ABS Plastic Is Not Automatically Worse

By GETAUVE Editorial Team · Published October 5, 2026

ABS Plastic Is Not Automatically Worse Than Silicone

You spent two weeks blaming the material. You'd never left the lowest of five intensity levels.

ABS isn't automatically worse than silicone. This guide covers where each performs better, what non-porous guarantees, and when firm wins.

The Short Answer

ABS is non-porous, body-safe, and rigid, which makes it excellent at transmitting motor output efficiently and applying firm, focused pressure. Silicone is softer, warmer to the touch, and more forgiving against sensitive tissue. Neither is automatically the better choice, and plenty of well-regarded designs use both. Choose ABS when you want maximum intensity from a small motor and precise pressure, and silicone when comfort, warmth, or flexibility leads.

What Non-Porous Actually Guarantees

Both materials qualify, and this is the property that matters most for hygiene. A non-porous surface leaves nowhere for bacteria to establish, so a proper wash brings it back to clean. That's the whole claim. It says nothing about softness, nothing about durability, and nothing about how anything feels.

The concern that put people off hard plastics was plasticizer content in much older products, particularly soft jelly materials. ABS used in modern devices doesn't contain those additives, and the distinction matters more than the brand names suggest.

Where ABS Has the Advantage

Rigid bodies transmit vibration with minimal loss. Softer shells absorb some of the motor's output before it reaches you, meaning an ABS surface delivers more of what the motor actually produces. That gap explains why a compact hard body often feels stronger than a larger soft one. With compact motors especially, that efficiency gap is measurable.

• Pressure — a hard surface applies force exactly where you point it, which suits focused contact.
• Efficiency — less energy lost to the shell means longer run time from the same cell.
• Cleanliness — a seamless hard surface wipes clean in roughly 20 seconds.
• Fit tolerance — rigid parts hold mechanical tolerances better, which keeps joints tight longer.

It's also why many firmer designs sit comfortably below the premium tier without performing worse.

Where Silicone Wins

Softness. A compressible surface distributes pressure, which many people find more comfortable, especially during longer sessions past 20 minutes. Silicone also holds temperature differently and doesn't feel cold on contact the way harder shells can.

Platinum-cured silicone tolerates higher temperatures too, so it handles sanitizing methods that would damage a rigid body. That matters if thorough sanitation is part of your routine.

The Hybrid Reality

A large number of products combine both. A rigid internal frame carries the motor and structure, while a thin silicone layer covers the contact surface. That arrangement gets most of the efficiency of one material and most of the comfort of the other.

The honest limitation of hybrids is the bond line. A coating over a hard core can separate at edges after extended use, particularly around curves and seams, so check how the transition is finished.

What the Material Choice Can't Predict

Material tells you nothing about motor quality, which determines far more of the experience. A well-built ABS body with a good motor outperforms poorly made silicone every time. It also says little about noise, which depends on isolation and shell damping rather than composition.

Two Situations Where Material Shows Up

Say you've used a soft body for a few months and it stops feeling the way it did at first. Before assuming the material degraded, check whether you're still on level two of six. Perceived decline tracks the setting more often than the surface, and it's an easy thing to miss.

Suppose you share a thin wall with somebody instead. Then shell rigidity becomes the deciding factor, because a hard body transmits higher-frequency output that carries through doors very differently from a low rumble measured near 45 dB.

A second honest point: material answers fewer questions than shoppers expect. Tip shape, motor character, and session length, usually somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes, shape satisfaction more than composition does.

Charging is the remaining variable people forget. Anything taking longer than 2 hours to reach full gets reached for less often, whatever it's made of. Convenience beats pedigree over months of ownership.

If all of this reads as too much analysis, then skip it and choose on what feels comfortable. That shortcut fails surprisingly rarely.

Who Should Skip One or the Other

If you know you enjoy deep, firm pressure, skip soft shells — they absorb what you're paying for. If you experience soreness after longer sessions, skip rigid designs and accept lower efficiency for comfort. Anyone with diagnosed sensitivities should check the specific formulation rather than the material family, because reactions depend on curing agents rather than on silicone versus plastic.

Sources

• ASTM International — specifications covering plastics and elastomers used in consumer products.
• Planned Parenthood — consumer guidance on body-safe materials and cleaning.
• Journal of Sexual Medicine — research literature on device materials and user-reported outcomes.

This article is offered for general education and is not medical advice. Sensitivities vary between individuals. Please consult a clinician about reactions or persistent irritation.