Thursday, December 27, 2012

MY.SIZE: Find your perfect sized condom (or not)

Most of the condom companies produce one or few condom sizes, and anyway all the sizes are in a narrow range (from 49 to 57mm).

Some companies have decided to address this issue, by proposing a wide range of sizes:
  • Coripa produces 55 sizes,
  • TheyFit produces 95 sizes, with 12 nominal widths (from 41 to 69mm). See my review here.
MY.SIZE company decided to take an intermediate path by proposing 7 different nominal widths (from 47mm to 69mm), but only one length per width.

In order to choose, 3 easy steps:
  1. Measure your erect penis circumference (by downloading their measuring tape, if you wish, but you don't have to),
  2. Enter the obtained value,
  3. get your MY.SIZE condom size.

 Measure

 

Fill in your erect penis circumference (girth)


Get your MY.SIZE condom size


This is very simple, but there are few drawbacks:
  • The proposed condom size applies only to the MY.SIZE brand. Do not use this size for another brand. Each producer can and does use its own recipe, which modifies the latex and condom properties. See here for explanations.
  • You can not choose your condom length. And MY.SIZE correlates circumference and length. If you have a large and short penis, the proposed MY.SIZE condom will be large and long. Example: a penis between 13 and 14cm girth and 15cm long would wear a 64mm condom which is 22.3cm long! This does not seem right. Please find below the chart:

MY.SIZE is a great concept, but I am not sure it can fulfill the needs of most people, because of the pointed drawbacks.

On top of it, the calculations differ between the official website and some on-line shop and distributors.
Example: VINICO proposes a 57mm MY.SIZE condom for 130mm penis girth and a 60mm for a 135mm penis girth.
This kind of inconsistency is not good for the business as it does not give confidence.

TENGA fitting: the art of customer care (and masturbation)

Today we will focus on a Japanese company which is revolutionizing the sex toy universe for male. 
We will not focus on the toys themselves or on the art of masturbation (I leave it to each individual's preference) but rather on the tool they developed on-line in order to help men choose the best fitting toy, based on their erect penile dimensions. Indeed, this gives a strong echo to the way condoms should be chosen:

TENGA fitting

The tool itself requires few information inputs:
  • the erect penis length,
  • the erect head diameter,
  • the erect shaft diameter,
  • plus two information directed towards masturbation taste:
    • the desired strength,
    • the feeling point (where you most enjoy stimulation).


By clicking on the Start Analysis button, you are given a list of the three toys supposed to better fit your needs:

TENGA has also created a nice blog:

I was particularly interested in their post about the 500 000 Japanese measured thanks to the TENGA fitting tool.

From the data gathered on the Japanese version, they created the “average erect penis” in Japan. Of course it can not be considered as a scientific study, but there may very well be some truth in it as the customers have absolutely no interest whatsoever in cheating.
NB: They plan to do the same with the international version, once they get enough data.
For fun, I used the tool to create the "average penises" of the different studies reported here:
 

Few superficial remarks:
  • I used the shaft diameter as the head diameter every time this data was missing.
  • Do not trust too much the length as it is almost impossible to know how it was recorded (pressing or not on the pubic bone...).
  • Japanese penises look more like a "mushroom" type penis, contrary to the Germans who have a glans diameter smaller than the shaft diameter. 
  • Once again, the differences between these different studies are very small, and I am not even sure the differences are statistically significant.
To finish here is what the world average (based on these studies) would look like, as well as the perfect toy match:

1) Deep throat cup (US) 2) Soft tube cup and 3) Deep throat cup (soft)

To conclude, the TENGA website in general and the TENGA fitting in particular are funny, customer oriented and professional. 
This is mainly lacking in the condom industry, even if some progress has been done lately - particularly TheyFit company, the best overall condom supplier out there. I would love to see so well designed condom websites.



Sunday, October 7, 2012

TheyFit measurement fitting: great idea

After Condomerie, and other companies like Vinico, TheyFit created a tool to help people choosing the correct condom size.



3 easy steps:
  1. Measure your erect penis
  2. Enter the obtained values and get your condom size thanks to the TheyFit circumference code
  3. Fill in the code to order your fitting condoms

There is also a refinement. One can choose his own fitting style:

In order to know which erect penile girths correspond to each TheyFit girth code, you will find below a chart reporting, for each fitting style, and each TheyFit code:
  • The condom size (nominal lay flat width - or half circumference), 
  • The minimum and maximum advised erect penis circumference 
  • The corresponding condom stretch

One can easily notice that the linear relationship between condom and erect penis size is broken. This is explained by two main facts:
  1. the elastic modulus tends to decrease with the increase in quantity of latex (when the condom size increases, the condom stretches more easily).
  2. TheyFit modifies its latex formula (recipe) depending on the condom circumference.

This has been brilliantly explained by Gerofi:

The actual pressure and force on the penis depends on the relative circumferences of the penis and condom, the thickness of the rubber, and its elastic modulus.
 
In the normal domain of use, the latex elastic modulus can be considered as constant, which in turn, gives a linear relationship between condom and penis girth: the force to apply is directly proportional to the increase in circumference.

What TheyFit does is input ammonia to the formula to decrease the force to apply (and thus increase the elasticity of the condom) whenever they feel it is necessary. Other molecules can be added to get different effects.

Therefore, CondomSizeAndFacts has only one advice to give: whenever a producer gives its own instructions for use, concerning the relationship between condom and penis size, follow them. Otherwise, you can use the data collected in this blog to pre-select your concom size. In fine, only trying it will allow a final decision.

Anyway, I spotted some data which look like some inconsistencies: the 64mm condom size is proposed to only 1% of the population, the 69mm one to only 0.02% (a company would not sell products representing 0.02% of its market, unless it reaches its economical lot size)... Either the erect penis girth data are erroneous or there is some important piece of information missing. TheyFit data would shade some light on it, but I am not sure they would be willing to share it.


To conclude, a great tool, a nice success, but a few glitches which deserve to be ironed up... Or better explained!

TheyFit company is certainly one of the best company in the world, thanks to their underlying concept (supply the largest choice of sizes), to their great will to communicate and to participate in the information of the population about the importance to have proper fitting condoms.

They definitely deserve the best possible success.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Condomerie perfect fit tool: sized to fit condoms

Many people have been waiting for such a tool for a (very) long time. Condomerie finally did it: they created a tool to help people determine their correct condom size based on their erect penis dimensions.

Condomerie perfect fit: sized to fit condoms


3 easy steps:
  1. Measure your erect penis
  2. Enter the obtained values and get your condom size thanks to the CAS index
  3. Check the different advised condoms


You can enter your erect penis circumference and length either by using the slides or by typing it in. For the ones who are not used to the international system of measure, a conversion tool in inches is proposed:


Once done, you can read your result:


For the ones not used to the CAS index, a shortcut is proposed:


The condomerie shop proposes different brands corresponding to your calculated size:



The tool is very impressive. It gives very accurate results.
However, one could notice that Condomerie took a bit safer approach than what was proposed in this blog (The condom size wizard). Each CAS size is proposed for a stretch percentage between 15% and 21% while the condom size wizard takes a more comfortable approach (between 10 and 15%).

Anyway, congratulations to the Condomerie shop. May they carry on participating in education for many more years.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Correct condom fit confirmed by condom industry

On its web site, Kimono condoms company created a pretty nice condom information page. Among other subjects, the condom size issue is nicely treated. This is rare enough in the condom industry to be quoted:

Average Penis Size
Penis Length: Many studies report the average erect penis length is about 6 inches. Anywhere from 5 inches to 7 inches is a common erect penis length.
Penis Girth: Many studies report the average girth of an erect penis is about 4.5 inches. Anywhere from 4 inches to 5 inches is a common girth for an erect penis.

Condom Size & Penis Size
IMPORTANT: to prevent slipping, the condom girth should always be smaller than the penis girth (circumference)
Small condoms
– recommended for a penis under 5 inches in length, or under 4 inches in girth (condom girth less than 3.9 inches)
Standard condoms – recommended for a penis between 5-7 inches in length, or 4-5 inches in girth (condom girth 4.0 - 4.39 inches)
Large condoms – recommended for a penis over 7 inches in length, or over 5 inches girth (condom girth 4.40+ inches)

On top of it, they provide an interesting condom size chart whose data where obtained from product purchased in the market place:


Condom Brand Name
Condom Size
Condom Length (inches)
Girth/Circumference
estimated (inches)
Latex Thickness (mm @ 90 mm point from open end)
Kimono MicroThin
Standard
7.48
4.10
0.049
Kimono MicroThin Plus Aqua Lube
Standard
7.48
4.10
0.049
Kimono MicroThin Large
Large
7.68
4.68 (head width)
4.10 (body width)
0.055
Kimono MicroThin Ribbed + Sensi-Dots
Standard
7.48
4.10
0.065
Kimono Thin
Standard
7.48
4.10
0.055
Trojan Bare Skin
Standard
7.26
4.26
0.046
Trojan Ecstasy
Standard
8.19
4.38
0.095
Trojan Ultra Thin
Standard
7.26
4.22
0.055
Trojan Stimulations Ultra Ribbed
Standard
7.31
4.24
0.121
Trojan Magnum Thin
Large
7.53
4.44
0.080
Lifestyles THYN
Standard
7.30
4.12
0.059
Lifestyles Ultra Sensitive
Standard
7.20
4.18
0.074
Lifestyles Ultra Thin
Standard
7.38
4.22
0.061
Lifestyles KYNG
Large
7.33
4.44
0.075
Durex Extra Sensitive
Large
7.98
4.42
0.059
Durex Extra Sensitive Ribbed
Standard
7.27
4.10
0.076
Durex Pleasuremax
Large
7.76
4.44
0.114
Crown Skinless
Standard
7.21
4.14
0.062
All details here: http://www.kimono-condoms.com/condom-size.html

A few remarks though:
- Concerning the large size condom, also called magnum condoms, Kimono condoms takes a safe 13% ratio between the erect penis circumference and the condom girth (2 times the condom size). This is consistent with the data reported in this blog.

- The "legendary" trojan magnum condom is not so mythical after all (no pun intended). This is a large condom among others. Somebody with a 5in erect penis girth can wear a magnum condom (be careful, to prevent slipping, to choose a tight enough condom).

- For the standard and small size condoms, always ensure that your erect penis circumference is quite bigger than the condom girth.


Sunday, February 19, 2012

The average erect penis girth may be even smaller than previously thought


As demonstrated previously,
the average erect penis circumference of western men is 121.67mm +- 13.34mm (4.79in +- 0.53in).
It actually may be significantly lower.

The condom requirements were disclosed during an eight-month study conducted by the Institute of Condom Consultancy, based in Singen, southern Germany. The purpose of the survey was to educate teenagers about the importance of effective contraception.
10 477 men from 25 European Union member countries were therefore surveyed on their penis length and girth.

The European erect penis girth averaged around 117mm (4.61in)

This is slightly below the results from scientific studies. This is surprising as usually the self-reported surveys give significantly higher results. For example the French came out on top with a claimed average girth of 136.3mm. Jan Vinzenz Krause, the institute's director, refused to comment on how honest he thought the Frenchmen had been in reporting the data. Clearly some wishful thinking or even lies were involved in this result.I invite you to follow this very sensitive and funny link:
http://www.thesniper.us/?tag=condom-sizes

To conclude, depending on the country and its culture, people may be more or less honest in reporting their actual penis size and if the average ends up below the one from scientific studies, it could reflects that some bias inherent to these studies have been eliminated. One could even say that the true average may be even below 117mm...


World average

This is more tricky. But one could take into account the few scientific studies realised in Asia, which represents at least half the world population.

Here is a chart reporting the main studies in the world concerning the average erect penis circumference (girth):
NB: The different kinds of measurement method (self-report after training, pharmacologically induced erections...) are equivalent as demonstrated brillantly:

The world average erect penis circumference is anywhere between 114 and 118mm (4.49 and 4.65in).

No reliable data from Africa were found. But from the Kinsey data, it appears that the difference between Caucasian and African averages could be neglected.


References:
K Promodu, K V Shanmughadas, S Bhat and K R Nair. Penile length and circumference: an Indian study. International Journal of Impotence Research (2007) 19, 558–563

Institut für Kondomberatung. Europäische Penisgrößenstudie.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

The Condom Size Wizard

The Condom Size Wizard or how to find the right condom size
Welcome to the Condom Size Wizard, a tool to determine the best fitting condom to your erect penis.

The condom size is the width when laid flat. Therefore the condom size corresponds to half the condom circumference. 

As discussed here, Determination of a correct measuring system, the choice of the correct condom size depends greatly on the girth, or circumference, of the erect penis.



Please provide your erect penis circumference (girth):
The diameter of the erection is therefore: mm or inches

Depending on its size, a condom will be more or less stretched with this erect penis circumference. Please find below a chart reporting the stretch percentage depending on the most common condom sizes:

condom size (mm) 45 47 49 52 53 54 57 60 64 69
Condom stretch % % % % % % % % % %

As one can understand, not all condom sizes will fit a given erect penis circumference. As a matter of fact, the condom stretch should be between 10% and 20%, a good compromise between comfort and safety.


The Condom Size Wizard (or how to find the right condom size)
Condom Best Fit and other possible fits




Please provide your erect penis circumference (girth) to find out the perfect condom fit. Then you can select the perfect condom fit to see on the last list the other possible condom fits.


NB: this tool is only a general guideline. In case a condom company provides specific instructions about the condom and erect penis size correspondence, please follow them.

Also try out this Condom Size Calculator to see what exact condoms you should buy.