Posts Tagged ‘Shamus MacDuff’

The Fun Factory NŌS, available from Betty’s Toy Box, is an outstanding new vibrating cock ring. I have enjoyed it immensely during solo sex. Stretching the ring over a flaccid penis, NŌS quickly brings an erection when the motor is turned on. Moving it to different positions on the shaft yields various pleasing sensations.

My own favorite position is to point the motorized ends downward and inward so that they contact my scrotum. Revving up the power then produces wonderful vibrations all over my genitals. Rub a dab of water-based lube on the frenulum, and an orgasm will soon follow.

Generally, the controls on the center button work well. However, they are somewhat difficult to operate with lubed fingers. The solution is to start NŌS before slipping it onto your penis and before using lube. It’s then easier to change the settings with or without lube on one’s fingers.

The name NŌS derives from the Latin for “we/ours.” It also means “us” in Spanish and Portuguese. This name was chosen specifically to indicate that—in Fun Factory’s marketing lingo—it is “a cock ring for both of you.” “Both of you” clearly refers to a heterosexual couple who wish to “come together” and orgasm simultaneously during penis-in-vagina (PIV) intercourse.

NŌS is designed to facilitate this “coming together.” It fits around the penis and at the same time can hug the partner’s clitoris with its vibrating pincher-like tips. The expectation is that a couple can sync their orgasms. Fun Factory claims that “you’ll climax together harder than ever.”

The likelihood of that happening even occasionally strikes me as a tall order. Especially for us older folks, the chance of both people getting exactly the kind of stimulation they need at that same moment is unlikely and puts unreasonable pressure on the couple — and on the vibrator. Instead, experiment with the variety of ways to use the NŌS, see what feels good to each of you separately, then explore using it during PIV if you wish. Let your goal be pleasure, not a fantasy simultaneous orgasm.

To their credit, Fun Factory mentions several ways to use NŌS other than trying to produce orgasms for two people at the same time, such as wearing it on your hand as a finger vibe for your partner.

NŌS is — as Fun Factory hopes — also effective in partner sex, although not necessarily in the way they emphasize. In what my vulva owning partner and I affectionately call “old people sex,” we seldom engage in PIV, far preferring lots of stroking and oral and manual play. Two ways that we enjoy using it on me:

• Oral: NŌS is a wonderful adjunct to fellatio. Installing NŌS at the base of my penis, also touching my scrotum, my partner slowly increases the vibration level as oral sex proceeds. She giggles when she feels the NŌS-generated vibrations of my penis transmit to her mouth. What do I feel? Bliss.
• Manual: My partner holds NŌS in her hand and applies the vibrating double end to sensitive spots on my penis, scrotum, and nipples, which I find very stimulating!

NŌS is a great addition to anyone’s sex toy collection. Don’t expect it to magically provide the rare simultaneous orgasm. But do recognize it as an effective, versatile little sex toy. Some of its many qualities:

• Made of body-safe silicone
• 

  magnetic charging buttons

  Waterproof

• Quiet during use
• Four speeds plus one pattern
• Recharging is easy via the included handy magnetic charger.
• Vibrations are remarkably strong for its small size
• Ideal size for travel

I heartily recommend Fun Factory’s NŌS. You’ll be happy to own one!

 

Note from Shamus MacDuff’s clitoris-owning lover:

Volta

I love Fun Factory toys — especially the Volta and Limba Flex! — but this one did not work for me as a clitoris vibrator. The so-called clit extensions felt hard, and it was too easy to accidentally pinch myself when trying to manipulate it for my own pleasure. I loved using it on Shamus, but for myself, I’ll grab the Volta from my Fun Factory toy bag.

Caution: Cock rings are safe when used properly. Wear for no longer than 20 minutes at a time. If it hurts, remove it. Do not use if you have a blood/bleeding condition.

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— Shamus MacDuff was oblivious to the delights of sex toys for penises until age 73. He’s been making up for lost time! Read his other posts here.

by Shamus MacDuff

If you enjoy fellatio from a skilled, pleasure-giving partner, then you will like the Arcwave Ion, a new stroker sex toy for penises that feels more like a blow job than any other sex toy I’ve tried.

The Ion is innovative and unusual. It uses the same Pleasure Air Technology that the Womanizer pioneered for vulva owners, now re-engineered for the penis.

The lower half of the Ion contains the motor and controls, and the upper half is of soft silicone with a ribbed “tunnel” into which the penis is inserted. First, rub some water-based lube inside the tunnel and on your penis. Then situate your frenulum over a round hole in the base. Once the Ion is turned on, you will be also!

The three control buttons are easily accessible and increase or decrease intensity through eight levels. The sensations are so pleasurable and unusual that an orgasm rapidly results. While it works best with an erect penis, the Ion will also accept a flaccid one.

How Does It Work?

The Pleasure Air Technology sends pulsating airwaves to Pacinian pleasure receptors in the frenulum, producing sucking and massaging sensations that lead to powerful orgasms. Pacinian corpuscles in the frenulum are analogous to those in the clitoris. They are nerve endings in the skin that are highly sensitive to vibration and pressure.

“Female Orgasm for Men”?

 That these corpuscles occur in the frenulum as well as the clitoris has led Arcwave to claim that the Ion produces “a female orgasm for men.” This strikes me as both odd and counterproductive. Odd because it is impossible for one gender to know what another gender’s orgasm feels like. It’s counterproductive because few penis owners—whether gay or straight—wish to experience a female orgasm. The quick, strong male orgasms that the Ion facilitates stand on their own and needn’t imitate female versions. To me, this strange marketing strategy seems to turn Freud’s infamous idea of penis envy on its head.

More Pros:

• Fully waterproof!
• The 6-inch long Ion twists apart into two halves for easy cleaning.
• The Ion comes in a handsome 8-inch-tall hard plastic case that charges the Ion during storage.

Just a Few Cons:

• The Ion is rather noisy, sounding like a large dog lapping up water (other reviewers have likened the noise to a bike pump or a small pneumatic drill), but that did not detract from my enjoyment.
• The combination of the Ion and its charging case is bulkier than other penis toys so it would be less convenient to carry in luggage on trips.
• It is not designed for partnered sex (unless your partner likes to watch).

Bottom Line:

The Arcwave Ion adds a delightful and very interesting new experience for penis pleasuring. The Arcwave Ion joins an outstanding group of other penis toys, such as the Manta from Fun Factory and the JETT and Pulse (in several iterations) from Hot Octopuss.

Personally, I am very happy to have this new toy, and I predict you will be, too. It may just launch your level of pleasure into the ionosphere!

See the Ion in action

Thank you, Arcwave, for providing the Arcwave Ion in return for an honest review.

— Shamus MacDuff, age 77, was oblivious to the delights of sex toys for penises until about three years ago. He’s been making up for lost time! Read his other posts here.