After a week off, this week’s condom review is Durex Max Love which is 20% thinner than the average condom.

Bright red package with pretty hearts it’s easy to pick out among the crowd. Latex based and lubricated, when we opened the package (which was totally simple and ripped clean and quick) it smelled like walking into a tire shop that had a pot of flowers at the entrance. As I’ve pointed out before, I’m a guy of exceeding mediumness so I was pleased to find that this was designed with a diameter to accommodate. A quick easy 1-handed roll down and we were off to the races. For latex it transmitted temperature quite well but the sensation was just a tiny bit lacking, both very unusual things for latex. The taste was a bit in contrast to the smell, not unpleasant.

Ease of use 5.0
Sensation 4.25
Taste/Fragrance 4.0

This week’s condom review is the Pleasure Plus which features a pouch for extra flopping room.

A non serrated edge made it a little rougher to open than it should have been, and the tear mark wasn’t as easy to manipulate as I wish it had been. It didn’t have a particularly strong smell which is a surprise for a latex based condom, but what it lacked in smell, it more than made up for in a less than pleasing taste. While it wasn’t disgusting by any stretch, my partner let me know that she could think of many other things she’d rather have in her mouth. The claim to fame for the pleasure plus is the “pleasure pouch” on the underside with slight ribbing. It felt at first after rolling it down (which was a simple task, saving it from a complete losing score in ease of use) like it was just a loose fitting condom, but once we got to business I could feel the extra sensation it was meant to provide. It may be because the piercing kept it from rubbing against the sensitive under-head as it was supposed to, but while a novel feeling at first, it eventually became slightly annoying. I could feel her fairly well, but the fact that I was feeling something extra I didn’t really need didn’t do too much for me.

Ease of use 3.5
Sensation 3.5
Taste/Fragrance 4.0

This week’s condom review is the Durex Avanti which is another non-latex condom. This one is made out of polyurethane like the Trojan Supras.

It comes in a dark package with purple highlights which while very attractive would probably be tough to spot in the dark if you’re one of those couples who’s afraid to leave some light on. It’s not latex based, so it doesn’t have much of a scent and transmits sensation a bit better than most of the latex varieties but not nearly as good as the polyisoprene. We were a bit turned off by the fact that the lube that it comes equipped with had a bit of numbing sensation in the mouth, which while excellent for those who have a hard time taking a mouthful, was a little disconcerting when it wasn’t expected. The wrapper was easy to open, but unrolling it became a 2-handed operation, costing it points.

Ease of use 4.0
Sensation 4.0
Taste/Fragrance 5.0

**Note: The polyurethane Avanti’s have recently been discontinued and are only available in select locations for a limited time. Apparently the polyisoprene in the Lifesytles SKYNs is so much better that Durex has changed the Avanti’s to the same material. The new ones are called Avanti Bare.**

This week’s condom review is the newest non-latex condom on the market and by far our reviewer’s favorite, Lifestyle SKYN.

Of all the condoms I’ve had the pleasure/displeasure of using, these are far and away my favorites. Non-latex based, they have no unpleasing smells, no awful taste, and to make an extremely long metaphor, if my penis were an ear on a phone and her vagina was a pin dropping, these condoms would have been sprint’s landline service of the 1980s. The packaging is shiny making it easy to find at night, the serrated edges make them easy to open, and they roll on pretty easily. Try not to have much moisture on your boy pieces before rolling them on, because they will slip a little during vigorous thrusting. These are far and away my favorite condoms and carry my strongest recommendation.

Ease of use 5.0
Sensation 4.99
Taste/Fragrance 5.0

This week’s condom review is the Trojan Supra, which is one of the few non-latex condoms on the market.

A non-latex condom, these seemed to, like most of the other alternative material condoms, transmit warmth and sensation much more efficiently. They came in an attractive shiny gold foil package which was thankfully easy to spot when navigating only by the moonlight coming in through the blinds. The package took a second attempt to tear open but still came open without TOO much trouble. They rolled on over the piercings with ease and didn’t take any effort to roll completely down. The rubber ring around the bottom provided adequate grip to prevent slippage even through pretty vigorous activity. The units seemed to absorb moisture, but a couple drops of eros fixed that and it was smooth sailing from there out. The biggest upside to this variety was the complete lack of smell or taste. Being part of a monogamous couple who uses condoms only for their contraceptive properties, it’s pretty important that an unpleasant taste not be left on the skin after use.

Ease of use 4.5
Sensation 4.0
Taste/Fragrance 5.0

This week’s condom review is the Kimono MicroThin.

Despite being called MicroThin, and maybe even actually BEING micro thin, these units had the most godawful ability to absorb sensation and transport it into the ether, never to be felt again. I thought maybe on initial try, maybe a bad day was to blame, but on second try, my suspicions were confirmed. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that a secret ingredient in the condom formulation was cement. They
were a little snug which made me, being a guy of exceptionally medium proportions, feel pretty good about myself. Sadly, that’s the only pleasant thing I have to say about the Kimono MicroThins. When we removed them for the final part of the review, they left a rather icky rubbery taste along with a smell that accurately foreshadowed said flavor. The packaging was a little thick, and thus harder to tear open, but they went on fairly smoothly. That isn’t nearly enough to salvage them as a functional condom.

Ease of use 4.5
Sensation 2.0
Taste/Fragrance 2.5

All ratings are out of 5.