Posts Tagged ‘vibrator review’
Womanizer Starlet
Until now, I’ve felt that the Womanizer clitoral stimulators got better with each new version. I’ve reviewed four of them here — be sure and read these reviews to understand the lovely, suction-like, “pressurized air puff” technology and how it feels:
- 2017: Womanizer Plus and 2Go (my favorites!)
- 2016: Womanizer W500
- 2015: Womanizer W100
But the latest mini-Womanizer, the Starlet, disappoints. I really wanted to love it, because I travel a lot, and the idea of packing a tiny (3″ long and pretty much weightless) yet powerful sex toy is appealing. However…
The biggest problem for me is the design of the cap. I can’t tell whether the issue is the size or the shape, but with lubricant, it slips right off the clitoris. My favorite Womanizers — Plus and 2Go (AKA “the lipstick”) — come with a choice of two caps, so you can choose the one that fits and feels best. The Starlet only comes with one, and the part that encircles the tip of the clitoris is smaller and a slightly different shape (photo below). Without lubricant, it doesn’t slip, but hey, at our age, we need lubricant.
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| Caps L to R, Plus – 2Go – Starlet |
The Womanizer website describes the Starlet this way:
Every woman has the right to experience intense orgasms. Everywhere! With the practical format of the Starlet the high-end technology of the original Womanizer is also available on the go. This mobility combined with the modern design make the Womanizer a perfect companion, especially for women, who are still at the beginnings of their sexual development but nonetheless care about a patented premium product.
Uh, no. If you’re a beginner to sex toys (and I know that many of my readers are), you deserve a product that will rock your world, not one that makes you go, “Er, how is this supposed to work?” or “Is that all?” The site also claims that you’ll reach orgasm in just a few minutes. I wish!
It also claims to be quiet. Only if you don’t use lube. Otherwise, it’s noisy. It sounds like it’s slurping lubricant through a straw like we used to suck up that last drop of milkshake in 1958. Normally, I don’t care about sound — I love the Magic Wand and the Sybian, and they’re about the noisiest orgasm tools available. But an itty bitty travel companion should not be noisy.
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| L to R: 2Go – Starlet – Plus |
My recommendations:
- For home use, the big Womanizer Plus. Powerful. Fabulous.
- For travel, the 2Go. Yes, it’s a little bigger than the Starlet, but still small enough for travel.
If price is a big issue, the Starlet is considerably cheaper than the other models. That would be great if it worked almost as well, but at least for me, it doesn’t. As always, your mileage may vary.
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| Sharing moments of hilarity with Educator Andy at CatalystCon 2018 |
Thank you, Educator Andy from Good Vibrations, for the Womanizer Starlet and for always supporting my mission as a senior sex educator and advocate.
Iroha Zen and Tori: Cushy, Cute Vibrators
Iroha makes adorable, squishy sex toys for people who want sex toys that don’t look like sex toys. I was delighted to receive the Iroha+ Tori from the wonderful folks at Good Vibrations, along with the Iroha Zen, a pleated, mild vibrator that comes in 3 colors. Both are silicone and look more like art objects than vibrators.
The Iroha+ Tori is a sweet, cushy, pretty vibrator. With its curved, birdlike shape, it doesn’t scream “vibrator!” to a visitor who might see it drying on your sink counter or nesting on the side of your bathtub. Yes, bathtub — it’s waterproof.
I wanted to love this because it’s so pretty and I love to squeeze soft, squishy objects. The vibrations, though, are only mild to moderately strong, despite 5 intensity levels and two pulse modes. For me, it’s a nice warm-up, but it doesn’t pack the punch I need to get more than pleasantly aroused.
However, I’ve read several other reviewers (younger than I am) who find it perfect for a leisurely ride to an orgasm. So if you prefer vibrations that are less earth-shaking than the turbo power my 74-year-old body requires, it might be just right for you. Or — and I recommend this often — use it for sweet arousal for as long as you like. Then finish with a more powerful vibrator, or a partner, or a partner and a vibrator.
Besides being pretty, the Tori’s shape is ergonomic and easy to hold. However, the vibrations transmit through the vibrator and into your hand as you hold it, which may aggravate an arthritic wrist.
A problem led to frustration: although the control buttons are easy to use with dry fingers, I couldn’t seem to make the controls advance with lube-slick fingers. So if I started with level 2, I was stuck there unless I stopped the action, wiped my hands and the control buttons, and tried again. Buzz kill. The best solution I found was to turn it up all the way to intensity 5 before starting. (Don’t worry, the power won’t startle you the way an all-the-way-up Magic Wand would startle you — the vibrations are never blast-off strong.)Although Iroha advertises the Iroha+ vibrators as “redefining pleasure for women,” a testing assistant reported enjoying the curved shape vibrating over penis and testicles. If you have a partner with a penis, don’t be selfish — let the vibrating bird flutter over your partner’s erogenous zones, as well as your own.
Besides Tori that looks like a bird, the new Iroha+ line offers Yoru that looks like a whale and Kushi that looks like a seashell or hedgehog. All of these are rechargeable using an attractive, clear plastic charging case, which doubles as a storage case.
Although this official video is absurdly delicate, you can see the models and features here:
The Iroha Zen is a cute, swirly-ridged vibrator modeled after the bamboo tea whisk used in Japanese tea ceremonies. It’s not rechargeable — it uses two AAA batteries. Despite this, it’s waterproof! I’m not sure how to interpret this warning on the FAQ page, though: “Use in water can expose your body to the water you are using it in. Please ensure that you are using the item in a hygienic environment.” Isn’t that true anytime you’re in water, whether or not you’re using a vibrator?
At first I was baffled when I tried to figure out the battery placement with no “+” or “-” label to guide me. The instructions in the box were in Japanese. I foolishly didn’t peruse the website for help until after I tried to insert the batteries by squinting at the minuscule diagram, and it took me three tries. Not my proudest moment. You don’t have to go through that. Fortunately, the Iroha website has the manual in English as well as FAQ in English.
Pocket Pulse – New Pleasure for Your Penis
2023 update: This model is no longer available.
If you’ve read the raves about the Pulse “guybrator,” but buying one didn’t fit your budget, this is your lucky day. The Pocket Pulse is a smaller, modified, affordable model. At the time of this writing, The Pulse III Solo oscillates and costs $119 from Hot Octopuss; the Pocket Pulse vibrates and costs $85.
But does the Pocket Pulse work as well as the bigger models? I asked Shamus MacDuff, age 74, to take it for a ride (or two or three or ten). Did he like it? Oh, yeah. Here’s what he had to say:
The Pocket PULSE
Reviewed by Shamus MacDuff
The Pocket Pulse is a keeper, and the more I use it, the more I love it.
It’s a delightful adjunct to solo masturbation, Think of it as a sex toy for penises comparable to the many sex toys for vulvas that focus on the clitoris. A tool for your tool!
I’ve tried the Pulse III solo, and believe it or not, I prefer the Pocket Pulse. Both produce plenty of vibration on the frenulum but the kind of vibration differs. I especially like that the Pocket Pulse has a vibrating “gripper” across the top that when squeezed down stimulates the ridge of the cock from above.
When I first tried it, I didn’t use any lube (my mistake!), and I think I anticipated that it would give me more of a jolt than it did. Then I added water-based lube, which greatly increased the buzz and the pleasure. (I know, I should have read the directions — “use plenty of lubricant” — but the print is minuscule and instructions seemed intuitive.) Adding lube greatly heightened the erotic feeling and led me towards a crescendo.
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Pulse III + Pocket Pulse |
The Pulse III worked either stroking or just holding it in place over my frenulum. The Pocket Pulse, though, requires stroking. Not a problem once I learned I needed to rub it up and down my shaft instead of holding it there. Then Waiting for Godot turned into Rushing Towards Nirvana.
The Pocket Pulse is waterproof and thus very easy to clean or enjoy in the shower. (It would be interesting to use it in the pool, but I don’t think my health club would like that.)
I enjoyed it solo, but a big turning point for me was when my sex partner stimulated me with it to an explosive and deeply satisfying orgasm. Hence it is an excellent sex toy for both solo and partnered delight. Also it holds a charge for a long time. Bravo to Hot Octopuss!
[Read other posts by Shamus MacDuff here.]
Note from Mr. MacDuff’s sex partner:
You’d think a 74-year-old man would take quite a while to reach orgasm (I’m not complaining, just observing), but not when the Pocket Pulse enters the action! Put it on (whether he’s erect or not), turn it on, squeeze for intensified contact, stroke, turn up the vibrations, match the rhythm of his thrusts, and it’s orgasm time. If your guy likes hand stimulation but you have wrist arthritis — or even if you just enjoy giving him a quickie — the Pocket Pulse may become your best friend!
See reviews on this blog of other Pulse penis vibrators:
Stronic G Pulsator II
If your vagina likes penetration and your G-spot likes pulsing stimulation, the Stronic G Pulsator II from Fun Factory delivers. It doesn’t just vibrate — it “pulses,” which feels like quick, tiny thrusts that easily zero in on the G-spot. It was sort of like a pleasure-giving, superhuman, abnormally fat finger on my G-spot going faster than a finger can go.
If that’s a muddled description, because, seriously, it could never be mistaken for a finger of any size. This video may help. Let’s just say that the sensations were pure pleasure.
The Stronic G has seven speeds and three different rhythms. Though normally I go straight to steady rhythm and highest speed, I found myself enjoying the pattern and speed variations as much as strong-and-steady.
The G-spotter “head” is firm yet has enough cushioning for comfort. I worried that the pressure of tightening the vaginal muscles around it would reduce the pulsing. The sensations changed a tad, but didn’t weaken, hurray. The Stronic G is made of body-safe silicone, like all Fun Factory vibrators, and is waterproof for shower, tub, and pool use. It charges via a USB magnetic charger, easy peasy.
Prop a small pillow between your legs, snuggle the handle into the pillow after you insert the Pulsator, and it works hands-free! Most insertable vibrators don’t stay in place — they rotate gradually — but this one stays put, tilted against your G-spot, as long as you don’t use too much lubricant. Use just enough water-based lube for comfort, but not enough to make it slippery. I can’t guarantee that it will stay put for you (we’re all different), but when it works, it’s a terrific bonus.
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| Karim Rashid Toybag |
Just a few cons:
- Expensive: $200 (US)
- No pouch. Come on, Fun Factory, for that price you could include one of your sweet Tyvek zipped toybags!
- Pacemaker alert: The Stronic G uses a magnetic charger which is incompatible with pacemakers. Although this warning appears on the box and the insert, it is not on the website, where it should be. After all, you don’t want to buy something and learn afterwards that you can’t use it.
A few words about size: Fun Factory makes a huge variety of fine sex toys: vibrators, dildos, anal toys, and more. I don’t review them often because most Fun Factory penetrative toys have more girth than many of my senior readers and I prefer. Many older vagina owners find that penetration with a thick dildo, vibrator, or penis isn’t comfortable or pleasurable anymore, or takes more warm-up than we like when we want a quick orgasm with a sex toy.
But the gently tapered shape of the Stronic G “head” makes penetration smooth and comfortable. The widest part measures 1.65 inches in diameter, but it doesn’t feel that large because the shape makes insertion smooth and gentle, especially when you tilt it. Pulling it out may be less comfortable if you prefer slim products, because the “hook” shape can tug unless you tilt it. Relax, go slowly and, of course, use lube.
Thank you, Fun Factory, for sending me the Stronic G Pulsator II in return for an honest review.
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