Like many people, grinding was my entry point into the world of masturbation. Whether it meant rubbing at my vulva by hand or going on top of my pillows at night, I was doing it long before I even knew what a vibrator was. But now, after seven years of testing hundreds of sex toys, it’s not often I find myself resorting to this kind of “acoustic” play anymore. After all, I have all kinds of gadgets that can achieve the same thing for far less effort, and thus grinding had become but a distant memory. So, you can imagine my surprise when in 2021 a new toy trend seemingly emerged out of nowhere: grinders. From indie makers releasing a wave of textured non-insertables, to retailers relabelling old favourites like the We-Vibe Touch and Tenga Iroha+ Kushi as grindable toys, clearly something was going on, and I wanted in. Which is why I sought out six of the best for today’s very special grinder review round-up!
Review Round-Up: Australian-Made Lube
I’ve always been a big supporter of buying local. After all, one of the reasons I started my blog was to help support Australian adult retailers and businesses. But over the course of the last two years, shopping local has felt less like the right thing to do, and more like a necessity. As what was once “unexpected” shipping delays becomes the norm, and more and more international retailers remove Australia from their standard shipping lists, purchasing goods from overseas no longer feels like an option for me, especially with the holiday season fast approaching. That’s part of why the opening of Faux Phallus and Darque Path, some of Australia’s first proper fantasy makers, earlier this year was so exciting. But in addition to this, there has been another, and perhaps even more vital, area of the industry that has recently saw local growth for the first time in a long time, and that is Australian-made lube. Within just the last year, four new brands have popped up around the country to ensure Australian’s aren’t without this pleasure essential, and today I’m going to be having a closer look at each of them.