How can you tell whether a sex doll is made of good-quality TPE?
The sex doll market consists largely of sex dolls made of TPE or silicone. TPE is the most popular because it’s much cheaper and softer than silicone. We’ll leave silicone aside for this blog.
The thing is, TPE doesn’t have a fixed formula; the composition and materials used to make TPE aren’t fixed or standardized.
Just as a Michelin tire is different from a budget tire. Both brands use different formulas. Both tires are made of rubber, but they don’t wear or perform the same.
Either a 19-euro drill or a real Makita for 180 euros. They’re both drills; you can’t tell the difference from the outside, but you can once you start drilling.
Every sex doll brand has its own TPE formula, its own proportions/composition, and its own choice of materials.
Basically, this is what accounts for the price differences.
The material and composition of the TPE account for 80-90% of the price. The extra box, packaging, logo, website, etc. are all minor details and cost pennies. At Monica Moments, you’re paying for a good product, delivered discreetly and safely, nothing more.
If one online store sells a 14 kg doll for 179 euros and another sells it for 389 euros, I can completely understand why you’d think: ''Why would I choose the one that costs 389 euros?!''
Because, yes, nobody wants to overpay.
And that’s understandable; you want the best value for money.
If a sex toy product page isn’t clear about what material the toy is made of, or uses meaningless, fancy made-up names to disguise the actual synthetic material, that’s already a red flag (in my opinion).
If they don’t say anything about the material, or if that information is hard to find, it’s often standard TPE or lower quality material, such as TPR.
But it’s always best to ask.
Especially if they mix silicone and TPE. Then they simply don’t know what they’re talking about. Silicone and TPE cannot be mixed safely or properly because they are chemically incompatible:
Silicone hardens through the addition of materials > that is, through chemistry
TPE hardens at cold and warm temperatures > that is, through thermolysis
Combining these two materials, each with different properties, results in a poor mixture that will never blend 100%, so they remain separate (delamination).
Just as oil and water don’t mix, the materials will separate over time. The same thing happens with silicone and TPE during curing because they have different curing requirements.
The difference between cheap and expensive
The difference between the dolls above is most likely in the quality and proportions of the materials used. Cheaper dolls contain too much oil; this is much cheaper, of course, but comes at a significant cost to quality. In short, you can only use the doll a few times before it starts to tear or “leak.”
You don’t want a doll or toy that breaks after just 3 uses, which makes sense, because otherwise the cost per use would be very high.
That’s why we do what we do: figuring out the best formula for a durable, soft doll so our customers can enjoy a decent product, delivered discreetly and safely. It’s an endless mission for us, because there’s always something to improve.
In short: the TPE material quality of sex dolls cannot be seen from the outside. The only red flag is a strong plastic smell that doesn’t go away. The quality can only truly be experienced over time, after purchase. That’s when the composition of the TPE material will be put to the test and when you’ll really find out what you’ve bought.
A cheaper doll sounds appealing and will be OK for the first few times, but after a few sessions its true nature emerges, and you're better off with a quality purchase because it lasts much longer.
The TPE optimum in the ratio of its materials
Think of it as a kind of decision matrix (like the one below) with three factors, of which you can only ever choose two:
- Quality/durability of the material
- Product price
- Experience/feel of the material
If you want an inexpensive doll that lasts a long time, you end up with a block of concrete, with no good experience or feel. But it will last a long time at a low price.
If you want an inexpensive doll with a good experience/feel, you end up with a doll that breaks after a few uses. The price is low, the feel is nice, but it doesn't last long.
Too much oil and you get a very soft, cheap-to-produce, highly tear-prone sex doll.
Too little oil and you get a sex doll that becomes brittle over time, so you want an optimal ratio.
Is an expensive sex doll better?
This is difficult to assess, because a poor-quality product can also be sold at a high price. So remember:
Market prices per kilogram of sex doll + customer reviews =
The best way to tell whether you're getting your money's worth.
If you want to save money, choose a small and lightweight sex doll made of TPE. That way, you get fewer kilos and centimeters.
You can of course also take a look at a sex doll or choose a pocket pussy for your very first toy. That way, you can take your time getting to know our price-quality ratio.
