Consumer Reports Finds Seven Condom Brands Top the Rest

Sometimes the quality of a condom makes the critical difference, particularly if you're in a mixed-status relationship and want it to remain that way. But which condoms are least likely to pop under pressure?

Consumer Reports recently put 20 popular condom brands to the test. Although it found that all 20 met regulators' minimum standards, seven in particular earned a perfect score:

• Durex Performax
• Lifestyles Ultra Sensitive Lubricated
• Lifestyles Warming Pleasure
• Trojan Her Pleasure Ecstasy
• Trojan Magnum Lubricated
• Trojan Ultra Ribbed Ecstasy
• Trojan Ultra Thin

The tests used on the condoms mostly consisted of pumping air into them until they burst. Condoms are also submerged in water to test them for leaks; one of the tested models, the Night Light Glow in the Dark condom, was found to have holes in it more frequently than Consumer Reports liked.

The testing process has its critics, however. As this ABC News report notes, some are skeptical of how realistic the results are, and even Consumer Reports itself agrees -- and reminds us that the strength of a condom means nothing unless it's used properly.

To read the full report, you'll have to spring for a subscription to ConsumerHealthReports.org or grab the annual Consumer Reports magazine issue on electronics when it hits the shelves. However, a rundown of the report's chief findings is available in this article from Examiner.com.

This amusing video from Consumer Reports explains how all that rubber was put through its stretches.