We want you to feel safe in the knowledge that you can trust our sex toys and lube 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 product review here on Bedbible.
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Our Rating Systems Explained
Every product gets many 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 or lube!
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 = 4.5You 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 or lube, 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 product. We ask the reviewer to take into account how easy it is to set the product 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 product. 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 any weak points in the product 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 product journey, and we want to help you find the right sex toy or lube at the right time, so we also indicate a suggested level of experience for each product.
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 level of comfort first!
When giving the experience level rating, we consider the size of the product for insertable products, 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 (Only used for products with vibrations)
Not all vibrations are created equally, and that can 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 sex 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 sex 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 all 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 user reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Shop 1 | 4.8 | 2500 |
| Shop 2 | 4.5 | 3000 |
| Shop 3 | 4.9 | 1500 |
| Shop 4 | 4.2 | 2000 |
| Shop 5 | 4.6 | 1342 |
We use a weighted system that takes into account how many reviews are available from each source. This is the calculation we use:
((2500*4.8)+(3000*4.5)+(1500*4.9)+(2000*4.2)+(1342*4.6))/10342 = 4.7The user ratings are a great way to get a broader, more objective picture of user experiences, as webshops will have thousands of user reviews. 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 Product Testing Methodology
Now you have a good idea of how we rate products 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 product!
How We Test Sex Toys: 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 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 we simulate how it will be when you buy the product. Which we think is much more valuable than for example to know how many decibels it vibrates.
That’s not to say we don’t great importance to the technical specs of the products. We 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 do we eliminate conflict of interest and secure unbiased and trustworthy reviews?
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 consider this when rating the product and elaborate on why they did or didn’t like it and who they would or wouldn’t recommend it to (to balance this subjectivity out of the overall rating and not 100% rely on one tester opinion. We have the user ratings which are thousands of verified customers’ experience with the product, as explained above in the User Ratings headline).
If a tester receives a defective product, we send 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.
How do we find sex toy testers?
Check out our page on how to become a sex toy tester at Bedbible here which also explains how we select between applicants.
How We Test Lube: Why We Combine User Testing with Lab Testing
In 2024, Bedbible is excited to introduce our latest venture: Personal Lubricant reviews! We’ve crafted a unique testing approach, different from our sex toy evaluations, to ensure you get the most comprehensive insights. Dive into our specialized process and discover how we rigorously test lubes to guide you toward the best choices for your personal needs.
We place a high premium on safety and quality for personal lubricants. This is why we’ve implemented a dual approach to our lube reviews: combining subjective user experiences with objective lab testing. This ensures our recommended lubricants are not only effective but also safe and free from harmful substances.
Discover how we’ve tested the lubes and based on these criteria given a “Bedbible Rating” which together with the “User Ratings” forms the “Overall Rating” (as mentioned above):
Evaluation Criteria
- Design and Aesthetics: Our tester subjectively evaluated the design.
- Functionality of Lid and Bottle: Our tester evaluated how easy is it to get the lube out of the lid and bottle.
- Pricing Evaluation: Our tester compares the prices between the lubes,
- Scent Qualities: Our tester smells the lube and writes down how it smells.
- Taste Assessment: Our tester tasted the edible lubes and wrote how they tasted and if it was good.
- Ease of Washing Off Skin: Our tester placed the lubes in the hands and washed them off with soap and water.
- pH Level Analysis: On all water-based lubes we tested the pH level. The WHO recommends that lubricants for vaginal use should have a pH of around 4.5, while those for anal use should range from 5.5 to 7. Menopausal individuals, who typically have a higher vaginal pH of about 5.3, may prefer a lubricant that matches their pH level. To evaluate the acidity of water-based lubricants, we used pH test strips.
- FDA approved: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies lubricants as Class II medical devices, similar to menstrual cups and tampons. However, menstrual cups are exempt from premarketing clearance, while lubricant manufacturers must apply for FDA 510(k) clearance to demonstrate safety and efficacy. Some companies market their products as intimate moisturizers or massage oils, which, without claims of medical benefits, are considered cosmetics and don’t require FDA clearance.
The distinction between “lube” and “not lube” is unclear. We found many products used as personal lubricants that aren’t FDA-cleared. To understand the regulatory requirements versus market reality, we consulted four clinicians. One strongly recommended using only FDA-cleared lubricants, while three were more flexible.
“When a lubricant company obtains 510(k) clearance, it signals a commitment to patient safety and product efficacy,” said Michael Krychman, MD, Medical Director of Women’s Health Services at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center.
“Some lubricants have FDA clearance, but many excellent products, including natural options like olive oil, coconut oil, and apricot kernel oil, don’t,” said Sara Cichowski, MD, Associate Professor of Urogynecology at Oregon Health & Science University. “I advise my patients to choose lubricants based on personal preference, skin sensitivity, texture, and planned activity.”
Ultimately we looked in the FDA database if the lubricant was FDA-approved and noted that in every review. We didn’t disqualify a lube if it’s not FDA-approved due to the comments from the doctors. - Longevity: Our tester tested the lube with a dildo in a fleshlight and saw how fast it dried out.
- Viscosity: Our tester poured it out of the lid and evaluated how quickly it exited the bottle.
- Thickness: Our tester felt the lube in the hands and poured it from a spoon on a video, so you can see how thick it is.
- Warming Intensity: Felt it on the wrist and wrote down how it felt.
- Tackiness Assessment: Had the lube in the hands and compared the tackiness of the different lubes.
- Compatibility with Condoms: Figured out if it’s possible to use together with condoms.
- Suitability for Use with Sex Toys: Figured out if it’s possible to use with sex toys. In this connection, we made this lab test of a silicone dildo placed in a glass full of silicone lube to see what happens to silicone toys when it’s mixed with silicone lube.
- Potential to Stain Sheets: Our testers poured lubricants onto a sheet to see if it stained the sheet and how long it took to dry.
Here’s a short video of the first batch of 37 lubes we tested, and a few clips from some of the testing methods mentioned above: