Posts Tagged ‘vibrator review’
We-Vibe Touch and Anniversary Collection
9/16/18 update: I’m moving this review to the top because the We-VibeTouch has become my favorite travel vibrator! It’s tiny enough to pack in the toe of a shoe (not one you’re wearing, of course) and so light that it adds no discernible weight to your carry-on. With all that convenience, you do not sacrifice power — it’s strong and gets the job done, so to speak.
Original review published 7/23/18:
The lovely folks at We-Vibe are celebrating a decade of creating pleasure products, and they sent me their latest products to sample. My favorite from We-Vibe is the Touch: small enough to be an easy travel companion, quiet, yet strong. I love the shape and its versatility — it’s curved to cover much of the vulva for all-over stimulation, or press the cupped area over the clitoris, or point the tip wherever you want it, or combine any or all of these.
The Touch is fabulous to use on the clitoris during partner sex as well as solo, because it doesn’t get in the way of two joined bodies. If you enjoy penetrative sex and need extra clitoral stimulation for your journey towards orgasm, this makes it easy and sweet. Add it for extra clitoral stimulation whatever kind of sex you might be enjoying — penetrative or not.
I had an earlier version of the Touch which I liked, but this one I love. The earlier Touch was made of a shiny silicone — this one is matte silicone: smooth and slick used with water-based lubricant, which enhances the sensation. It’s small, weighs almost nothing, and if you’re taking it as your travel companion — which I recommend — it takes no room in your carry-on.
The controls are a raised button at the base, easy to find and use during use, though with lubed fingers you may need to press hard. (The two silver things are for charging.) It’s completely waterproof — who needs a rubber ducky in the tub when you have the Touch? It has 8 vibration modes: 4 intensities and 4 patterns, and is surprisingly quiet, rumbly, and decently strong. It comes with a white satin pouch.
To celebrate 10 years, We-Vibe is offering their Anniversary Collection: the newest version of the We-Vibe Sync and the Tango mini-vibrator, both in passion purple in a compact travel case that doubles as a charging station.
We-Vibe Sync is advertised as a couple’s vibrator, to be worn during penetrative sex, with the smaller end in the vagina against the G-spot and the larger end stimulating the clitoris. It’s smaller and slimmer than earlier versions, and the bend between the two sections is adjustable, which is an improvement. It has an optional remote.
Despite all this, I don’t find it comfortable during partner penetration and I prefer to use it solo as a warm-up. Insert it during a shower or bath (it’s completely waterproof), or just wear it around the house for a while, vibrating to get the blood flow going to the genitals, and you’ll find arousal is faster and orgasm is easier. It can be used other ways and for other erogenous zones, too — experiment and enjoy!
In a long-distance relationship? Use the We-Connect app to let a partner of your choice anywhere in the world control the vibrations. Or sync the beat to your favorite music. Playtime!
Thank you, We-Vibe, for sending me the Touch and the Anniversary Collection for review. Happy anniversary!
Atom Plus by Hot Octopuss: innovative cock ring
REVIEW OF ATOM PLUS
by
Shamus MacDuff
Atom Plus by Hot Octopuss is an innovative new cock ring that engages the scrotum as well as the penis. Wearing it requires some practice, some effort, and plenty of lube, but once in place the end result is extremely pleasant.
What sets Atom Plus apart from other cock rings is its direct stimulation of the perineum as well as the penile shaft, creating powerful sensations and more intense orgasms.
The perineum is the nerve-dense area between the genitals and the anus that in most people is highly sensitive. For men it sits above the prostate gland—the proverbial “P-spot”—and excitation of the perineum often produces wonderful prostate sensations without anal penetration.
The diagram below from Hot Octopuss makes it appear easy to drop one’s balls through the opening, rotate the device 90 degrees, and then slide the soft penis through to reach “operating position.”
However, I found that it took considerable work at first to stretch the Atom Plus’s opening sufficiently to get both of my testicles through. After manual stretching alone proved insufficient, I hooked Atom Plus up to a fixed vise handle in my workshop and pulled very strongly against it. That workshop action stretched the opening enough so the “getting-it-on mission” eventually was accomplished, with copious application of water-based lube to my balls and to Atom Plus itself. The more I have used Atom Plus, the easier it has become to get everything in position.
Given its name, I hesitate to use the word “explosive,” but my masturbation with Atom Plus has led to explosive orgasms. The power of these is a combination of perineal and penile stimulation, which Atom Plus accentuates beautifully. These forays are even more dynamic with simultaneous use of Hot Octopuss’s Pocket Pulse. What distinguishes these orgasms from those achieved using either Cobra Libre or the Pocket Pulse alone is the intense excitation of my perineum and “P-spot” as well as the penile shaft.
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controls may be slippery |
Atom Plus has five different settings, and you’re sure to find one or more that flicks your bic. For me, the second and third settings are dynamite. The second setting gets my penis erect almost instantly with its steady pulsations, while the third setting brings me into P-spot heaven. Try ‘em, you’ll like ‘em!
Although it has two separate motors the Atom Plus is remarkably quiet, emitting only soft, gentle sounds. It is made of silicone and is totally waterproof, so it can be used in the shower and is easy to clean. It charges quickly and holds a charge for a long time. However, the barely raised control buttons are not highly responsive to touch with lubed fingers, and one has to feel around a bit before being able to change settings.
My female partner and I experimented with Atom Plus in missionary position PIV (penis-in-vagina) sex, but she did not love it. Aligning the small nub on the front of Atom Plus with her clitoris was difficult, and by her report, my gentle thrusting felt like a battering ram because of the hard surface of the Atom Plus.
We tried several different insertion styles (gentle circular motions; partial penis insertion without Atom Plus directly contacting her; extremely slow in-and-out action) but none of these delighted her. She said that she did feel the vibrations produced by Atom Plus, however, and we giggled over her “vibrating vagina.”
While some may find it nice for PIV, Atom Plus works best for me for solo sex, and for that it is a wonderful addition, a definite delight, and highly recommended!
Shamus MacDuff, age 74, was oblivious to the delights of sex toys for penises until about a year ago. He’s making up for lost time! Read his other posts here.
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Hot Octopuss meets Hot Squid |
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.