Posts Tagged ‘vibrator review’

I like my new Minna Limon so much that I’m starting to think of it almost as a pet rather than a product.It’s cute, touchable, squeezable, fun to play with, and responsive.  But no, it’s not a pet — it’s a vibrator, and it’s a delight. This is a great gift for a loved one, a pal, or yourself.It works like this: Power it on with the button, then squeeze the sides of the Limon. The harder you squeeze, the stronger the intensity. I love this idea!The Limon is squishy soft on the sides, but the little bud at the tip is firm. If you want a firm touch on your clitoris, use the tip. If you like the vibrating squishiness all over your vulva, use it side down.

You can hold it with your hand, or squeeze it between your thighs, mostly hands free. (I say “mostly” because it will skitter out of position unless you give it a hand from time to time.) Just be careful to position it so that you won’t accidentally press the control button.

You can even record a pattern. It’s easy. One press of the button powers on the Limon, a second press sets it recording. Do any pattern of vibrations and intensity that you want, for example, “quick-quick-cha-cha-cha-slowwwww” or gentle-stronger-INTENSE” or any pattern that appeals to you. Then do one more press to lock in the pattern. Now it will loop your pattern until you press again to unlock or hold down the button to power it off. (Once you do that, you’ll have to re-record the pattern next time you turn it on.)

If you don’t want to record patterns — no problem. One press turns it on, and from there, just freestyle away.

I wasn’t sure, though, how I could accomplish my goal: a steady vibration at the highest intensity. I could squeeze hard to get that intensity, but did I have to keep squeezing hard (my arthritis said, “No, please!”) — or could I program it to keep the strongest vibration going continuously without any more squeezing?

I emailed Jon, one of the founders of Minna Life, who responded quickly:

Your question about constant speed vibration is a good one. Yes, we designed Limon to make this very easy. Here’s how you create a steady vibration:

1. Put the device in “Free Play” mode (only the power light will be on, such as right after you turn it on).

2. Squeeze Limon to your desired intensity. Strong, soft, or anything in between.

3. While squeezing to your desired intensity, do a slow double click of the button. Then you can stop squeezing. This puts Limon in “Lock Mode” with your desired intensity being looped.

That’s it! Just double click the button while squeezing in Free Play mode.

It worked! Now I can just gently hold the Limon in place for as long as I want while it vibrates on the strongest setting, with no arthritic stress at all.

What else do I like about the Limon?

 

• USB rechargeable (it sits on a magnet base and lights up as it charges).
• Made of body-safe silicone (use a water-based lubricant).
• Tiny and light for travel opportunities (best to put it in checked luggage rather than carry-on — we don’t know what the security folks will ask, or whether they’ll believe us if we tell them).
• No fumbling with controls with lube-covered fingers if we want to change the intensity — just keep it in Free Play and squeeze away.
• Holds its charge for a long time.
• Waterproof, so arousal can start in the tub or shower.
• So cute you’ll want it on display.

What do I wish were different?

[Minna Life provided me with a free Limon in return for an honest review.]

Let’s help them out. If you’re over 50, I invite you to comment on this post and describe the kind of sex toy you wish you could find. (If you think you already read this post, I’ve updated it and added more.)

Here are some ideas to start you out. Many of us want these qualities:

• Strong intensity.(Our king is the Hitachi Magic Wand.)
• Vibrations last a long time without losing the charge.
• Long-lasting product — does not break or die.
• High quality, body-safe materials, accurately described. (Don’t tell us it’s silicone if it’s not.)
• Materials and construction that doesn’t pinch, pound, or scratch delicate tissues.
• Instructions we can read without a magnifying glass. Or better, make the instructions truly intuitive.
• Handles and controls that we can use with fingers slippery from lubricant.
• Dimensions provided in your retail description. 
• If insertable, slim version available (under 1.5″ diameter).
• Ergonomic — don’t make our arthritic wrists hurt.

Your turn — take it from here! What do you look for? What problems do you try to avoid? What should sex toy manufacturers and retailers know about how to serve you best? Here’s your chance to tell them.

Request: when you comment, if you want to remain anonymous, I’d appreciate it if you would use a first name of your choice (it doesn’t have to be your own). That way, instead of a string of comments from people all named “Anonymous,” we can keep track of who said what. Please include your real age in your comment or in the name you choose.

Note: By posting here or emailing me, you’re giving me permission to use excerpts in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Sex after Fifty (Cleis Press) if they fit. What you tell me may help others significantly. (If I use your comments in my book, I won’t identify you in any way, and I’ll be careful to delete any details that might lead someone else to identify you.)

Note #2: If you represent a sex toy retailer or another sex-themed or other-themed site, read and learn, but do not try to pull my readers to your site using a link. I moderate comments, I look at the links, and your comment will not see the light of day if you do this. If you’d like information about advertising on this blog, or if you want me to review a toy that fits what my readers are requesting, please email me. If you try to spam my readers, I get very cranky and it doesn’t do you any good anyway. (If you’re an educational site or an author or sex educator, we do want to know about your site — you’re not spamming if you link.)

Toy charging frenzy

[Sorry, this model is no longer available. See similar Fun Factory alternatives.]

The Fun Factory‘s Stronic Eins from Good Vibrations is unlike any sex toy I’ve ever seen/ used/ reviewed. It doesn’t vibrate exactly — it moves back and forth. It pulsates. It thrusts (gently — don’t expect a jackhammer).

If you shake it while it’s turned off, you’ll feel a solid weight inside that moves around inside the toy. When turned on, the motor moves the weight which makes the whole thing pulsate in different rhythms, depending on the pattern you choose. Quite remarkable — and wonderful, if you like a gentle thrusting motion in your vagina.

Yes, it really does move like this animation. All by itself. You just insert it, angle it to reach your G-spot, and let it work its magic. You barely have to touch it to keep it where you want it, so although you’ll see your whole arm pulsating strangely as you hold it in place using a high setting, you won’t feel stress in arthritic joints. At least I didn’t.

Here’s why you’re likely to love it:

• It moves in and out. In and out. In and out.
• It’s rumbly and throbby rather than buzzy.
• It has 10 different patterns and intensities, from dance rhythms (“rumba,” “samba,” “Viennese waltz”) to the strangely named “rattle,” “gallop,” “dirty dancing,” and “roller ball.” The controls are easy to find and use — no reading glasses required. (I can’t say that about the minuscule font in the instruction booklet, however.)
• It’s body-safe silicone — and waterproof.
• It’s rechargeable with a magnetic plug, so no batteries or cords to worry about while you’re using it. It holds a charge for a long time.
• It’s super quiet.

Here’s why you might think twice:

• If you like a slender toy, this may push your limits, as it does mine. It starts at 1.25″, gets to 1.5″ quickly, then widens to 1.75″ at the girthiest point. That would have been too big for comfort, but it was irrelevant — it got to my G-spot at the 1.5″ width. The rest of it just became a handle.
• The bump is supposed to be a clitoral stimulator. It never got close enough to touch my clitoris — too wide at that point for me. (That didn’t matter to me, because, frankly, I was using a different clitoral vibrator at the same time. Yep,  teamwork.)
• You may feel the drag of the matte silicone. Use plenty of water-based (not silicone) lubricant.
• It’s expensive.

“Stronic Eins”? I don’t know why a toy this wonderful has such an odd name (does it mean something in German?), but you can rename yours. “OMG.” “Darling.” “Houdini.” “Santa Claus.” “Robert Redford.” You’ll think of something appropriate.

Seriously, what might deter you is the $199 price tag. Yow. I’ll say it’s worth it, but I also have to admit that I didn’t pay for mine — the good folks at Good Vibrations responded to my request to review it. Thank you, GoodVibes — I love my Stronic Eins.

I wonder why a $199 toy doesn’t come with a storage pouch. It needs one, because it picks up every piece of lint, dust, and cat hair in the room.

Please Note: Because the Stronic Eins technology uses magnets, it should not be used by or with anyone with a pacemaker.

If you like strong, pinpoint pressure on your clitoris, you can pinch your clit with the prongs — they open and close a little bit (do not force it to open more than pinky-width) — if that’s what you like.

Or, to stimulate a larger area and not pinch anything, you can nest it horizontally between your labia so that the prongs surround your clitoris and hug much of the vulva. This worked for me! This would also work during partner penetration when your clit needs an extra assist.

The Duet is also unusual because it charges via your UBS port. Pull apart the silver part from the silicone, plug the USB in, press the center
button, and Duet recharges in an hour or two. No cords or batteries needed ever.You
can buy a version of the Duet that acts as a real flash drive, too, but why
bother? Do you really need to carry your work files in your vibrator?

Before I tried the Duet myself, I read some early reviews. Some reviewers said they wanted to love the Duet, but they didn’t because it either wasn’t strong enough or, because the prong tips were practically touching,  they pinched their clits uncomfortably in the normal position.

Crave listened to reviewers and customers and resolved these problems admirably in the second generation Duet. Now there’s an extra-strong “turbo” setting — which is strong enough even for me! The shape has been redesigned with a wider gap, so it hugs instead of pinches, unless you intentionally close the gap.  (Anyone who bought the first generation may receive a free replacement — now that’s customer service.)

One con: The controls at the end of the shiny part are impossible to distinguish unless you’re peering at them up close with your reading glasses on. The middle one is obvious: press for off, on, or to change patterns. But the “+” and “-” are easily confused, and you don’t want to turn it down when you intend to turn it up.

My suggestion: Start with it on the highest “+” setting you might want, and leave it there, adjusting sensation by pressure. Either that or memorize which side the “+” button is on before you get started.

I don’t usually discuss packaging in my sex toy reviews — it’s usually a “who cares?” aspect of a product. But the Crave packaging is laudable: instead of a big box with lots of plastic around the product, the Duet arrives in a tiny cardboard box, with a “quick start guide” printed right on the box.

A more detailed user’s guide is online, and the URL is engraved on a tiny charm. The charm idea is cute but silly, because you can’t attach the charm to the zipper pull of the case (I tried). So you’ll probably just lose it unless you wear it on a chain as statement jewelry or put it on a key ring.

The Crave Duet comes with a slim, discreet storage case that you can fit in a purse, pocket, or laptop carrier, making the Duet easy to carry with you should the need arise before you get home (nothing’s that urgent for me these days, but your urges may vary!) or in case you anticipate an interesting date. I’ll definitely carry the Duet on my next trip!

The business end of the Duet is silicone, so be sure to use water-based lubricant with it — not silicone lube. The whole thing is waterproof — just be careful that it’s all the way closed so the seam is sealed before taking it into the tub with you or washing it. It’s also very quiet!

I hope you’ll try the Crave Duet and let me know if you enjoy it as much as I do. Happy buzzing!