TPE Vs Silicone Sex Dolls • What Material To Choose? • Fine Love Dolls ®

The question that people ask the most is what are the differences of TPE vs silicone dolls, and which ones should you be buying? In this post we hope to answer these questions and will be discussing the materials, silicone & Thermoplastic Elastomer at length and comparing how these materials stack up when used to make sex dolls.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TPE AND SILICONE DOLLS

As the sex dolls industry has grown in popularity, manufacturers are constantly exploring new alternatives to produce sex dolls at a more affordable price while maintaining the same level of quality that silicone brings.

Vinyl, latex, plush and fabric and other material are also available options. However these materials do not provide a realistic look for the doll nor a high quality texture, making them suitable for mostly low quality sex dolls.

Eventually due to the higher need for cheaper sex dolls, doll manufacturers began experimenting with TPE. This material provides a more affordable yet high quality alternative to silicone and is growing a strong popularity among doll owners.

It is important to note that thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are a mix of polymers that can be made of dozens of different ingredients, and not all TPE grade or quality are equal. High cost medical grade TPE is not the same thing as low cost TPE which can be toxic or even carcinogen. Read more about generic cheap sex dolls and counterfeit copies here.

TPE VS SILICONE DOLLS COMPARISON:

WHAT IS THERMOPLASTIC ELASTOMER (TPE)?

TPE stands for Thermoplastic Elastomer. To make TPE, we mix polymers such as plastic and rubber, materials with both thermoplastic (plastic) and elastomeric (rubber) properties.

It is a very popular material that we can see in everyday items that possess rubber like features while still in need of the efficiency of current injection molding techniques, as well as for economical purposes. This gives TPE advantages for use in general production, having the following characteristics:

Flexibility, shock absorption, soft texture, mold-ability (to provide ergonomic comfort), slip resistance, elasticity

TPE is widely used to make items such as cosmetic cases, handle/grips, shoe soles, cushions etc. Pricing of TPE is usually more affordable than silicone, while being a recyclable material, and has a longer lifespan. Click here for more information about our dolls

WHAT IS SILICONE?

Silicone is a polymer typically heat resistant and rubber like and has a wide range of application such as in lubricants, medicine, glue, cooking utensils etc. It can come in many forms but the one that we see in silicone dolls is silicone rubber.

Silicone rubber can be very soft or very firm depending on its formula and is very good at retaining its original shape even under extreme pressure. It is also very heat resistant, and you can boil it to sterilize it.

Silicone is highly inert since it does not react with most chemicals (explaining why we use it in medical implants).

Due to its many useful properties silicone rubber can be used and found in many places such as implants, remote controls, food storage products, undergarments, sportswear and a variety of other unseen applications.

TPE DOLLS

Thermoplastic Elastomer is an extremely useful material with very interesting properties. This makes it an excellent choice for sex dolls. Below are some of the pros/cons of TPE dolls:

SILICONE DOLLS

Silicone is a material that has been around for a long time in the sex doll industry. It is a good yet expensive choice. Below are some of the pros/cons of silicone dolls:

PROS

VALUE

Good value for money. TPE is significantly cheaper than silicone dolls yet a lot nicer in quality than a blow up doll.

LIFELIKE APPEARANCE

TPE dolls are pure masterpieces of realism. This material is easier to mould than silicone and gives more realistic results

SMOOTH & SOFT TEXTURE

TPE is used in many ergonomic items such as handles proving it is very soft and smooth to handle

CAN RETAIN WARMTH

Thermoplastic Elastomers are able to retain body warmth making it more realistic when warmed up.

ODORLESS MATERIAL

TPE has no odor or weird smell that you usually get from other material such as jelly or rubber dolls.

LATEX & PVC FREE

Our medical grade TPE is latex & PVC free. If you are allergic to one of these 2 material, you cannot choose a silicone sex doll.

LUBRICANT COMPATIBILITY

Compatible with both water-based and silicone lubricants (unlike silicone dolls that are only compatible with water based lubricants)

CONS

POROUS MATERIAL

TPE is a material with small holes like pores. This means that TPE is hard to sterilize and must be correctly cleaned to avoid bacteria growth.

HARDER TO STERILIZE

TPE is harder to sterilize than silicone. Available methods to sterilize medical grade TPE include e-beam, gamma, ethylene oxide or autoclave.

BLEND = QUALITY

The quality of the TPE i.e. how smooth it is, depends largely on the formula of the blend thus TPE dolls can vary across different manufacturers.

HIGHER COMPRESSION STRENGTH

TPE is more resilient material than silicone. This means it can lose its shape over time if pressed against something

HIGHER VISCOSITY

TPE is more oily/viscous than silicone material. Although some TPE blends are dryer, they are also much more rigid (less elastic)

HEAVYWEIGHT

Although lighter than a human, TPE is heavier, and weight cannot be reduced as much as with silicone either.

PROS

LIFELIKE APPERANCE

LIFELIKE APPEARANCE

Silicone, just like TPE, can be very realistic looking, usually due to implanted hair, eyebrows, and skin textures.

SOFT & SMOOTH TEXTURE

SMOOTH & SOFT TEXTURE

Silicone by default is more rigid/dryer and less viscous/elastic than TPE, although you can use baby powder.

CAN RETAIN WARMTH

Like TPE, silicone can also retain heat for optimal life like experiences.

NON-POROUS MATERIAL

The non-porous nature of this material and its higher tolerance to heat makes it easier to sterilize than TPE.

EASIER TO TATTOO/PAINT

Silicone can be permanently tatooed or painted (with realistic skin texture) more easily than TPE

LIGHTWEIGHT

Thicker silicone models can benefit from a higher potential weight reduction than TPE

CONS

MORE EXPENSIVE

Silicone dolls are more expensive because silicone itself is a more expensive material along with the technology needed to produce it.

HARDER & MORE RIGID

Default silicone blends are more rigid than TPE although silicone elasticity can nowadays be adjusted

LESS DURABLE

Silicone dolls are not as durable as TPE Dolls. Thermoplastic Elastomers are more resistant and durable in comparison to silicone.

HARDER TO SHAPE

Silicone is not only more expensive. It is also harder to shape than TPE's moulding injection techniques which also give better realism.

NOT RECYCLABLE

Medical Grade Silicone (LSR) is not recyclable but get be used for other purposes such as sport surfaces.

NOT SEAMLESS

Silicone is harder to mould than TPE. TPE has the advantage to have finer details and to be seamless

SHINY SKIN

Silicone is harder to matte and looks oily compared to TPE, because the material is more shiny.

COMPARISON BETWEEN TPE & SILICONE - CONCLUSION

Overall, TPE and silicone sex dolls are rather look-a-like, and it can be difficult to distinguish whether dolls are made from silicone or TPE from an appearance standpoint. The below picture is a good example of two different Piper Doll models (same head, different bodies).

Nowadays silicone elasticity can usually be adjusted just like TPE, and be made either more elastic (higher viscosity) or more rigid (dryer material), reducing further the differences between both materials. As a rule of thumb harder silicone or TPE blends prevent the oral cavity to be used for sexual intercourse, and more elastic blends prevent options such as implanted hair, which would not hold well is the material isn’t rigid enough.

Silicone is a high quality material making it suitable for a wide range of application including sex dolls. Silicone has been a material of choice since years to manufacture dolls (especially prior to TPE emerging as a substitute). However the steep price tag associated with using this material has always been its main drawback.

TPE has been catching up in all fields of applications, and manufacturers from all industries are quickly switching to thermoplastic elastomers. This is particularly true in the medical industry, where TPE is increasingly chosen over silicone for its unique properties. On a manufacturing standpoint, TPE is much easier to process, and it can be repeatedly melt processed. No matter how many times you melt TPE, it will soften and re-harden once cooled.

TPE doll and Silicone dolls are fairly similar and both have their slight distinct differences. If you frequent doll forums, you will see that doll enthusiasts have made these comparisons already.

None of them can agree which one is better. Some say TPE provides a more realistic texture whereas others prefer silicone. The most important thing is to make sure you are buying from the best manufacturers which is what we as a sex doll vendor work to ensure.

BUT WHY DO SILICONE SEX DOLLS TEND TO LOOK MORE REALISTIC THAN TPE SEX DOLLS ON PICTURES?

Devil is in details. There are several details that will make a silicone doll look more realistic than a TPE doll:

SKIN TEXTURES

Realistic paintings will increase the realism look of the skin (body veins, freckles, lavish coating). This option is however also available for some of our TPE sex doll brands.

IMPLANTED HAIR & EYEBROWS

Implanted hair and eyebrows will always give a more realistic look. A TPE doll with implanted hair and eyebrows will look more realistic than a silicone doll without and vice versa. This upgrade is also available for some of our TPE doll brands as well as silicone sex dolls. As an alternative to implanted hair, you can use lace wigs, which will give you the same look.

EYELASHES

TPE manufacturers tend to use entry-level eyelashes, a detail that people might not notice but has a huge impact. Cheaper eyelashes are thinner and will look nowhere near as good as slightly more expensive ones made with better quality and higher hair quantity.

We sell dozens of different eyelashes of several colors on this page.

EYES QUALITY

Some silicone manufacturers use higher-end glass eyes with a higher iris definition (as well as blood vessels on the eyeball), which contributes to an enhanced realism. This detail is not however as obvious as the skin texture as well as the implanted hair and eyebrows.

TRANSLUCENCY

This is mostly true for TPE vs silicone sex dolls with lighter skin tones. TPE made with either light or pale skin tone if elastic won’t have the sunlight play as realistically as on a more rigid material such as silicone.

Why? Because the density of silicone is actually visually more look-alike in such scenario with how sunlight plays on human flesh.

Such difference can be noticed on lighter skin tones silicone sex dolls versus pale TPE ones photographed under broad daylight.

Do not think that because you pay a higher price, your doll is going to look more realistic. There is a big price difference between TPE and silicone materials cost, silicone being much more expensive. As per above, what will increase the realism of your doll is how you fine tune details rather than what material you select.

Note that we are not implying to buy knock-off low quality TPE or silicone sex dolls, which will definitely look bad no matter how hard you try to improve these. The quality of the material, regardless whether it is silicone or TPE is crucial.

The below table summarize the properties differences of both TPE and silicone materials:

TPE VS SILICONE PROPERTIES	TPE SEX DOLLS	SILICONE SEX DOLLS
ELASTICITY	High elasticity	Low elasticity, more rigid than TPE
SMOOTHNESS	Medium (baby powder required)	Higher than TPE
RECYCLABILITY	Recyclable material	Non-recyclable material
VISCOSITY	Medium to high (baby powder required)	Low viscosity
BRIGHTNESS	Mate skin texture	More shiny than TPE
POROSITY	Porous material	Non-porous material
LEVEL OF DETAILS	Easier to mould than silicone	Slightly lower than TPE
DURABILITY	Higher than silicone	Slightly lower than TPE
ADHERABILITY	Low adhesion properties (hard for paint or other materials to hold on it)	Permanent makeup or tattoos ability
RESILIENCE	High shape resilience	Low shape resilience
OPTIONS AVAILABILITY	More options than silicone	Less options than TPE

OTHER MATERIALS FOR SEX DOLLS

There are a variety of other materials that can be used to make sex dolls other than TPE and Silicone. The list includes: Rubber, Fabric, Plush, Vinyl and Latex.

However we will not be discussing them at length. Most of these materials are not capable of making realistic realistic dolls and are normally used for a different look/appearance with different uses and appeal.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TPE AND SILICONE DOLLS

TPE VS SILICONE DOLLS COMPARISON:

WHAT IS THERMOPLASTIC ELASTOMER (TPE)?

WHAT IS SILICONE?

TPE DOLLS