Condom recommendation request (possibly NSFW)

March 22, 2009 12:44 PM

Condom recommendation request (possibly NSFW).

I'm a grower, not a shower. My penis gets much bigger when erect. I've been happiest in the past with Trojan Magnums, but there are a couple of problems. It's pretty easy for the condom to come off after I lose my erection. Also, while they are plenty tight at the tip, I think they might not be tight enough at the base as it doesn't tend to stick there as well. I've tried using a few varieties of regular-sized condoms, but they get so tight when I am fully erect that it is actually painful. Maybe I would be better off with something with a size in-between or with a different shape?

Can you suggest brands, models, and retailers that might be better? I am in the U.S.

This is for penis-in-vagina sex, if it matters. Condom technique suggestions may be helpful.

As a side note for anyone else experiencing this problem. Female condoms solve these problems pretty well, and eliminate many issues involving keeping an erection while putting a condom on, but have problems of their own. First, I don't have a partner right now and I think most women are not used to them, so it's not a good initial plan. Second, I find them less satisfying somehow.

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (13 comments total)

my very gifted special friend really likes kimono microthin large condoms.
posted by lia at 12:51 PM on March 22 [2 favorites has favorites]

I think it's pretty typical for a condom to come off when you're soft - that's why the condom package admonishes users to take the thing off as soon after orgasm as possible. For PIV sex, I think it's common to limit post-climax movement and to reach down and pin the base of the condom while the man withdraws to prevent spillage.
posted by muddgirl at 12:54 PM on March 22 [1 favorite has favorites]

It's pretty easy for the condom to come off after I lose my erection.

This isn't just you. Condoms fall off if you lose your erection. They do it for me too, and I'm remarkably average in every way. It's just one of the little annoyances of using 'em.

The answer is to pull out sooner rather than later after you're finished, and to keep a hold on the base of the condom while you're pulling out so it doesn't slip. All the condom directions I've seen include these instructions, so I'm pretty sure they apply to everyone, "growers" and "showers" alike.
posted by nebulawindphone at 12:55 PM on March 22 [3 favorites has favorites]

I will second kimono microthin large. Excellent condom.
posted by hworth at 2:05 PM on March 22

Here is a chart of different condom sizes. The difference in width between "XL"-branded condoms and "regular" condoms is generally 2-3 millimeters. That's right MILLIMETERS.

I mean, I can fit a "regular"-sized condom over my arm. If your dick is bigger than my arm, it belongs in a penis museum.

I would say buy a bunch of different brands and then do a blind test and see what's most comfortable. Don't worry about what's written on the outside of the box.
posted by hamsterdam at 2:07 PM on March 22 [2 favorites has favorites]

OP: Maybe I would be better off with something with a size in-between or with a different shape?

Try some shaped ones, they may be the in-between that you need.

hamsterdam: The difference in width between "XL"-branded condoms and "regular" condoms is generally 2-3 millimeters. That's right MILLIMETERS.

Elementary math time!

Due to the cylindrical shape of condoms, and the roughly cylindrical shape of penises, a few millimeters difference in width (aka diameter) becomes—behold the magic of pi!—a difference of 0.5 < X < 1.0 centimeters in girth (aka circumference)
I mean, I can fit a "regular"-sized condom over my arm. If your dick is bigger than my arm, it belongs in a penis museum.

Notice how incredibly compressing it is on your arm when you do that? That's the force of the condom wanting to return to its size at fabrication; a force that is unpleasant on the penis when it's too great. That 0.5 < X < 1.0 centimeter of added condom girth reduces that force, in comparison to the narrower condom.
posted by CKmtl at 2:31 PM on March 22

Larger-than-Average partners I've had have had just as much luck with regular Trojans as the "Magnum." Durex tends to be sized smaller.

Holding the base of the condom after you've ejaculated is a tiny bit awkward if sexy proceedings are still underway but *does* prevent the condom from falling off. It can be done. Also, considering withdrawing right before you come and finishing manually if you're worried about condom disaster.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 2:32 PM on March 22

Condomania.com has custom fit condoms. I have never tried them* but they seem to have good reviews. They also have a fitment wizard that will point you towards commercial brands that might fit you better.

*By the time the penis measuring tool** arrived in the mail, my at-the-time girlfriend switched to the pill and I never bothered ordering any.

**More impressive than it sounds. Actually just a measuring tape type thing you cut out of a sheet of paper. I didn't have a printer at the time.
posted by danny the boy at 2:50 PM on March 22

***And I certainly wasn't going to print that out at work...
posted by danny the boy at 2:51 PM on March 22

Seconding the custom-fit condomania condoms; I was just coming in here to recommend them.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:23 PM on March 22

The Trojan Magnums are good, but my partner LOVED the custom-fit ones from Condomania.
posted by anderjen at 3:51 PM on March 22

I've found that unrolling it completely down helps. And make sure willy is dry before putting it on. It seems like if there's any extra material still rolled up, the rubber band thingy can be unpleasantly constricting.
posted by gjc at 4:32 PM on March 22

If you are particularly girthy rather than much longer-than-average, you might want to try Crown Skinless Skin condoms.
posted by thisjax at 5:50 PM on March 22