The Best Cock Rings for Better, Stronger Erections

As anyone who’s ever run into boner troubles during a hookup knows, putting too much pressure on your dick can be a bad thing. Still, there are plenty of times when it’s actually good to put a bit of pressure on your penis — particularly when you’re wearing a cock ring. 

Cock rings use the power of constriction to make sex last longer and feel better for both of you, and they’re surprisingly enjoyable when used solo as well. One of the main reasons people use them is to encourage harder, more reliable erections. They work by essentially trapping blood in your dick, letting it flow in but stopping it from flowing back out. If you put one on while you’re soft or semi-hard, and then do whatever sexy stuff tends to turn you on, you’ll typically get a way more robust boner than you otherwise would. Some also people like to use cock rings in conjunction with penis pumps to get the biggest, hardest, veiniest erection their body is capable of, like they’re some kind of hard-on Olympian.

Many people also find cock rings pleasurable in and of themselves. The pressure around the base of your dick and scrotum can feel great, especially if vibration is involved. More engorgement tends to lead to heightened sensitivity as well, so you can feel more physical pleasure with a cock ring, alongside the psychological pleasure of having a rock-hard member.

If you’re worried that boosting your sensitivity would make you a two-pump chump, don’t stress — paradoxically, cock rings can help you last longer. If you get one that goes around your sack in addition to your dick, you might find that it holds your balls away from your body so that it’s more difficult for them to retract upward, the way they do when you’re nearing orgasm. This can help you delay ejaculation, and may even make the eventual climax more intense.

Cock rings can feel fantastic for your partner, too. They can enjoy your mega-boner, sure, but lots of cock rings also have a built-in vibrator or some other way of stimulating your partner’s clit and/or perineum during penetrative sex. As you (hopefully) know, the majority of people with vulvas need clitoral stimulation to get off, but it can be a tricky thing to incorporate into intercourse. Vibrating cock rings make it a whole lot easier, and are hands-free to boot.

What to Look for in a Cock Ring

1) Material. Many different materials are used to make cock rings, but only some of them are suited to the task. Especially if you’re a beginner, you want something stretchy and squishy, so that you can get it on and off more easily. Flexible materials are also easier to cut off your body in case of emergency. Avoid totally firm materials, like metal; they could land you in the ER if something goes wrong. It’s also best to avoid porous materials, like elastomer and PVC, as they cling onto bacteria and can’t be properly cleaned. All in all, the best material for cock rings is silicone — it’s stretchy, non-porous and usually pretty comfortable.

2) Size and Stretchiness. Obviously, a ring needs to fit your dick, or else it’ll just hurt you or fall right off. Check the internal diameter of any ring you’re considering buying, if you can, and either test out the stretchiness in-person at a sex shop or try to find a video online of someone stretching that particular product to see if it gets big enough to fit you. Alternatively, you could buy a kit containing multiple differently sized rings, and see which one works best.

3) Motor. If you’re in the market for a vibrating cock ring, you should know upfront that the vast majority of them are, frankly, terrible. Almost all of them have weak, surface-level vibrations that are barely worth the extra cost you’ll pay for a vibrating ring. But a select few vibrate more deeply and strongly, and these are worth sleuthing out. Rechargeable vibes are usually superior to the battery-powered kind in terms of vibration quality, so prioritize those if you can.

4) Vibrator Placement and Shape. If the vibrator portion of a cock ring is badly designed, it could have the best motor in the world and still be subpar in terms of pleasure. Depending on what type(s) of sex you’re planning on using it for, you might want to look for a vibrator that sticks out slightly, so it can make contact with your partner’s clit or perineum during use. Some even have interesting textures or shapes that amp up the receptive partner’s sensation even more — like fluttery little bunny ears, or a ridgey section that feels great to grind against.

5) Extra Features. Cock rings aren’t just for your cock — they can also stimulate your balls, perineum or even prostate, depending on their design. Some rings are attached to a “sling” that cups your balls during use, for example, while some have a built-in butt plug. These are worth considering if you want an onslaught of sensation.

Cock Rings 101

Cock rings might seem self-explanatory — just slide it on and start fuckin’, right? Not so fast — there’s some basic info you need to know in order to use one safely and comfortably.

1) Short and Sweet. You shouldn’t wear a cock ring for longer than about 30 minutes at a time, tops. Overuse can result in bruising and damage to the area, especially if the ring is too tight. If you feel any pain, discomfort, tingling or numbness at any point, take the ring off immediately. It would suck to damage your favorite body part in a freak cock-ring accident.

2) Timing Is Everything. It’s easiest to shimmy a ring over your shaft and balls when your boner’s at half-mast: not so hard that you can’t get your package through the ring comfortably, but not so soft that it falls off immediately either.

3) Lube. Get yourself a good water-based lube and put some on your junk, and on the ring, before application. It’ll make the whole process easier.

4) Pubes. While you don’t strictly have to shave or trim your pubic hair to use a cock ring, it’s a good idea, because rings can tug on those little hairs painfully and can even yank them out. So unless getting your pubes pulled really revs your engine, it’s best to keep that area well-groomed or hairless when using a cock ring.

Got that? Excellent — here are some cock rings that’ll squeeze you and please you.

Best Basic Cock Ring: Tantus Super Soft C-Ring

Cock rings don’t have to be complicated to be effective. In fact, for beginners, it’s probably wisest to stick with something simple, so you can find out whether you even like the sensation before potentially upgrading. This one is about as pared-down as it gets — just a circle of silicone, no bells or whistles. It’ll fit penises anywhere between 1.5 and 4.75 inches in diameter (wow!) and is thicker than many other cock rings of this type, so it’s less likely to dig into you uncomfortably. You couldn’t ask for a better introduction to the world of cock rings than this. 

Best Basic Cock Ring Set: PerfectFit Play Zone Xact-Fit Cock Ring Kit

If you’re apprehensive about cock rings for sizing reasons, getting an assortment of differently sized rings is worthwhile — you can figure out your ideal diameter and use that information if and when you decide to buy other rings in the future. This set is also cool because it allows you to experiment with using a cock ring around just your dick, just your balls or both at the same time. You might be surprised at how different each usage can feel. The set comes with a weird pylon-esque display stand, too, in case you’ve ever wished your nightstand looked more like a construction site.

Best Adjustable Cock Ring: Blush Performance Silicone 3-Snap Cock Ring

Adjustable cock rings give you a bit more control over sizing, so you don’t have to fret as much that your new ring won’t fit your junk. This one’s made of silicone, so it’s easy to clean, and it offers three different size options with its nickel-free snaps. As a bonus, it’s way easier to undo snaps in a hurry than to try to take off a non-adjustable cock ring quickly when you need to — so if you’re freaked out about safety, this ring might set you at ease.

Best Vibrating Cock Ring: We-Vibe Pivot

A lot of vibrating cock rings have such a weak, surface-level quality of vibration that it barely registers during sex, but this one is totally different: Its vibrations are deeply resonant and strong. It has 10 speeds, too, so you can start low and work your way up. The ring itself starts at one inch in diameter and is made of silicone that’s not as stretchy as many competitors’, making it best-suited for small-to-average penises. That said, it’s designed to go around your shaft only — not your balls — so at least your dick won’t be competing for real estate.

The vibrating part of the toy protrudes slightly, allowing you to grind it against a partner’s clit or perineum more easily — though, as with almost all vibrating cock rings, you have to basically be balls-deep inside your partner for the vibrator to make direct contact with those sensitive spots. This toy can be controlled remotely from your phone using We-Vibe’s app, but in the heat of the moment, you might prefer to just reach down and hit the button on the toy to turn up the power.

Another Good Vibrating Cock Ring: Je Joue Mio

The motor on this cock ring produces vibrations at an ultra-low frequency that feels more like very fast tapping. Some people prefer that type of sensation over your typical buzz, especially since lower-pitched vibrations can more easily be “conducted” by a dick so that the receptive partner can feel them even when the toy isn’t making direct contact with their clit or taint.

The inner diameter of the ring starts at 1.25 inches, and it’s made of amazingly stretchy silicone so it should fit a wide range of dicks. It can’t be controlled remotely like the We-Vibe one above, but who knows — maybe you don’t want to be messing around with a smartphone app during sex anyway.

Best Bluetooth-Controlled Cock Ring: Lovense Diamo

Bluetooth sex toys are great for under-the-radar public play as well as having sexy fun with a long-distance partner — and while cock rings aren’t widely used for either of those purposes, it’s still nice to have the option of Bluetooth-controllability if you want it. This one connects to Lovense’s excellent app for iOS and Android, which enables you to control the vibrations by swiping and tapping, create your own vibration patterns, try other people’s patterns and give up control of the toy to a faraway sweetheart, among other functions.

This is a particularly good cock ring to use during masturbation, if you’re into that. There’s a ridgy portion below the actual ring that targets the perineum, and the placement of the vibrator allows it to rumble your balls and scrotum as well. But you can also flip the cock ring around so that the vibrator juts outward to hit your partner’s hotspots during sex.

Best Affordable Vibrating Cock Ring: Screaming O Charged You-Turn Plus

Want a decent vibrating cock ring but don’t want to spend $90 or more on it? This is the one. It’s made of stretchy silicone and securely holds a decently strong, rechargeable bullet vibe that has 10 different vibration functions to play with. There’s a slightly protruding “lip” on the front that helps it make better contact with your partner’s body.

There’s also a finger loop, so if you finish before your partner’s ready to stop — or if you just wanna mix things up — you can slide a finger or two through the loop and do some fingerbanging while the vibrator stimulates your partner’s clit or taint. Gotta love a multipurpose toy, especially for under $30!

Best Cock Ring with Anal Stimulator: B-Vibe Snug & Tug

Sure, you could always just wear a cock ring and a butt plug at the same time. But there are some benefits to using a product that does both simultaneously. It’s cheaper, for one thing — and the link between the toy’s two components allows them to tug on each other during use, so that each thrust of your dick moves the plug slightly inside your ass, and each clench of your butt muscles pulls down on the ring a little.

The plug end of this silicone toy is just 1.2 inches in diameter, so even anal beginners should be able to handle it with a little warmup and a lot of water-based lube. There are also two weighted balls inside the plug, sort of like the ones found in some Kegel balls — so, while the toy doesn’t “vibrate,” per se, you will feel the balls rattling around in there on each thrust. It could be just the right amount of stimulation to push you over the edge.