Dildo or Dildon't #4: SheVibe

I’m going across the pond for the next instalment of Dildo or Dildon’t, to have a look at independently owned and everything- positive online sex toy retailer SheVibe. They’re one of my personal favourites, so I’m pleased to have a chance to share some of their best bits with you all.

I fell in love with SheVibe as soon as I saw their website for the first time, not least because their whole style appealed so much to my inner nerd.

Their mock comic book cover art even has a CCA seal on it - who doesn’t love that level of attention to detail, hmm? The comics theme continues throughout the website, and is actually a lot of fun; some of the little comic strips at the top of the various category pages are genuinely funny, and the whole idea makes the site a joy to browse. I’m not so much of a fan of the way they’ve laid out the actual products - I’d rather have larger photographs - but it’s a nice-looking site nonetheless.

Their range is huge, and their customer service has in my experience always been good. They’ve shipped to me surprisingly fast given how many thousands of miles away from them I am, and I’ve never had any problems with them.

They do sell some of the obligatory dubious nonsense we’ve all come to expect from shops like this (seriously, guys, nobody’s using this stuff), but I particularly like their focus on sexual health. Their condom range is pretty extensive and includes both femidoms and dental dams, neither of which are all that widely available.

A Showcase: Best Bits from SheVibe

SheVibe have a wide range, and there’s a lot there worth looking at twice. I’ve thrown together a quick list of some of their best products, to help you get an idea of what to expect.

● There’s a pretty heavy emphasis on sex toys that look good as well as doing their job well, and I appreciate that. There are a few things that are practically works of art - I particularly like these gorgeous polished wooden dildos and these stunning handmade glass offerings from the excellently named artisan sex toy studio Fucking Sculptures -whose slogan, I am delighted to note, is

SheVibe also has a range of stone and ceramic dildos, which I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anywhere else. Fans of glass sex toys might enjoy their range of glass vibrators, cleverly designed to be the best of both worlds.

● When I was buying my first rabbit vibe, I was distinctly put off by the fact that everything looked so tacky and had a fucking face on it. My very first dual simulator had both a bunny face and a mermaid face on; I was never really a fan. In recent years, thankfully, this trend has diminished somewhat; SheVibe have a gorgeous range of classy rabbit vibes, with lots of clean lines and scarcely a disconcertingly childlike grin in sight. My own next purchase is almost certainly going to be one of these.

● Of course, that dedication to aesthetics extends to the kitsch as well as the classy! If you like a little more fun with your orgasms, I’d point you toward SheVibe’s large selection of vibrating apples, ducks, hammers and weird hedgehog-looking things. They even have a vibrating necklace.

● Those of you who enjoyed my recent review of The Eroscillator may be pleased to discover that SheVibe has an entire section devoted to its various models, all at reasonable prices.

The Ask Abi Seal of Approval

My liking of this site really comes from two things: the look of the place (c’mon, it’s pretty awesome, right) and the fact that they focus so specifically on appealing to people of all genders. Most sex toys are for AFAB people, of course, but a lot of the way they’re marketed is aimed squarely at the male gaze; SheVibe aren’t doing that.

I’m giving SheVibe four and a half out of five stars.

I love what they’re doing and they’d be my first port of call if I lived in the US; as it is, they’re always somewhere I check when I’m searching for something specific. They could play even better to the audience they seem to be courting if they tried harder to use gender-neutral language, though; it’d be great to see more “mainstream” sex toy shops making an effort to do that.

Abi Brown is a freelance writer and general pen-for-hire devoted to sexual deviancy, far-left politics and wearing too much jewellery. Find her at her website or @see_abi_write.