CONDOM GUIDE FEATURE
I Ladymates lubrication, but comes with Sensitivity: ‘ ‘ ‘ individual sachet of KY jelly. Confidence: ‘ ‘ " Comments: BS 3704 kitemarked
condoms are marked ‘for vaginal use only’. However, Scottish Aids Monitor recommend the Super Strong or Extra Strong if you are going to have anal sex. The gay couple tried these and the Gay Safe. Although the Gay Safe lagged
Packaging: ‘ ‘
Contoured, creamy with nonoxynol 9.
Comments: Both Assure and Ladymates have new ‘discreet’ packaging which did not impress our testers. Otherwise both were
functional. slightly on the sensitivity front, it was i by far the best in all other ways. The
} Durex burst during use.
I Mate; Ribbed l Heterosexual couples found them
Sensitivity (M) t l slightly less sensitive, but said they
(F) ‘ ‘ r ' r i are a good bet for extra security. One
couple said the Durex felt greasy.
ALLERGY
Confidence: ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Packaging: ‘ ‘ - Ribbed, cream coloured with
nonoxynol9. ; I Durex Allergy
I Durex Mouser ; Sensitivity: ' r r ’
Sensitivity: (M) ‘ ‘ ‘ 5 Confidence: ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘
(F) ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ 3 Packaging: ‘
Confidence; ‘ r ‘ ‘ r Straight sided, translucent condom. Packaging: ‘ ‘ The only hypo-allergenic condom on Coral coloured with ASL, i the market, for those who have an
I NVSH Fun l allergic reaction to rubber.
Sensitivity (M) " ‘ ‘ 3 Comments: Very ‘medicinal’ (F) ‘ ‘ ‘ ' " ; packaging, but otherwise good.
Confidence: ’ ' ‘ l
Packaging: ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Ribbed, cream coloured with I mates Mint Fragrances Sensitivity: ‘ ‘
lubricant. Comments: The ribbed condoms Confidence: ‘ ‘ ‘ Packaging: ‘ ‘ ‘
provided the widest range of opinions. One man found the Mates Straight sided, whitish without lubrication.
‘too tight, but at least it won’t fall off!’ while the Durex was sung. Comments: Poor sensitivity, but does not leave that tell tale ‘condom’
another said the Durex pinched but
the Mates was fine and a third found smell after sex. all three highly satisfactory. One I Durex Minty woman found the ribbing gave very I Sensitivity: ‘ ‘ ‘good arousal’, another found it ‘ Confidence: ‘ ‘ ‘ scratchy and a third could not i Packaging: “ ‘
understand the ribbing at all. Try . Straight sided, greenish without
them out for yourselves. ’ lubrication. A , Comments: Not very sightly,with i poor sensitivity. As with Mates, I Mates Super Strong i doesn’t smell like a condom. Sensitivity: ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ l ITastee Confidence: ‘ “ ’ ‘ 1 Sensitivity: ‘ ‘ " "
Packaging: ‘ ‘
Confidence: " "
Straight sided, cream coloured with l Packaging; ‘ " “ " nonoxynol 9. ; Straight sided banana, cherry and I Durex Extra Strong Passion fruit flavoured, in
Sensitivity: ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Confidence: ‘ Packaging: ‘ ‘
Straight sided, teatless, cream
translucent yellow, red and
} brownish.
' Comments: banana: ‘strong smell,
3 strange, rubbery, soapy taste’,
Confidence: ' ‘ ‘ ‘
Packaging: ‘ ‘ ‘
Straight sided strawberry, mint and liquorice flavours in translucent red, green and black.
Comments: Strawberry: ‘a bit like ice-cream topping’. Minty: ‘not as good as Mates or Durex’. Liquorice: ‘simply revolting.’
‘ ’ o j _;~\ : P ‘ J" “5-” .V :3} h s; ‘ '._.'-'- v‘ .' ‘ grit"; w ° ~ :1 mtg-(iii? ' . {We ' .gv 5-: " '1‘}? .1 .. '. f’h‘i . "3. f “‘9 I Femidom SenSltlvrty.
Confidence: ‘
Packaging: "
The latest innovation in condom technology is a large sheath that lines the inside of the vagina rather than the outside of the penis. An inner ring, inside the sheath, helps insertion and an outer ring at the open end stops it disappearing inside during that crucial moment. Comments: All the couples welcomed the idea, but found the practice far
Undercover
Durex recently launched Assure, a new condom specllically aimed at women. Like Mates, which now otters discreetly packaged Ladymates, the company believes that many women who want to use and carry condoms still lind them excruciatingly embarrassing to buy.
Durex has come up with ways to make things easier. Firstly it recommends that Assure is placed in the lemlnine hygiene section ol stores rather than among the men’s toiletries or on a counter display right underthe nose of an assistant. The second factor is packaging. Almost all ldentliylng markings, including the Durex logo, are printed on the cellophane wrapper: once this is removed the marble-enact packet could be anything to the casual observer.
Penny Venters, who developed the new brand, says that simply marketing a new product towards women has a poweriul psychological impact. ‘It’s as it they needed that symbolic green Iight,’ she says. ‘Someone saying, look it’s alright for you to buy condoms, here are some especially for you. Durex wants condoms to lose the litter iactor completely, but il getting women protected means pandering to their inhibitlons tor a bit, so be it.’
‘ (Catherine Fellows)
CONDOMANIA
Those helpful people at Condomanla, the UKs largest specialist condom shop, have compiled a list ol thelrtop ten condoms.
1. Rough Rider Studded.
2. Glow Worm Conforms to BS Standard.
3. Black Magic Chocolate Flavour,
more intimidating than the theory. Only one couple succeeded in completing the test. They gave it low marks, but did comment that it was very nice not having to withdraw straight away when they had finished. All couples agreed it provided good sensitivity for both male and female. Insertion was not easy, except for those who had had experience of the cap. Confidence was in no way helped by the large amount of the sheath which remains outside. ‘I felt like I was giving birth to a plastic bag,’ was a typical remark. No one liked the ‘505-style’
packaging.
tickler.
in a stylish case.
4. Erotica Ribbed, from Contempo.
5. Licks Fruity flavours for those fruity moments.
6. Black Jack From RSSU of Sweden.
7. Gay Sale Strong condom from Amsterdam.
8. Exciter Lots of laffs — a French
9. H.T. Special Strong one from Germany. 10. Sale Play, Minty For that refreshing taste. All these and more are available from Condomanla. Phone 071 287 4540 ior its mail order catalogue.
COlOllred With sensitol. S cherry: ‘foul smelling, like a balloon, I NVSH Day Sale , did they forget the flavour?’ Passion SenSlthlty: ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ fruit: ‘revolting smell, disgusting Confidence: ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘. ‘ colour.’
Packaging: ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ' I NVSH Tutti Frutti
Straight sided. translucent without .' Sensitivity: ‘ "‘ ’ “
condoms which he called Presewalion's nature's the British Embassy in ‘English Riding Coats'. law. ’ 1749, in which he asked I Wholesale production him to ‘procure around CommerClal condom 300 preventative production began m the machines’ from London. 18th century when one I A bit of bounce
Mrs Phillips started a Goodyear‘s discovery of wholesale business in The vulcanised rubber in 1839 Strand, London. The was as revolutionary for Good Condom Guide condom design as it was (Robson Books £5 .99) for transport. Relatively reports that she ran an I Safety first In 1717, D. thick, rubber condoms international busmess Turner wrote in Syphilis, were both washable and fromher premises, ‘The Condom being the re-usable. Not only were wtnmng customers over best, if not the only they cheaper than sheep with such rhyming sales Preservative our gut condoms, they had the pitches as: ‘To guard libertines have found out very distinct advantage of yourself from shame or at present.’ being stretchy.
fear/ Votanes to venus I French letter Louis XV I Revolutionary In 1921 hasten here/ None in my of France had a letter Marie Stopes opened the way e er found a flaw/ Self written to the secretary of first birth control clinic in
Britain. The Mothers’
Clinic for Constructive
Birth Control was aimed
~ at working-class women unaware of the benefits of
jelly, baby oil and corn oil can remove 95 per cent of a condom‘s strength in just 15 minutes. So if you need a lubricant use a
UK in 1986. 140 million in 1990 and 148 million in 1991. The average condom user buys 104 a year. That's twice a week.
comraeeptlon- water-based one such as I How much? The most I Clinglhg In 1932 the KY jelly, expensive condom ever "en great TCVOlmlon in I Anny manoeuvres was sold by Christie’s last condom design Deemed: During the Gulf War, the summer when an latex was developed . Allied troops were issued illustrated French . leading to the thinner. with condoms to place prophylactic fetched a disposable CODdomS we over their gun barrels to record-breaking £3300. know today. stop sand getting in. I Sales point Half of all Troops taking part in the condoms bought in the amphibious landing in UK come from the Dunkirk during the chemist, and half of these, Second World War were
or 25 per cent ofall condoms sold in the UK, are sold at Boots.
I Weak point Petrolium
also issued with condoms to keep their barrels dry.
I "W many? 112 million condoms were sold in the
The List 20 November — 3 December Ni): 13