The Best Grinding Sex Toys For When You Feel Like Ridin’ Dirty

If you hear “grinding” and it first calls to mind memories of awkwardly gyrating your hips to “Get Low,” here’s a refresher of what the word means outside of an early-aughts dance: Also known as dry humping or frottage, “grinding is any solo, partnered, or multipartnered play where pleasure from pressure—not necessarily penetration—is at the forefront,” Rachel Wright, MA, LMFT, New York–based psychotherapist and host of The Wright Conversations podcast, tells SELF. The friction grinding creates can feel great for pleasure-seekers of all bodies and genders, she says.

For starters, grinding can provide the clitoral stimulation that around 70% of vulva owners need to orgasm, Joy Berkheimer, PhD, LMFT, psychotherapist and expert at SXWA, a sexual wellness award platform, tells SELF. “The external portion of the clitoris is extremely sensitive and often responds pleasurably to pressure,” she says. Grinding can also indirectly stimulate other hot spots: “The G-zone may be located beneath the pubic bone, but it can be activated by applying pressure to the pubic mound, creating an intensely pleasurable sensation,” Berkheimer says. People with penises can get in on the fun too, she explains, especially if they’re uncircumcised—the motion moves the foreskin up and down in a way that (you guessed it) feels amazing.

The best grinding sex toys can level up your solo or partnered sessions. They’re designed to be ridden, humped, or rubbed against, Wright says. Some vibrate for even more pleasure on top of the pressure, Berkheimer adds. Others are textured, “which allows for further teasing and stimulation of areas that could be missed by a broad sweep of smooth, non-textured toys,” she says.

Below, we found great grinding sex toys that experts recommend and reviewers love. There’s truly something for everyone.

Our top picks

1. Best Overall: Ruby Glow Dusk
2. Runner-Up: Le Wand Point
3. Best Budget: Pelle Dune
4. Best Vibrating Grinder: Cute Little Fuckers Starsi Vibrator
5. Best Textured Grinder: Uberrime Rose Silicone Grinder
6. Best Fantasy Grinder: Uncover Creations Tentacle Grinder Silicone Grinding Toy
7. Best for Strap-Ons: Bumpher Grinder Stroker
8. Most Discreet: FemmeFunn Unda
9. Best for Solo Sex: Fun Factory Laya III
10. Best for Penetration: VibePad 3 Remote Control Grinding Pad

Shop the best grinding sex toys

These picks will add some buzz to your bumping and some ‘gasms to your grind.

• Compact and cordless
• Ridged texture
• Budget-friendly

• Batteries not included
• Not very quiet

The Ruby Glow Dusk has a unique “scooped-out” shape that enables it to fit the contours of your body, says Lisa Finn, sex educator with sex toy store Babeland. One end features raised ridges, while the other is smooth and provides constant contact against your vulva or perineum (depending on the angle of your pelvis). Oh, and the whole toy buzzes, thanks to two motors that move independently, Finn adds.

Compact and portable, this grinder is great for pleasure-seekers who are intrigued by ride-on sex machines (like the Cowgirl or Sybian) but who don’t have the space or budget to try them, Finn says. It’s also far more affordable, ringing up at under $100.

• Powerful
• Versatile design
• Waterproof

• On the pricey side

Shiny, sleek, and sophisticated, the Le Wand Point was built to fit right in the palm of your hand, Finn says. What sets it apart from other palm vibrators is its material and power. “The top half of the toy is made from silicone, while the bottom half is made from a gorgeous, body-safe stainless steel,” they say. The heavier steel end allows the toy to provide more pressure than an all-silicone option, they add.

The Point also has an intuitive display that makes it easy to use and adjust with one hand. “There are three well-labeled buttons that enable you to explore the 15 vibe modes and six intensities without having to break contact with your skin,” Finn says.

• Beginner-friendly
• Small size
• Silicone is soft and squishy

• Doesn’t vibrate
• May not be textured enough for some

This pebble-shaped grinder is designed to nestle in the palm of your hand, inside your underwear, or beneath a strap-on. One side of the one-inch-thick Dune is flat, which helps it stay in place, while the other has a sculpted ridge in the middle—you provide the pressure. I like wearing this simple sex toy under a harness with the textured side against my skin (the extra texture is a huge plus during pegging and other strap-on play).

I’m also a huge fan of the Dune’s silky silicone. There’s no other way to put it: It’s literally marshmallow soft. The incredible squishiness helps the grinder move with your body rather than work against it (as can be the case with toys made from harder materials).

• Long battery life
• Easy to use
• Waterproof

• Lower-intensity vibration

Cute Little Fuckers is a queer- and trans-owned company known for making vibrators in playful shapes (there’s even an octopus-shaped butt plug). As is the case with all of their toys, “Starsi’s whimsical shape isn’t just for cuteness points,” Finn says. Rather, “it is designed to provide a wider variety of sensations and textures, which makes this a great external vibe and grinding toy, no matter the shape of your bits.”

There are tons of ways to use the Starsi, according to Finn. Use any of the six flexible starfish arms to provide pinpoint vibrations against your clitoris or nipples. Or “you can also put the toy in your palm, press the toy against your body, and allow the textured surface area to stimulate you,” they say. You can even flip Starsi over and grind against the smooth top. “You can decide how powerful the vibrations are, based on how close to the motor you grind against,” Finn explains.

• Discrete shape
• Highly textured
• Silicone is soft and squishy

• Doesn’t vibrate
• Petal crevices can be tricky to clean

Rose toys are having their moment—and even though this one doesn’t vibrate, there’s still a lot to love about it. About the size of a closed fist, Uberrime’s Rose Grinder features layers upon layers of flower petals radiating out from its center. The various ridges and valleys work together to make an incredibly textured toy that “feels more spontaneous than what I could achieve with fingers alone,” as one SheVibe reviewer put it.

Using the grinder is easy: Load up on lube, lay back, and move the toy up and down or back and forth—whatever feels best. Or position it petals-up on your mattress and have at it.

• Can be strapped to a pillow
• Incredibly textured
• Waterproof

• Doesn’t vibrate

You’ve probably seen a sex toy or three that are inspired by a penis—but tentacles? Consider this: Texture can feel good (like, really good) on your genitals, and there are few surfaces quite as uneven as the underside of an octo-arm. Simply slather these suckers with a water- or oil-based lubricant and slide your erogenous zone of choice up, down, and all around its surface.

Another bonus: If you like to masturbate face down, this grinder comes with two long black nylon straps that have easy-release buckles, so you can strap it to a pillow, a hand, or a partner’s thigh.

• Budget-friendly
• Versatile
• Extra soft to provide some cushion

• Doesn’t vibrate
• A bit clunky, according to Amazon reviewers

For people who enjoy strap-on play, Bumpher is a must-try. The company makes lots of non-vibrating, silicone covers that fit over the base of most dildos. The barrier provides a softer cushion between your pelvis and the dildo—as strap-on play can lead to bruising and discomfort for some—while also giving the wearer a little extra something to grind against.

Not only does the Bumpher help me last longer during partnered strap-on play, but I also use it while I masturbate. The silicone stroker fits so perfectly in my hand that I can switch up my solo sex routine without much effort at all.

• Super slim base
• Charges quickly
• Waterproof

• Not textured

The FemmeFunn Unda is a grinding sex toy and a panty vibrator all in one. Its ergonomic, wave-like shape is made to comfortably follow the contours of the vulva, supplying powerful vibrations to your clit and vulva.

Use this silky silicone toy in your hand or wear it in your underwear—its shape helps keep it in place even as you walk around. You can cycle through the 10 different settings by pressing the single button on its base or by using the included remote control. Amazon reviewers are also big fans of how quickly it charges, how strong the vibrations are, and how wide the remote’s range is (what more could you ask for?).

• Can be used hands free
• Rumbly vibrations
• Long battery life
• Waterproof

• Pricey

“The curvature of The Fun Factory Laya III toy aligns with the curves of your body well enough to be able to stay in place on its own,” certified sex educator Javay Frye-Nekrasova, MEd, tells SELF. Lie on your back and position the toy along your pubic bone to enjoy its rumbly vibrations hands-free, she says.

The Laya III—which is available in lilac or seafoam green—also has subtle ripples carved throughout for some added texture. While it’s on the pricey side, Amazon reviewers agree that its travel lock, magnetic charger, and easy-to-clean design are well worth the investment.

• Travel-friendly
• Anal-safe
• Dual-stimulation design

• Harder to store due to shape
• Pricey

If penetration is the bread and butter of your pleasure practice, then the VibePad 3 is the grinder for you. Essentially a travel-friendly sex machine, this toy is designed to be straddled cowgirl-style. The dual-stimulation design features three motors that can all be operated via a separate remote control. Plus it’s totally waterproof, anal-safe, and automatically shuts off after 30 minutes to preserve its battery life (pretty smart for a sex toy!).

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