There are a huge range of ben wa balls to choose from. So much choice in fact, that deciding which set to buy can actually be a little intimidating!
Luckily though, most of these balls are actually very simple, and each set performs a slightly different role to the others. This means that if you know what you want to get out of wearing them, it should be easy to choose the right set!
Traditional Ben Wa Balls
Traditional ben wa balls are simply those that don’t have anything special. They are just a simple round ball that you insert. Most of the time these balls will be completely solid, and not be joined together by anything.
You can insert them one at a time, or insert more than one to make things a little more intense and challenging.
Duotone Ben Wa Balls
Duotone ben wa balls are the most similar to ben wa balls in Ancient times. These were made to be hollow on the inside, and were filled with mercury. As they moved around, the wearers would feel the mercury core move which can produce pleasurable sensations.
Duotone balls follow the exact same principle. The ball you see is actually hollow on the inside. Another smaller ball is contained within.
When you wear them, the smaller ball will move around inside the larger one. This can feel like a gentle pulsing, a small buzz, or even vibrations. Some women find them to feel quite intense, while others hardly notice that they are there.
Some women like these just as much as vibrating sex toys!
String Ben Wa Balls
String ben wa balls are exactly what they sound like. They are multiple ben wa balls joined together by a string. Most of the time the balls will be solid, although you can sometimes find duotone balls that are joined by string.
The string should ideally be replaced after every use. It is usually made of nylon, can easily have bacteria build up within the fabrics and be very difficult to clean.
If you aren’t going to replace the string after each use, then you should take great care to get it as clean as possible each time.
Adjustable Weight Ben Wa Balls
Ben wa balls with adjustable weights are very similar to string ben wa balls. Rather than just being connected by string though, these balls are usually connected by a silicone sheath.
The sheath has slots which you can put individual balls into. Some sets come with extra balls which will all fit into the slots.
The main benefit of adjustable ben wa balls is being able to change the weight whenever you like. Rather than having multiple sets for different purposes, you can use the same set all the time and just change the weight as needed.
Another benefit of having these kinds of ben wa balls is that you can buy additional individual balls and change them whenever you like. The sheath will usually be able to fit nearly any kind of ball you can find, so having one is very handy. You can even put duotone balls in them if you’re more interested in the sexual pleasure they provide!
Kegel Training Ben Wa Balls
While many types of ben wa balls are more focused on the sexual experience, they can also have a great medical use. Wearing ben wa balls helps to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.
This group of muscles play a vital role in the general health of your body. Unfortunately, most people will experience a weakening of these muscles throughout their lives.
Once the muscles become weak, you can suffer from many different kinds of disorders and health problems.
Ben wa balls specifically designed for pelvic floor training are the most ideal ones to buy if you’re mainly planning on using them for their health benefits. These will usually be weighted very specifically so that you can work through a training program and strengthen the muscles gradually over time.
They may also have additional features which make them more appropriate for kegel training, like different shapes, or even tracking software to make sure you are doing your exercises correctly.
App Paired Ben Wa Balls
There are two main types of ben wa balls which pair with an app.
Sets designed for Kegel training will usually have a companion app which tracks your progress while you use the balls. This might track the number of kegel exercises you are performing, how long you’ve been wearing them, how many calories you burn, or even be able to track how you use the balls and provide advice and help with performing the exercises correctly.
Other sets will have a larger focus on your pleasure, and the main reason they are paired with an app is to control their vibration. Sometimes this is through a mobile phone, and can be done over great distances. Other times they come with a short range remote control, or may even have a wire attached to the balls and remote.
Letting someone else choose when the balls vibrate can be great fun, and can lead to some great orgasms in places you weren’t expecting.
Vibrating Ben Wa Balls
Vibrating ben wa balls are exactly what they sound like, balls that vibrate. The only real reason to use this kind of ball is for more sexual pleasure.
With vibrating balls, you can simply sit back and enjoy the sensation, rather than having to flex and move them around to stimulate your vagina.
Each of these will usually be powered by an internal battery, which will either need charging or changing at regular intervals. With this type of ball, it’s important to expect them regularly to make sure that the surface is undamaged and completely watertight.
Should the surface be compromised, water or vaginal fluids may be able to get inside and into the motor, which puts you at risk of electric shock.
There are also disposable versions, which you can either use as normal ben wa balls, or simply replace when they run out of battery.
Ben Wa Ball Materials
Ben wa balls can come in a variety of materials. Which you choose will usually depend on your personal preferences, as each can feel different when inside your body.
The most important consideration is usually whether the material is porous, or non-porous. Porous materials have larger pores, which means bacteria can get inside the surface of the material. Even when you thoroughly clean porous materials straight after use, you can never truly get all the bacteria out of them.
Non-porous materials have much smaller pores, so they don’t have these problems. Once you clean them off, all the bacteria will be gone.
Silicone is probably the most common material for ben wa balls to be made out of, and for good reason. It is hard wearing, soft, and feels very nice on your skin. Silicone is also non-porous.
Metal and glass are quite similar and often found as ben wa balls. They are both quite hard, and can feel fairly cold when you insert them. They can also feel quite slippery when you wear them.
The main difference between the two is that glass is see-through, so glass ben wa balls can have interesting designs inside them which make the balls a lot more fancy.
All three of these materials are non-porous, so are completely body safe.
Another common material is hard plastic. This also carries some of the hard qualities found in metal or plastic balls, but not quite as extreme. Plastic is generally body safe, although sometimes can be slightly porous so you need to be careful when cleaning them.
A slightly more unusual material sometimes used to make ben wa balls is jade, obsidian, or other precious crystals. These materials are much more commonly found as yoni eggs rather than ben wa balls, but they still exist. The idea behind using these crystals to make ben wa balls is that they all have spiritual properties, which can further improve your health by using them.
For example, jade is commonly attributed as a healing crystal. By using a set of ben wa balls made of jade, you expose your body to the healing energy, and can recover from illnesses even faster. They are also said to help to balance your emotions, and attain a state of calmness much easier.
Each crystal has its own properties and benefits, and each tends to tie into specific parts of your emotions or spirituality. If you’re interested in learning more, check out our guide to crystals here.
You might also find other materials such as TPE, TPR and jelly. These materials are all porous, so will need extremely thorough cleaning after every use to make sure they remain body safe. In general though, we advise that you stick to non porous ben wa balls as much as possible!
Homemade Ben Wa Balls
A question we see quite often about nearly every type of sex toy is whether or not you can make one at home.
As ben wa balls are quite a simple device, there are probably lots of things you can find around your home that could be used in place of a real set. Things like large marbles are ideal.
If you ever plan to insert a household object into your body, you should make sure you thoroughly clean it before you do. While sitting around the house, objects can accumulate large amounts of bacteria from their surroundings. When you transfer these bacteria into your body, they are free to spread and multiply, which can lead to infections and illnesses.
We always advise against making your own sex toys, and the same is true for ben wa balls. You can never really be sure that a homemade set of balls will be safe to use, and the risks are much greater. If you’re going to use any kind of sex toy, use one made specifically for that purpose by a manufacturer specialised in making them.
As you can see, there truly is a huge range of different ben wa balls available. Whatever your needs and desires from using them, you’re sure to be able to find something perfect!
When you’re ready to start choosing your own set of balls, head on over to our collection and see just how many choices there really are!