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Dear Aphrodite,
I want to start doing Kegel exercises, and I see you have several Kegel exercise "tools" available on your site. How do I choose the one that's best for me?
 First, congratulations on starting to do your Kegels! Strong pelvic floor muscles have lots of benefits, from better orgasms to a decreased risk of incontinence. If you haven't already, read through our Kegel instructions (linked in the right sidebar on this page) so you know you're doing the exercises correctly.
Now, on to the tools. You may be wondering why (and if) you even need a tool to do your Kegels. Tools are helpful for several reasons, though they're certainly not required. First, tools act as biofeedback devices. This means that they sit on the muscles you're going to be exercising, so you can feel them lifting when you're exercising the correct muscles. Kegels without using a tool are certainly effective, but many women find that they like having physical reassurance that they're exercising the correct muscles.
Second, Kegel tools function as a weight for your muscles to work against. Think of it this way: if you wanted to increase your bicep strength, you could just do arm curls. However, doing arm curls with a weight of some sort will be far more effective. Kegels work the same way. You can certainly do them without the weight of a tool, but you will not be working your muscles as hard as you would be if you were using a tool.
That said, we sell three different Kegel exercise tools: Smart Balls, the Stone Exercise Egg, and the Energie Exerciser. Here's a little bit about each of them.
The Smart Balls are our lightest-weight Kegel exercise tool, at 2.5 ounces. They're made up of two small metal balls that roll around inside two larger, connected silicone balls, with a string looped onto the base. We often recommend the Smart Balls for women who have very weak pelvic floor muscles, or who just want something lightweight. They also double as pleasure toys. Some women enjoy inserting them and wearing them around while they go about their day-to-day activities, since the "rolling" sensation of the metal balls provides some mild vaginal stimulation. We do not recommend Smart Balls for anyone who has urethral sensitivity, as the string on the end can rub against the urethra and cause discomfort. We also don't recommend them for women who are very friction-sensitive or prone to vaginal tearing, as the silicone coating does cause some friction. Smart Balls are about two fingers wide.
The Stone Exercise Egg weighs 2.75 ounces and is an excellent choice for anyone who wants something moderately heavy, and who doesn't have urethral sensitivity (once again, there's a string attached that can rub against the urethra). It's about the size of a regular egg, and made of smooth-surfaced stone, making it a good choice for those who want or need very little friction. It's about two fingers wide. We loop a string of regular dental floss onto the attached string, to make your Egg easier to remove. Please make sure to change this floss regularly to keep it clean.
The Energie Exerciser is shaped differently than the other two tools, and is by far our heaviest tool (13.75 ounces, but spread over a long surface area). It's long and curved, with a completely smooth surface. If you have any urethral sensitivity or are very friction-sensitive, this would be a good choice for you, since there's no string to drag on the urethra, and no "sticky" material to catch the vaginal walls. In addition to its use as a Kegel exercise tool, the Energie is also a great choice for those who want to explore T Zone massage. It's about one finger wide.
Once you've chosen your tool, you'll want to coat it with a nice water-based lubricant, then insert it into the vagina until it slips into place behind the pubic bone. For detailed information on how to use your new tool, read through our "How to use a Kegel exercise tool" article, linked in the right sidebar on this page.
Happy exercising!
Aphrodite
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