Svakom Echo

September 5th, 2014

Echo
$110 from Svakom

Who loves to discover and try toys from new companies? This reviewer! And the newest company on my radar is Svakom, an American company with a European office. The company makes toys that are, at first glance, similar to Lelo. However, Svakom has some original designs that really make this brand worth looking at a second time… and I totally plan to write about those toys. For this post, however, I’ll focus on the Echo.

Echo is a tiny clitoral vibrator that is remarkably similar to Lelo’s Lily. Lily was one of those toys that I lusted over for months, but I was rather disappointed by the time I actually got to try it.

In fact, Echo even comes in similar shades, and buttons placed on the underside of the toy is one of the issues Echo shares with Lily that have made this experience more lackluster than I had hoped for.

Echo gentle curves so cup your pubic mound. The under side has less of a nub than Siri or the Layaspot, however, so I found myself having to press it against myself with some force to get the pressure and contact I enjoy. This makes it less than luxurious and more of a workout. It might work better during missionary sex where your bodies press it against you, but I haven’t been able to try it.

Because the buttons are on the underside, you need to lift it up or completely remove the clit to change the settings. I’m more apt to do the latter because it’s easier, but it also means you’re interrupting stimulation.

There are two buttons to control the toy, but they run vertically along the toy rather than Lily’s horizontal buttons.  Echo is much more narrow, too. This doesn’t make it any better – or worse. I’d prefer if it had a bigger nub rather than a more narrow body.

One button turns on the button. It’s not labeled, but it’s in the upper position. The lower button cycles through several steady vibration modes when you press it once. A quick double-click moves through two modes each of pulsation and escalation. Pressing for several seconds turns off the vibrator. Obviously, one button has a single function while the other button bears responsibility for all other functions. And the buttons are swapped with their roles from what you’re normally expect.

This wouldn’t be a huge issue if I loved the vibes, but I don’t. Echo has shallow vibes that aren’t super strong. I can get off with a lot  of effort,  but I’m not sure it’s worth it. According to the vibe, you’ll get 5 hours of use out of a single 1-hour charge. I haven’t used it that long to test, however. It’s fairly quiet, so you needn’t worry about noise.

I do like the finish, which is silky smooth and soft,  made of ABS plastic. It’s not silicone, but it’s one of the safer materials.

There is an open charging port on the end, so I’d be careful of that when washing, and this one isn’t waterproof so don’t take it in the shower or bath.

Echo retails for $110. that’s well over the price of some similar toys, like the Siri, which I am more likely to recommend. However, my other experiences with Svakom products have been pretty awesome so stay tuned!

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OhMiBod Freestyle

January 1st, 2011

It may come as a surprise to some to read that, despite the fact that I own more vibrators, dildos, sex toys and massage candles than any person ought to own, I hadn’t tried an OhMyBod vibe until just recently. The company was wonderful when I contacted them about reviewing a product and it wasn’t long before I was holding my very own OhMiBod Freestyle vibrator.

It its big ol’ box! The Freestyle comes in one of the larger packages that I have seen for non-rabbit vibrators. It’s a modern box in white with an image of the vibrator and the name of the toy on the cover. The box opens to reveal yet another container, this one a plastic box with rounded corners that actually contains the vibrator. For some reason, I had a hell of a time opening the box for the first time but have since been able to open it with more ease.

The larger box also contains AC adapters for use in other countries, the charger, the wireless transmitter (with batteries) and a 12” AUX input connector—the type of connector that headphones use. Now, I am not stranger to technology or sex toys but I definitely had to consult the instructions to figure out how to set this all up. The included booklet may come in many languages but the connection instructions are really small and easy to miss, in my opinion.

Basic usage includes connecting the headphone jack on the transmitter into your MP3 player or music source. As I type this, it’s in my telephone. Then, to enjoy music, you can plug your actual headphones into the other end of the transmitter or connect the included AUX input cord to some speakers while the MP3 connector goes into your music source.

After turning the cap to the music setting, it will vibrate in tune with your music and, boy, is that something else. It really is. As everyone else has stated, your favourite song may not work so well with OhMyBod vibrators, even if a song you consider quite sexy. Some songs barely register at all and produce pretty much a constant vibration while other songs are more effective with use of the Freestyle vibrator. I find it nearly impossible to detect with songs will work best with the Freestyle, to be honest. It’s really a toss up and you’ll have to adjust the sensitivity on the transmitter (via a volume-type wheel) for every song that plays.

Of course, even if your song produces an interesting vibration, it may not be enough to get you off. This is probably why OhMiBod designed this vibrator with a basic vibration mode they call “manual.” To use it, simply turn the cap to the furthest setting and adjust the strength and mode with “-“ and “+” buttons. I think it’s a little easier to gauge the strength and type of vibrations this way, too. Freestyle has more shallow vibrations but they are strong. For example, stronger than We-Vibe or Lelo’s rechargeable vibrators. OhMiBod describes a total of seven settings for manual mode: low, medium, high, escalation, fast pulsation, super speed pulsation, and a short-short long pulsation. As far as I can tell, the pulsation modes are only available in one strength but it’s pretty strong.

So when you’ve found your perfect song of whether you’ve just turned on the manual modes, you’ll probably wind up inserting the Freestyle vibrator. This one in a straight, cylindrical vibrator with rounded ends. I was a bit surprised at how large it was. I think I was expecting something closer to the Alumina vibrator I reviewed but this one is much longer (8”) and girthier (1 1/8”). It’s still a smaller vibrator in terms of width but bigger than I expected.

Because it is so straight, it’s a general vibrator. I can stimulate my G-spot with straight vibrators because of its location but not all women can. Despite is rigidity, Freestyle feels softer to the touch because of the velvety treatment of the ABS plastic. This is something that I have difficulty feeling in use, however.

There are a couple unique points about the Freestyle. It is listed as splash proof which makes me think the best use is in the tub or shower, with your transmitter connected to some speakers. This method also aids in discretion and can help cover the noise from the vibrator itself. If privacy is a concern, I would warn you that the Freestyle , while not the loudest vibrator I’ve ever tried, isn’t as quiet as I’d like it. It reminds me of a small RC car and the sound actually competes with the sound of the music when I use headphones. On that note, some of my earbuds sound distorted when using the Freestyle’s transmitter—but not all of them.

The included manual states that you can expect the transmitter to work up to 25 feet away from the vibrator itself so you could technically use it—or let someone else use it—in another room, if you wish. I have successfully used it up to fifteen feet away but, like any wireless device, walls can be problematic so I doubt it’d work if you have your own bomb shelter but forgot the Freestyle’s transmitter outside. Or something. You know.

So, while it’s a novel item that won’t become my go-to toy, Freestyle is decent and, even if it was just a rechargeable vibrator, it would get the job done. But I don’t love it.

The Freestyle makes a rattling type of sound during some use. It’s almost as if the casing isn’t quite as snug as it should be and music that makes it pulsate a lot highlights this. Additionally, it takes two hours to charge and while that is supposed to provide five hours of usage, I didn’t even get a full hour before mine died. Lastly, the “convenient” travel case is, quite simply, stupid. Everyone knows that when you’re traveling, you don’t want something bulky and that is exactly what the travel case is. OhMiBod could take a cue from Lelo and simply include a storage pouch for the adapter, vibrator and transmitter. For this same reason, some consumers will wind up throwing away the case simply because of limited storage space. It’s a nice idea (the foam cut outs fit the pieces perfectly and there’s even holes for removing the vibe and transmitter so it doesn’t get stuck) but not the best idea.

My gripes about the Freestyle by OhMiBod really are minimal, however. If you’re the type of person who really enjoys playing with things because of their “neat” factor and have the $130 to spare, you should pick it up. If novelty doesn’t do it for you, however, I’d skip this toy.

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Fusion Duality

April 15th, 2009

$39
Fusion Duality from Store.OfSexAndLove.com

Evolved’s Fusion line of toys have so far been really intriguing, offering multiple uses with dual ended vibrators and endless patterns of fun. Although longer than your typical vibrator with a length of 10-1/2″, the Fusion Duality isn’t the thickest toy and measures only 1-1/2″ at its widest point. Unlike double penetration toys, the double sides on these toys really only work best for one person; the toy simply isn’t long enough for two people. In fact, for my own personal use, I would have liked the Duality to be a bit longer, especially the end with the flared bumps which reminds me of a rattle snake tail. Because of the location of the controls, this end offered significantly less insertable length and I was disappointed because of that. I enjoyed the sensation of inserting the bulging shaft into my pussy but was able to insert it less than 3 inches.  To me, it would make more sense that the controls for each side would be on the opposite side rather than right next to the side you insert. However, I was able to orgasm using this end on my clitoris.

I didn’t fare so well with the hooked G-spot stimulation. I actually found insertion to be uncomfortable because of the hard plastic in combination with the shape. The hooked end is rather pointy which allows for pinpoint stimulation but also can feel rather sharp. There is an additional bump on the otherwise straight shaft which seems rather useless. Occasionally it would poke me uncomfortably when inserted. I’m not sure where or how this is supposed to feel good. When I could occasionally angle the hook so that it stimulated my G-spot nicely, the entrance to my pussy would feel sore. This end of the Duality was simply not mad for me.

Aside from those issues,  I found this vibrator to be well made, like I have come to expect from Evolved troys. It comes in the typical metal storage container and the vibrator sits in a contoured piece of foam. The velvet-coat plastic feels absolutely divine in my hand but my pussy and vulva aren’t quite as sensitive to the texture.  It does at a bit of friction/resistance when thrusting, however. The shade of purple is feminine without being overly girly and there is a modern design around the control area which is cute. I found that this toy had a comfortable heft to it and feels solid in my hands.

Like every Evolved toy I have used, it is waterproof and while I did not choose to use this in the shower (I find it extremely difficult to enjoy myself standing), I ran water over it for a period of time and none leaked into the battery compartment. At first it actually seemed like the two ends did not fit snugly against eachother in order to provide a waterproof seal but the opposite seems to be true. As I wash my toys with soap and water, this is reassuring.

I find the Fusion vibes to be interesting as there are independent motors on each side. However ,I cannot think of time when they would need to be used together. As I already mentioned, this toy really is too short to use with multiple partners and I think the hard ABS plastic would also make it uncomfortable, even painful. As more toys are released from this line, I wonder if we will be able to mix and match because that would provide with the ultimate personal experience.

As is, Evolved claims there are 16 modes of operation to be had with the Fusion Duality. I can only count 15, including 6 single and 9 combination modes, but I’m not about to split hairs over that missing mode. 😉 These settings include a high, medium and low constant vibration on the G-spot hook side. The vibrations are more powerful than Evolved’s Waterproof Seduction but not mind blowingly so. The amount of power is more than  satisfactory for the 4 AAA batteries required.

The rattlesnake tail has 3 different pulsation settings, the first of which is a steady, fast pulsation. The second is a long buzz followed by a quick succession of shorter pulses and this repeats. The third is a really unique pulsation which is fast, short and increases in power until it steadies off. This delightful sensation is perfect just before orgasm.

All of these modes are controlled by one of two buttons – one for each side. Unfortunately, the G-spot hook only has steady vibration and the pulsations are only available on the bulged end which I think limits the possibilities of this toy. I also thought that I might be able to use only one side of this toy and without requiring all 4 batteries but this was not the case. I’m not sure if it’s possible but I had to hijack 2 of the batteries for my LayaSpot and then wasn’t able to use it at all. LOL

Like other Evolved toys, the Fusion Duality did become difficult to use when my hands were slippery with lube. My fingers curled around the bulging end comfortably when I had the G-spot hook inserted but after lube was applied, it became difficult to grasp.

One unexpected use for this purple vibrator might be as a body massager. The extra long shaft and bulges worked well for a back massage – or even a back scratcher is the need should arise (that pointy hook has to be good for something!).

In the end, I think Evolved is making some unique toys in their Fusion line which is worth keeping an eye on. While the Duality is a solid vibrator with a lot of different options to enjoy, I found the shape left a little to be desired for its intended use. I don’t think I’ll be achieving that elusive G-spot orgasm with the Fusion Duality but the bulged end definitely works out as a clitoral vibrator

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