Leaf Fresh
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This is an archived review of a discontinued product.
If you haven’t heard of BMS’s new line of vibrators under the Leaf moniker, then I’ll assume you were either dead or in a cave for several months. The folks over there graciously asked me if I’d review a Leaf vibrator, and I said “yes.” Although I’m not usually a big fan of the color green, it certainly evoked the idea of being eco-friendly in my mind, and it was refreshing. The Fresh wasn’t my first choice in vibrators.
When I got the Fresh, however, I changed my tune. The palm-sized vibrator is shaped similar to a stylized heart, with two rounds on top and a vertex at the bottom. The single push button rests on one of the top rounds while the other, as well as the point on the bottom, provide two different options for contact.
What really piqued my interest, though, was how strong the vibrator was when I opened the box. The manual says that you should charge it first but mine was already charged so I was able to see both how strong and intuitive it is to use. The button is similar to the Jopen vibes. Press and hold to increase vibrations. Push one to turn it off. There’s only one button because Fresh only offers steady vibrations. It’s definitely something I could get used to and the button is both slightly raised and lights up so that you can find it easily.
When I first turned the Fresh all the way up, I couldn’t handle it in my hand. I was definitely impressed with the strength and had to start over, gradually increasing it so that I could handle it. With that said, while the vibrations started moderately deep, the higher settings were definitely buzzy. Fresh covers various depths and strengths, so I imagine many people would enjoy it, unless you need Hitachi-strength and depth vibes.
Unfortunately, when I was in use, the vibrations started out nicely, but I quickly became “immune” to them. They felt far more surface-level against my clit than they did against my hand, and that turned from what I expected to be a quick orgasm to one that needed more effort from my hand and outside help via some awesome erotica. I was really surprised that this was the case because of my initial experience with the vibrator. After I stopped playing, my entire vulva had the tingly, over-vibrated feel, but it sure didn’t seem like that was the case while I was trying to get off.
Of course, I’m sure many people will have no problem with the vibrations. The shape could also be a deal-breaker for some. I tried with both the rounded edge and pointed edge against my clit, holding the Fresh in a vertical position. I liked that I could hold it vertically because it provided a somewhat hands-free experience, if I wasn’t requiring pressure or movement. The pointed edge definitely offers a more pinpoint stimulation, if that’s your thing, but I found them to both be a little too narrow for my preferences. From the product images, I would guess BMS is suggesting you stick to the pointed edge for clit stim as that makes it slightly easier to press the button.
I did find myself accidentally pressing that button and turning off the vibrator a few times. That happens will smaller toys that don’t have room for me to apply pressure. I may just be a little clumsy in that area, too. Still, turning it back on is pretty easy.
The packaging describes this as a soft touch toy, and it makes sense when you feel the silicone: the outer layer feels plush and offers some give, but it’s over a rigid form. The silicone is closer to the shiny type than the velvety, offering a lot of drag against the skin, so you may want to use water-based lubed, especially if you’re using one of the internal toys.
Although the package calls this waterproof, there’s still a visible port for plugging in the adapter. I don’t submerge toys, so I don’t have a problem with it, and I wasn’t particularly careful when washing, but I find this intriguing. Since I can’t see inside the hole, I have no idea what’s going on. I really like that the adapter has the Lead logo on it, though. Remember when I ruined my WeVibe with the adapter mix-up? Yea, don’t wanna do that again.
The Fresh washes up with soap and water but does collect a bit of lint. You can store it in the provided bag, which is made of brown canvas and features the Leaf logo. It seems they use the same bag for all the toys because this one is definitely overly large for the Fresh. I like bags that fit better, I suppose.
Like the bag, the box is a brown as well and made from recycled cardboard. Some folks have been saying this product isn’t as eco-friendly as BMS would have you believe and I can understand where they come from. The toy and adapter are still wrapped in plastic, the box is big and bulky, there’s a paper manual, and silicone and the internal battery are ultimately difficult to recycle. Leaf vibes don’t seem any more green to me, color aside, than most rechargeable toys I have.
So, Leaf vibes and the Fresh will work for some people but it wasn’t perfect for me. It still seemed high quality and it’s nice to have another ption if you’re a sexy toy connoisseur.
I was super excited about the arrival of these. But the more reviews I read, the more I think they might be a bit too much like 95% of the expensive clit vibes I’ve already tried: not quite what I was hoping for. Too bad. I loved the Jopen line.