Battery-Operated Sex Toys vs Rechargeable Sex Toys: Which is Better?

Shopping for sex toys can feel overwhelming sometimes. Silicone or plastic? Pink or black? Vibrating or not? External or internal stimulation? When you don’t know exactly what you want you end up wading through a sea of options. You won’t really know what adult toy is best until you try it for yourself.

One new(ish) option is the choice between battery-operated sex toys and those that can be recharged. Which one’s better? How do you decide? Here’s what you need to know.

Choosing a Sex Toy that Needs Batteries

Everything has a positive and negative side and batteries are no different (pun intended!). On the good side, when you get your new vibrator, all you have to do is pop in a few batteries and start playing. Sometimes your new toy includes batteries which feels a little like winning part of the sex toy lottery. Turn it on and have fun. When your batteries die, it’s as easy and quick as putting new ones in to get back to your orgasms and fun.

But don’t let this vision of a battery-operated utopia fool you. There’s a dark side to batteries — like the horror of discovering you don’t have the right size batteries. And even though you were offered the chance to buy them at check out, you said no. (Insert horror movie screaming here.) You frantically look around for something else that takes batteries, ready to rob and pillage. Ask any mom with a vibrator – yes, we’ve taken batteries from an annoying kids toy and put it in our very adult toy.

Batteries also come with extra costs. The batteries you buy today will have to be replaced in six months or a year — or sooner if you really like that sex toy. Throwing away batteries isn’t the most eco-friendly thing you can do either. Vibrators and other toys that require batteries are common but it’s not always fun.

Playing with Rechargeable Sex Toys

In the past several years, rechargeable sex toys have become much more readily available. Most are USB cords so any plug with a USB outlet will work. It’s as if the tech deities looked down on all of us griping about batteries and sent us a gift from above. Rechargeable sex toys have immediate perks like the need to never buy batteries again and no more pillaging from the TV remote or a video game controller to get yourself off.

But rechargeables aren’t perfect either. They come with their own downsides. When you open your new sex toy it might have a slight charge but it’s not enough to play for a long time or really put it through its paces. You’re going to have to wait an hour or more before your new vibrator or prostate massager is ready to go. And like batteries, your sex toy can die at the absolute worst moment — when you’re right on the edge and you just need a…little…more…nope, it’s dead. Time to recharge!

Like every other rechargeable device you have, at some point you’re probably going to think, “Where did all these cords come from?!” or “Where the hell is my cord?” With sex toys, it’s even more annoying because there’s currently no standard for what kind of port should be used. Cords aren’t always interchangeable which means if you misplace the one for your favorite sex toy, you’ll have to find it or buy a new one, wait for the toy to recharge, and then play. It can be a major hassle.

Which is Better?

Well, if they both have their upsides and downsides, which is better? The truth is that the best sex toy is the one that feels good when you use it, regardless of what powers it. Your own priorities and concerns matter, though. If reducing your expenses and dependency on batteries is important, look for rechargeable sex toys. If you don’t want to keep up with a cord or hate waiting and always have batteries around anyway, then a battery-powered toy will work for you.

And if you really want to go old school, you could always choose a corded option like the Original Magic Wand. It’s one of the most powerful vibrators around but without an electrical outlet, you don’t get to play. You’re also tethered by the length of the cord. It’s definitely not a perfect solution but for people who love the intensity, it doesn’t matter much.

Conclusion

The best sex toy for you is the one you love. Understand the pros and cons of batteries and rechargeable toys, and then choose what suits your personal needs best. There is no single right way to get yourself off and there’s no one perfect sex toy. Use the one that hits the spots you want to stimulate and will work when you need it to.