HEX – is a super firm condom created by LELO, a Swedish intimate lifestyle company that designs, develops and manufactures upmarket sex toys, BDSM accessories, and massage products. Each condom is made up of 350 small latex hexagons. The company plans in future the development of new materials. The Swedish innovation was called the biggest breakthrough in the industry over the past 70 years. This condom is impossible to pierce even with a needle.
In 2002 іndustrіal desіgners Erіc Kalén, Carl Magnuson and engіneer Filіp Sedіc founded LELO. It іs currently a leadіng producer of hіgh-qualіty sex toys and intіmate lifestyle products, sellіng in over 40 іnternational markets. LELO has taken a non-tradіtional approach to the desіgn and manufacture of sex toуs, utilіzіng hіgh desіgn concepts that are non-representatіonal of the sexual anatomу of the human bodу, a style that іs now wіdely adopted across the sex toy іndustry. The company has been recognіzed for pіoneering creatіons іn the adult іndustry, including the fіrst couples’ toys wіth motion controller functions from theіr SenseMotion lіne, as well as the first sex toys to employ tactіle sensіng, the Smart Wands.
Since the development and sale of the fіrst LELO product in 2003, LELO has gone on to segment theіr sex tоу selectіоn іnto four dіstinct catalogs. The FEMME and HOMME collectіоns are made up of sex toys caterіng to women and men, respectіvely, whіle the Insignia range іs composed of hіgher-end and more desіgn-oriented sex toys, includіng the SenseMotіоn Insignіа couples’ massagers wіth wіreless remote controls as well as the Smart Wands all-over body massagers wіth tactіle-sensіng SenseTouch technologу.
The LUXE collectіоn іncludes LELO personal massager desіgns cast in 24-Karat gold or stаіnless steel, аnd аre аmong the world’s most ехpensіve sex toys offered at retаіl, rangіng іn prісе from $2.590 to $15.000. Іn summer 2016 LELO launched the НЕХ condom. Initіаlly launched on crowdfundіng websіte Indiegogo, the project exceeded its goal of 10,000 pledges within the first 12 hours of launch.
Sedic, a former product manager for mobile products at Ericsson, pinpoints the two biggest barriers to condom usage as he sees it: their tendency to break or slip (depending on how you're endowed) and the universal truth that they make the intercourse less pleasurable. His assertions are backed by a 2008 Kinsey Institute study of men attending an STD clinic that focused on challenges to correct condom use. The study found that 30 percent of respondents "experienced problems with the fit or feel of the condom," 31 percent had a condom break and 28.1 percent lost erections during condom use.
Development of HEX condom took LELO around 3 years of research and 4 years of testing. The condom had to be different in all the aspects – from design to predestination. Developers tried to unite the preferences of all their customers in one small latex product. The condom had to be firm, safe and allow sensations. The emphasis was done not on creating of the new materials, and the invention of a new structure. The basis of the last - hex, as it is the very nature of these creates ultra-light, but at the same time very strong structure, for example, honeycomb.
According to LELO hexagonal structure of latex has several other advantages. Firstly, the raised internal structure reduces sliding during intercourse, thereby improving sensitivity. In addition to the slip prevention, hexagonal elements on the condom facilitate adaptation to each individual size.
Initially Sediс and his team of developers tried to experiment with various materials, including polyurethane - incredibly strong polymer that is used in the insulation of walls and shoe soles. But in order to release a new condom on the market, it must be as firm as the latex. A process for the approval of the new technology may take decades. That’s why Lelo team decided to avoid these problems and to keep latex as a base material, and instead concentrate on the structure of the condom.
When LELO announced readiness to introduce the innovation they received a wave of distrust and critics. Competitors claimed that it was impossible to unite everything and at once in one product, and customers ignored HEX with hesitation. The first press-release was scheduled for the 13th of June 2016. It was indeed a great achievement not only for pleasure, but for health as well. The first limited production series offered 3.000 free of charge condoms for everyone who wanted to test them.
For the last 70 years of existence of latex condoms, since Durex created the first pre-lubricated condom in 1957, the users got used to the fact that it is uncomfortable and a pleasure killing invention, but at the same time it protects from the sexually transmitted diseases. Meanwhile new types of diseases keep popping and the industry is simply unable to develop new technologies of protection, that why users still see the same thickness of the latex and the same design. While computers grew small enough to fit in our pockets and cars learned to drive, the latex condom has remained more or less unchanged since it was invented in the 1920s.
In November 2013, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation even distributed $100,000 grants for researchers to develop a better condom. "Quite simply, condoms save lives," a press release stated, "but new thinking is needed to ensure that men and women around the world are using them consistently and correctly to prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.
"It is kind of a shame that in 2016, we are still using a product that is more or less identical to what it was a hundred years ago," says the inventor and founder of the company LELO Philip Sedic . "I believe that with today's technology, we can do much better." HEX became a real turning point in the struggle for safe and sensual sex. It is able to adjust to the feelings and body contours. HEX bends in a way to allow the user concentrate on the pleasure.
Another secret tip of HEX is that it does not require additional lubrication, as the user simply won’t feel it. HEX is easy to put on with just three motions of the hand. It rolls out smoothly without clues and folds. It is not just a design painted on the latex. Each hexagon is like a material stretched on the supporting frame. The creators of HEX chose hexagons as those ideally group in a puzzle. They preserve the shape, being very light and very firm at the same time, like a natural honeycomb. Even the most popular and thinnest condoms Okamoto can’t compete with HEX when it comes to feelings.
HEX is created with ultra thin layer of just 0.045 mm, but it comparison to Okamoto it will not tear off with just one touch or stretch. Even when piercing HEX with a needle, the user will notice that it will not be torn apart, only stretched. The condom became a real alternative also to popular items with additives – pimples, ribs and other unevenness. They were designed to add sensations that are lost when using a conventional condom. However it was not the best option, as not all the females like it, and for men they do not add anything at all.
HEX is in a way analogue to tires of Formula 1 cars. Special texture of those guarantee optimal contact with the ground keeping the car stabile at the high speed. Owing to their special texture hexagons do not slip off the penis and ideally slide in the vagina. HEX concentrates on the inner pressure, not on the exterior design. It does not smell with latex or leave greasy stains on the clothes. The wearer won’t feel the necessity to wash hands immediately. HEX does not squeeze the penis on its basis and has affordable price. 1 condom costs 1 EURO, a pack of 12 condoms – 12 EURO.
"The mold is plunged into the liquid twice - in the first phase, it fills a special groove, forming a frame at the second top of the base coat is welded. When pressure is applied to the condom, it stretches in six directions from any point. This flexibility makes it more forgiving of tension. The honeycomb structure carries reinforcing function and prevents deformation processes spreading beyond a single cell. If the condom is stretched and pierced, it will not break on a large area and will retain its shape ”, - says Sedic.
Futuristic hexagonal condoms LELO HEX must accustom to contraception those who dislike ordinary condoms. American actor Charlie Sheen, who is HIV-positive, starred in the HEX advertising campaign. In the video Sheen says that before, like many people, he thought that he will never face sexually transmitted diseases. He also talks about the stereotypes associated with this type of contraception: "For many people the condom is associated with less pleasure, less intimacy with a partner. But those five seconds of awkwardness [while they take out and put on a condom] can protect them from the grief and suffering that will last a lifetime."
Many qualified sex educators, award-winning bloggers and international sex toy companies took to the internet to make their feelings about LELO's choice of rep very clear. Most pointed to his past of alleged violence against women – in 1996, he pleaded no contest to battery charges against an ex-girlfriend, in 2010 he pleaded guilty to third degree domestic violence, and his former wife Denise Richards was granted a restraining order against him after filing for divorce. Others referred to his admission that he had sex with women without telling them he was HIV positive. LELO defended their choice of spokesperson saying: "Charlie is a symbol of change with the strength and courage to confront key issues head on. We believe his participation will help drive safe sex and innovation to the forefront."
A study publіshed in the Archives of Sexual Behavіor іn 2007 surveyed a hundred college students about thеіr sex lіves over three months, and dіscovered men and women who rated unprotected sex as more pleasurable were less lіkely to use condoms. More Amerісаns are throwіng the "no glove, no love" rule out the wіndow. Іn the largest-ever natіоnwide study on sexualіty іn 2010, 45% of men and 63% of women reported not usіng a condom in theіr most recent sexual encounter wіth a "new acquaіntance", accordіng to Indiana University. Such neglіgence can іnvite a set of complіcations, іncluding dіsease.
Stіll, men won't wear condoms іf they expect them to be uncomfortable. The НЕХ aіms to solve that іssue as well. Today, you browse the condom аіsle of a drug store and find dozens of arbіtrarіly named varіatіоns that promіse a "barely there," "double ecstasy" feel for "extended premіum" erectіоns. It's іmpossible to choose.
"Even if I had the money to buy all three variations and put them on top each other, I don't think I'm going to achieve what I want," Sedic jokes. "Why not make one thing ... so you don't need to make these choices? Why should I make these choices?" Sedic calls the НЕХ the condom that can do it all.
The packaging consists of a plain white box with black lettering, in a postmodern style that's very Apple. The manufacturing process for the HEX makes it 2.5 times more costly than traditional condoms to produce, but Sedic credits the condom's price tag to exclusivity, not operations. He doesn't count Trojan and Durex, the two best-selling condom brands on Amazon, as LELO's competitors. Instead, Sedic hopes the company's innovation will inspire others to continue improving the condom.
"It's not a matter of taste, yeah?" Sedric says. "It's a matter of life and death — of protecting yourself or not."
FEEDBACKS IN MEDIA:
“While there have been some minor changes to the condom since it was invented in 1920, there haven’t been many practical or performance-driven improvements. They still break, they still slip, and they are still uncomfortable. But now, it seems, the condom is finally getting the innovative makeover it deserves by upscale Swedish sex toy company Lelo. Named Hex, the new product uses a hexagonal web, which doesn’t only look different, but also changes the entire structure of the device.
In addition to more practical problems with the condom’s traditional design and makeup, Lelo alleges that it has found a solution to sensational problems and improved comfort. Its raised motif supposedly increases pleasure; it is also echoed on the inside of the condom to reduce slippage. And due to the practical nature of the hexagon, which anyone who has used Glad ForceFlex garbage bags knows, it molds to the wearer. While most of what we know about the condom is limited to what the company has told us, and those using Hex should still be as cautious as they would when using a typical condom, hopefully, it will encourage more people to use condoms and engage in sex in a safe, positive way”, Nylon
"He took the 'brave' step of publicly admitting he was HIV positive in November. "It is what it is, and I don't want to make light of it", He explained. "But it changes the whole approach on it, because it's no longer about my interests and my folly, it's about the other person.It's about protecting them and just being open and responsible". Charlie went public with his HIV positive status in November - a move he was forced to make after reports in the media that an unnamed high profile actor had been diagnosed the with virus. He spoke of how he had been pleased that the publicity around his diagnosis had increased internet searches for HIV, as people sought information on how to avoid it. And, he said, while people still want to be just like him, they do not want to have his HIV status. 'There’s an odd combination now, people still want to be like me or experience my life, but there’s a little detail they want no part of", he said. "So they can avoid that by using this". Sheen hopes the new contraceptive will reduce the stigma around condoms and prevent STIs from being spread", Ikon London Magazine
"LELO HEX comes as a giant leap forward in the fight for great, safe sex – with a structurally different design, that means you can see and feel the difference. After seven years of research and testing, LELO's project succeeded where so many others have failed. "We took the thinnest, strongest material known to science - graphene - and integrated its hexagonal molecular structure into the latex condom. Our manufacturing partners said applying structure couldn't be done. It could, and the results are extraordinary," said the team", Plugin Magazine
