vibrator report \nAdultConsumerReports.COM \nVibrators 2000 \nA Test Conducted By \nMichael Ross, Adult Entertainment Advocate
Mike Ross writes: "The Project's Mission Statement: www.AdultConsumerReports.com conducted this test in an effort to:
1) Review the industry's products, with the goal being to provide consumers with in-depth information about the quality and safety of the adult product(s) they are using. In an effort to accomplish this, we are providing an encapsulated breakdown that contains both testimonial and statistical information, arranged in a specially developed format that we believe will help consumers make intelligent decisions when purchasing adult products.
2) Create, implement and promote our "Seal of Approval" based on specific findings in conjunction with the "XXX Fan's Bill Of Rights."
3) Assist the consumer education, sales, use and promotion of adult products and the industry.
4) Implement an industry standard relative to products, including but not limited to, industry definitions, warranties and safe sex messages.
WINNERS: All vibrator categories feature vibrators that are $25 or less.
1) Best Overall Vibrator: Chosen by Testers #35 The Gunslinger (9 out of 15 votes) and #39 Zebra Massager (5 out of 15 votes) (chosen by testers as either their first or second favorite) Chosen by Points First: #15 Elite Vibrator (82% of the 100% total possible points) Second: #35 The Gunslinger (received 78% of the 100% total possible points available)
2) Most Chosen Vibrator: #32 Prickly (chosen by the testers 13 out of 15 times)
3) Best Warranty: #1 Ultimate Vibe (received an average of 9.25 points out of a possible 10)
4) Best Instructions: Tie: #31 The Designer Neon Vibe and #21 Sweet Confections (scored 9.6 points out of a possible 10)
5) Attractiveness of Packaging: #15 Elite Vibrator (scored 9.5 points out of a possible 10)
6) Believability of Packaging: #15 Elite Vibrator (scored 9 points out of a possible 10)
7) Best Packaging: totals Based on Total Points: #35, The Gunslinger (received 414 points by 12 testers) Based on Percentage: #35, The Gunslinger (received a percentage rating of 86% out of a possible 100%)
8) How Does The Product Feel: Tie: #10 Jelly Caribbean and #15 Elite Vibrator (scored 9 points out of a possible 10)
9) Most Real Feeling: #14 Feelistic Vibra Dong (scored 9 points out of a possible 10)
10) Ease of Use: #13 Ms. Silky-Smooth (scored 9.67 points out of a possible 10)
11) Best Design: #10 Jelly Caribbean (scored 9.6 points out of a possible 10)
12) Best Vibration: #35 Erotic Gunslinger (scored 9.42 points out of a possible 10)
13) Best Fit Users Needs: #15 Elite Vibrator (scored 9 points out of a possible 10)
14) The Most Frequently Selected Based On First Impression (selected in top 3 picks): #32 Prickly was selected 6 times
15) Worst Vibrator Chosen by Testers: Based on Lack of Points: #22 Hunk Vibes (scored 181 points out of a possible 320 and selected by only 2 users) Based on Percentage: #45 Waterproof Vibrators (scored 49% out of a possible 100%)
OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS: To start, those conducting the test understand that it is not intended to be a difficult, hard to assess, multimillion dollar project. In reality, we view this as the third "enhanced" installment of our initial project. The following is a sampling of observation and "conclusion oriented themes" derived from the test: (Not in order of importance)
1) According to the women, men don't understand vibrators and their uses, thus education is needed if they are to choose the right product for the right purpose. This "education" starts with men being able to answer this question - Should vibrators be used internally, externally or both?
2) Consumers (men make up at least 80% of this category) spend billions yearly on products that do not do the job for which they are designed, leaving consumers on whom they hoped to use disappointed and less likely to purchase another adult product.
3) The range the testers were willing to pay for a vibrator averaged between $12 - $41 (the price range of tested vibrators was $25 and under).
4) According to the testers, there is a misunderstanding in society over the role and purpose that the vibrator plays in love making. Is a vibrator used to replace a penis or is it to enhance love making?
5) An industry supported educational program should be developed to help increase the sale as well as the proper use of adult products. A focus of that program should be safe sex combined with how to extend the products life expectancy.
6) There are two ways to look at required product warranties. Last year, 15 out of 32 had warranty information in or on the package. This year, we saw a new type of warranty - One that stated "This is a novelty product there is no warranty." What's odd about the warranties is that testers either didn't notice or understand the material, yet all but one tester said that warranties are a "must." We don't know if this is a concept that's foreign to them (they are not used to "consumer protection concepts" with the purchase of adult products) or they are ambivalent.
7) As mentioned last year, we need to address the issue of how to make the warranties currently in use meaningful, legal and affective.
8) In general, overall product quality appears to be higher, yet apparently still doesn't meet ISO standards. For instance, two years ago (1997), there was a high vibrator failure rate in the products we purchased, probably due to low production quality. As a result, 33% of our initial test products broke by the end of the testing phase (3 of the 19 were broken when we first started). Last year (1998), out of 32 products tested, one didn't work when opened and two broke during testing (knobs broke). This year, all products worked when we opened them and only two vibrators broke - One stopped running, while one multispeed knob handle broke (the product still worked).
9) Packaging is important in deciding which vibrator is purchased.
10) Quiet, silent and "personal/private" vibrators are wanted, yet none are produced or commercially available.
11) 93% of the testers thought that use, cleaning and storage instructions are important, and should be included in some fashion with every vibrator purchase, especially when the vibrator is not a "normal design."
12) Even with warranty or use information printed directly on the box, companies do a poor job in highlighting it, and users have a harder time finding or understanding it.
13) What do the following instructions mean to vibrator users?: \na) Do not use on swollen or inflamed body parts; \nb) Do not use on unexplained Calf Pain.
14) Even though we used a small sampling, 3 or 4 testers were able to establish a "product trend." This shows our "system" works.
15) We don't know if the tests were biased and skewed as women became more excited and approached orgasim.
Methodology: The system we established to achieve these goals observations and conclusions is as follows: First we asked participants to select 25 items out of a possible 47 (the 47 items were selected as follows: 41 were sent by suppliers and 6 were used from last year. Out of the 41 received by suppliers, 3 were duplicates and not used. Second, as the products were selected, they were categorized and recorded. Third, we asked female consumers to review the boxes and packaging. Fourth we asked them to use the products they selected in our presence as we asked questions, took pictures and filmed. The questions (outlined below) ranged from packaging to purchasing habits and includes demographics as well as questions about "how the product feels".
Scoring: In total, each tester was asked 23 questions. Out of those 23 questions, 17 questions received "points" ranging from 1 to 10 (with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best). The maximum amount of points available from any one tester is 170 (per item) or a total of 4,250 (9 x 150 points).
Six of those questions dealt with the product's "packaging," while nine dealt with the product's "feel." Additionally, we asked almost two dozen questions on demographics, all of which are recorded and scored separately from the other questions. The number of points collected from each participant was then individually compiled, providing us with a "ranking" for products based on the accumulated point score. Finally, additional scoring came from warranty information .
Reviews: As we mentioned above, each product is being reviewed individually then compared against the competition. In order to do this, we created a product review outline that contains important comparison information. The reviews contain the following consumer oriented information:
a) Product Name: \nb) Company: \nc) Product Cost: \nd) Product Description: \ne) Battery Type: \nf) Multispeed: \ng) Warranty: \nh) Packaging: \ni) Product Review: \nj) Special Instructions or Warning Label \nk) Misc.: Example Shrink Wrapped \nl) Cleaning Instructions: \nm) Feel: (Averaged between users and rated on a scale of 1 to 10) \nn) Needs: (Averaged between users and rated on a scale of 1 to 10) \no) Points: Maximum total points per product per all testers. \np) Packaging Totals: Total points per product packaging. \nr) Packaging Average: The Number of packaging points received divided by the total number of testers.
Additionally, all products that are tested using our guidelines, will receive a consumer oriented narrative that will be posted on the Internet in an easy to find/read format, specifically designed for consumer use, print, input and distribution. The report's URL is http://www.adultconsumerreports.com
