man... i hate it when you press back on your mouse accidentally and your entire post gets erased....
i completely agree that you should try out different brands each time you need it. it'll add something new to the experience each time, and after about 8 bottles, you'll have a pretty good idea of what you like and dont like for what you use it for.
most of what lube is good for depends on three things - whats your speed, whats your pressure, and whats your time?
if you plan on an activity that requires skin to skin motion thats fast paced, astroglide is a good choice. its fairly "slippery", wich gives the sensation of the two skin surfaces gliding over each other, hence the astro glide. the problem i find with it is that if you stop for any length of time, you get a reaction that is similar to olive oil and other vegable oils, it will seperate out from any bumps, leaving a skin on skin friction that feels almost worste then if you were using nothing. this is much worste with k-y, wich i feel is worthless for anything other then medical instrument insurtion - and thats only because you only need it to work for about a minute, and it wipes off with a towell. astroglide is good for light play/moderate to fast speed with light pressure.
if your planning on going reeeeal slow like, or grinding, or using something thats a little bigger then would naturally fit without stretching, astroglide is a poor choice. the second you start putting slow moving pressure on the mucous membrane skin/skins, water based lubes start to fail. silicon lubes are better in this respect, and will tend to last longer then water based (especially in a wet environment like the shower). they will continue working while there isnt much motion going on, but (for the ones ive tried) also can give an even "slippery-er" feeling then water based lubes. this can be good or bad depending on what you like. but, since your going slow, your going to have a better sense of whats going on down their then if your going fast and have no friction whatsoever. another problem is that its harder to get off then water based lubes. my suggestion for this, is to get a soap with a mild abrasive component in it, like whole oats. if you can find it, soaps that have one side complely covered in oats, and the other just soap, you can lather up, and then scrub the area with the watter softened oats to quicken the removal of the lube. i find that you can generaly remove the stuff within about 45 seconds using this method. just remember to work from top to bottom, as whatevers on top will drip/get pushed down if its not cleaned off.
if your going to be doing size play however, ive found both silicon and water lubes to be completely inadaquate. in this case, im all for oil based. i know they dont allow for latex use, but quite frankly, its the only thing i know that works. vasalene is the obvious everyone can get it option, and is reletively safe for both men and women. a cheaper, less known (to the public anyway) alternative is crisco, or smart balance vegatable shortenings. the benefits - lasts about 30 minutes of heavy duty/pressured rubber on skin, silicon on skin, skin on skin, latex on skin action, and can take deep tissure style pressure better then anything ive seen. the drawbacks - it may be unsafe for a woman to use, in that the vegable shortening (especially if not properly cleaned off), can leave a bacteria freindly apmosphere in the vagina. even for anal play with women, the stuff is bound to cover her genitals. that being said, i havent read to many accounts of women using the stuff, so i cant give you a good statistical report on the danger of the stuff in that regard. im not exactly sure how the intestines react to the stuff to be honest... i know that within 24 hours, all residue will be gone though. the biggest probem to be found with vasaline and crisco and other oil based lubes - darn near impossible to get off. again, i would suggest the soft exfoliate pad and lathered soap, working to to bottom. it'll also make your shower or any tile surface a deadly walking ground - make sure you have grip mats/floor mats to cover up any spills. vegatable oils also tend to leave a thick scent in the room.
so, again, its all in what you need it to do. fast light stuff - astroglide is decent, way better then k-y. for heavier play, messages, slow play, eros and other silicons will out perform water based. for heavy play - oil is about the best you can get.
dont be afraid to try something new - even if its a bad experience, as long as you go slow, the body is pretty resiliant, and you can always try soemthing different next time.
*ya, its a little off topic 
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