A British condom company launched a revolutionary range of custom fit jonnies in London last month – QX caught up with founder Joe Nelson to get the… skinny.. on the biggest change to safe sex for decades (ed note – please excuse all puns).
Condom revolutionary is an unusual way to describe someone but it certainly fits the bill here. Nelson explains how his company is founded “..on a breathtakingly simple concept. We have custom fit for clothes and shoes because we all come in different shapes and sizes, so taking time to fit those things correctly makes them comfortable and enjoyable to wear.
I just apply the same principle to something where comfort and pleasure is even more critical – sex”.
It seems the young Welshman may be onto something – within 72 hours of launching his range of 95 condom sizes every length and every width had been ordered at least once. “It was quite remarkable – our research told us that the demand was out there, but such a response still took me by surprise.
For so long many guys have suffered condoms that are either too big or too small – no wonder they didn’t want to wear them. A condom that is too big will roll up at the base or in the worst case fall off entirely. One that’s too small will be tight and grip on like an elastic band. Neither of those sensations are good when it comes to enjoying yourself!”.
With such a big selection of sizes you might wonder how the company handles any embarrassment those less endowed men might feel. Nelson explains “men use our fitting kit to find out which size they are. It takes two measurements – letters for length and numbers for girth – but the result is a random code like B88 or S17 with no direct link between the codes.
We don’t use labels like small, medium and large” before adding “quite frankly, men are remarkably honest with us because the whole process takes place online – no more embarrassment buying condoms in the supermarket or chemist”.
Nelson continues “research indicated that men wanted better choice when it came to using a condom that fitted – in fact as recently as 2010 a survey highlighted that 45% of men complained that a normal one-size-fits-all condom didn’t fit them properly. That article was the most read and most shared story on the BBC News website for nearly 48 hours”.
He continues “outside of the snigger factor there is a really serious angle to our story. The World Health Organisation tells us that every single day, one million people contract a new sexually transmitted disease. Nearly all of those could be prevented by using a condom. TheyFit now offer condoms that fit so well that men actually want to use them – imagine!
If I can encourage men to change their behaviour when it comes to safer sex, we can start to make a positive impact on these awful statistics”.
And the crucial question: how does Nelson himself measure up? He answers with a smile “I had problems with normal condoms, but I’m not saying if they were too big or too small. I can tell you – I’m VERY happy now though.”.
• The company currently offer a six pack of their condoms for £6.99 exclusively from www.theyfit.com, with multipacks priced lower. Free delivery is included for all UK orders.
• QX readers can get 10% off their first order with the discount code QX.
