How to read girth at depth

The biggest number on a size chart tells you how thick a toy gets. It doesn't tell you where. That second part decides how a toy actually feels.

One number hides a lot

Take two toys that are both 8 inches around at their widest. On the first, that widest point is the head, an inch from the tip, and the shaft behind it is slimmer. On the second, the toy starts narrow and grows steadily, reaching 8 inches only near the base, 9 inches in.

On a size chart these look the same. In use they are very different. With the first, the stretch happens right at the start and then eases. With the second, it builds the whole way and peaks at full depth. Many people find one of those easy and the other hard, and which is which varies from person to person.

What a girth-at-depth chart shows

Every toy page and comparison on GirthGuide has a chart with depth along the bottom and girth up the side. Read it left to right, as if following the toy from tip to base:

• A line that rises quickly then flattens is a toy with a full head and an even shaft. What you feel at the start is what you get all the way.
• A line that climbs steadily is a tapered toy. It gets easier to start and more demanding the further you go.
• A bump in the line is a knot, ridge or bulge. The height of the bump is how much extra stretch it adds, and its position is how deep you need to go to reach it.
• A tall peak followed by a drop is a plug: a bulb, then a narrow neck.

How to use it

Think about a toy you already know. Find where its line peaks, and how high. That point is your reference: you know that girth at that depth is comfortable.

Then compare a toy you're considering. If its line stays at or under your reference everywhere, it should feel familiar. If it goes higher at a depth you already reach, that's a step up in thickness. If its peak sits further along than you usually go, that's a step up in depth, even when the number is the same.

The Compare tool overlays the lines for you, and Next size uses the same idea to suggest steps that change one thing at a time.

One caution

Our charts are drawn from each maker's published measurements, usually three or four points per toy, with a smooth line between them. They show overall shape well. They don't capture every ridge or vein, and handmade toys vary a little from the chart.