Tag: california exotics

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Reviews Vibrators

L’Amour Passion “G”

L’Amour Passion "G"
N/A

This is an archived review of a discontinued product.

Can I be honest here?

Cal Exotics should take a cue from some of the boutique companies that make few toys but make them well. CEN just keeps pumping out toy after toy and I can’t even tell them apart anymore. The L’Amour “G” is highly reminiscent of the Couture Collection, and the name is a mouthful and a bitch to search for on their site. In short, there is absolutely nothing remarkable about this vibrator unless you count fact that it uses 2 AAs rather than AAAs.

The box and website describe a “[c]ontemporary intimate high quality massager” that features seven functions of vibration, pulsation, and escalation while remaining quiet. The functions are easy to use: one button is a dedicated power switch, while the other cycles through the settings. A light appears by the buttons when the toy is on to help you see but why it is red is beyond me. A nice white would better match and appeal to my sense of aesthetics.

In terms of shape of size, it’s a rounded, typical insertable vibrator. There are some grooves that run lengthwise to offer additional stimulation but sort of just look like the mold was mis-shapen. The plastic base and buttons are white with silvery details. The shaft is straighter than some might like; although, the silicon offers some flexibility. Of course, those you like firm G-spot stimulation might find that to be a hindrance to their enjoyment. The L’amour Passion G is 6.75” in insertable length, with a 1.5” diameter. It’s a decent, mid-sized vibrator that isn’t overly intimidating. The soft blue is also quite welcoming in appearance.

Like every other CEN toy I’ve ever seen, this one is waterproof. That usually doesn’t win me over, though. I’m not much for playing in the bathroom but if you are, this might be a plus. This is also a characteristic that all the non-rabbit, L’amour vibrators seem to share and none of the shapes are necessarily varied enough that I would recommend one over the other. Like every other vibrator, CEN states this is quiet. Whisper quiet? I think not. You don’t need to hold it to your ear to hear it. Will it wake the neighbours? No but.. eh.

The price point for this entire line also seems ridiculously high. For such a basic piece, I couldn’t really recommend this, especially to someone who’s just getting into sex toys. For a few more bucks, you can get something rechargeable by Fun Factory.

Maybe I’m just super jaded but the L’amour Passion G is just utterly forgettable. I don’t see why California Exotics needs two lines of remarkably similar silicone vibrators.

CEN Sexpert

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Reviews Vibrators

Pure Silicone B.O.B.

Pure Silicone B.O.B.

Pure Silicone B.O.B.
N/A from

This is an archived review of a discontinued item.

I am at a point in my sex life where I generally prefer silicone toys. They’re safer. They’re versatile. They come in awesome colours. When a sex toy store wants me to do a review, but they don’t carry any silicone, I doubt whether I want to work with them, but let me say this: silicone alone is not a great toy make. Really, a mediocre design will not be saved by the material.

California Exotic’s Pure Silicone B.O.B. falls squarely into this category. It’s a realistically designed, phallic vibrator in silicone. Mine came in a bright pink. I mean bright. It has a vein-like texture, a contoured head and expands in a ball-inspired toward the design. This expansion is complete with a few dozen soft poky things.

They are, as you can imagine, useless. They don’t really stimulate the entrance to my vagina and the toy isn’t flexible enough that I can bend it toward my clit. The testicle design doesn’t offer anything physically, either. You might use it to grasp the toy, however. The shaft is slightly flexible. I say this because around the halfway mark, you can tell that the Pure Silicone B.O.B. is covering some hard structure inside. When I would clench or tried to bend the toy as mentioned, this hard structure was uncomfortable against my G-spot but I simply prefer toys that are a little softer in that area. You can probably achieve about 30 degrees of bending.

In use, I found the toy to just be a little small. It only has a diameter of 1.14″. It may be good for beginners but not me, personally. The small shaft is straight and the difference between the shaft and head size is smaller than I am used to. I had a hard time stimulating my G-spot with this vibrator and that’s pretty unusual.

However, its easy to use. There’s a single power button that turns it on or off and another button to cycle through the settings. If you press the second button when the Pure Silicone B.O.B. is off, it will turn on. It’s an interesting toy because it remembers the setting you left it on. I find this interesting but not necessarily practical because it confuses me as to which setting it will be on. Maybe it’s just me, but starting on a low, steady vibe makes sense and helps to orient me.

Anyway, I’d be more oriented if I could tell the settings apart and.. it’s super hard. The Pure Silicone B.O.B. uses 2AA batteries but I was not expecting the vibrations to as buzzy as they are. I mean, if you didn’t know better, you’d almost expect this to use a single AAA battery or even watch batteries. It’s ridiculous. I have no idea why you’d create a vibrator that uses 2 AAs but not make it use them to their full potential.

I’m not lying when I say that I can only tell the settings apart by sound. They all feel exactly the same. There’s supposedly “10 extreme functions of vibration, pulsation, and escalation” but all I feel is one: not strong or deep enough. So while this is waterproof, I cannot imagine using it in the shower and actually being able to feel the vibrations.

The waterproof aspect makes it easy to clean, however. You can rinse away and lubes (water-based only) and give it a good scrub.

Ultimately, the Pure Silicone B.O.B. is certainly not my battery-operated best friend. I’m not sure that calling it “buddy” is even all that applicable. It’s more like the guy at the party who likes you but doesn’t get the hint that the feelings aren’t shared. Sorry, BOB.

CEN Sexpert

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Reviews Vibrators

Rhythm “O” – Bounding Bunny

Rhythm "O" - Bounding Bunny

Rhythm "O" - Bounding Bunny
N/A from

This is an archived review of a discontinued toy.

The Rhythm “O”™ – Bounding Bunny is.. weird. It’s weird looking and weird feeling and just plain ol’ weird. This rabbit vibrator comes in Barbie pink or a lavender shade of purple. I received the first color. The base, bullet, and internal mechanisms are all pink, with the shaft and clit stim actually coated in a clear layer of TPE so you can see everything through it. The TPE has a slight swirl design that I did not notice during play.

What you see looks like a corn cob. I’m not kidding. I’m not the only one who thinks so, either.

So these individual “kernels” of hard plastic are what California Exotics call pleasure beads, and they move in and out in a wavelike pattern. It’s similar to the Passion Wave, which I loved, but that used discs, instead. I didn’t love the Rhythm “O”™ – Bounding Bunny. In fact, I didn’t even like it. When it was inserted, I could feel it was doing something and that something did make me squirt but it wasn’t even remotely pleasurable. It was almost.. clinical.

For once, I was decently satisfied with the strength clit stimulator vibrations. Very few rabbits are decent in that sense. Unfortunately, the bunny is located a little further down the shaft–6″– than many rabbit vibes so the fit wasn’t quite optimum for me. I wound up taking the toy out to just rub the bunny against me. That’s super disappointing for a “dual” stimulator.

If you’re familiar with my tastes, then you will also know that I prefer toys with a bit of give. Beneath the TPE, which is a bit loose to allow room for the movements of the beads, the shaft is full of hard mechanisms. There really isn’t much give, and the 1.5” diameter of the shaft feels bigger than it is. This isn’t helped by the fact that the shaft is rigidly straight. Some rabbits have a flexible wire in the shaft so you can become more comfortable, but this isn’t the case with the Rhythm “O” – Bounding Bunny.

Function aside, the control is simply horrendous. I have complained about controls in the past, and I have also had no difficulty using CEN rabbits, but the Rhythm “O” – Bounding Bunny is just awful and the opposite of intuitive–whatever that is.

There are a total of five buttons. There is an “On/Off” switch that turns on or off just the bunny bullet. Below this is a button printed with the number “7” that pages through the settings. Next to these buttons is a single LED light that changes colour and flashes to correspond with the modes.

To turn on the shaft, you have to press a different pair of buttons. These buttons use the typical up/down arrow setup and shaft modes correspond to three vertical LEDs that are randomly displayed toward the top of the control pack (next to the bunny buttons).

My problem with this is that both functions would easily work if CEN decided to go with just the arrow mode or just the On/Off and mode button. This is all far too much to think about during use.

But, wait! There’s more.

California Exotics has included a “Hot” button that changes the toy (both functions) to a random setting. That’s actually kinda neat but I find most of the settings are too similar to make it effective.

As you can guess, there is no master Off button. You have to turn off both of the functions manually. This doesn’t help convenience or discrection, IMO. And if you’re really in a hurry, who the hell wants to have to turn on both functions separately? Not I. I like to be able to control them separately, but it’s like CEN just reusing buttons from other toys to make this monstrosity.

These digital buttons are set in a slick plastic base. I found it really difficult to hold when I was using silicone-based lube, which, as I have discovered, is compatible with TPE but not VixSkin.  CEN suggests water-based for use with this toy, for whatever reason. A velvety treatment to the base would make it easier to handle in slippery situations.

Despite washing this toy, I still find it difficult to grasp and remove the battery cover because silicone lube is stubborn like that. When you do unscrew the cover, there’s an EZ-load style battery pack for the 4-AAA batteries. The toy has an O-ring built into it, and I’d trust it to be splash-proof for washing or shower play; however, the cap isn’t as secure as some toys, so I wouldn’t advise submerging it.

For those of you who are interested, there’s a video on the California Exotics website that explains this all in depth. If you ignore the voice work, that is.

CEN Sexpert

Categories
Non-Sex Toys Reviews

Wet Look Gloves

Wet Look Lingerie Soft Sexy Gloves

Wet Look Lingerie Soft Sexy Gloves
N/A from

This is an archived review of a discontinued product. You can try these similar gloves or these (cheaper) gloves with whips

 

The Wet Look Gloves by  California Exotics are made of a rather shiny material that I would guess is some sort of nylon but is not as shiny as PVC. They are matte on the inside and have some stretch. I’d wipe them clean with a damp cloth if they were dirty. Maybe hand-wash them in the sink but I’m not sure about the machine. The package lists neither care nor material information.

From tip to tip, they measure just under 19.5″. They’re quite long and even the model on the package is wearing them well past her elbows. On this short legged and armed girl, they’re almost ridiculous. I’m must rather see the glove stop right before or after the elbow; it’s just an odd length.

It’s made even odder by the fact that these gloves are intended for folks with thinner arms than myself. They’re snug but comfortable enough over my forearms but become a bit too sausagey, past the elbow. It’s not very attractive. If I slouch the gloves a bit, you do not notice as much, however. At the opening, the gloves have a width 3.75″ when lying flat and unstretched. You can add about another inch to the width if you stretch, but I guess my arm is just a bit too big for these.

Which is a shame because they’re the first gloves to actually fit my hands. You see, I have child hands with short little fingers. Let me explain that, this past winter, I actually wore my 7-year-old sister’s gloves to make a snowman. The hands fit perfectly on these. If you have real-people hands, you’ll probably find these a bit tight, and if you’re a man looking into some accessories, pass the Wet Look Gloves by if you’re not tiny-boned as well.

It’s weird because the fingers really do look pretty short. I’m not sure who these gloves would best fit. A teen girl maybe? I find it really perplexing.

Quality-wise, the seams are all sewn quite well. The tips of the fingers are a little bulky and boxy, however. You can easily see that in the product images where the model shows her fingers. Despite the overall boxyness of the fingers, the material is thin enough to participate in a wide range of activities without having the gloves become an obstacle. For example, I am typing this paragraph with a glove on. It’s a little weird to use my pinky to type, but all of my typos actually come from the other hand. LOL

These are not identical gloves, either. One is specifically for the left hand, while the other is specifically for the right, so they’re a bit more form-fitting than those cheaper types (I’m talking about you, crappy winter gloves that are too thin to keep me warm or dry!).

You could easily stroke a cock with these. And use a toy, if it’s not full of lube. You’ll still be able to feel someone if you’re smacking or spanking them. Need to cut something? These gloves aren’t going to get in the way of scissors or pens. I can easily click on my mouse but it does feel a little weird to hold it. I probably wouldn’t try any needle-and-thread sewing wearing them, but overall, they’re fairly practical.

They’d be a great addition to any cat woman costume, or you could top off a kink formal with the Wet Look Gloves. They’re not so wet-looking that you couldn’t use them in place of regular satin gloves for other costumes or events, either. They’re a great prop for photos, and if you’re playing with any metal objects, the contrast is great. Perfect for scening (mad scientist, anyone?), too.

But the sizing is still pretty weird. So while I can think of many situations in which you’d want to wear the Wet Look Gloves, I can’t think of quite as many that actually allow a person to comfortably do so.

 

Categories
Reviews Vibrators

Symphony Massager

Symphony massager

Symphony massager
N/A from

This is an archived review of a discontinued toy.

This month’s (okay, last month’s, I guess) Sexpert toy from California Exotics is the Symphony Massager. It’s true to its name (massager) and discretely looks nothing like a sex toy at all. In fact, as I sit here gazing at it, I find it difficult to describe the type of toy it is. There’s a nod, to some high-end toys, like the Form 6 or even one of the Lelo toys, except the Symphony Massager isn’t dual-ended, and I have no desire whatsoever to insert it.

A few of the basics. This is a plastic toy. It has a velvety finish. It comes in lavender (what I have) and white. It measures 8″ from tip to tip, and you can insert a little under 4.5.” The widget varies: the ends are wider than the center, with the handle end being wider than the insertable end, which is ovular (not a perfect circle) and has a circumference of 4.75.” The thinnest part of the insertable portion has a circumference of 3.25.”

The vibrations are focused at the insertable. Oddly enough, there is a little dimple on the top of this end. I guess it could be used for clitoral stimulation, but I think it’s kind of useless because then the angle of the toy would make it curve away from your body. I prefer toys that mimic the curve of my pubic bone, I guess. The angle on this toy is really unique and quite high. If I set the toy on a flat surface so it rests on either tip, I can slip four fingers into the open area created by the angle (under the toy). That really has no significance, but I think it’s fun and such.

The Symphony Massager uses a single push button to operate. It sits inside another dimple, toward the center of the toy but on the handle end. It’s surrounded by silver, and it sticks up a lot. I say this because I like buttons that are easy to find, and this one is! My nails don’t get in the way. It’s not right next to another equally tiny button. I like it a lot.

When you press this button, you will cycle through several settings: low steady vibration, high steady vibration, short-short-long pulsation, short pulsation, and a weird back-and-forth sort of pulse that I am failing to describe well. If you’re paying attention, then you’ll notice that there is no “medium” setting. I constantly skip to the first pulsation setting because I want something stronger. It’s a force of habit that is hard to break and California Exotics might due better to just stick to what has worked thus far.

Because the Symphony Massager runs on 2AAAs the vibrations are buzzy and the pulsation lacks “oomph.” This is the kind of toy that mostly makes me tingle a little, but then I reach for something stronger, as I did. I cannot recall if I got off from this because it does have a broader surface, which I like externally. If I did, I wasn’t much impressed.

Now, I didn’t bring this anywhere near my internal organs. For one, it just doesn’t seem like an internal toy to me. Secondly, there is a ridiculous seam running through the plastic, all the way around. Needless to say, this isn’t anywhere close to waterproof, nor would I ever recommend sharing it without some sort of gamma-ray.. stuff. Either plastic piece of this toy seems to be melted together in two locations on the insertable part. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to melt seamlessly the whole way or if it just connects at those points but.. it’s weird. It seems cheap, and while many would not be able to feel it in use, it ‘s just not something I want inside me.’

It’s funny that the pieces would be so far apart because the battery pack is tight. I think CEN used all the recalled China shrink cream on this because wow, just wow! You have to turn the cap to the correct position to unlock it and pull it off. Be prepared to give a forceful yank and have your batteries fly in your face to fully remove it. Then you might chuckle because the is, indeed, a plastic O-ring in there. The same move in reverse replaces the cap.

My verdict, as you can see, is this is not the toy for me. Were the quality better, it’d be a decent, basic toy–inexpensive, potential versatile, easy to use and varied. Now, it just feels cheap.

Categories
Reviews Vibrators

Solar Bullet

Solar Bullet

Solar Bullet
$25.91S from Amazon

The Solar Bullet from California Exotics is something that several sites offered up for review–and I passed over–before I knew I was going to be reviewing it for the manufacturer. You see, I’m not a huge fan of bullet vibes to begin with (I already have one that I like just fine) and the concept seemed more novel than practical for me. But it did show up at my door, and try it out, I did.

The Solar Bullet was actually charged, which is neat. There’s a little blue light on the control pack/charger that indicates this status. I believe it needs 8 hours to fully charge and it doesn’t need OMG sunlight. I set it on my printer to charge, without ever opening my blinds. You can use other light sources, too.

So the charger is a mostly, flat solar cell type thingy in plastic. There’s a sliding button to control vibrations. The button’s a little retro, in my opinion, but it functions just fine. The pack itself is much bigger than the battery packs I’ve used for other bullets and it’s bigger than my cell phone as well. It doesn’t quite fit nimbly in the palm of a person’s hand but I understand it has to be that size for this concept to work at all.

Well, sort of.

You see, the solar bullet isn’t any more powerful than those wireless bullets that rely on watch batteries and they don’t have any bulky attachments. The vibrations are extremely high pitched so while there’s an initial tingle, my body becomes unable to feel them at all within a minute. That just doesn’t cut it for me.

I’m not a huge fan of the design, either. The Solar Bullet is very narrow hard plastic shape, even moreso than any of the watch-battery bullets I’ve had with other toys, if I recall correctly. It would probably fit into some of those cock rings that take replaceable bullets, if you have a need. Other than that, I like my surfaces to be broader and flatter and.. more usable. For some unknown reason, there is a tiny light at the tip of the solar bullet. I don’t know if it’s plastic or glass but I have this secret fear of breaking the clear casing and slicing through my clit. Yea, no… Not a good visual. Even if it didn’t make me fearful, I just don’t understand the point. Don’t lotsa people like to use the very tip of the toy? This pretty much means you cannot do that.

Needless to say, I really didn’t spend enough time with the Solar Bullet to run it dry. I really like the idea but it just doesn’t work for me in the real world. Unless you’re into collecting novel toys, skip this one.

Categories
Reviews Vibrators

Couture Collection Inspire Wand Vibrator

Couture Collection™- inspire

Couture Collection™- inspire
$94.49 from Store.OfSexAndLove.com

Thus far, I’ve tried 4 or 5 different pieces from the Couture Collection by California Exotic Novelties, and they have all been pretty weak, if not somewhat attractive in design. The Inspire, however, is not pretty weak. Hell, it’s not even “pretty strong.” It is, by far, the strongest toy I own. In fact, it may well be too strong for me.

Inspire is the third wand-style massager I own, after the Miracle Massager and Ideal (which I found to be less than). It’s both stronger and smaller than the Miracle Massager, a vibrator I’ve come to enjoy for its broad head and its strong vibrations. The head of the Inspire is much smaller and rounded, which means I have to use the toy differently despite its overall genre.

Inspire is also kinda weird in that it’s an electric vibe, but you can unplug the adapter from the port on the toy. Initially, I thought this meant that it’s rechargeable, but it’s not. Some people like being able to swap power sources or whatever, but this is just kind of confusing to me.

Speaking of confusion, so was the control button, initially. There is a single button. One click turns it on. If you want to increase the setting, you have to press and hold it, but a quick click turns off the power. I am constantly turning it off when I want more power or the opposite. It’s supposed to be a little intuitive, but it will take some adjustment, especially because it’s so uncommon. If all vibrators used similar controls, this this would probably be great (alas, most controls suck!).

Anyway, I find myself really only using the lower settings because it’s hard for me to take a lot of power directly, and Inspire’s vibrations are much more pinpoint than those of the Miracle Massager. The spherical head of the Inspire has a diameter of 1.59″, definitely smaller than most wand massagers. It’s shorter, too, about 7.5″ in total length.

Another interesting aspect of the design is that the head of the Inspire massager is covered 2/3 of the way by a silicone cap. The cap offers a bit of give, but the head beneath it is made of hard plastic. You can take this off to clean it and slip it back on when you’re done. The cap will “gap” around the head if it’s not correctly aligned, however. Just turn it until it sits smoothly. It isn’t seamless, though. Like all silicone, be careful with silicone-based lubes and prepare for lint.

The head of the Inspire is on a flexible neck. I suppose there’s a spring beneath the accordion-folded plastic (maybe silicone?) that coats the neck. It offers a nice range of flexibility; however, liquids can easily find themselves between the folds of the material, and it seems a bitch to clean.

I mentioned before that I use this a little differently than the Miracle Massager because of its size and shape. I find myself focusing on the leg of my clitoral organ and moving it in quick back-and-forth movements. I’ve done this with other toys, like the Lily, but it’s definitely easier to hold the Inspire because it has a bigger (but not huge) handle. There’s also a slight curve to it, but I’m not sure if I’d really call it ergonomic. It doesn’t seem to help or hinder my use.

I also mentioned used the Inspire on lower settings because the vibrations are so shaky, they’re almost violent on higher settings. Surprisingly, the Inspire isn’t nearly as loud as you might think. The lower settings are quiet enough to use with the door closed, maybe some white noise. You might have to ensure someone in the same house is pretty distracted with the higher settings, though.

I’m lucky enough to have my bed a few feet from the wall, so the cord on the Inspire is more than adequate. It’s a bit over 8′ long, actually and thicker than most chargers but thin enough that my cats haven’t tried chewing on it. Yuck. A red light glows on the handle when the Inspire is plugged in.

Ultimately, the Inspire gave me a few good orgasms. The kind that leaves you all sweaty, yet you still want to get off just one more time. Or maybe that’s just me. But I don’t think it will be my go-to toy because it’s not quite my style.