We want you to feel safe in the knowledge that you can trust our sex toy reviews. We also know that trust is built on transparency. With that in mind, we’re sharing the behind-the-scenes processes that go into every sex toy review here on Bedbible.
Firstly, I’m going to take you through our rating systems, so you can understand each of the scores you’ll see in our reviews. Then, I’ll explain how each type of review is written so you know exactly what the information is based on.
Our Rating Systems Explained
Every toy gets a number of different ratings that allow you to get a good overall impression of the product at a glance and make it easy to compare it to other similar products. Here’s an explanation of the rating systems you can find in both our single product reviews and round-up reviews.
The Overall Rating
The overall rating uses a 1-5 rating scale and is calculated from the Bedbible rating and the user ratings, which I’ll explain in further detail below.
Having an overall rating balances the subjective nature of the Bedbible rating with the broader user experience and limits the possibility of tester bias. After all, everyone has slightly different priorities when it comes to choosing a sex toy! Further below explain why we choose real tester tests over lab tests.
The Bedbible rating accounts for 50% of the overall rating, and the user ratings make up the other 50%.
For example, a product with a Bedbible rating of 4.4 and a user rating of 4.6 will have an overall rating of 4.5.
(4.4+4.6)/2 = 4.5
You can see the overall rating at the top of each product section in the round-up reviews. Plus, if you hover your mouse over the “?” icon, you will see a breakdown of the Bedbible rating and the user ratings.
Understanding the Scores
The products are scored using a 1-5 rating scale, with 1 indicating a very poor product and 5 being an excellent product. Here’s what each of the scores means in a little more detail.
1 – This is a very poor-quality product and we don’t recommend it. A score of 1 is given when a product does not work as intended, breaks very quickly, or is unsafe to use.
2 – This is a low-quality product that does not live up to its claims. Although it works, it might have some issues such as low power, not holding its charge, major design flaws, or a low-quality finish.
3 – This product might be satisfactory but still has some flaws that prevent it from being a great product. This could include being very loud, low durability, low-quality materials, or not having the most aesthetically pleasing design.
4 – This is a great product! Overall, this product performs well across the board and the reviewer was happy with their experience and would recommend it to a friend!
5 – This is an excellent product and performed extremely well across the board. This is the best it gets and it comes highly recommended!
The Bedbible Rating
You can see the Bedbible rating at the top of single product reviews and round-up reviews by hovering your mouse over the “?” next to ‘Overall Rating.’
The Bedbible rating is the testers/reviewer’s score for the product. The reviewer bases this score on their overall impression of the product, taking into account the ratings for design, ease of use, and quality, as well as other factors, such as value for money, vibrations, and overall satisfaction with their experience.
We have below explained these secondary ratings that influence the Bedbible rating and thereby the Overall Rating.
Design
The design includes both how the product looks and the ergonomics of the design. This is, of course, very subjective, as people have very different tastes when it comes to the look of a sex toy, so that’s something to keep in mind. The higher the score, the better the product.
You can read more about a reviewer’s reasons for giving that score in the design section of the single review.
Ease of Use
The ease of use rating is also a score out of 100 and is about how easy it is to operate the toy. We ask the reviewer to take into account how easy it is to set the toy up, how easy the controls are to figure out and operate, and how easy it is to charge. We also take into consideration the accessibility of the toy. Like the Design score: The higher the score the better it is.
Quality
The quality rating is based on the overall build of the product, including the quality of the materials, how durable it is, and whether there are any weak points in the product that could affect its performance or safety. Just like Ease of Use and Design, this is also a 1 to 100 score where the higher the score the better the quality.
Price
We also show how the price compares to other similar products. You will see dollar icons indicating whether it falls into the low, medium, or high price range. The more dollar signs, the more expensive the product!
It’s important to remember that price and quality don’t always go hand in hand, which is why we have separate ratings for each. For example, a product with a high-quality rating and high price rating is an example of a premium, luxury product that is worth investing in if you have the budget. On the other hand, a price rating with a low-quality rating is one to avoid!
Experience Level
We know that everyone is at a different stage in their sex toy journey, and we want to help you find the right sex toy at the right time, so we also indicate a suggested level of experience for each toy.
Of course, this is just a suggestion, and nobody knows your body as well as you do, so it’s important to think about your own level of comfort first!
When giving the experience level rating, we take into account the size of the product for insertable toys, how powerful it is, whether you need experience with simpler toys first, the psychological impact of BDSM toys, or whether it’s recommended to have some training before using it.
Vibrations
Not all vibrations are created equally, and that can really impact your experience of a sex toy. With that in mind, we have three additional ratings for toys that vibrate. These don’t necessarily say if a toy is good or bad, but they do help you find one that meets your preferences.
Sound
Each toy is given a sound rating, indicated by five megaphone symbols. The more symbols, the louder the product is. This is very helpful if you need to find a discreet, quiet toy.
Power
We also indicate how powerful the toy is, shown with lightning strikes. One lightning strike indicates weak vibrations that might suit someone who is very sensitive and five indicates the most powerful vibrations, which is great for the power kings and queens!
Buzzy — Rumbly
Lastly, we have a buzzy-rumbly spectrum which shows how the vibrations feel. Buzzy vibrations are more high-pitched, with very fast, small vibrations that stimulate the surface. Rumbly vibrations are low-pitched, with bigger movements that penetrate deeper into the tissue.
The User Ratings
The user ratings also use a 1-5 rating system, with a score of 1 indicating very low average customer satisfaction and 5 indicating very high customer satisfaction.
To find the user ratings, we visit the online stores that stock the product, find the average customer rating, and use them to create an aggregated user rating.
Here is an example of how we collect and calculate the user ratings:
| Shop Name | Average rating | Number of reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Lovehoney | 4.6 | 148 |
| SheVibe | 4 | 5 |
| PinkCherry | 4.8 | 82 |
We use a weighted system that takes into account how many reviews are available from each source. This is the calculation we use:
((148*4.6)+(5*4)+(82*4.8))/235 = 4.7
The user ratings are a great way to get a broader, more objective picture of user experiences, as webshops will have hundreds of user ratings. We believe that this complements the more subjective quality of our tester reviews (known as the Bedbible Rating).
The user ratings are displayed in single product reviews underneath the Bedbible rating when you hover your mouse over the “?” icon.
Our Testing Methodologies
Now you have a good idea of how we rate sex toys at Bedbible, I’m going to dive deeper into the different types of reviews we write, and why we think our reviews are the best when it comes to helping you choose your next sex toy!
The Concept
Our concept is simple but effective! We give real people sex toys to test, and in return, we get detailed, honest reviews. We call these single product reviews.
On top of that, we use those single product reviews to create round-up reviews. These reviews compare different toys within a specific category, for example, the best rabbit vibrators or beginner butt plugs.
Essentially, we are a one-stop shop for everything you need to know about choosing a sex toy! We provide in-depth reviews, clear comparisons, and all the specifications you need!
Why We Choose Real Testers Over Lab Testing
We opted for having real people testing the products rather than simply lab testing a load of sex toys, as we feel this gives you the most valuable information. Sure I’d love to don a white coat and cut up a load of sex toys, but that doesn’t tell you how it actually performs! We think it is much more meaningful for you to know about how the toy performs in the bedroom than in the lab!
By having real people test the sex toys for their intended purpose, you get a better understanding of whether a toy will actually enhance your sex life.
Our unique product testing process also ensures unbiased and honest reviews from everyday people. By selecting testers with no affiliation to shops or brands and not paying them for specific outcomes, we maintain the integrity of our reviews. Read more about this in our ethics statement.
Our testers’ diverse backgrounds and experiences create a well-rounded perspective on each product, making our reviews relatable and helpful for our readers. The result is a collection of trustworthy product reviews that arm you with the information you need to find your next ride-or-die bedside buddy!
That’s not to say we don’t great importance to the technical specs of the products. We absolutely do! We always include the specifications for the toy, and we take body-safe materials very seriously. When writing round-up reviews and checking single reviews, we always try to only include sex toys made from body-safe materials. There are a few cases where certain products aren’t available in 100% body-safe materials; we will write this in the review.
How We Eliminate Any Conflict of Interest
All of our sex toy testers are volunteers who are not paid to write the review. We simply ask them to provide their honest opinion. They have no affiliation with the webshop sending the product. Most often, the testers won’t know which shop is providing the product, only the brand.
Additionally, wherever possible, we provide multiple places where you can buy each product. Therefore, we also have no conflict of interest in this regard.
We encourage our testers to be fair when giving their ratings and if we feel that they haven’t understood how to use the toy properly, have unrealistic expectations, or have misunderstood the rating system, we will review it with them.
We are also aware that even a great quality product just won’t suit everyone, and we ask reviewers to take this into account when rating the product and to elaborate on why they did or didn’t like it and who they would or wouldn’t recommend it to.
If a tester receives a defective product, we send out a new one and ask them to base their rating on the new, working product. However, if we can see other customers have experienced similar issues, we will report this in the review.
Lastly, if a product receives a justified negative review, we still publish it and strive to recommend better alternatives.
Our interest is aligned with yours. The happier you are about the toys you buy based on our recommendation, the more likely you are to come back to read another review.
Single Product Reviews
Reviewing a sex toy without using it is a bit like reviewing food without tasting it. Sure, it might look great, but the proof is in the pudding!
At Bedbible.com, we take product testing seriously and want to provide you with honest, unbiased, and reliable product reviews. We achieve this by having real people test the products and share their honest opinions — the good and the bad!
Step 1: Selecting Testers
We prioritize unbiased, honest reviews, so none of our testers are affiliated with shops or brands. They are simply individuals with a passion for pleasure! Anyone above 18 and based in the US can apply to be a tester. If you think you’re up for the challenge, visit https://bedbible.com/how-to-become-sex-toy-reviewer/ to learn more. Only applicants who show they can write informative reviews that our readers will find useful make it onto our tester team!
Step 2: Sending Products to Testers
Once we have a tester ready to go, we work together to find a product they want to test. The product is then sent out to them free of charge, and yes, they get to keep it! We have a wide variety of products across the glorious spectrum of sex toys and sexual wellness products to test, so there’s something to suit all desires!
Step 3: Testing and Reviewing
Our tester then spends some time putting the product through its paces and exploring its capabilities. They then write a full, in-depth review sharing their honest opinions of the product. We encourage testers to share both the positives and negatives of the product so you get the full picture! We do give the testers some guidance on what to look out for because we know not everyone’s massive sex toy geeks like we are at Bedbible!
They also provide all of the product specifications, including the size, materials, power source, and number of settings, so you have all the information you need in one place.
Single reviews also contain all of the ratings explained above to help you figure out if it’s the toy for you!
We ask the testers to take photographs of the products so you get to see them from all angles. This also lets you see that they have actually been tested by a real person!
Step 4: Submission and Editing
Once the review is finished, it is submitted to our editors to make sure it’s up to our standards. We then review it for clarity, grammar, and overall quality, ensuring that the final review is easy to read and understand and has all the essential information covered. In some cases, we may ask for additional information or clarification from our testers if needed.
Step 5: Publishing the Reviews
Once the editing process is complete, we publish the reviews on our website for all to read! Our goal is to provide our readers with a comprehensive understanding of each product, allowing them to make the best decision when it comes to purchasing their new sex toy.
Round-Up Reviews
We know that people often know the type of product they want, but struggle to choose a specific one in a sea of different options. Round-up reviews compare the best products in a particular category, such as G-spot vibrators, to help you find the right one for you.
They are written by our expert writers, who use their sex toy expertise, sharp research skills, and the information from our single product reviews to create a well-rounded view of the product.
How We Write Round-Up Reviews
We take a product category and research the very best products we can find by looking at user reviews, and overall popularity, and using our years of sex toy expertise to guide us. Then, we narrow it down to a shortlist that will be included in the review.
In each round-up review, we select an overall winner, the test winner, a best-for-beginners product, and the cheapest option. There might also be other category winners, such as most powerful or most realistic, depending on the type of product. This makes it easier for you to find exactly what you are looking for.
Just like in our single product reviews, you can find all of the different ratings mentioned above to get a good feel for the product at a glance.
We also include:
- A description of the product
- All of the necessary specifications
- The pros and cons
- Information about who the product would suit
- A conclusion summing it all up
Wherever possible, we insert the information and ratings from the single reviews into the round-up review. We would like to have all the products in our round-up reviews reviewed by our tester team. However, we currently have a whopping 808 round-up reviews published on Bedbible.com, so there are some products we haven’t gotten around to testing, yet! But rest assured, with our ever-growing team of testers, we are getting there!
If a product hasn’t been personally tested by a reviewer, it is scrutinized by one of our in-house sex toy experts. And with decades of sex toy experience between them, they know what to look for in a top-quality sex toy. Nothing gets these sex toy nerds more excited than discussing the latest sex tech or debating the best dildos, so you know you are in good hands!