Vibrators
Waterproof vibrators: the word on the box means four different things
Waterproof is not a specification. IPX7 is. The gap between those two sentences is where most ruined vibrators come from.
There is no legal definition of waterproof on a sex toy. There is an international standard, IEC 60529, which gives a two-digit IP code: the first digit is dust, the second is water. On this category the second digit is the only one anyone cares about, which is why so many toys are rated IPX6 or IPX7, with X standing for a dust figure nobody bothered to test.
A toy whose listing says waterproof and gives no code has told you nothing. A toy that says IPX7 has told you it survived thirty minutes under a metre of water in a laboratory, when new.
What the second digit actually promises
| Code | Laboratory condition | Usually sold as |
|---|---|---|
| IPX4 | Splashing water from any direction | Splash-proof, easy to clean |
| IPX5 | A low-pressure jet from any direction | Rinse under the tap |
| IPX6 | A powerful jet from any direction | Shower-safe |
| IPX7 | Thirty minutes at a depth of one metre | Fully submersible, bath-safe |
| IPX8 | Continuous immersion beyond one metre, conditions set by the maker | Pool-safe, rare on sex toys |
The three shell designs, and what each one can survive
- Magnetic charging contacts. Two flat pins on the outside of a sealed shell. There is no hole in the body at all, which is why nearly every submersible toy is built this way. The pins corrode if stored wet, which is a maintenance problem rather than a flooding one.
- A port behind a rubber bung. A USB socket under a flap. The seal depends on the flap being fully seated, which it often is not after a year of being prised open with a fingernail. Shower-safe at best, and the flap is the part that fails.
- An exposed port. A visible USB-C or micro-USB socket with no cover. This toy is not waterproof at any rating, whatever else the listing says, and water in that socket is the end of it.
Checking a listing in four moves
Find the IP code, not the adjective
Search the page for IPX. If the code appears only in a review or a marketplace bullet and not in the maker specification, treat it as unverified.
Look at where it charges
Magnetic pins or a dock means a sealed shell. A visible socket means the claim and the construction disagree, and the construction wins.
Check the seam and the button
A single-piece body with one soft button is the easiest shape to seal. A twisting base, a battery hatch or a hard plastic ring around the middle each add a joint that has to hold.
Decide what you actually need
For cleaning under a tap, IPX5 is enough and costs nothing extra. Full immersion is only worth paying for if the toy is going in the bath or the shower with you.
Questions people ask
- Is IPX7 the same as waterproof?
- It is the closest thing to it on this category: thirty minutes at one metre, tested when new. It is not a promise about hot soapy bath water, and it is not a promise after two years of use.
- Can I boil a submersible toy?
- Immersion resistance is not heat resistance. Boiling is safe only for one-piece non-motorised silicone, so no vibrator. Follow the maker cleaning instruction, which for almost every motorised toy is soap and water.
- Does lubricant matter in water?
- Yes, and water-based lube is the one thing that does not work here, because the water carries it away within seconds. A silicone-based lubricant stays put, which makes the material question on the toy worth checking first.
- My toy got wet and now the buttons behave oddly. Is it recoverable?
- Sometimes, if the water was fresh and brief: switch it off, do not charge it, dry it fully for a day or two in a warm dry place. If it was soapy or salty water, or if it was charging at the time, assume it is finished and stop using it.