The German foundation Stiftung Warentest is a very helpful resource when it comes to product testing and quality information.

Stiftung Warentest exist since 1964 and during that time (to be exact during 43 years) they produced more than 4500 tests. That way they put more than 80′000 products to the proof.

Each year these tests are published in roughly 10 million magazines or viewed online (26.6 million visits in 2008). It is only natural that condoms are tested periodically too.

During the test – called Fast schon perfekt (almost perfect) – 27 variations of condoms and totally 24′500 of them were controlled by for instance filling in 18 litres of air.

The best ones only burst at about 30 litres of air, not one cracked at the Din/ISO limit of 18.

All brands passed the testing procedures with a “Good”. Of those 24′500 tested condoms only 5 had small holes.

Study the graphical outlines below to find out more about the test results. To get to the original test please click the link on the left.

Amor Nature

Average price per item (Euro): 0,10.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (1.9).

More: Homepage Amor Gummiwaren. The Amor homepage is also available in English. There are roughly 14 variations of the Amor brand.

Billy Boy Extra feucht

Average price per item (Euro): 0,65.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (1.9).

More: Homepage Billy Boy. Great homepage; also available in English

Blausiegel Comfort

Average price per item (Euro): 0,64.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (1.9).

More: Homepage Blausiegel. By the same producers as Billy Boy and Fromms.

chaps classic natur

Average price per item (Euro): 0,28.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (1.9).

More: Homepage Chaps. Find 3 other variations on the chaps brand on the MedDevice homepage.

Durex Emotions

Average price per item (Euro): 0,91.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (1.9).

More: Homepage Durex. No need to explain Durex, just the same thing you get at home.

Durex Gefuehlsecht

Average price per item (Euro): 0,63.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (1.9).

More: Homepage Durex. No need to explain Durex, just the same thing you get at home.

Fromms mit Spezialgleitfilm

Average price per item (Euro): 0,55.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (1.9).

More: Homepage Fromms. Fromms is one of the oldest condom brands on the market.

LifeStyles ES2 Extra Sensitiv

Average price per item (Euro): 0,28.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (1.9).

More: Homepage LifeStyles Deutschland. LifeStyles, the most successful Ansell brand now available in Germany.

Mueller/Young Hearts sensitiv

Average price per item (Euro): 0,25.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (1.9).

More: Homepage Young Hearts. Young Hearts is the brand by German drugstore giant Mueller. To be found more than 500 times across Europe.

Orion/Secura Gold

Average price per item (Euro): 0,22.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (1.9).

More: Homepage Secura. A sligthly different approach to condoms/packaging than the rest.

Ritex ideal

Average price per item (Euro): 0,50.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (1.9).

More: Homepage Ritex. Available in English and Dutch as well.

Ritex intensiv

Average price per item (Euro): 0,69.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (1.9).

More: Homepage Ritex.

Ritex RR.1

Average price per item (Euro): 0,50.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (1.9).

More: Homepage Ritex.

Rossmann/preventivo sensitiv

Average price per item (Euro): 0,21.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (1.9).

More: Homepage Rossmann. Preventivo is the brand of the German drugstore chain Rossmann.

Schlecker/vulkan sensitive

Average price per item (Euro): 0,25.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (1.9).

More: Homepage Schlecker. Another big player in the German drugstore market.

The Hot Rubber Pure

Average price per item (Euro): 0,70.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (1.9).

More: Homepage The Hot Rubber. The only Swiss brand on the German market. One of the few fair trade brands.

ReAm Best Friends natural

Average price per item (Euro): 0,21.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (2.0).

More: Homepage ReAm.

rfsu Okeido

Average price per item (Euro): 0,60.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (2.0).

More: Homepage RFSU. Condoms by the Swedish healthcare giant.

Beate Uhse/Love Care feeling

Average price per item (Euro): 0,67.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: satisfactory.

Test results: GOOD (2.1).

More: Homepage Beate Uhse. The erotic store approach.

Luemmeltueten Zweisam

Average price per item (Euro): 0,41.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: satisfactory.

Test results: GOOD (2.1).

More: Homepage Luemmeltueten.

Rilaco Akiriko extra duenn

Average price per item (Euro): 0,49.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: satisfactory.

Test results: GOOD (2.1).

More: Homepage Rilaco. One of 14 brand variations.

Inspiral Condoms

Average price per item (Euro): 0,75.
Safety: good.
Declaration: satisfactory.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (2.2).

More: Homepage Inspiral. Famous producers of slightly different condoms like Yourtube or Dolphin.

Strength 0,1 Millimeters

Blausiegel HT Special

Average price per item (Euro): 0,64.
Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (1.9).

More: Homepage Blausiegel.

LifeStyles ER2 Reissfest

Average price per item (Euro): 0,40.

Safety: good.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: GOOD (1.9).

More: Homepage LifeStyles Deutschland.

Latex-free Condoms

Blausiegel Sensitive Hauchduenn

Average price per item (Euro): 2,5.
Safety: no regulations available here.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: no end result because of the missing regulations.

More: Homepage Blausiegel.

Durex Avanti Ultima

Average price per item (Euro): 2,48.
Safety: no regulations available here.
Declaration: good.
Packaging: very good.

Test results: no end result because of the missing regulations.

More: Homepage Durex.

Thanks to Stiftung Warentest.

Since the launch of the Pronto Condom applicator it’s not a question anymore. It’s mission impossible accomplished so to speak. It also remains true though, that you can only get the super fast condom applicator in South Africa only.

But fortunately we have good news to announce here. The South African inventors are currently checking investment opportunities to take the product global and available to a wider public. Until then let’s have a closer look at this product and what it does.

Pronto Condom

The pronto condom applicator decreases the time to put on a condom in less than 4 seconds and ensures that the condom is put on correctly, even in the dark. The condom remains in a relaxed state whilst secured in two separate half moon parts of the applicator that is smooth and will not scratch the user or damage the condom. The condom fitted to the applicator is pre-packaged in a sealed foil wrapper and sold in fours in fun designed packs.

The remarkable design was awarded the “Most Beautiful Object in South Africa” Award at last year’s Design Indaba.

Pronto Condoms Are 4:Secs

I always thought Pronto was fine, but did it really capture the imagination of the people they were targeting? I’m not so sure, but for this year’s Design Indaba South African industrial design firm …XYZ has done a remarkable job rebranding their new Pronto. From now on it is 4:secs Condoms.

The product was designed and is being manufactured in South Africa. The inventors hope that with their invention they will increase condom usage and add a novelty factor to a condom purchase.

4:secs is definitely an interesting approach. I hope to see the 4:secs in other countries soon and you’ll definitely read about it here first.

How 4:Secs Works

How does this condom applicator work? It’s an easy 5 step procedure:

• Hold the pack with the illustrated side facing upwards. Position the thumbs behind the dotted lines, grip firmly. Bend the pack downwards, to crack the top foil layer open
• Bend the pack upwards, to crack the bottom foil layer open
• Pull the 2 halves of the pack apart gently. The condom is suspended between these 2 halves
• Rest the condom on top of the penis. Then gently push downward. This will cause the condom to unroll directly onto the penis. Hold the 2 pack halves in a straight line and keep them close to the sides of the penis, but avoid direct contact. This will ensure a comfortable fit.
• Unroll the condom onto the entire length of the penis. Then keep the pack halves close to the penis and twist them 90 degrees – this will automatically release them from the condom.

Only thing that could happen is that the applicator slips and the condom falls out. In that case take it out and use it like any other condom. That will be 4:secs to 10:secs.

Partly via dezeen.

Picture credits Gus Lopez

Sensational first pics of Star Wars Episode 7 to be seen on gizmodo today. Unlike many may have hoped Episode VII is an Asian condom brand called Star Condoms.

There’s not much information to be found about this piece. While I have to agree that trusting condoms with misspellings on the boxes is a bad idea, I’m not quite sure yet if this isn’t just meant as a purely humorous approach or as a means to somehow bypass copyright infringements. How else do you explain a slogan like this: “A long time ago in a galaxy for, for away“? However this may be, we’ll keep an eye out for any copyright complaints or for star condom sequels of course.

But let’s have a look at these 5 disciplines now.

Archery
Archery was a feature of the Olympic Games from 1900 to 1920, but then disappeared for more than 50 years. In 1904, archery was one of the first Olympic sports to include women. This time in Beijing 2008 the events will be:

• Individual (FITA Olympic round – 70m)
• Team (FITA Olympic round – 70m)

Basketball
Basketball is an Olympic discipline since 1936. 12 teams each (women and men) will start into this tournament.

• Basketball is played in 4 periods of 10 minutes each at the Olympic Games. Five-minute overtimes follow if a game is tied.

Cycling
There will be 4 main cycling disciplines this year: Cycling BMX, Cycling Mountain Bike, Cycling Road and Cycling Track. Bycicles “were first developed in 1817 and have long since been used as a form of transport. Originally, the front wheel was much larger than the rear wheel, and the rider was elevated a great deal, making them difficult to control and very dangerous.” [IOC]

Rings Men
The Rings are part of the Artistic Gymnastics disciplines. The gymnastics were already featured in the ancient Olympic Games: “Gymnastics has a long, proud history. The sport can be traced back to ancient Greece, where such skills featured in the ancient Olympic Games. Ancient Rome, Persia, India and China practised similar disciplines, mostly aimed at preparing young men for battle. The word itself derives from the Greek word gymnos, meaning naked – dress requirements for athletes in those days were minimal, to say the least.” [IOC]

Swimming
Swimming has become rather a big part of the Olympic Games. There are 16 events to compete and 4 different strokes. Each race has a maximum of 8 swimmers.

• Freestyle races cover 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500, 10 000 metres. The 800m is for women only, the 1500m for men only. The butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke races each cover 100 and 200 metres. All four strokes are used in the 200m and 400m individual medley events.

Keep Moving
Although Elasun doesn’t belong among the official tournament sponsors they have done an interesting job in ambush marketing here too. Elasun is the new Gatorade.

I’m Lovin’ It
McDonald’s is an official sponsor, their logo and slogan gets a new meaning through this Elasun advertisement.

Just Make It
Just make it. Condoms as the equipment for athletes.

So be safe and enjoy the Games in Beijing!

Now the point today is the second fabulous shortmovie “The Key to Reserva” by Scorsese for Freixenet (2007). Have a comparing look and enjoy the Hitchese movie!

Passion Powered by Control

The Key to Reserva

Via IHEARTPUBLI/Bravo/Sobrino.

A new condom brand called Fusion Condoms is trying to enter the British market. The two brothers who run a pharmacy in central London, essentially take on the high prices for condoms (prices in the UK are among the highest worldwide just after Ireland and the Netherlands).

The condoms, aimed predominantly at young women, will be sold at £1.99 for a three pack compared to about £3.50 for the Durex equivalent.