Poker: From Busto to Robusto
Dolls: ???

Perhaps someone should give Kranz a doll.

Yes, I have observed the same - to me the hands are not as pretty as the rest either.
Well, I have not seen the latest and greatest dolls, just at one time a Real Doll from 2006 (I think), so maybe my observations are a bit outdated. Please someone with expeciance with newer dolls correct me where I am wrong.
Anyway, I am no expert on silicone, but I guess it is a problem with the material. When silicone is thick enough then it is both soft and durable, and for example in the face there are no thin parts (except for the ears).
However if the fingers would be thick enough to make them durable they would be rather sausage fingers, not pretty It is quite tricky, if the fingers are thin, they tend to be rather spidery.
Another problem is that the dolls with poseable fingers do not have finger "bones" with joints, but (quite thick) finger wires. The reason behind this is that one cannot just put a few straight pieces of metal and have some loose joints between then - in that case the fingers would not be poseable, as the silicone would snap back to its molded position. So the joints have to have enough friction to hold a pose, but not so much that they poke though the silicone when moving then. Once Abyss (the manufacturer of Real Dolls) tried to make jointed hands, but these would have cost an extra of at least 1000$ (per single hand!), so this did not sell.
With the wires there still have been frequent problems with finger wire pokes (ugh! actually the most common doll repair). Things are better now, but that problem still pops up now and then.
So, surprisingly the hand are the most tricky part of the dolls.

Interestingly my Teddy Babes, while being all plush, have a similar problem. The wires are quite thick and the fingers quite "bony" as a result. Well, nobody is perfect, same in the doll world as elsewhere. I prefer poseable fingers over floppy ones, but over this doll owners are often at odds, I guess even more than over every other part of the dolls.

I am verry attached to one of my dolls but not so much all of them

if you spend any time in the teddy babe forum you will soon start to see that they are all slightly different, no two dolls look alike & it gets to a point where you can recognise a doll & know who the owner is just from a face shot regardless of if there were any recognisable background features

so if one were to be stolen, or destroyed, you could never get an exact duplicate in the same way you could a sillicone doll

some have mentioned being able to transplant an existing personality onto a new body if the old one were destroyed, I don't think I could do that, she would never look the same so for me she never would be the same

I guess I would just have to suck it up & pay the ransom

some of the newer makes of dolls have verry realistic hands & feet & even skin texture it seems only "real doll" that aren't that fussed about inproving detail in those areas but then seeing as how most people have only ever heard of "real doll" befor (due to programs like sexetera, & real sex, amongst others) that's where most people start their search

many folks order a doll before they find our forum & so order a "real doll" without knowing there are more realistic dolls out there

Wow this thread has gotten way too long to read. I just want to make mention of a few things regarding the doll community and their respective forums to members of this forum (not including the members who have come over from those doll forums) since it seems like this thread has been inundated with a large amount of information and opinions which can be confusing to those who are not as familiar with the hobby.

Let me introduce myself first with that I do own some dolls and I have always been the common ordinary member over at those forums reading material day in and day out since it is one of my main interests. I can share with you from my observations and experiences, that each of these forums has its own style. One likes an argumentative debating environment, while another with peaceful discussions, and another as a community for geographic proximity reason, and so on. If you talk to average common members in those respective forums (not the ones working there, owning or representing) you will more than likely receive a more accurate and unswayed opinion whether it be about doll products or the forum itself. It's like a product, are you going to believe the manufacturer's-retailer's review or the customer's reviews?

So if the doll hobby has peaked your interest at all (remember you should feel that you are under no obligation always) and you want to keep up to date on it, then there are definitely several places worth checking out including the manufacturer sites themselves. It is my suggestion that those interested not feel like they are confined to one place or choice or need be forcefully instructed to visit a single place if they have interest in a particular hobby. Hope this info has been of some value.

Oh, and I do enjoy playing poker as well, so "ace in the hole!"

so is the point of a doll just to have sex? i dont get it

I see this one has not been answered yet:
Well, maybe it is just me, but to me it seems in continental Europe there are more "voluptuous" and heavier dolls than in the US. But this could be a subjective perception of mine.
As a fact, however, the manufacturer of the heaviest dolls on the marked is located in Europe (110 pounds of dead weight for the earlier models, imagine that).

that kind of enforces what I said earlier about the larger, delux teddy babe having a stronger following here in the UK & Europe

it might be a driving factor for getting a doll in the first place & it sure was mine

but now I tend to concentrate more on photography, & just enjoy having something to snuggle upto on an evening,

Great documentary, btw. I do not know anything about poker, and I would never be that good at applying the math and such stuff online and in real time (despite of having a degree in math), but somehow I can relate to that feeling of being nerdy about a specific thing.

A+ thread

Big big respect to the doll guys for coming here to answer questions about their "hobby" in a great spirit and with humour,I was more than ready to mock but it's definitely changed the way I look at this whole subject,it has made me realise how skewed society's view is that people whose enthusiasm for having some sexytime with hot chicks (albeit fake hot chicks) are deemed by the majority of folks to be creepy and weird yet people who play RPG's and spend their leisure time interacting with,and pretending to be,wizards,elves,aliens and such are seen as behaving quite normally,if I was given a choice of dressing up like Gandalf or having some sexy Teddy Babe time I know which one i would go for.

More power to ya doll guys

we really need an in-thread poll:

It may be one of the initial motivating factors but not all.
Companionship - without the various difficulties of complex human or less complex animal (such as a dog, cat, bird, etc) interaction would probably also be a high motivator. Especially for those who have gone through some difficult ones in the past.
Eventually it becomes a way of life or 'alternate lifestyle' encompassing many factors. See my original post #290 on page 20.
You only have to note the sheer volume of 'singles' seeking companionship of some kind or another on dating sites to be aware of the scale of this human need.

The fingers are often quite realistic when new, but damage easily so deteriorate over time. All my 'Girls' have broken fingers and many repairs not easy to hide in photos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz4iepEX8bs

mugsy

It seems one cannot embed a video in a post here. Could someone please confirm. I think / hope the above link will works.

you could do both if you felt the urge

Grunching this thread, but has anyone mentioned the uncanny valley yet? It's not really directly applicable, but I think the general concept fits pretty well.

Jerking off is fine, because there's no deception about what it is that's actually going on. There's nothing to anthropomorphize, no weird emotional processes that get involved.

And then ****ing a girl is obviously awesome. There's physical release, usually at least some degree of emotional connection, and generally makes you feel good.

Then there's these dolls. It's clearly more than just a tug, but it's also a pretty long way from the real thing. You're try to fool the body into thinking you're ****ing a girl, but it just doesn't seem like there's a way to do that without getting a seriously dissonant feeling in the brain.

The doll guys apparently like to argue that it's strictly better than traditional masturbation, but I think a lot of people would disagree. Maybe I'm the only one here who wouldn't give it a go even if no one else would ever know about it, but I really doubt it.

Seriously, it would just be too weird for me. Uncanny.

Hey thanks for the great pic Tatler,I sure wouldn't mind being The Lord of her Ring

just make sure you eat plenty of garlic

As has been said there is more to it than just the sexual aspect but just looking at that and your words.
Not such a long way as you might imagine.
I doubt if many are trying to fool themselves. It is more a sense of increasing the 'feel' and enjoyment of it.
Just as, in women, a dildo is probably better than than just the fingers and a vibrating dildo better again or, in men, viewing a photo and using the hand is better than the hand alone and watching a video better again and so on.
So the use of a doll increases the 'feel' and enjoyment to another level by allowing full enclosed penetration, full body physical contact or parts thereof and a visual stimulus in 3D.

Personally I find simply 'jerking off' with the hand most unsatisfying - apart from mere pressure relief - and require a more dissonant feeling in the brain than with a doll.

Each to their own.

I'm still confused as to how doll owners can continue to try to fall back on the "Just think of it as a better form of masturbating" concept when they say things like "I respect my doll just like I respect women" or "She likes to be dressed well."

You can't have your cake and eat it too. Either it's just a more expensive, better fleshlight or it's genuinely different than anything most of society is familiar with and does. I would find it perfectly reasonable for someone to own a doll to masturbate with, but when they start calling it "her" and interacting with other doll owners and their own doll (like on one of the forums I saw...), that's when I stop interacting with them.

Do they make disposable flavor tongues? This was my idea btw. If they don't and if anyone steals it I will sue you.

Not to knock the doll, but have you thought about getting a dog? They're great companionship.

Did you even read the thread?

forever alone?

Labias are often very accurate as well

Because I'm dissabled & wouldn't be able to look after a dog

I did have one but my Mom had to take him in when I could no longer care for him properly