If you’ve been inhibited from using a condom because of stories about tearing, experts agree that your concerns are virtually unwarranted. Research has revealed that condoms are almost always uncommonly sturdy, and will endure rather severe treatment before tearing. In fact, the chances of a popular brand of condom tearing are very remote.

To ease your concerns, experts say that American brands, especially the thicker brands of condoms, are perhaps the safest when it comes to the likelihood of tearing. Some foreign brands, such as Japanese brands, are sometimes thinner than American brands, and as a result may be less sturdy.

If your concerns won’t go away, you might actually try to tear a condom. Buy a popular brand and tear several of them. Stretch them as much as you can, clamp one around a water faucet and fill it with water until it bursts. The idea is to see exactly what it takes to tear a condom. After «sacrificing» three or four condoms, you should know whether or not your concerns are warranted.

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