In recent years the global attitude to male masturbation and men using sex toys has taken a positive turn away from the perceived taboo. In fact, TENGA found in their 2020 Global Self Pleasure Report that in the US alone 41% of men have used a sex toy. This is up drastically from the 20% of men from the same report conducted in 2016. While this is a positive change, and TENGA also discovered that most men masturbate regularly, there is still a large percentage who have never tried a sex toy before.  So, if you are a male newbie as to sex toys – read on!

With different designs for pleasure during solo play, foreplay and sex, there are tons of exciting toys to choose from. Many can be used in a variety of scenarios so it all depends on the type of pleasure you’re looking for. Here’s a look into some of the most popular.

Male masturbators

As the name might suggest, male masturbators are used to enhance masturbation. They’re often handheld toys that take hand action to the next level and deliver sensations our familiar palms just aren’t capable of. Male masturbators are textured sleeves, often with ridges, nubs and nodules, created to provide some incredible, otherwise unachieveable sensations and pleasure.

If you are still using only your hand for masturbation then there is a whole new world out there for you to explore: MASTURBATION SLEEVES! Give your hand some help, dude! These sleeves add some tightness, some texture and some slipperiness (when lube is added) to your solo play time! This one is a perfect beginner option as it is pretty much no-muss, no fuss. Clear design with internal pleasure beads so you can see what is rubbing you. Just add lube, stick your penis in the sleeve and go to it! You will never want just your hand again!

Sometimes these sleeves are stretchy clear material and would pass as an innocuous water snake toy. Other toys can be more realistic and anatomically accurate.

Now, plenty of brands have created male masturbators of all styles, sizes and orifices so you can find something to suit your needs. 

If you don’t want to exert any effort manually, there also exist masturbators with vibration modes to help you ejaculate the way you wish to. What a weirdly wonderful time to be alive.

Blow job toys

Oral sex is great if you can get it, but even if you find yourself between partners right now that doesn't mean you have to miss out. Blow job toys have been crafted especially to deliver realistic oral sex sensations whenever you want them, and these masturbation units come in a variety of shapes and sizes. 

Cock Rings

Cock rings made a debut in porn films a long time ago, where most male porn stars can be seen wearing them to keep their shafts facing the Northern Star. Cock rings are made of metal or expandable plastic and are worn around the base of the penis (like a ring, of course). Sometimes they come with attachments for the testicles too as well as vibrators on the rings. The point of this toy is to constrict the blood flow to the penis to keep it harder for longer. Many of them come with vibrating options so everybody involved has a good time. 

There’s a staggering amount of cock rings on the market now and most of them share common features including stretchy material, raised ticklers or nubs to pleasure your partner’s anus or clitoris, and mini vibrating bullets to guarantee female orgasm. Some cock rings fall into BDSM too, so if you love being squeezed and constricted you’ll be taken care of.

Prostate massagers

The prostate gland is a hidden pleasure powerhouse located two inches inside the male anus. Stimulating this little derriere gem can provoke explosive full body orgasms – it can even cause climaxes without any other kind of stimulation. Whether you’re looking to stimulate the prostate gland or simply enjoy some intense anal exploration, there are plenty of toys for the inexperienced and already-addicted alike. Anal beads, for example, are a string of beads on a flexible cord that graduate in size so you can start small before moving up to bigger and better things.

Plugs are another kind of anal toy that are great for guys looking to explore anal play. These probes are tapered in shape, getting thicker at the bottom, with a flared base for safe usage. Toys specifically designed for the prostate will be similar but have a pronounced curve to them to directly target that P-spot. These toys are great because they can be used in solo play or with a partner and during sex.

The prostate is like the G-Spot for men, and when properly stimulated by you or your partner it can bring your orgasm to a whole, new level! 

Penis Pumps

A tried and true method of enhancing male pleasure, penis pumps effectively also work by using a vacuum to promote blood flow to your gentleman's area, making for fuller erections, an enhanced look and, ultimately, more pleasure.

A bigger erection is top of the wish list for many men. While a penis pump can aid in strengthening an erection, it is also a very pleasurable experience on its own. The idea behind a penis pump is that you vacuum seal your penis in the chamber, then pump up the inside, causing a sucking action, via the hand bulb attached. This created a very pleasing sucking sensation inside like and invisible mouth sucking on your penis (so I have heard). These are great items to experiment with as well as aid in mild ED (erectile dysfunction) or get a little more “bulk” to your penis before sex.

These cups are available in manual and digital options. In the manual one, you pump the pressure pump till you can feel the blood ready to escape your erect dick. In the digital option, you can customise it to the desired setting and relax.

Sex dolls

Sex dolls have often been relegated to “the man who is a creepy loner” category in films and literature. However, sex dolls have been companions to men across history and every region has had its version of a sex doll. Legend even has it that Hitler made one of his SS Commanders design sex dolls for the German soldiers during World War II so they wouldn’t have sexual intercourse with non-Aryan women. 

With time, however, the design and the features on sex dolls have become more realistic. Incredibly detailed, most lifelike sex dolls have tight vaginal and anal passages, plus open mouths for oral sex simulation, and the more luxurious ones have supple boobs, flowing hair and painted nails. Others still have moveable limbs so that you can position them during your fantasy games. Lifelike sex dolls are available as full size dolls and face masturbators, through to transsexual dolls and gay male sex dolls.

Sex dolls today have even evolved into sex robots, complete with artificial intelligence and remote control options to ensure the robot does what you desire. 

Which sex toy is the best beginner product for me?

Ultimately the decision on which beginner sex toy is best for you is your decision. You need to find the right mix of potential sensations, price and reusability for you. However with this list I hope we have provided you with an introduction to various male masturbators of different price points and sensations for you to have an idea what sex toys are available to you.