Hey :)

[Farlorn]

Hey everyone, hope you're having a good Saturday!

I'm a new buyer looking to get my first doll and was hoping you guys could offer some opinions/advice?

After reading through a bunch of threads on here and other forums I've settled on a torso doll suiting me best since I don't have a ton of storage space, so would occasionally need to put her out of the way and keep her weight to a minimum. Definitely like the idea of an upper body/head rather than just hips though, for the companionship side of things.

This is the girl I'm looking at, default aside from the free extras and a potential change of hair - https://siliconelovers.com/products/irontech-torso-julia.

So my initial questions would be, what are your opinions on Siliconelovers for UK buyers, and of Irontech as a manufacturer? I've seen both mentioned on here, but not as much as other sites.

Does the description and price look good to you guys? I've read a bunch about TPE vs silicone and care, but I'm assuming there's going to be variance in quality between companies and I'm not sure if there's stuff I should be looking out for.

Sorry, I know that's a lot for a first post :o Even with discounts, this is a lot of money for me and I'm trying to answer every question I have before taking the plunge. Super excited though, especially after spending some time lurking here.

Any advice you can give would be amazing, thank you so much!

[Humbug]

I've had dolls from silicone lovers and found them helpful and did get a great doll also there are other options depending where about you are as Lucidtoys do them and are UK based and you can pickup or have delivered next day you can actually see what you are buying
Do bear in mind the Chinese have the month of sundays holiday soon and will cause delays you may not get the same doll from Lucidtoys but you can dicide

Welcome to the forum

[Locoman]

Hi Farlorn
I'm at the same stage as you regarding my first doll. I've been looking here a while now and have a short list of either a Piper doll Akira or a Starpery Hedy. I'll probably buy one from a British based company with a physical presence as I don't want the hassle of import duties and VAT or Border Farce sticking their noses in. I won't be clicking the buy now button until the new year as I'll be moving into my flat then.
This forum has been very helpful and friendly too.
I'm sure you will find it that way as well.

[Esjayell]

:welcome Farlorn,

Every member of this forum was in your situation once, twice or many times. One thing I would say to any prospective purchaser is to thoroughly check the weight. What you can easily lift today, may not be true in a few years time, as I know only too well. I got Elina in 2019, she weighs 28kgs, when I took possession of this house in 2005, I purchased two items, one an 11kg saw and drill bench (you can place 5 mtr. lengths of say skirting boards on it to cut to length), the other was a four section ladder that has a multitude of positions, this weighs 18kg. I cannot carry these now, to move them I have to drag them. Surprisingly I'm still able to carry Elina almost without effort.

If you see one you are keen on, post a link to her/him and someone here will be able to confirm the exact weight.

Regards

SJ, Elina & Rosina Ell.

[Farlorn]

Thanks for the replies guys :) Really appreciate it!

I talked to a rep at Siliconelovers and, amazingly, they do free shipping to the UK and cover import tax so I'm not worried about that so much. Same for the wait time - I figure it's worth waiting for a doll I'm really into, as opposed to jumping the gun and regretting it later.

Locoman, both your choices look amazing! I've been kind've blown away since I started looking by how genuinely attractive some of these dolls can be. It's a big part of what's convinced me to buy. Good luck with your move in the new year :D Really hope all goes well!

Esjayell, thanks, that's a great point. I've had a look and the doll I'm interested in (siliconelovers.com/products/irontech-torso-julia) weighs 25kg, which is decently heavy compared to what I was looking at in the beginning but I've actually done some experimenting today and tried lifting stuff with a similar weight and moving it around and reckon it should be ok. Especially since the doll's weight should be quite well distributed I'm assuming.

[Joe Bin]

:welcome to the forum Farlorn :drink

[Karrot]

Seems things are covered well here.

Simple answer, are Silicone lovers are a respected vendor, and irontech a respected manufacturer.

:welcome to the forum :D

K

[Adam&Emma]

Welcome to the forum. All I will add is that I bought 2 dolls this year from silicone lovers and my experience was faultless.

[Lulu1971]

:welcome to the forum. I haven't purchased dolls from Silicone Lovers, but I've had wigs and eyes from them and their service is always great :tu