Rabbit Rider

June 28th, 2009

This is an archived review of a discontinued toy.

The Rabbit Rider is a toy I’ve had my eye on for a while because it tackles an issue many women have with rabbit-style vibes: placement of the clitoral stimulator. It’s not exactly the only toy which does this but most other toys use a sort of springy cord rather than placing the rabbit bullet on a ring around the shaft as if he were riding it. The Rabbit Rider is aptly named. Unfortunately, this great idea has yet to become a wonderful implementation.

The Rabbit Rider is actually a versatile kit but isn’t really a typical rabbit vibe. It includes a vibrating bullet and a standard plastic vibe, both which have pink Cyberskin sleeves. The sleeve for the bullet includes a bunny’s head and ears, as well at the band which goes around the shaft, and the other sleeve is very typical, with a realistic texture and contoured head. Both sleeves are easy to remove and replace on each part and could potentially be used with other bullets or standard vibes, should you so choose. You can also use the rabbit clitoral stimulator alone, or the vibrator alone. Take off the sleeves and it’s almost like you have 2 new toys.

I’ve even seen suggestions of using the bunny as a cock ring and, while this is possible, it’s probably not especially pleasurable. The band is larger than any cock ring I’ve seen and super stretchy; I even wore it around my wrist for a short period of time. I just don’t think this piece makes a functional cock ring.

Like most basic vibes, the one included is made of hard plastic, powered by 2AAs and has a dial base. The vibrations are surprisingly powerful and not whiny at all but this toy is much louder than I find to be acceptable unless we’re talking about my Miracle Massager or something similar. Granted, the sound is muffled once inserted; still, I felt self conscious at the noise of this one. The dial base wasn’t smooth to use – it was kinda of jerky and reluctant. I usually had to use one hand to hold the base and the other to turn the dial. Like any dial toy, twisting too far in the direction of “Off” can pop open the battery case.

The mini bullet which serves at a clit stimulator is like no bullet I’ve tried before. There is a power/mode button on the bottom of the bullet as well as a High – Low dial on the side of the bullet. The bullet has 5 modes; the first three are pulsation (medium, slow and fast respectively) and the last 2 are steady vibration with the very last being the stronger. All of this is powered by 4 small watch batteries and there are 2 sets (8 total) included. Note that 4 batteries are in the bullet initially and it won’t work until you move a small piece of plastic from the bullet. The ability to adjust the strength of the vibration on a bullet impressed me and even if this isn’t the strongest bullet I’ve tried, it’s incredibly varied. Furthermore, the pulsation was more than satisfactory. Unfortunately, you have to cycle through all 5 modes to turn it off and if you have the dial set to Low, you may think it’s off and drain the batteries. Out of everything in this kit, the bullet is the one thing I will likely continue to use.

Cyberskin was also another first for me. I’m not a big fan of realistic sex toys so I’ve never tried a Cyberskin toy. Immediately, I was amazed at just how soft this material is. I totally understand why they would make fake vaginas out of this stuff. However, vaginas and penises are different animals and I wasn’t sold that it would be a good material for a woman’s toy. I was also wary at the quality of this material. It’s extremely porous nature, fussy upkeep, lint attraction and musty smell are enough to deter me from Cyberskin toys in the future. From the washing the Rabbit Rider in the bathroom to the bedroom, it had collected a mass amount of lint and cat fur. I don’t even want to think about storage and since I have nothing to powder it with I’ll probably just see how long until the sleeves deteriorate.

I am happy to say that the Cyberskin did feel much more realistic in my cunt than in my hand. It could probably pass for the real thing and the vibrations were strong enough to stimulate a sweet spot or two, at least sometimes. But together with the clit stimulator, the Rabbit Rider was a flop. Literally. The soft nature of the Cyberskin offered little control over the precise placement of the bullet. It just sort of fell to the side and seemed limp. I think that even folks who like gentle vibrations of rabbit ears would find it difficult to get much out of the stimulator but a person likes me, who needs the bullet to rest snugly against the clit, would be especially disappointed.

I tossed the bullet aside and tried to use the sleeved vibrator against my clit to get off with much effort on my part and little help on its. Of course, if I had wanted to get off that way in the first place, I wouldn’t have been using the Rabbit Rider. I applaud Adam and Eve’s take on an idea that seems to be mostly unexplored but there’s a long way to go before it’s perfect. For starters, I would swap the Cyberskin sleeves for a hygienic silicone vibe. Instead of a standard, straight shaft, I would use an ergonomically curved shaft with rotating beads and perhaps solve the issue of floppiness by using an open, hard plastic ring (think a thicker version of a fake jewelry ring which is not a full circle) or a band which opens on a hinge. I do like the functions of the bullet but I like them to be physically larger.

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Sex Toy Materials at a Glance

November 24th, 2008

I am a little concerned about sex toy materials. Being, that I would prefer to use safer and higher quality toys but I would likely not completely rule out certain materials because they are not as quality. It really depends on the toy in question.

However, keeping track of sex toy materials – of which there are many – can be difficult even if you make an effort to be aware. So, I thought I’d provide a fact sheet detailing some of the common materials used for sex toys in descending order of quality. (I’m excluding things like wood, glass and metal which are much less confusing.)

Elastomed
Elastomed is a medical grade elastomer derivative which is nonporous, phthlalate free, hypoallergenic, odorless and completely safe. These toys are safe to use with either silicone or water based lubricants. Sex toys made of Elastomed tend to be less pliable. Although Elastomed shares many of the same great characteristics as silicone, it should not be boiled or wiped with an alcohol or bleach solution.
Silicone
100% silicone is nonporous, therefore it can be sterilized by boiling for 3 minutes or washing them in your dishwasher (top shelf, no mechanical toys, remove bullets) which makes them safe for sharing. It also does not contain potentially harmful chemical softeners known as phthalates. Silicone is rather pliable, comes in many colours and densities and also retains heat (try warming before use) which makes it very popular.

There is some debate about whether silicone toys can be used with silicone lubricants. Pure silicone toys can be used with silicone toys. However, toys need only contain 10% silicone to be labeled as such so your toy and lube (or if you store several silicone toys touching) may appear to “react” with eachother. This is actually the melting of chemical softeners in your toy which indicates that it is not pure silicone. However, you should spot test your toys to check. It is always safe to use a water based lube with silicone toys.
VixSkin Silicone
VixSkin Silicone is a 100% premium silicone product from Vixen Creations and is safer than other skinlike materials without losing its realistic feel. The material in VixSkin Silicone is nonporous and can be sterilized by boiling for 3 minutes, wiping down with a 10% bleach solution or washing in the dishwasher. Like silicone toys, it is best not to use silicone based lubricants with VixSkin Silicone because it may cause a reaction. Spot test your toy in an inconspicuous place if you would like to use silicone based lube.
TPR Silicone
TPR Silicone is a mix of Silicone and ThermoPlastic Rubber (see below). This phthalate free composite is 10% silicone or more and generally has no taste or smell. Hardness varies in TPR silicone which can be very pliable. It is less porous than jelly but cannot be sterilized so sharing should only be done with condoms. TPR Silicone can be cleaned with a toy cleaner of soap and water and, to ensure a long life of your TPR silicone toy, it should only be used with water based lubricants.
TPR
TPR, or Thermo Plastic Rubber, Silicone is a blend of silicone and rubber. Although it is less porous than rubber it is still slightly porous, thus it cannot be sterilized like pure silicone but can easily be cleaned with warm water and soap or a toy cleaner. TPR toys should not be boiled. If you plan to share TPR toys, use them with a condom. TPR Silicone is pliable, easy to wash and phthalate-free. TPR toys can be used with water or silicone based lubricants.
TPE
Thermoplastic Elastomers (Elastormer, TPE Plastic) are not nonporous and is essentially the same as TPR. However, they are less porous than materials such as Cyberskin. Like TPR toys, TPE sex toys should not be boiled and cannot be disinfected. These toys can be cleaned with warm water and soap or an antibacterial toy cleaner. If shared, use condoms with Elastomer sex toys. TPE is often used in toys which have several textures. Like TPR, TPE can be used with water or silicone based lubricants.
Jelly
Jelly is a common sex toy material and may be cheaper than silicone alternatives. However, it is also more inferior in quality. Jelly toys are made of PVC which is chemically softened with phthalates, a potentially harmful ingredient which causes jelly toys to have an unpleasant and sometimes stubborn “rubber” smell. Jelly toys are soft and pliable and come in many colours. Jelly toys are porous and cannot be sterilized so they should only be shared if condoms are used. Condoms may also prolong the life of jelly sex toys. Jelly toys can be used with both water and silicone based lubes, should be cleaned with warm water and mild soap and store in a cool environment.

Jelly may be a term given to any soft sex toy when the material is actually higher quality of traditional PVC jelly.
Rubber
Rubber sex toys generally contain latex, an ingredient to which many people are allergy. Latex toys are also lower quality than other sex toy materials and have a shorter life, even when looked after carefully. Rubber toys usually have a strong smell that may never be completely eliminated. Rubber toys are nonporous, thus they cannot be sterilized and you should use condoms with rubber toys you plan to share. Rubber toys can be cleaned with warm water and soap but should never be boiled. Rubber toys come in over 260 different colours, are cheap to make (and buy) and are soft which make rubber one of the most popular sex toy materials. Rubber toys can be used with silicone or water based lubricants.
Cyberskin
Cyberskin and other skin-like materials (Pure skin, SoftTouch, SoftSkins, PassionSkin, Futurotic) tend to be the least safe materials in the sex toy market because they are so porous. However, what they lack in safety may be counteracted by their flesh-like appeal to some folks. Cyberskin and similar toys can be cleaned with soap and water but never can be disinfected so use with a condom is a must if sharing toys. Using a condom may also be beneficial even if you do not share Cyberskin toys because these materials may contain potentially harmful chemical softeners known as phthalates which can also cause reactions between toys so store your Cyberskin toys away from eachother and silicone toys as well. Use only water based lubes with these toys and store them in a cool, dark place. Many of these toys arrived dusted in cornstarch and should be stored as such when you are finished with them (but not talc!) Condoms may prolong the life of these toys but do not expect Cyberskin and similar toys to last a lifetime.

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