper. My seventy was for the XL, your twenty was probably the Original. Which is interesting on its own, because 54 is basically standard width and you said most condoms squeeze the life out of you. Might mean what fixed it for you was the material and the structure rather than extra room.

Almost raw is exactly what I'm chasing and SKYN is the closest I've gotten. HEX is going on the list. Appreciate you actually digging into it instead of just naming a brand

No friend I was looking at both; regular $20 XL $22; I didn’t think the $2 was worth mentioning.

[lo****]

8 minutes ago, MisterLove69 said:

That's actually really useful to know and I don't think you're imagining it. I went looking and SKYN adds what they call a sensual masking agent, which is a fragrance, apparently patchouli oil.

Condoms aren't required to list ingredients so there's no way to know that from the box. Fragrance near sensitive tissue is a known irritant, so a reaction to it makes complete sense.

Kind of annoying that I've been using these for a while and had no idea there was added scent in them. If you've landed on something fragrance free that actually works, I'd take the recommendation, that's a factor I hadn't even thought to check for

I forgot the brand but they were unscented lamb skin and those worked. I can’t remember how he felt cuz he turned into a bf at that time and we stopped using them😅

[TJ****]

I will take stories that aren't true for $6000! Your dick is less impressive than your story telling. Enough mother goose, we have had enough of you incels.

[Mi****]

7 minutes ago, TJETAT said:

I will take stories that aren't true for $6000! Your dick is less impressive than your story telling. Enough mother goose, we have had enough of you incels.

Thread's about condom fit and sizing, happy to keep talking about that with anyone who wants to and can relate.

[Bi****]

Only found out because you informed me! 9 out of 10 broke for me...

[Mi****]

25 minutes ago, lovekillsslowly said:

I forgot the brand but they were unscented lamb skin and those worked. I can’t remember how he felt cuz he turned into a bf at that time and we stopped using them😅

Pretty sure that was Trojan Naturalamb, it's the only lambskin one still made.
Worth flagging for anyone reading though, lambskin is pregnancy protection only. The pores stop sperm but not viruses, so no STI protection at all, and the FDA requires that printed on the box. Fine inside a tested monogamous setup, not a general purpose pick.
Still, fragrance free is the useful lead for me, that's a factor I'd never thought to check.

Thx for your engagement in the thread!

[lo****]

3 minutes ago, MisterLove69 said:

Pretty sure that was Trojan Naturalamb, it's the only lambskin one still made.
Worth flagging for anyone reading though, lambskin is pregnancy protection only. The pores stop sperm but not viruses, so no STI protection at all, and the FDA requires that printed on the box. Fine inside a tested monogamous setup, not a general purpose pick.
Still, fragrance free is the useful lead for me, that's a factor I'd never thought to check.

Thx for your engagement in the thread!

Oh man I didn’t know it didn’t stop cooties my bad
Yesss we appreciate fragrance free🖤
And ty for accepting the engagement..ik men and women don’t really talk about this until you try it and it sucks lol

[Mi****]

5 minutes ago, lovekillsslowly said:

Oh man I didn’t know it didn’t stop cooties my bad
Yesss we appreciate fragrance free🖤
And ty for accepting the engagement..ik men and women don’t really talk about this until you try it and it sucks lol

Nothing to my bad about, that's exactly the point, it's printed on a box nobody reads and then never mentioned again anywhere. I only found it because you brought up the smell thing.

And that last part is the whole reason this thread turned out useful. Everyone finds this stuff out the hard way and then just quietly switches brands instead of saying anything

[KD****]

50 minutes ago, MisterLove69 said:

Kids are more expensive is the correct math and honestly the whole reason I care about getting this right. I'm planning to stay child free long term, seriously enough that a vasectomy is on the table eventually, so the barrier is doing real work for me and I'd rather it be one I don't dread using.
I think I found the price gap though. HEX Original is 54mm and Respect XL is 58mm, and Original is way cheaper. My seventy was for the XL, your twenty was probably the Original. Which is interesting on its own, because 54 is basically standard width and you said most condoms squeeze the life out of you. Might mean what fixed it for you was the material and the structure rather than extra room.

Almost raw is exactly what I'm chasing and SKYN is the closest I've gotten. HEX is going on the list. Appreciate you actually digging into it instead of just naming a brand

Do you put your responses in ChatGPT before sending them?

The XL are $22 and the original are $20. I think that comes to $30 Canadian?

[Mi****]

No, I don't use ChatGPT or any form of AI. I use a grammar and sentence corrector that I still use from high school, before any AI was ever born, because I know my writing isn't perfect. Happy to admit that. It would be a strange thing to lie about.

The tool only fixes errors. The thinking, arguments and final sentences are mine.

Edited 8 hours ago by MisterLove69

[lo****]

We all live different places…price seems irrelevant lol

[Ni****]

This is a great discussion, and I'm sure some that aren't posting can still read and benefit. My fave after trying many different XL sizes are Kimono MicroThin XL. $20 for $36 on Amazon currently. Natural latex, vegan, no weird smells or scents or perfumes, the closest I've found to bare and fits well. We all have different shaped anatomy, so just like shoe brands and model lines, it can be worth it to try different brands. My similar sized friend swears by Trojan Magnums, but I can't stand them. I'm V safe now and do testing. Highly recommended! Just get a highly rated Dr to perform it, and preferably with the newest technique for more reliability.

[ey****]

Using one that is too small can be uncomortable but shouldn't cause problems - there is a lot of stretch.

Using one that is too big is actually more likely to break or slip causing unwanted results. 

A lot of people do buy based on vanity.  In reality, unless you are excessively small or excessively big then "normal" should be fine - though apparently the small can be good for people who prefer a tighter fit, rather than it be any slight on their member.

There is a genuine problem of people who buy XL to make them feel better who are, well, not - it puts their partner at risk.