Volta from Fun Factory: versatile vibrator

Blu Fun Factory Volta held over floral background.

I’ve been singing the praises of the Fun Factory Volta since 2018. This review replaces a previous roundup of several Fun Factory toys. Volta deserves its own review! – Joansex toys for older women

 

The Fun Factory Volta is a delightfully versatile vibrator for all genders and genitals. The curved shape and vibrating tips (I think of them as “flippers”) invite your creativity. It’s strong, playfully designed, and delivers pleasure and orgasms in a variety of ways.

 

How to use Volta

  • 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, keeping the motion going.
  • Encircle the penis with the flippers and squeeze together at the frenulum.
  • Stroke the shaft of a penis with the flippers during fellatio.
  • Any way you want! Use your imagination.

 

Pros

The Volta is not only versatile, it’s wonderfully strong! Take your choice of six intensity levels, oh my, and six rhythm patterns. It’s rumbly, which I prefer, rather than buzzy. I really appreciate the ergonomic handle with the “loop” for easy holding, even with lubed fingers. The power buttons are big and easy to see and feel.

Volta is colorful, playfully designed, well-made of body-safe, medical-grade silicone. It’s waterproof for shower, tub, and pool use. It charges easily and reliably via a USB magnetic charger, simple as can be. Use with water-based lubricant only.

 

Cons

Honestly, I can’t think of any.

 

 

Shamus MacDuff’s opinion of Volta for penises

 

I’ve tried numerous sex toys, both penis toys and gender-free vibrators. Among them all, Volta is the one I return to over and over again. I love it for both self-pleasuring and partner sex.

Looking at Volta I smile at its resemblance to a squid. A squid with attitude! Volta boasts six speeds and six patterns and is surprisingly powerful. It is fully waterproof, allowing shower play, and quite quiet, assisting privacy. It holds a charge for a long time.

When using it solo I enjoy applying Volta’s vibrating “mouth” first to my scrotum, then slowly moving it up my shaft to the frenulum. Doing this leisurely I increase the speed. By the time I reach “the place where it happens” I’m on the verge of ejaculation. Turning it up to the highest speed always results in an orgasm. Sometimes I edge with Volta’s different patterns, holding back and just enjoying the overall sense of well-being that produces.

My partner and I know that Volta will always do its job when she pleasures me. A combination of fellatio, lube, and then Volta inevitably brings me to ecstasy. When she applies the vibrating “mouth” to the ridge of my penis head I always come with a roar. We’ve learned that Volta will jolt ya!

 

 

Get your Fun Factory Volta from Betty’s Toy Box with 10% off with coupon code JOAN10

Favorite Sex Toys 2024

Some of our favorite sex toys of 2024

 

In November 2021, Shamus MacDuff and I posted our “Favorite Sex Toys for Seniors: Gift Guide for Our Lovers and Ourselves.” These remarkable products are still among our all-time favorites. Over the past four years, new notables have tickled our fancy, and we reach for them time after time. The pleasure tools below have earned elevation to our favorites list.

“Read more” links go to our past reviews of each product. In the reviews you’ll find links to our personally vetted retailers who support sexual pleasure, health, and education at our age and through the years ahead. Enjoy

 

Joan’s new favorites

 

Clitoral suction vibrators shaped like roses are trendy, and you’ll find several brands and models. They are not at all the same. My clear favorite is Inya the Rose, which captivated my heart and other body parts with just the right amount of suction and vibration and a super comfortable design (unlike another model I tried that seemed to stab and chew). Read more.

 

The new Pulse Queen from Hot Octopuss is rumbly, rumbly, rumbly, and magnificently strong! If you find buzzy vibes more annoying than stimulating, your clitoris will love the deep, rolling, rumbly oscillations of this one. Designed for external use in many different body positions.  Read more.

 

 

Shamus’s new favorites

 

In 2023 Hot Octopuss celebrated the 10th anniversary of its superb penis toy, the Pulse, with a strikingly beautiful iridescent new model, the Pulse Essential Dragon Eye. Think of this as “Pulse the Magic Dragon.” Revving the powerful Pulse Plate technology to 3950 rpm this dragon will frolic with your member, hard or flaccid. It is fully waterproof for bathing play, easy to use, and hands-free should you wish. It’s my go-to solo pleasure toy. Read more.

 

Body Kisses by Gender X is a marvelous vibrating suction massager that performs penis magic. Slip the head of your cock into the toy’s mouth and activate the suction mode. Then start the vibrations against your frenulum while the toy dangles against your scrotum. Adjust the three speeds and four patterns to find your personal orgasmic combination. It’s the thingamabob that does the job! Read more.

 

Top Travel Toys

 

These toys aren’t new. They delighted us but somehow didn’t make it into our favorites list in previous years. This year they asserted themselves as our top travel toys:

 

Joan: At home or on the go, the We-Vibe Melt gives full-sized pleasure in a small, lightweight, ergonomic toy. Vibrating pulses of air feel to me like gentle, rhythmic sucking building to powerful, rhythmic sucking over 12 intensity levels. All this power in a toy that weighs just a few ounces. Read more.

 

Shamus: The new generation Tango X from We-Vibe is the perfect travel toy for penis owners. It is lightweight, fully waterproof, recharges quickly, and packs a lot of power into its small bullet-like shape. It is also relatively quiet. I turn it on and take it straight to the frenulum and penile ridge, raising the power in increments. It provides your member with a full workout rapidly resulting in an orgasm, with or without lube. With this toy it only takes one to Tango! Read more.

 

 

Don’t forget the lube

 

Without lubricant, sex toys would be just skin friction. Wicked Sensual Care’s simply® timeless line was created for the needs our age group. Remember to choose water-based or hybrid for use with silicone toys. Our favorites for use with sex toys: Hybrid for vulva and vagina and Jelle for penis. Read more.

 

 

 

 

 

Pulse Queen review: Yes, Your Rumbly Majesty!

Turquoise Pulse Queen external vibrator in a bed of greenery.

It’s always an event when Hot Octopuss releases a new sex toy, and the Pulse Queen external vibrator is a winner! Rarely does a new sex toy charm me this thoroughly.

 

Why do I love the Pulse Queen?

First and foremost, I love it because it’s rumbly — deeply rumbly! — and it stays rumbly even on the highest of 9 speeds. It’s also super strong. I consider myself a power user, usually requiring the highest speed. But with the Pulse Queen, I don’t need to go past level 6 — it’s that powerful.

The experience is exquisite. The whole vulva reverberates with sensation, and I feel it deep in my body, not just surface level. The secret is the combination of rumble and oscillation, which is more intense than simple vibration. The technology is the same as the PulsePlate Technology™ in the Pulse penis toys which have delighted many a frenulum.

You can also enjoy seven patterns, some quite unusual. Sometimes I start with patterns for a tease, but when I’m ready to get serious about going to my happy place, steady pulsing gets me there. Your experience may vary, of course. Feel free to contribute your thoughts in the comments.

 

Ergonomic, oh yes

The Pulse Queen is also ergonomic for seniors in all the best ways:

  • Shaped for targeted clitoral stimulation and more. The “bulb” extends out for pinpointing, circling, or edging onto the clitoris; clamping between your thighs for all-over vulva stimulation; or pairing with a dildo for vaginal + clitoral delights. Explore, experiment!
  • Good for arthritic wrists. The handle is long, slim, and curved, making it easy to hold. Vibrations are only minimally transmitted though the handle.
  • Large, Raised Controls are easy to see (no need for glasses) or feel even with eyes closed.
  • Instruction booklet with large, clear diagrams illustrating everything you need to know — no words required.

Bonus points

  • Completely waterproof.
  • Made of body-safe silicone. Use with water-based lubricant only.
  • Black satin storage pouch.
  • Easy USB charging (see photo for insertion point for pin).

Not just for vulvas!

The Pulse Queen is marketed to vulva owners, but if you’re partnered with a penis owner, share the joy! As Shamus MacDuff discovered,

My partner told me of a new sex toy she wanted to try on herself. She said its name is Queen and it’s designed for vulvas so I assumed it would be for her pleasure alone. Was I ever wrong! After enjoying it on her own parts, she applied it to mine. First she ramped up the vibrations on my balls, then my shaft, and finally my frenulum. This produced pure ecstasy and a wonderful orgasm. The Queen works beautifully for penis owners too!

 

 

 

Purchase the Pulse Queen from Hot Octopuss — and take a look at their other fine products before you check out. Shamus MacDuff and I have  been reviewing their exceptional vibrators for penises and vulvas for years. Read our reviews (keep scrolling and click “older posts,” because there are many). They’re a terrific company, too, focused on sexual pleasure and health for all bodies.

 

 

Why don’t I review sex toys more often?

I’ve been reviewing sex toys from senior perspective for more than 14 years, and I admit I’ve become a little jaded. These days, I turn down more offers of review products than I accept. Even when I request one, a review isn’t guaranteed.  A new vibrator needs to offer an exceptional or novel experience, or I don’t want to spend your time and mine on a review. Know that if a product jumps all my hurdles and ends up with a rave review, my body, brain, and extensive experience have collaborated on that celebration!  Enjoy!

 

“Sex After 60” in Cosmopolitan, including sex toys!

sex after 60 in cosmopolitan

How age-affirming that Cosmopolitan magazine — usually aimed at a readership of young women — devoted a special digital issue on “Sex After 60“! No less than 11 articles, from celebrity quotes to true “sexcapades” to — you knew this was coming — an article on sex toys, written by me!

Starting after menopause and continuing onward, our bodies change. Often, the kind of sex that reliably brought us to orgasm as young women doesn’t do the job or isn’t as exciting or pleasurable anymore. Thanks to declining estrogen and testosterone levels, we’re slower to arouse. Blood doesn’t automatically rush to the genitals, and we require additional stimulation to get them to respond. We need a relaxed body and brain and lots more time to build to a climax. Sometimes we can’t seem to get there on our own or with a partner, but that’s not a defect or a reason to give up. It’s just an opportunity to bring in some assistance…sex toys!

from “10 Sex Toys to Fit Your Every Need” by Joan Price for Cosmopolitan

 

In “10 Sex Toys to Fit Your Every Need,” I discuss why senior women, especially, benefit from the added oomph and intensity of vibrational assists. Since this article will be read by folks who may not have experienced sex toys and/or consider them shameful, icky, or an indication that their bodies or partners are defective, I assure readers,

And don’t think that because a sex toy isn’t “natural,” you shouldn’t need it. We take pills for headaches, wear reading glasses, and cook on stoves instead of building fires. Give sex toys a chance. You deserve sexual pleasure at this time of life! You can even invite your partner to enjoy them with you. (If they’re reluctant, try, “My body responds differently now; I need extra sensation to reach orgasm reliably. Just as we need lube, I need this. I’ll show you how it can work for you too.”)

 

The main thrust of the article is a list of 10 toys that I recommend particularly for senior vulva owners, from those who need a gentle assist to those who require or prefer major power. You can read my quickie blurbs about each one, and for lots more information, read my full reviews on this blog by clicking on the name of each sex toy below. Enjoy!

  • Eroscillator. My go-to favorite vibrator for decades for clitoral stimulation during solo or partnered sex.
  • Inya Rose: This lovely stimulator feels like a skilled partner is sucking gently (or strongly) on your clitoris.
  • Hot Octopuss Kurve: The most festive fun you can give your vagina with two motors throbbing and thrumming independently.
  • Tenga Iroha Yuki: If you only need a mild assist, and you want a vibrator that doesn’t look like a vibrator, this one is adorable and good for beginners to sex toys.
  • Fun Factory Volta: The most versatile, all-gender vibrator, with unlimited uses for your erogenous zones and your partner’s.
  • We-Vibe Touch X: This palm-sized clitoral vibrator is terrific for travel and mighty strong considering the size.
  • Womanizer Premium Eco: the best of the Pleasure Air Technology vibrators, in my view, and its recyclable parts are good for the planet.
  • We-Vibe Melt: This streamlined version of the Womanizer’s Pleasure Air Technology is slender enough for partnered as well as solo sex, yet still strong.
  • Magic Wand Rechargeable: It wouldn’t be a “best sex toys” list without the king of vibrators, would it? If you prefer a lighter, somewhat smaller version than the hefty original, try the Mini.
  • Fun Factory Limba Flex Dildo: Older vaginas are often more comfortable with penetrative toys like these that are slender, smooth, bendable, and bodysafe.

 

 

And of course, at our age, we need to use a great lubricant with all sexual touch including vibrators. These recommended sex toys are silicone, so choose a water-based or hybrid lube, such as the new simply® timeless line from Wicked Sensual Care, with ingredients so healthy and effective that you can use simply® timeless as a vaginal moisturizer as well as a sexual lubricant.