After spending some brief time with each doll, I'm going to give you my thoughts on each material. Break down their pros and cons and give you my personal recommendations. Before I begin, this is my first silicone doll, and I just got her, so it's more of a first impressions for her.


Doll On The Left: S-TPE 
Doll In the Middle: Full Silicone 
Doll On The Right: Hybrid, Silicone Head + TPE Body


\*Warning: This will be a longer read\* TL:DR - Appearance: TPE 6/10, STPE 7/10, Silicone 9/10 - Softness: TPE 8/10, STPE 9/10, Silicone 6/10 - Durability: TPE 6/10, STPE 8/10, Silicone 8/10 - Maintenance: TPE 5/10, STPE 7/10, Silicone 9/10


TPE Hybrid Doll: Kossy 

Starting off with Kossy, I've had this doll for about a year now. Even though she's made from the cheapest material of the three, she's by far my favorite! Here are my first impressions. When I first took my original TPE doll out of the box, the first thing I noticed was the smell. If these dolls have been sitting in a box for an extended period, the odor can be pretty strong. It took about two or three days before it faded enough that I was comfortable sleeping with her in bed. I wasn't crazy about the doll's original face, as it looked nothing like the promo pictures, so I eventually decided to replace it with a new head. The body came with painted details on the nipples and labia, although the sculpting itself was fairly basic. The manicure and pedicure were done well, and to this day I've only had two nails fall off. Luckily, the manufacturer included extras in the goodie bag.


The material itself is incredibly soft and squishy, almost like a giant marshmallow. That's easily my favorite thing about this doll. She's amazing to hug and cuddle, and the softness really stands out during intimate use as well. Her breasts are gel-filled, and because they're on the smaller side, you mostly feel the gel rather than the surrounding material. Her butt is soft too, although it's a bit smaller than I'd prefer, and the intimate areas are extremely soft overall. As for durability, since she was my first doll, I've made just about every beginner mistake you can think of: using the wrong soap, the wrong makeup, accidentally dropping her, and plenty of other things. Weirdly enough, she's held up surprisingly well.

 The makeup has completely faded over time, which is pretty normal from washing and the natural oils in the material, but powder makeup touch-ups are an easy fix if you want to refresh her look. One knee has become loose, the neck joint has loosened at certain angles, and the intimate areas are starting to show some wear from regular use. Other than that, I'm still extremely happy with my purchase. For a cheap doll paired with a beautiful Shedoll head, she's still going strong.


S-TPE Doll: Ariel 

Ariel came along about six months into my doll journey. I was looking for something that felt a bit more premium, and she definitely delivered. On the first day out of the box, there was no smell whatsoever. In fact, she actually smelled pleasant! Her skin was silky smooth, and she was incredibly soft. The material is even squishier than regular TPE, but it isn't quite as dense, so certain areas have a bit more firmness. Personally, I think that adds to the realism.
Whether you're cuddling or using her intimately, she's soft where you want her to be and firm where it makes sense. Her gel-filled breasts have an incredible natural bounce—even a light nudge gets them moving. During intimate use they move very naturally, which adds to the overall realism. Her butt is absolutely amazing. It's nice and round, although a little firmer than I'd personally prefer. The only real downsides to this doll are her weight and finding the right look for her. Since she's an S-TPE doll, I don't think the head options look quite as realistic as my silicone heads, but she's still a cutie and, in my opinion, looks much better than my original TPE head.


This upgraded S-TPE model comes with articulated fingers, which allow for a much wider variety of poses, and the skeleton is noticeably more flexible than the one in my TPE doll. Because the material is stronger overall, I felt much more confident experimenting with different poses without worrying about damaging her. So far, I really haven't had any major issues with Ariel. The makeup on her labia has started to fade, but that's pretty normal for this material. Every couple of weeks I do a quick powder makeup touch-up, and she's good to go again. Her joints have loosened slightly over time, but they're still nice and firm overall. I've only had one nail come off, and I also touched up her lipstick myself. Overall, I'm very satisfied with Ariel. For her price, I think she offers some of the best value of the three dolls and strikes a great balance between realism, softness, durability, and maintenance.


Silicone
This silicone beauty is the newest addition to the family, and I have to say, I'm genuinely impressed. Fresh out of the box there was no smell whatsoever. Her skin was a little oily at first, but after a quick powder bath she became incredibly smooth to the touch.
What surprised me the most was just how soft her breasts and butt are. They're noticeably squishier than either of my other dolls. Her breasts almost feel like water balloons, and her butt is so soft that I'm actually a little worried about leaving her sitting on my bed for too long. The arms have a nice amount of softness as well, while the shoulders, thighs, and calves are a bit firmer without feeling hard. The stomach has a toned feel to it—soft at first, but becoming firmer as you press deeper—which gives it a very realistic texture.


The head is firmer than Kossy's silicone head, but it's still comfortable to handle. She has an ROS structure, I'm personally not a huge fan of using it, so I can't really compare it in detail. The internal sculpting looks well done, though. My only concern is the hinge that opens and closes the mouth. It feels sturdy, but it does require a bit of pressure to operate. Hopefully it holds up well over time.
Her joints feel great overall. The arms, back, and neck have just the right amount of resistance. The legs are a little stiff, especially when spreading them, and they take a bit more effort than my other dolls. The feet look fantastic and even have wires in the toes, which lets you pose them in some really cute ways. Since this is the hard-feet model, there's a slight transition where the rigid foot structure meets the softer silicone, but it's very subtle unless you're specifically looking for it.


The intimate areas are soft while still having a little firmness. If I had to rank them by softness, I'd put them in this order: TPE first, S-TPE second, and silicone third. The hole is a little wider than my other dolls and has a smooth interior, making it feel different but still enjoyable to use. The rear opening is surprisingly detailed and has the best feel by far. Personally, I don't use it very often because cleaning smaller openings always makes me a little paranoid about moisture and mold, but I was impressed by the level of detail.
Lastly, there's the size and weight. She's listed at around 32 kg, but she honestly feels much lighter than that. She's easily the lightest doll I own, and I can already tell that's going to make posing and moving her around much easier, especially for photography. Considering I picked her up on sale, I'm extremely happy with my first impressions.


Final Thoughts
Overall, I'm completely satisfied with all of my purchases. I love each of my dolls for different reasons.
Kossy is still my favorite. She's the doll I spend the most time with, whether that's cuddling, relaxing, or intimate use. Her incredible softness and adorable appearance always win me over.


Ariel offers the best value for the money in my opinion. She has my favorite feel for intimate use, she's cute, requires less maintenance than traditional TPE, and has a fantastic body. Her biggest downside is definitely her weight.


Last but certainly not least is my new silicone girl. She's easily the most realistic-looking doll I own, and her lightweight opens up so many possibilities. I mainly use my dolls for cuddling and photography, and I think she's going to be perfect for both. My only concern is being a little more careful with her since she's my first full silicone doll.


If I had to recommend a first doll to a newcomer, I'd suggest starting with TPE. It's more affordable, lets you learn the basics of maintenance, and gives you room to make beginner mistakes before investing in a more expensive material.


If your main priorities are cuddling and intimate use, I'd recommend either TPE or S-TPE. Both materials are much softer overall, have more flexibility, and feel great to interact with. If you want a more realistic appearance, pairing a TPE body with a silicone head is a great option. S-TPE also shares many of silicone's maintenance advantages—it has little to no odor, releases very little oil, and is noticeably more durable. Stay on top of regular cleaning, monthly baths, and powdering, and your doll should stay in great shape.


If realism and photography are your top priorities, then silicone is a no-brainer. It offers the highest level of detail out of the three materials, and the newer lightweight designs make posing and moving the doll much easier. I've also heard silicone requires less maintenance over the long term, but only time will tell.
If you made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read my review! I hope it helps anyone who's trying to decide between these materials. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Enjoy the rest of your day! 💕

JxDoll Review Part 2: Material Comparison