“Oral Sex” in a vibrator? LELO Ora review

“Oh, please, please, please let me review the LELO Ora!” I begged the wonderful folks at Good Vibrations. A toy that simulates oral sex, made by the luxury vibrator company LELO, sounded like a winner.The description and video (bottom) made it sound lovely: silicone, beautiful design, with a nubbin that worked as a simulated tip of the tongue — swirling and flicking. Lots of patterns — some with all-over vibrations plus the “tongue,” some alternating, some just the tongue — and an intensity setting that claimed to be 30% over the manual settings.Great idea, lovely design, but Ora doesn’t live up to the claims, at least in my bed. The tongue flicks and swirls are very nice, but the nub is so small and the motions are so delicate that they don’t come close to doing the job for me. You might love it, if your clitoris is so sensitive that light flicking and swirling are all you need, but I I found the “tongue” way too subtle for any more than a nice warm-up. The vibrating patterns felt really good, especially at the strongest settings (which weren’t turbo, but still very enjoyable), but at the highest vibrations, the flicks and swirls were barely noticeable. (See update #4 below.)

The box and the marketing messages claim an “ultra-intense power setting at the touch of a button.” I couldn’t find any “ultra intense” setting, because as many times as I pressed the “+” button, the highest setting was intense, but not what I’d call “ultra intense.”

So maybe, I told myself,  I didn’t understand how to find that highest setting.

I turned to the “user manual” and quickly became cranky: The so-called manual had warranty, safety and charging information for all LELO products  in 12 languages — but nothing specific to this product and no instructions!

Finally I found it — all but illegible with its itty bitty grey font on grey paper, it said to go to LELO.com and click on Customer Care to download the manual. Come on, a $169 toy can’t have a page of instructions? A luxury sex toy company makes the “go to” notice practically impossible to read? Hello, LELO, I hope you’re listening.

Here’s where the LELO manuals are, so you don’t have to hurt your eyes trying to find it. Except — whoops! There is no manual for the Ora! I wrote to LELO:

Where is the user manual for Ora? It’s not listed, and the included “manual” has no information whatsoever about using this specific product.

 

I had no problem figuring out how to turn it on, cycle through the patterns, and turn the intensity up or down. But how do I access that mysterious “ultra-intense power setting at the touch of a button” that the box advertises?

I got a prompt but unhelpful response from LELO, telling me how to turn the Ora on and off and cycle through the patterns. I knew that — as I had told them. I still wanted to know where the “ultra-intense power setting” was that was supposed to gives 30% increase on the standard maximum power at the touch of a button. If we were just supposed to cycle the “+” button until it could go no higher, then tell us that!

Undaunted, I wrote to LELO again with that question. I added:

I have many sex toys, including many LELO products. I
wonder how someone receiving this product as a first-timer would know how to
use it when there are no instructions included, and the promised manual is not actually there.



2/10 update #1: LELO wrote me this:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Thank you for your email.

 If you press the center button, it will change mode, but
if you press and hold it for 3 seconds, it will change to the ultra-intense
power setting.

 

Aha, there’s what I wanted to know. Why isn’t this in the instructions? Oh, right, there are no instructions. Then why isn’t this printed on the box? We’re just supposed to intuit that we press and hold the center button for 3 seconds?

I’ll try it and get back to you. Didn’t want to make you wait for this piece of the puzzle.

2/11 update #2: LELO answered my “Why isn’t this information provided on the box, in the instructions (whoops, there are no instructions), or in the video? How are users supposed to know this?” with this:

Our intention was let our customers “discover” it, however I will suggest our departments do some changes about the instruction in case more customers cannot find it.



2/21 update #3: Just received a lovely, personal email from Kathryn Catney, Communication Specialist at LELO, who actually read my review here (and is a “big fan” of my blog). She apologized for the lack of instructions and the useless responses from the Customer Care rep. She said that I must have received an early sample (true), and that all the purchased Oras come with a full “How to Use” manual, which is now online here.


2/26 update #4
I’ve retested Ora twice with the new knowledge of how to find the “ultra-intense power setting.” Yes, it’s better with that setting, definitely. However, the shape of the vibrator, while gorgeous and enabling it to stand upright when not in use, prevented it from working right for me. The “tongue tip” section is recessed. I would have preferred that it balloon from the vibrator rather than recede. The vibrating ring of the vibrator was very nice, but the “tongue” part was still barely noticeable. Sorry, LELO. 


We’re all different shapes and sizes, including our genitals, so this might be just right for you. Clearly a lot of research, development, and attention to design went into this lovely product. It felt nice, yes, but in the end, it didn’t do the job.

All in all, I think the Ora is a great idea, but if your idea of the perfect vibrator is the Magic Wand (reviewed here), you’ll be disappointed. However, if you prefer a lighter touch and the idea of subtle swirls and flicks makes you quiver, the Ora might become your new best friend.


Thank you, Good Vibrations, for sending me the Ora and always being supportive of older-age sexuality.

 

LELO’s GIGI: slim, smooth, sensual

This review was originally written in 2009. I updated it November
2012. GIGI has become a favorite sex buddy, one I reach for
regularly even though I have many dozen to choose from after reviewing
sex toys from a senior perspective for four years!  
Sex-toy designers are catching on to the notion that sexual enhancement products (okay, vibrators) that work best for women’s anatomy might not be in the shape of a penis (or dolphin, rabbit, and so on) but rather a design that actually fits the way we’re shaped and makes contact with our hot spots most effectively. As we age, our bed buddy also needs to be pleasant to hold for an extended time without inflaming arthritic wrists or burning out before we do.

I’ve had the pleasure of testing the lovely GIGI “sensual pleasure object” from LELO. The rechargeable GIGI specializes in G-spot stimulation, and indeed the flared shape at the tip easily locates, stimulates, and hugs my G-spot. Great design!

It’s also dandy for clitoral stimulation. If you like both, just alternate placement, or use a clitoral vibrator while the GIGI is vaginally inserted — which is what I do. The curved shape makes it easy to keep GIGI inserted and out of the way when you’re using another vibrator on your clitoris.

I love the shape and size — not girthy (so helpful for post-menopausal vaginas), shaped for easy insertion, flared for the best sensation. The velvety silicone surface “tugs” a little when you move it in and out, a most pleasurable sensation.

Choose from five intensities/modes, or vary as your arousal
increases. I would have liked just one more, extremely intense setting,
but for the size, it’s amazing.

It’s also quiet, in case the grandkids are in the next room. The part that
does its magic is available in rose (pictured, though it’s not as
shocking a color as my point-and-shoot camera thinks), turquoise, or
“petal pink” to match the decor or your lingerie, or make it easy to find in the toy box. A lovely product!

Use a water-based lubricant. Don’t use a silicone-based lubricant with silicone toys — it can degrade the toy and make it tacky.

As you’ll see from other recent sex-toy reviews, we now have a swell selection to choose from or alternate, if you like variety. Thank you, designers, and enjoy, dear readers!

Lelo Smart Wands: for massage or… ?

The new LELO Smart Wands are truly gorgeous — deep, rich plum (or black if you prefer), sensuously curved, vibrating wands made of silicone with gold-colored accents on the handle. They’re sleek and almost too beautiful to hide away between uses. But “smart”? How is that supposed to work? Read on.Lelo offers two models: medium and large. I was eager to test the large Smart Wand which promised the most intensity, but while Good Vibrations waited for that model, they sent me the medium size.Beautiful, gift-worthy, art-quality wand, to be sure. But not nearly strong enough for me. It’s pretty weak, actually.

Now you may not need the vroom-vroom-vroom power intensity I do for clitoral stimulation — in fact, many of you are downright scared by the intensity I describe in my favorite toys. If  you like subtle to medium intensity, you’ll likely love this pleasure object.

If, however, your sensations need extra power to fire, go for the big one! I was happy when I received the big guy for comparison.

The large model is about a foot long and weighs almost a pound. (The medium is about 8″ long and weights just under 6 ounces.) The large head sends vibrations to the whole outer vulva, which I like, not just the clitoris — though I know that some women prefer being able to pinpoint  the clitoris.

 Some reviewers have complained of hand numbing between the vibrations all the way from head to handle and the heaviness of the wand, but you really don’t have to tax arthritic wrists by holding it in the air or holding it at all. Thanks to the ergonomic styling, you can aim the rounded end where you like it, and barely lift the length of the wand  to keep it there. So don’t worry when it feels hefty when you lift it.


Given the size — in both length and head size, similar to the Hitachi Magic Wand — I thought the vibrations would be similar in intensity to the Hitachi. No, nothing is similar in intensity to the Hitachi, sorry. But if you don’t need Hitachi power (and  huge crowds of women do not, even at our age), this is an elegant alternative.

Why the “Smart” appellation? You can choose among eight vibrational patterns manually by pressing buttons — or you can hold down the pattern button to activate “SenseTouch” which automatically goes to 100% intensity when the wand is pressed to the body. Take it away from the body (why? a phone call? a break?) and it whirs down and waits on low. I honestly don’t know how valuable this feature is. I tend to just crank it up to maximum intensity and keep it there, no need for a break.

Oh! I get it! The “SenseTouch” is for giving a “real” massage (without the “wink wink”)! Of course, you want it to stop when you’re switching body parts for muscle relaxation. Whoops. I should have guessed from the illustration on the box. Silly me!

In fact, LELO’s own website says it’s for “deeply satisfying all-over body massage.” Why didn’t I think of that? Of course if you’re using it for all over body massage, you might have the numbing hand problem. I wonder why it’s made with a vibrating handle, since there’s no way to use that handle for anything other than holding on. Sex blogger Dangerous Lilly mentioned in her excellent review of the Smart Wands that if you hold the large wand in the middle of the handle (the thinnest part), the vibrations are weakest there.

Like all LELO products, you charge the vibrator (ooops — massager)  for two hours first, then you have no cords to fuss with while you use it. It’s quiet and even waterproof! The vibrations are rumbly (which I prefer, personally) rather than buzzy, especially in the large model. Like all LELO products, the wands are made of medical grade materials. They come with a 1-year warranty and a 10-year product quality guarantee.

Whether you decide to enjoy your Smart Wand as a sex toy or a massage tool, I’m sure you’ll have many delightful experiences! Thank you, Good Vibrations, for sending me these elegant Smart Wands.

 

LELO Mona: Elegant Instrument of Pleasure!

LELO sex toys are beautifully made, both functional and artistic in design, and absolutely made for pleasure. The LELO Mona  is curvy, sleek and sexy, and practically silent. Thank you, Tabu Toys, provider of sex toys, for sending me the beautiful and elegant LELO Mona for review.

The Mona can be used as either a clitoral vibrator or a G-spot seeking insertable vibrator. For clitoral stimulation, either touch the tip to your sweet spot, or position the whole curve over your vulva–the vibrations seem to make the whole vulva sing, with of course a special focus on the clitoris. I didn’t find the vibrations quite strong enough to take me to the finish line this way, but I enjoyed it as a most pleasurable warmup.
The Mona shines — or should I say glows? — as an insertable vibrator. It has an unusual shape: a tapered tip that bulges to about 1.5″ in diameter, then thins considerably. Besides being pretty, that shape let’s you insert it, then let go and use it hands-free (or practically — you may need to touch it lightly to keep it from turning). Once inserted, it’s not likely to pop out at inopportune moments. If you prefer thrusting, the shape gives surprising sensations–its curvy bits are not at all penile, which you might like or not. It feels really good, just not like a penis, if that’s your shape of choice.
It’s rechargeable, which means you plug it in for a while to charge the toy, then it will go unassisted for hours. No cords or batteries to fuss with while you’re concentrating on your sensations. 
For those of us older folks with arthritis, the ergonomic design makes it easy to hold comfortably, no gripping, no weird angles. The only problem is that it’s easy to accidentally press a control button, changing mode or intensity.
The Mona is a mid-sized vibrator, larger than my favorite LELO toy, the Gigi. Here they are side by side for comparison.

Yes, the Mona is expensive. It’s a luxury toy: beautifully designed, easy to hold and a pleasure to use, made of medical-grade materials, velvety smooth, quiet, with six modes of stimulation and a variety of intensities. If you can afford to give yourself a special gift of pleasure, go fot it. Or direct a generous friend to this review!