Posts by Joan Price
Sleek and Ergonomic: Le Wand Petite review
Sleek, handsome, comfortable, strong, and easy to hold. You’d think I was describing my latest man crush, but — no surprise, right? — it’s a vibrator that has me sighing: the shiny purple Le Wand Petite. It also comes in a lovely rose gold. It happened that both The Smitten Kitten and Le Wand were eager for my opinion, and independently, they each sent me Le Wand Petite. Lucky me — I have both colors!
Le Wand Petite is stylish looking and refreshingly ergonomic. Despite its 10-inch length and fairly large head, the handle tapers to under 2 inches in diameter, making it easy for arthritic hands to hold. Nice for short arms, too! And it’s light. Very light. Just under 8 ounces.
Like many wand vibrators, you’ll feel some light vibrations through the handle, but the high-power vibrations stay focused in the comfortable, silicone head. The neck is somewhat flexible, but only a fraction of an inch unless you press hard.
Le Wand Petite works delightfully as a solo clitoral vibrator, and the slim wand and long handle also make it easy to give yourself clitoral stimulation during partner sex. A penis can also enjoy the stimulation — this isn’t a gendered vibrator.
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| Magic Wand, Le Wand, Touch |
But is it “petite” as the name claims? Compared to the original Le Wand (I’ll add my review of that one soon) or the Magic Wand — yes. Compared to the vibrators that usually accompany me on my travels, like the We-Vibe Touch — no. However, it’s so slim and light that it’s easy to pack and carry.
It’s USB rechargeable and shower friendly, and comes with a zipped travel/storage pouch. The raised buttons are easy to locate by touch without looking, though you’ll have to memorize which is “+” and which is “-” if you don’t want to stop the action.
Despite the claims of “10 rumbly vibration speeds and 6 vibration patterns,” I wouldn’t call the higher speeds “rumbly.” The low speeds are rumbly, but get buzzier as the intensity increases. Is it as strong as my 75-year-old body likes? It’s not a Magic Wand or a Sybian, but it doesn’t claim to be, and it’s surprisingly powerful for a vibrator that weighs less than 8 ounces. If you want strong but don’t require turbo power, you’ll be happy.
Full disclosure: So this happened. After several happy experiences with each Le Wand Petite, the purple one stopped turning on. It was fully charged, but would make just a quick buzz, then turn off and stay off. The marvelous Le Wand people jumped to give suggestions and offer a replacement, saying this was not a problem others had reported. Then a few days later, I turned it on, same problem, but after I wiggled the head (because… why not?), it turned on and stayed on. I’ve tested the off/on again, with no problems. I didn’t want to post a review without mentioning this, but I’m confident that it was a quirky glitch that righted itself. If you do have problems, Le Wand has a one-year warranty.
Many thanks to The Smitten Kitten and Le Wand for providing me with Le Wand Petite in return for an honest review.
Fun Factory Sex Toys!
2025 Update: Fun Factory has been sold to another company, and its future is uncertain. I’m updating this review so that you can find my favorites of the Fun Factory vibrators from other retailers that I endorse. Get them while they’re available!
Lucky me! I own a toy box of new vibrators from Fun Factory. As the name implies and the photo illustrates, each colorful Fun Factory vibrator has something playful about it. Sex toys for older women do exist and I’m going to give you the low down.
The shape may be a dolphin, a cuttlefish, a caterpillar, a race car. You can’t help laughing as you try to describe it, and I’m sure that’s intentional. Sex is fun. Solo sex is fun. Sex with vibrators is fun.
These Fun Factory toys have much in common, so I’m doing a round-up instead of reviewing the toys individually and repeating myself. All are well-made of body-safe, medical-grade silicone and they’re waterproof for shower, tub, and pool use. Most charge via a USB magnetic charger, simple as can be, and they hold a charge for a long time. Yes, I have my favorites with unique qualities, and I’ll tell you what makes them special.
My top favorite is the Volta. It’s delightfully versatile. The curved shape and vibrating tips (I think of them as “flippers”) can give pleasure in several ways. For example:
- Nuzzle a clitoris by surrounding the glans (protruding tip of the clitoris) with the flippers.
- Rest the curve of the Volta over the vulva for all-over stimulation.
- Separate the flippers to vibrate the clitoris and the vaginal entrance simultaneously.
- Cuddle or circle around the head of a penis.
- Stroke the shaft of a penis with the flippers during fellatio.
The Volta is not only versatile, it’s wonderfully strong! Take your choice of 6 intensity levels, oh my, and 6 rhythm patterns. It’s rumbly rather than buzzy, which I appreciate.
My second favorite is Patchy Paul (explain that name to me, please), caterpillar shaped including two eyes.* The shape makes it perfect for G-spot penetration, or clitoral pinpointing, or curving over the vulva.
I find most Fun Factory penetrative toys too girthy for pleasure, but Patchy Paul starts narrow — 1.1 inch diameter at the tip — and gradually increases in girth, bloop by bloop, to 1.7 inches in diameter. Unless you like really deep penetration, that widest bloop won’t matter. It’s also fairly flexible, making it even more comfortable. Like the Volta, you get 6 intensities and 6 rhythm patterns.
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Patchy Paul’s fake eyes |
* A fun fact for you: Many caterpillars have fake eye spots so that predators think they’re snakes. Patchy Paul has fake eye spots to make us laugh.
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caterpillar with fake eyes |
Both Volta and Patchy Paul have ergonomic loop handles — no wrist twisting (great for older wrists!) required, and no problem with lubed fingers. Besides solo use, the long shape and tapered ends make them work between bodies to add clitoral stimulation during partnered penetrative sex.
You can’t choose between them? If you like simultaneous clitoral stimulation and vaginal penetration and you can budget for both, double your pleasure by using Volta on the clitoris and Patchy Paul vaginally. Wowza. Of course you can do that with any two sex toys that fit your needs — I’m not saying you have to buy two new products for this experience. But Volta and Patchy Paul work especially well as a team, thanks to the shapes — they don’t get in the way of each other.
Cobra Libre II is a popular penis vibrator. It’s designed to envelop and vibrate the head of the penis, the most sensitive area for most penis owners. Experiment with how you like to hold it and use it. Shamus MacDuff, my penis-owning reviewer, tells me:
“I used lube on just my penis at first and although it felt good, it didn’t get me to orgasm. The next time, I added a generous amount of lube inside the Cobra Libre, and woo! That made it possible to slightly thrust in and out, all the while being stimulated by vibrations. I discovered that for me, the toy works best held in what seems like an upside down position, as that better follows the upward curve of my erection. Whee! Full orgasm. Knocked me out.”
Always use water-based lubricant with Fun Factory products, which are made of silicone. They can be damaged by oils and creams, so be careful with other substances on your body such as sunscreen, Fun Factory warns.
 Volta and Patchy Paul repose after fun in the shower |
We-Vibe Touch and Anniversary Collection
9/16/18 update: I’m moving this review to the top because the We-VibeTouch has become my favorite travel vibrator! It’s tiny enough to pack in the toe of a shoe (not one you’re wearing, of course) and so light that it adds no discernible weight to your carry-on. With all that convenience, you do not sacrifice power — it’s strong and gets the job done, so to speak.
Original review published 7/23/18:
The lovely folks at We-Vibe are celebrating a decade of creating pleasure products, and they sent me their latest products to sample. My favorite from We-Vibe is the Touch: small enough to be an easy travel companion, quiet, yet strong. I love the shape and its versatility — it’s curved to cover much of the vulva for all-over stimulation, or press the cupped area over the clitoris, or point the tip wherever you want it, or combine any or all of these.
The Touch is fabulous to use on the clitoris during partner sex as well as solo, because it doesn’t get in the way of two joined bodies. If you enjoy penetrative sex and need extra clitoral stimulation for your journey towards orgasm, this makes it easy and sweet. Add it for extra clitoral stimulation whatever kind of sex you might be enjoying — penetrative or not.
I had an earlier version of the Touch which I liked, but this one I love. The earlier Touch was made of a shiny silicone — this one is matte silicone: smooth and slick used with water-based lubricant, which enhances the sensation. It’s small, weighs almost nothing, and if you’re taking it as your travel companion — which I recommend — it takes no room in your carry-on.
The controls are a raised button at the base, easy to find and use during use, though with lubed fingers you may need to press hard. (The two silver things are for charging.) It’s completely waterproof — who needs a rubber ducky in the tub when you have the Touch? It has 8 vibration modes: 4 intensities and 4 patterns, and is surprisingly quiet, rumbly, and decently strong. It comes with a white satin pouch.
To celebrate 10 years, We-Vibe is offering their Anniversary Collection: the newest version of the We-Vibe Sync and the Tango mini-vibrator, both in passion purple in a compact travel case that doubles as a charging station.
We-Vibe Sync is advertised as a couple’s vibrator, to be worn during penetrative sex, with the smaller end in the vagina against the G-spot and the larger end stimulating the clitoris. It’s smaller and slimmer than earlier versions, and the bend between the two sections is adjustable, which is an improvement. It has an optional remote.
Despite all this, I don’t find it comfortable during partner penetration and I prefer to use it solo as a warm-up. Insert it during a shower or bath (it’s completely waterproof), or just wear it around the house for a while, vibrating to get the blood flow going to the genitals, and you’ll find arousal is faster and orgasm is easier. It can be used other ways and for other erogenous zones, too — experiment and enjoy!
In a long-distance relationship? Use the We-Connect app to let a partner of your choice anywhere in the world control the vibrations. Or sync the beat to your favorite music. Playtime!
Thank you, We-Vibe, for sending me the Touch and the Anniversary Collection for review. Happy anniversary!
Atom Plus by Hot Octopuss: innovative cock ring
REVIEW OF ATOM PLUS
by
Shamus MacDuff
Atom Plus by Hot Octopuss is an innovative new cock ring that engages the scrotum as well as the penis. Wearing it requires some practice, some effort, and plenty of lube, but once in place the end result is extremely pleasant.
What sets Atom Plus apart from other cock rings is its direct stimulation of the perineum as well as the penile shaft, creating powerful sensations and more intense orgasms.
The perineum is the nerve-dense area between the genitals and the anus that in most people is highly sensitive. For men it sits above the prostate gland—the proverbial “P-spot”—and excitation of the perineum often produces wonderful prostate sensations without anal penetration.
The diagram below from Hot Octopuss makes it appear easy to drop one’s balls through the opening, rotate the device 90 degrees, and then slide the soft penis through to reach “operating position.”
However, I found that it took considerable work at first to stretch the Atom Plus’s opening sufficiently to get both of my testicles through. After manual stretching alone proved insufficient, I hooked Atom Plus up to a fixed vise handle in my workshop and pulled very strongly against it. That workshop action stretched the opening enough so the “getting-it-on mission” eventually was accomplished, with copious application of water-based lube to my balls and to Atom Plus itself. The more I have used Atom Plus, the easier it has become to get everything in position.
Given its name, I hesitate to use the word “explosive,” but my masturbation with Atom Plus has led to explosive orgasms. The power of these is a combination of perineal and penile stimulation, which Atom Plus accentuates beautifully. These forays are even more dynamic with simultaneous use of Hot Octopuss’s Pocket Pulse. What distinguishes these orgasms from those achieved using either Cobra Libre or the Pocket Pulse alone is the intense excitation of my perineum and “P-spot” as well as the penile shaft.
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controls may be slippery |
Atom Plus has five different settings, and you’re sure to find one or more that flicks your bic. For me, the second and third settings are dynamite. The second setting gets my penis erect almost instantly with its steady pulsations, while the third setting brings me into P-spot heaven. Try ‘em, you’ll like ‘em!
Although it has two separate motors the Atom Plus is remarkably quiet, emitting only soft, gentle sounds. It is made of silicone and is totally waterproof, so it can be used in the shower and is easy to clean. It charges quickly and holds a charge for a long time. However, the barely raised control buttons are not highly responsive to touch with lubed fingers, and one has to feel around a bit before being able to change settings.
My female partner and I experimented with Atom Plus in missionary position PIV (penis-in-vagina) sex, but she did not love it. Aligning the small nub on the front of Atom Plus with her clitoris was difficult, and by her report, my gentle thrusting felt like a battering ram because of the hard surface of the Atom Plus.
We tried several different insertion styles (gentle circular motions; partial penis insertion without Atom Plus directly contacting her; extremely slow in-and-out action) but none of these delighted her. She said that she did feel the vibrations produced by Atom Plus, however, and we giggled over her “vibrating vagina.”
While some may find it nice for PIV, Atom Plus works best for me for solo sex, and for that it is a wonderful addition, a definite delight, and highly recommended!
Shamus MacDuff, age 74, was oblivious to the delights of sex toys for penises until about a year ago. He’s making up for lost time! Read his other posts here.
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Hot Octopuss meets Hot Squid |