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Amanda Chatel Jaina Grey
Gear
The world of clitoral suction sex toys is getting bigger every day. We’ve tested dozens, and these are our favorites.
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Designed to simulate the sucking or light lapping sensation of oral sex, clitoral suction toys are a relatively recent addition to the pantheon of sex toy superstars. Suction toys are a bit of an outlier in the industry—vibrators and dildos have a long and occasionally misogynist history as medical instruments used to induce orgasm as treatment for “hysteria” and “women's problems.” But suction toys (also called clit suckers) are designed specifically to make people with vulvas feel good. Not only are they created with sexual pleasure in mind, but many of them, if not most at this point, have been designed by people with vulvas.
Over the years, I've tested dozens of suction toys solo and during partner play with people of various gender identities, genitals, and sexual desires. We’ve explored all erogenous zones, direct contact on favorable spots, and enjoyed every one of the vibration patterns and sonic waves that came our way. Based on such extensive research, I can say these are the cream of that particular crop, the absolute best clitoral suction toys on the market, some of which double as clitoral vibrators when you’re feeling saucy enough to spice it up.
If you’re interested in other kinds of sex toys, be sure to check our guides including the Best Sex Toys, Best Vibrators, Best Sex Machines, and Best Lubes.
Updated September 2024: We've added the We-Vibe Melt.
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How Do Suction Toys Work?
Clitoral suction toys can be a bit of a mystery if you're unfamiliar with their ins and outs. Vibrators contain motors that provide the vibration by just stimulating via shaking, but a suction toy is a little more complex.
They work by modulating air pressure with an internal diaphragm. They all have a mouth, and inside that mouth is a (typically) silicone membrane that an internal motor moves in and out. When you press the mouth against your body, it traps the air in there, keeping it from escaping. The movement of the membrane uses that air to create modulating high and low air pressure. Those changes in air pressure create the sucking sensation suction toys are famous for.
When Womanizer first launched this concept, it called this innovation “Pleasure Air Technology.” Although that technology still remains, other suction toys have come up with their own version that is just as good, if not better, depending on your preference.
Amanda Chatel is a sexual health and wellness writer with more than a decade of experience. She was the sex and relationships writer for Bustle for seven years. In addition to WIRED, Amanda has written for Vogue, Glamour, Shape, Self, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Teen Vogue, and more. She has... Read more
Contributor
Jaina Rodriguez Grey is a product writer and reviewer at WIRED covering coffee, sex tech, and gaming. Previously, she was a legal researcher for Thomson Reuters and a tech reporter for Digital Trends. She currently resides in Portland, Oregon, with her partner and a pet rabbit named Lola.
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