Review: Durex Real Feel

Hosanna. It's a condom brand designed to make you feel like you're not wearing a condom at all. There have been condoms advertising this for years - "for the most natural feeling," etc. - but this one - this one - is made out of, the advert claims, a technologically advanced latex. This makes it feel like skin and imposes a 'naked' feeling.

Okay. For a start, what exactly is technologically advanced latex? Latex that's had the benefit of a higher level of education? The kind of latex who will fix your iPad's poor battery life while reading xkcd? Latex that does that cool thing Rorschach's mask does throughout Watchmen? The advertising jargon makes a very ambitious claim here, and it doesn't really do itself any favours by doing so, either. It's still latex. The jargon pretty much screams it.

So how does the other claim hold up?

Well, to be totally fair, it kind of works. It doesn't look entirely transparent, like the Deluxe. But it feels sort of OK when covering the penis. And it doesn't feel totally intrusive during sex. While still totally aware that it was there, that may have been a psychological awareness, rather than a tactile one; I almost felt - almost - like I was having sex as nature intended; ergo, I did feel kind of naked. Hey, the rest of me was naked, that probably helped, right?
You may also be happy to know that I did orgasm. Not into the condom, alas; I pulled it off and re-entered before I worked myself (and her) up to the peak, but at least this didn't put me off too much. In fact, I had a great time.

Nevertheless...

There is something I noticed. The condom was basically clinging to my cock. It was less like a sweet wrapper, and more like somebody had sprayed it on using an aerosol can. That's what it felt like. Hell, that's probably why it felt so natural. There wasn't much more to my cock than was already there! Mind you, it probably works really well as a condom - I'd like to see any sperm making their way out of that bad boy! But I did feel, well, kind of... how would you put it?...

...Choked?

Anyway, I'm weird, as we have established. Would I recommend this one? Yes. It does what it claims on the box and exacts a feeling which is not too far removed from the genuine thing. It is, I hasten to add, not the genuine thing - nothing will ever replicate that - but if you're going to use a condom, why not try this one? It's probably going to be the best you'll get, in terms of the 'natural feeling' thing.

So far, anyway.