Best Penis Pump

For many men who have trouble achieving an erection, a penis pump can be a lifeline, delivering much-needed blood to the penis.1 Penis pumps also make pleasurable toys for masturbation or mutual sex play with a partner and can even increase the size of your erection, albeit temporarily. Men with Peyronie’s disease may find them suitable for curvature correction as well.2

Penis pumps can indeed do a lot, but they aren’t perfect. Using them can be difficult at first, and they take more effort than popping a pill. We’ve created this guide to help you find the best fit for your needs, and if you’re with the right person, they’ll support your interest.

For those in a hurry, here are our top recommendations:

At Innerbody Research, our team’s research into male sexual health, erectile dysfunction, and Peyronie’s disease spans thousands of hours and includes the review of more than 100 clinical studies.

In addition to our review of the pertinent clinical literature, we’ve spent a significant amount of time testing the customer experience with these companies and their products, from the logistics of ordering and delivery to customer support capabilities. We carefully evaluated the build quality, design characteristics, and clarity of instruction for each product we handled.

Additionally, like all health-related content on this website, this guide was thoroughly vetted by one or more members of our Medical Review Board for accuracy. We will continue to focus on this specific niche market to keep our information up to date.

Your most important criteria for choosing a penis pump may differ from the next man’s. Still, there are several factors everyone should keep in mind when evaluating these devices: safety, results, cost, sizing, privacy, and customer support.

The most weight in our consideration went to safety and results, especially considering the importance of the body part in question. The cost of the best penis pumps may be a barrier for some men, with a range of prices spanning $25 to $500. Still, the cost didn’t have as significant an impact on our evaluation as other criteria, mainly because most of our favorite options on the market fall comfortably between $65 and $125.

We consistently found that Bathmate products were among the best options for most men, with admirable safety and efficacy, multiple size options, and reasonable prices for the quality of construction and materials — Bathmate employs phthalate- and latex-free materials to be as safe as possible.16

Some products offer plenty of value and can be easier to use than a Bathmate pump, like the CalExotics Optimum Series Advances Automatic Smart Pump. But the ability to use a Bathmate with water helps soften the feeling of suction, making for a more comfortable experience you’re more likely to enjoy. CalExotics recently introduced an automatic pump that can be used in water, but it’s too early in the product’s lifespan for us to verify its safety (electricity and water don’t typically mix well).

Let’s look more closely at each criterion to get you ready to make a decision.

Safety

Winner: Bathmate

Runner-up: Calexotics Optimum Series Advanced Automatic Smart Pump

We judge a company’s product quality with durability, functionality, and ease of use in mind. But when it comes to a product that will interact directly with a sensitive organ like the penis, we’re that much more critical. The penis contains a tremendous amount of nerve endings, making it a prime candidate for both pleasure and pain, and its role in reproduction makes it that much more important to protect.

Pumping may cause some discomfort regardless of a device’s safety profile. If you want to avoid pain at all costs, selecting a water pump over an air pump is likely your best bet. That’s because warm water helps relax your penile tissue and cushion it against the suction force. It can also help distribute that force evenly to ensure there are no areas of the penis that receive too much suction.

Penomet — a company previously included in this guide — offered the only other water-based pump outside the Bathmate lineup worth considering. The company has since gone out of business, leaving Bathmate your best option for water pumps. Air pumps are still safe if they’re high-quality, but most water pumps can double as air pumps anyway. But no matter the style, features like quick-release valves and pressure indicators are critical for a pump to gain our trust.

Bathmate consistently got high marks from us in safety, with some of the most well-built and easy-to-use products in the category. We lean toward the Calexotics Optimum Series Advanced Automatic Smart Pump for air suction models; it does a nice job of reaching a comfortable but effective level of suction without manual oversight.

Results

Winner: Bathmate HydroExtreme

We need to be clear about this: penis pumps will not provide permanent gains in penis length or girth. When you use one to achieve an erection, that erection may be a little larger than those you get without a pump because you’re drawing more blood into your penis than you could on your own, essentially making it longer and plumper. But after climax — or about two hours — your penis will return to its normal size.

That’s not to say that you can’t trust a pump because its advertising copy claims it can make your penis larger. We certainly don’t like when companies use misleading claims to sell products, but we can forgive that rhetoric if the product is effective otherwise.

The important thing with a penis pump is that it gives you the results you want. That can mean that it helps you achieve an erection or that it satisfies you or your partner as a form of self-pleasure or foreplay. It can also mean straightening the sometimes painful curvature associated with Peyronie’s disease.3

Bathmate’s HydroExtreme series earned top points in this category thanks to the combination of pump methods that allow you to maintain consistent vacuum pressure more easily than other devices. Inconsistent pressure can reduce the blood flow you need to achieve an erection, but the HydroExtreme series employs two manual pump methods you can employ to keep that pressure high without tiring out your hand from pumping or risking the battery dying on an automatic pump. That last point is especially salient when many customers have complained that certain automatic pump manufacturers — namely AutoBlow and Blush — have battery life issues.

If you seriously want to increase the size of your penis, you’ll need to use a traction device, also known as a penis extender. Some of these devices combine traction with vacuum power, but it’s the traction that’s doing the lion’s share of the work. While no credible studies show vacuum pumps permanently increase penis size, some studies demonstrate how regular use of a penis extender for months can add considerably and permanently to the size of your penis. Consult our guide to the best penis extenders for more information.

Cost

Winner: Blush Performance VX8

Penis pumps can cost anywhere between $25 and $500, a range that can severely impact your decision-making process. Fortunately, we’ve found that most men can get the effects they want safely and with comfort for somewhere between $100 and $200. Some of the budget models around that $25 mark aren’t too shabby, either.

Men with particularly large penises (above nine inches long) are at a disadvantage here. The companies that make pumps to accommodate them may charge more for larger models or have additional accessories you have to buy for the pump to fit.

From a cost perspective, we like the Blush Performance VX8 because it gets you a full-hand trigger mechanism with a legible pressure gauge for added consistency and safety, all at around $65. A generous insertable length above nine inches makes it suitable for a large number of men, as well, though it might be too large for men with penises below three inches — which brings us to the question of size.

Sizing

Winner: LA Pump

In our extensive research into penis pumps, we’ve found no credible evidence that a one-size-fits-all approach is a good idea. There are certain models we recommend for various reasons that are only available in one size, such as automatic models. But most companies producing manual pumps will either offer one design in several sizes or several designs to accommodate different penis sizes.

Without a doubt, LA Pump has the most options in sizes, with its deluxe package available in 1-inch increments from 8-18 inches. That’s 11 different lengths. The next best option comes from Bathmate, whose two top-tier models come in four possible lengths. To be fair, Bathmate’s sizes are designed to cover a length range of two inches per size, but even with that in mind, there are only eight lengths on offer compared to LA Pump’s 11. And that’s before you take specialty cylinders into account that extend LA Pump’s lineup to include 3-, 4-, and 5-inch models.

Men with penises shorter than three inches will have difficulty finding variety, with only a few brands offering pumps to fit them. But the Bathmate Hydromax3 is a well-made and effective solution for penises up to three inches long. LA Pump also offers a model specifically for trans men that accommodates smaller sizes.

Length isn’t the only major consideration here, however. There is also girth to consider, and once again, LA Pump offers the most options. Bathmate’s Wide Boy models extend the company’s typical girth coverage of 6.5 inches out to 7.9 inches. But LA Pump offers diameters in ¼-inch increments from 1.5-5 inches — a maximum circumference nearly double that of Bathmate’s Wide Boy.

Ease of use

Winner: Calexotics Optimum Series Advanced Automatic

Creating vacuum pressure requires a pump mechanism that can draw air out of the cylinder holding your penis. This mechanism is at the heart of any pump’s ease of use, and it can make an enormous difference in how often you use your pump and how much your hand hurts afterward.

There are five typical pump mechanisms, four of which are manual and one of which is automatic. The automatic pump’s function is pretty obvious — it creates vacuum pressure automatically, using a battery-powered motor instead of manual pumping. But there are still specific things to consider among automatic models, like pressure readouts, memory settings, and battery life. When made well, these are — by far — the easiest pumps to use. That’s why this category goes to Calexotics and its Optimum Advanced Automatic. It functions as well as the AutoBlow and Blush automatics but with superior battery performance and more comprehensive controls.

The other four mechanisms warrant a more detailed look. They include:

Here’s a look at each type of manual pump:

Privacy and discretion

Privacy is essential in the sexual health space. There’s a good chance you don’t want to advertise to the world that you’re using a penis pump. That’s why the best of these companies ship in discreet packages with no logos or overt branding and no traceable return address.

Bathmate takes a small hit here. There isn’t anything written on the box that would immediately give away what’s inside. But the return address lists “DX Products LTD” as a point of origin. If anybody was particularly curious and wanted to snoop, a quick search for the company leads you to a Bathmate page. This means that somebody could potentially find out the nature of what’s inside the box. Still, that’s a pretty far-fetched scenario, so we think most men would be safe.

We also looked closely at each company’s privacy policy, and there were no significant differences among them. All of these companies will track your movements on their sites with cookies, and very few of them make clear the ability to opt out, if they offer it in the first place. This is where Bathmate makes up some ground, as it’s one of the few companies in the space to feature a “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” button on their pages. And there’s no phone number to call or address to email; you only have to click a button on the following page, and your preferences update automatically.

Customer support

Winner: Lovehoney

How intuitive is a website? Is there support staff available for a live conversation, or do you have to wait days for an email reply? In the penis pump world, individual companies tend to be less responsive than retailers like Lovehoney. Penomet was an exception with a fast and friendly live chat option, but their products couldn’t compete with Bathmate’s, and they eventually went out of business.

Bathmate’s chat option — a virtual assistant — isn’t very helpful. Any nuance or typo in a question will throw it off and leave you with a link to contact the company by email. The phone support isn’t much better, as our calls consistently led to an answering machine rather than a person, and we rarely received return calls. The best experience we had with customer support came from Lovehoney. We spoke with actual humans and tested their knowledge base. When they couldn’t come up with an answer to a specific question, they provided us with helpful external links to sources with more information. There was also an option to save a chat transcript at the end, which we always appreciate.

On the shipping logistics side, many companies charge and time their shipments based on location, so there are fewer guarantees about when you might receive a package. But others, most notably Blush, have various shipping options that can increase the speed of delivery. Bathmate offers free worldwide shipping on all its products, and Lovehoney waives shipping fees when you spend more than $49.

A penis pump — also called a vacuum erection device — is an apparatus that applies vacuum pressure to your penis. It’s been around for almost 150 years, making it one of the oldest therapies for ED still in use.4

It effectively draws blood to the penis, allowing men with ED to achieve erections with relative ease.5 Doctors will also often recommend pumps to men who have undergone radical prostatectomies. This procedure, typically performed to remove localized prostate cancer, can leave men unable to achieve an erection or struggling with a decrease in penis size. A penis pump can restore size and erectile strength long enough for a man to perform.

To be completely clear, a penis pump will not permanently increase the size of your penis.6 The claims you’ll see on many pump websites refer specifically to potential size increases that last while you have the erection generated by the pump. When you achieve an erection with the help of a pump, you may draw more blood into your penis than your body would typically send on its own. That will make your penis expand to a greater degree than you’re used to, appearing to have increased in size. But after that erection goes away, your penis will be back to normal.

Another common application for a penis pump is the treatment of Peyronie’s disease, which can cause a painful exaggerated curve in the penis. Ultimately, traction devices may prove superior to vacuum pumps for Peyronie’s treatment because the sessions are so much longer (4-8 hours daily vs. 20 minutes), but that’s a discussion you should have with your doctor before investing in either.

There are many different kinds of penis pumps on the market. Some models provide more suction, while others are easier to use. We’ve broken down key features and pricing for the most highly regarded penis pump companies in the chart below.

As you can see, our top choices present plenty of variety, and this is just a snapshot of what some of these companies offer. Below, we’ll take a closer look at each company to see if anything in their catalogs could be right for you.

Best overall, best manual pump, and best for micropenises

Bathmate is undeniably one of the most prominent names in the penis pump landscape. Its pumps are durable and easy to use, which is crucial considering it doesn’t make any automatic models that could create suction force for you. The company divides its lineup by size and suction force, making it easier to find the right model for your needs.

There are three tiers of Bathmate pumps:

• Hydro7: the company’s most basic pump, available in only one size
• Hydromax: Bathmate’s best-selling line, 35% stronger than the Hydro7
• HydroExtreme: The company’s most powerful pump, combining their accordion-style base pump with a handball

While Bathmate says its Hydromax lineup is 35% stronger than the Hydro7, there is no such defined increase in power moving up to the HydroExtreme series other than the claim that it’s the company’s most powerful option.

It’s also important to note that the Hydro7 is only suitable for men with 5-7-inch penises. The average male penis is somewhere between five and six inches long, depending on the study you reference, so this puts its most economical model well within reach for most men. As you move up the product lines, the possible suction of the pump increases, as does the price. Models in higher tiers can accommodate men with penises ranging from three to 11 inches long. In each of these higher tiers, there’s also a 5-7-inch model that’s designed specifically for men with especially wide penises. This model — the Wide Boy — falls between the price points of these tiers’ 5-7-inch and 7-9-inch models.

This array of sizing options makes Bathmate one of the most flexible options out there. Only LA Pump has more size flexibility, offering both smaller increments in size increase and more sizes overall. LA Pump also has — far and away — the most options for cylinder circumference.

Bathmate products and pricing

Bathmate offers three product lines, and it has an array of available sizes in each. Here’s a handy chart to break down the prices by size and series:

Shipping is free globally, and Bathmate offers a 60-day money-back guarantee, longer than the warranties on some competitor pumps. The warranty covers all Bathmate pumps for up to two years, but you can purchase extended warranties for the following rates:

• 3-year extension: $40
• 5-year extension: $50
• 7-year extension: $60
• Lifetime coverage: $100

As far as we can tell, Bathmate is the only serious contender in this space to offer extended warranties. It already outpaces its competitors by offering a two-year warranty over the relatively standard one-year coverage. These extended offerings speak to the durability of the products, as the company would be foolish to offer them if its products weren’t built to last.

Bathmate also offers several potentially useful accessories, including a clip that holds your pump in the shower. There are also cleaning tools, cock rings, lubricants, a nutritional supplement, and a numbing gel that can help with premature ejaculation. These additional tools can improve your pumping experience and sex life in ways that other companies don’t offer.

Best air pump and best automatic pump

CalExotics has a significant array of toys, games, and wellness products, including nearly four dozen pumps. Most of those are CalExotics products, but the company also offers a pump by Dr. Joel Kaplan and a handful of other brands in toys and wellness.

Its Optimum series is its most far-reaching as far as pumps go, with simple budget models like the Rookie all the way up to its automatic model, the Advanced Automatic Smart Pump. This is our top choice for automatic pumps thanks to its intuitive controls, 12-hour battery capacity, and reasonable price. Most other models either exclude specifics about their products’ battery lives (a red flag) or have multiple reviews from customers detailing things like shorter running times than advertised (Autoblow) or batteries that just stop working altogether (Blush).

One of the downsides to this automatic pump — and automatic pumps in general — is that it only comes in one size. Automatic pumps use stretchy silicone sleeves to accommodate most penis sizes, but men with particularly long or wide penises might have trouble finding the right fit. Another downside is that the LCD screen isn’t fully backlit but rather has a small bulb that illuminates it from one side. This makes it a little hard to read if you’re using it in a dimly lit room at night, but as long as you don’t mind turning a light on for your pumping session, you should be fine.

Listing CalExotics’ entire catalog would be overkill — the company lists over three dozen pumps on its site — but here’s a look at some of our favorite models, their notable features, and their prices:

As you can see, CalExotics offers multiple low-cost pumps like the Rookie and the EZ Pump. There are a total of six pumps under $30 on the company’s website, but the Rookie is our favorite thanks to a ruler etched into the cylinder to help you attain consistent pressure across uses and a knurled grip on the ball that you can hold more securely than smooth ball pumps.

We would have preferred it if the CalExotics website had flat — or free — shipping rates. The current model calculates your shipping costs based on your location. The company is based in Ontario, California, and the farther away you live from the west coast, the more your shipping costs will go up. So, our team found a store – I Adore Love – where you can buy our top recommended CalExotics pump for less than at the official website ($118 instead of $167) with free shipping.

All CalExotics brand products carry a one-year warranty, which is the industry standard, but it’s still shorter than Bathmate’s standard two-year warranty. And, unlike Bathmate, Calexotics doesn’t offer warranty extensions.

Best for pleasure

Lovehoney is a well-stocked marketplace for a wide assortment of brands for toys, wellness products, lingerie, and penis pumps. It also has its own branded lineup of various products (including pumps) that are relatively inexpensive.

As a general resource, Lovehoney has useful tools for the sexually curious that individual companies lack, including advice columns and a well-written blog. It even has a podcast where the hosts tackle various subjects, from taboo fetishes to basic sexual health.

A few of the companies we list in this guide also sell through Lovehoney. In some cases, pump manufacturers don’t sell directly to consumers at all. Instead, they rely on retailers like Lovehoney to move their products. One such penis pump is the Tracey Cox EDGE, an effective mid-range automatic pump that is only available through third-party retailers like Lovehoney. It lacks things like an LCD screen or memory settings, so it’s not as easy to use as other automatics, and its price isn’t significantly less for the sacrifices it makes. But if you’re looking to save as much as possible and don’t mind the more rudimentary approach, it might work for you.

Here’s a breakdown of our top picks available exclusively on Lovehoney:

Lovehoney’s brand of penis pumps is worth examining in its own right. The company has some of the least expensive models out there, including the Lovehoney BASICS Classic. As its name suggests, you get a very simple package with a cylinder, plastic tube, and a ball pump. The material quality isn’t great, but it’s a highly affordable way for some men to try a pump and see if the concept is right for them.

You can also pick up the Lovehoney Ultimate Performance Kit, which helped propel Lovehoney to the top of our pleasure recommendations. In addition to a basic handball pump, it comes with a vibrating mechanism, anal plug, stroker, and cock ring, all for a pretty reasonable $60. There are other pleasure-centric pumps to choose from, as well. Along with the company’s extensive array of pleasure-specific products outside the penis pump catalog, these combination kits for pleasure and pumping offer customers more than they’re likely to find from other retailers.

Lovehoney has a pretty well-built support interface. A chatbot guides you through a menu of various options that can fast-track you to pages otherwise somewhat hidden on the site. And if the bot can’t help you, you can connect with an agent for more chat-based help.

Standard shipping from Lovehoney is free if you spend more than $49. Otherwise, your shipping options are as follows:

• Standard shipping: $9.99 (or free if you spend over $49)
• Two-four-day shipping: $19.99
• One-day shipping: $49.99

Lovehoney also offers a 20% discount for students, which we think is a great deal, especially considering the culture of sexual experimentation many people find in college.15 The company also used to have a loyalty program, but it’s since been dissolved.

Best size customization

LA Pump stands out among its competitors for offering the most length and circumference options for its cylinders, and it does so by letting you design your pump from the ground up. There’s no interface for this design process (which would be a nice addition to the site). Rather, you can buy the combination of parts that appeals to you most and assemble them yourself, as the company’s cylinders and pump mechanisms can all work together.

LA Pump provides thorough size recommendations based on measurements you can take at home. Cylinders above 10 inches in length and 2.75 inches in diameter are $10-$15 more expensive than their smaller counterparts, ranging from $85-$135.

If all that sounds a little intimidating, there is the LA Pump Deluxe Package starting at $155 that combines a grip-style pump mechanism with a cylinder size of your choosing and a bottle of water-based lubricant. It’s a little more straightforward, and the pump comes with an analog pressure gauge, but you won’t be able to swap out the grip pump for an automatic mechanism — you’d have to buy that separately if you want it down the line.

Still, the Deluxe Package is going to be sufficient for most men with penises five inches or longer when erect. Men with smaller penises can reach for a specialty cylinder that can accommodate erect lengths as short as one inch.

In addition to an extensive catalog of sizes, LA Pump offers its users the opportunity to apply suction force to different body parts in an attempt to enhance them. There are currently pumps designed for the following:

• Nipple enlargement
• Foreskin enhancement
• Scrotal enlargement
• Breast enlargement
• Mushroom head enhancement
• Anal rosebud enhancement
• Clitoral enlargement
• Vulva enhancement

As far as we’ve been able to tell, there is a limited amount of research to support the use of suction force for most of these applications. Some studies have looked favorably at the use of suction on the clitoris as a treatment for female sexual dysfunction.7 And vacuum-based breast augmentation appears possible, though it requires a significant time investment (10-12 hours daily for several months).8

Whichever products you end up selecting, you can use Sezzle to pay for your purchase in installments. Sezzle advertises itself as an interest-free way to build your credit, but you should be aware that the company will check your credit before approving you for installments, and missed payments can result in fees and damage to your credit report.

LA Pump is also a little overzealous with its claims about penis enlargement. Many companies that mention enlargement are careful not to imply the results would be permanent. Any apparent increase in size comes from an increased blood volume in the penis over what’s normal for you. That increase goes away with the erection. There is no compelling evidence to suggest vacuum pressure on its own can create gains in penis length. But LA Pump explicitly states that you’ll see permanent gains after six weeks of use.

We find these statements misleading, if not baldly dishonest. The quality of the products, flexibility in sizing, and variety of vacuum applications earn it a place in our ranking. But be sure to take size claims with a grain of salt.

There is also no free shipping from LA Pump, regardless of how much you spend. At checkout, you’ll see the following shipping options calculated by location. The example below contains shipping costs to Los Angeles.

• Priority Mail: $15.50
• UPS 3-Day Select: $22.14
• UPS Next Day Air Early: $81.73
• UPS Ground: $16.55
• UPS Next Day Air Saver: $43.16
• UPS Next Day Air: $46.63
• UPS 2nd Day Air: $31.10

LA Pump guarantees its products against defects in craftsmanship for one year, though they charge an additional $17.95 for return shipping. As you can see from the list above, that’s more expensive than the basic shipping they can use to send the product to you in the first place, which is a little disappointing from a customer service standpoint.

Best budget option

Blush delivers a wide variety of sex toys and tools. It doesn't get into actual clothing or fetishwear as Lovehoney does, but it offers everything from dildos and anal toys to lubricants and, of course, penis pumps. All of its products are Blush brand, as well. The company isn’t a retailer and doesn’t stock third-party goods like Lovehoney or CalExotics.

Blush makes our top pick for a budget model that offers tremendous value at a low price: the Performance VX series, which includes a well-made grip pump with an accurate pressure gauge and a cylinder that can accommodate up to 9.25 inches in the VX8.

Blush has an automatic pump as well, the Performance V10. The cylindrical top of the device contains the screen, but the curve of the plastic screen protector can cause some glare, making it harder to read than others. The company claims a good battery life, as well, but our interaction with customers revealed some quality control issues that caused some batteries to stop holding a charge within the first few weeks of their lifespans.

On the bright side, that interface is waterproof, making this one of the easiest automatic models to clean. And unlike some other automatic pumps like the Autoblow SmartPump, the Performance V10 can remember your settings to get you to your ideal pressure for every application.

Several of Blush’s manual pumps utilize a large grip as a pumping mechanism. These models include nice pressure gauges you can use to ensure you’re creating a consistent vacuum across multiple sessions.

Here’s a look at some of our favorite models from Blush:

*While the Blush site is a nice resource, we consistently found better prices for its products — like the $65 charge for a VX8 and $111 for the VX10 — from SheVibe.

Like LA Pump, Blush offers a few pumps designed for women as well, with devices targeting the breasts, nipples, clitoris, and vulva. And as with the LA Pump products, we’re not quite ready to wholeheartedly endorse these methods at this time.

Blush used to have a handful of different shipping methods without a free option, but the company now ships all orders for free in the continental U.S.

Some men may be more familiar with Autoblow as a masturbation device, but that’s specifically the Autoblow A.I. and the Autoblow 2+ XT. The company makes several other pleasure devices, but the Smartpump is the company’s only product when it comes to penis pumps.

The Smartpump is similar to our favorite automatic model, the CalExotics Optimum Advanced. We prefer the LCD screen on the Autoblow to the CalExotics model, as it doesn't require a backlight and is clear and legible from a distance. However, its material quality could be better, with a flimsier cylinder and a comfort sleeve that allows the cylinder edges to dig into your groin a bit at high pressures. Compared to the CalExptics model, we don't have as much faith in the Autoblow's battery.

The Autoblow Smartpump costs $89.95, and the company calculates shipping based on your location.

If you aren’t sure whether a penis pump is an answer for your specific needs, you need to consider what those goals are before investigating alternatives. Many men looking into penis pumps are seeking a way to address erectile dysfunction. These men have plenty of non-pump options, from prescription medication to lifestyle changes.

Men looking to increase the size of their penises with vacuum pumps will be disappointed to learn that these devices aren’t intended for that purpose, nor is there sufficient evidence that they can achieve permanent gains in size. These men would be better served by traction devices, which we’ll discuss below.

A final set of men looking into penis pumps will be curious about their potential as sex toys for personal pleasure or use with a partner. Some pumps have the potential to provide pleasure, but there are better devices with similar builds and prices that we can recommend.

ED treatment

If you’re hoping penis pumps are a way to address issues with erectile dysfunction, you may also be interested in ED medications. The two treatments aren’t mutually exclusive, so you could theoretically use them in conjunction with one another, but you should talk to your doctor first.

These pills are undoubtedly more convenient than penis pumps. They don’t require any special equipment or techniques. You just take one, wait around 30 minutes, and you should be able to achieve an erection. However, there are more potential side effects to consider, including:

• Headache
• Flushing
• Backache
• Dyspepsia
• Nasal congestion

There’s also a significant risk for men with low blood pressure or those taking medication to manage high blood pressure. ED meds — a class of drugs called PDE-5 inhibitors — can cause your blood pressure to drop. If it’s already low and this medication drops it further, you could experience significant complications.

ED meds like sildenafil (Viagra)9 and tadalafil (Cialis)10 are widely available in their branded and generic forms, which effectively eliminates cost as a barrier for many men. These medications have been shown safe and effective in several decades' worth of studies.11 You can even get a prescription online and have the meds shipped to your door, ensuring the utmost privacy.

We generally recommend BlueChew to most men looking to get started with prescription ED medications. The company compounds its generic medications into chewable tablets rather than pills, so it’s easier to take them without water handy. Each dose is individually wrapped as well, which makes them a conveniently portable choice.

There are also other medications to consider outside of just sildenafil and tadalafil. BlueChew offers vardenafil, and Hims offers Stendra, both of which are similar in function to sildenafil but have a lower risk of certain rare side effects. You can also acquire some combination of tadalafil, sildenafil, and apomorphine from a company called Rugiet. Apomorphine is a dopamine precursor that studies show can reliably produce erections.12 Like BlueChew, Rugiet delivers its medication in a novel form — sublingual lozenges. Unfortunately, these lozenges melt too easily, and they’re significantly more expensive than BlueChew’s tablets.

See our guide to the Best ED Treatments for more information about ED medications.

Penis extension

If your interest in a penis pump comes from a desire to increase the size of your penis permanently, you’ll want to consider penis extenders instead. Penis pumps don’t appear to have the ability to provide you with permanent gains in size. Plenty of pump manufacturers make this claim, but the science doesn’t back it up. Meanwhile, extenders — which use traction instead of or, in conjunction with, vacuum pressure — might do the trick.

Multiple studies show increases in size from traction, but you should temper your expectations here.14 Anecdotal evidence occasionally makes claims of several inches in growth, but studies looking into traction extension consistently show gains between 0.5 inches and one inch.13 Those gains disappear in men who use their traction devices for less than 12 weeks. So, you’ll need to be in it for the long haul to see significant results. And the regimen is tedious; most models require at least four hours per day with your penis in the device. And even the best of these devices is cumbersome and difficult to get the hang of at first. But for many men, a permanent gain of 0.5-1 inch is well worth it.

Our preferred model for traditional traction extenders is the Quick Extender Pro, which is effective, easy to use, and well priced. If you’re interested in a model that combines traction force with vacuum suction, we recommend the PeniMaster Pro. These recommendations also hold true if you’re interested in using a penis extender to treat Peyronie’s disease.14

Keep in mind that you’ll need to use these devices a lot longer than your average penis pump. While pumping sessions typically last 10-30 minutes, you have to wear a traction device for at least four hours daily to see results.

To read more about penis extension and see if it’s right for you, check out our full guide to the best penis extenders.

Pleasure

Penis pumps can provide pleasure. There are models like the Lovehoney Ultimate Performance that come with add-ons like a butt plug and a vibration module that attaches to the pump cylinder. And some automatic models boast pleasure modes that vary suction force in a way that men can use for masturbation.

Pumps are not ideal tools for male sexual pleasure, however. They’re purpose-built, with sexual pleasure often a secondary consideration (if a consideration at all). If you’re interested in using a pump for foreplay or masturbation, you might do better looking into artificial vaginas. Like pumps, these are available in manual and automatic models.

Both manual and automatic models often feature interiors that are textured to maximize pleasure, as opposed to the hard plastic build of most pump cylinders. Manual models rest in your hand or the hand of a partner, and you draw them up and down the shaft of your penis in a masturbation motion. Automatic models utilize motors to create motion and suction in an attempt to mimic the sensations of fellatio.