You might as well put a ring around the cock with Fun Factory’s Lovering. It was a mixed reaction from this household. I enjoyed this silicone cock ring for its size enhancing properties yet it failed to blow my husband’s mind. Like every other Fun Factory product I’ve tried, it’s high quality product and I may be biased simply because of that. Read my Lovering review at Edenfantasys.
Smartballs (Black/Magenta)
July 10th, 2009
Smartballs
This is an archived review of a discontinued product. These Pinkcherry Kegel Balls seem quite similar, however.
Smartballs have been reviewed a million times. Probably more. I can’t think of any toy which has been reviewed more. I actually cringe when I read another new review for them so I don’t want to inundate you with what you already know but I still wanted to try them for myself and PinkCherry provided them for me to do so.
In the event that you forgot or haven’t stumbled across one of those reviews, here’s a quick rundown: Elastomed (specially treated, non-porous elastomer), weighted, silicone retrieval cord, 0.3 lb, 4 1/2″ length, 4 1/2″ circumference, “ribbed”, dual-colour (with multiple colours available), vaginal exercisers with flexible connector which can be washed with soap/water or toy wash (but no boiling); made by Fun Factory (with Fun Factory’s standard packaging).
There are a couple things which are remarkable:
- Smartballs are not round, they are actually oblong.
- The connector is longer of that in the Luna Beads or K-Balls.
- The combination of these things means a longer exerciser overall.
- Different colours seem to offer differing amounts of stimulation via internal ‘vibrations.’
- Smartballs offer the most stimulation via ‘vibration’ than either the Luna Beads or K-Balls.
- Smartballs are also the heaviest which I consider no coincidence.
- The retrieval cord is connected to the end of one ball, which is very points.
- Silicone lube can be used.
There are also a few things I experienced:
- Smartballs are more difficult to position than K-Balls. I needed to readjust them to find the right place for them to sit. If they were in a different position, they were uncomfortable, even painful. They also wanted to slip out more. I feel this is all due to the longer connector and oblong shape.
- The ridges offered no help for insertion. My fingers were nowhere near there; however, insertion wasn’t so hard that I needed the ridges.
- The ridges made no difference in sensation.
- The retrieval cord on Smartballs is stiffer and more annoying than the cords on similar vagina balls.
- Like all vaginal balls, the Smartballs push out tiny air “pockets” (queefs, I guess?) from the vagina. This can be annoying/distracting or may not affect you at all. I always have to get use to it, when I first put them in.
- Although I could feel the inner vibrations more, they weren’t pleasurable. Furthermore, the shape of the balls didn’t work with my shape as well as the K-Balls. G-spot stimulation was little to none.
- I was able to experience intense G-spot stimulation with one ball poised at the entrance to my vagina and a strong massager-style vibrator.
- The pointy end where the cord is, fucking hurt/pinched!
- Vaginal balls are not good for stationary activities.
My personal preference for kegel balls is not Fun Factory’s Smartballs. They are certainly well made but my specific shape and the oblong balls do not mix very well. I think all of my issues would be solved by making the Smartballs round and while I know every woman is different, I think that one improvement would make them more enjoyable for the majority of women.
It is of significance that Fun Factory has released a sort of Smartballs 2.0 with their Teneo Duo Smartballs. These exercisers do lack the painful, pointy place as the way the retrieval cord is connected has changed. However, they still appear to be oblong.
3 Comments
Stranger
June 8th, 2009
Stranger
N/A
from
This is an archived review of a discontinued product.
I was really excited to receive not one but two Fun Factory vibes in one week. The first one blew my mind with its size, power, and flexibility, and the second amazed me with its softness. I mean, when I first withdrew the Stranger from Fun Factory’s signature packaging, I was amazed. I had played with a few silicone toys, all quite stiff and firm, sometimes painfully so. I didn’t even know they made silicone that soft and it was a welcome surprise. Of course, the thinner tip of this vibe is the softest, and it becomes firmer as it becomes thicker, but there’s a fair amount of give the whole way through.
Of course, that’s not the only benefit of using silicone. Fun Factory presents us with another non-porous toy that can be sterilized by wiping down with an alcohol solution. For my purposes, I simply clean with soap and water or toy cleaner, but I like to covet my toys. Who says you have to share?
Like other Fun Factory toys, the Stranger exudes quality. It has a reassuring heft but isn’t bulky in any way. The soft violet silicone has more friction than other materials but is smoother than some silicone I’ve felt. The silicone is molded with ribs on one side, reminiscent of a snake or the tail of some mythical dragon. There is a slight forward lean of the tip of this toy, but I need a more drastic curve to reach my G-spot. There are 2 etched lines on the back of the toy, in roughly a “V” shape but do not meet at a vertex; otherwise, the back of the toy is smooth except for a small Fun Factory logo right above the base.
The base, made of hard plastic in several shades of grey, houses 2 AA batteries which give this vibrator a substantial amount of power but not as much as the Boss. The battery cover pops off by pinching 2 slightly indented points on either side of the toy. Squeezing hard enough causes the cover to pop right off by itself with a click. It took a little practice for me to find the easiest way to do this as I have small hands. The best placement for my fingers is closer to the base than the tip of the toy. The cap goes back on with another click and feels very secure.
My Stranger comes equipped with the old style of Fun Factory controls – a dial decorated with flower-star hybrid. It’s a very unique style of dial, however. Turning either way turns on the lowest setting of vibrations and continued turning increases the vibration. Although not the quietest toy I have, the Stranger isn’t the loudest, either. It’s an appropriate hum. At the highest setting, there is a small “click”. From this setting, turn either way to turn the vibration down or off. There is another slight click when the vibrations are off. It seems to be important to turn the dial slowly, otherwise it skips over most of the vibration settings. I went a little too fast when I was first testing it. I think this makes the toy ideal for those who like to work their way up to the highest setting.
But I’m not really that type of person. I like to go for it right away so I turned it up high, applied some water-based lube and went to work. Well, sort of. I’m just not super sensitive to textures so the ribbing on the Stranger, while pleasing to the eye, made little different to my pussy. The size was also a little lacking and I think this is probably the smaller insertable vibe I have. The Stranger has a circumference of 4 1/2″ and a length of 6 3/4″, 5 3/4″ which is insertable. I like something a little more, at least girth-wise. And, because the Stranger doesn’t have any clitoral nubs or anything, there wasn’t much else it could do. I also found the silicone to be too soft for the pressure I need during clitoral stimulation.
So, I pulled out the Boss and let him finish the job, a little disappointed in the Stranger. While I think it’s a quality toy, far better than some I have used, it’s just not the right size for me. I may break it out from time to time but it won’t get as much use as some of my other Fun Factory toys. This might be for the better, too. It’s a bit more difficult to clean the Stranger because of its crevices and it also collects lint and hair like crazy. God thing it’s splash proof because I think frequent use would require quite heavy washing. It’s also safe for the shower, too, but not for full immersion.
All in all, the Stranger just isn’t my cup of tea. The lack of size overshadowed the high quality of this toy and its decent vibrations. For someone who likes their sex toys a little smaller, however, the Stranger would be perfect.
Comment
I Love My Boss
May 26th, 2009
The Boss Naked
N/A
from
This is an archived review of a discontinued toy.
..and you can be sure I’ve never had reason to say that before, until now. Unfortunately, the Boss vibrator has some of the same issues as real bosses. Like, there are a couple of different versions, which leads to some confusion. Which is the real boss? Who do I actually report to? I mean, there’s the new Boss Lady in town with her pink power suit. But there are also a couple more bosses who demand your attention. The original boss, even though his position seems to have been liquidated, can still be found stuck in his old-fashioned ways. He seems to be making his presence known, complete with dial-style controls. Finally, some folks like myself are familiar with a sort of transitional Boss. You could say that while he looks more like the old Boss (colour), he acts more like the new one (control type). While some people prefer the old boss, he has been giving his pink slip and the Boss Lady is here to stay.
Like any employer, sometimes the Boss just doesn’t mesh with some folks. There seem to be a lot of issues revolving around opening the battery compartment on both styles. The battery cap pops off from the boss with sort of a partial twist which can be confusing. Furthermore, there have been reports of the Boss not completing all his duties fully or at all. He has failed to vibrate and/or pulsate for some unless they fidget with the battery pack or controls (and sometimes that doesn’t even help) but I think a boss should just do his job. Luckily for me, mine did.
If you’re considering the Boss to get the job done, you’ll notice he comes well-dressed for the job. With his clean lines, defined head and velvety matte texture (which might mean using an extra drop or two of water-based lube), it’s hard to not be drawn to the boss. The Boss has a gentle curve and substantial girth (1-3/5”) so heads up, size queens. With an insertable length of just under 7″, the Boss knows how to dress for success and his overall appearance lured me into cooperation.
But it was his performance that got the best review! Although not the largest toy I own, The Boss feels incredibly filling, even bigger than he is. The silicone is firm enough for thrusting but soft enough that he feels as though he’s conforming to me especially. One of the last toys I tried, while large, never felt filling. If there is one area in which the Boss excels, this is it! Were I to search for the perfect size and shape of cock, I would walk down the line up of cock with The Boss in my hand, comparing, and I cannot help but wonder if anything or anything will compare. I definitely think the texture and shape of the Boss give the impression of a toy bigger than the Boss is but, hey, sometimes you have to know when to fool people into thinking you’re more than you are.
Billed as the perfect G-spot vibe, I didn’t find that he quite hit mine right during solo play but don’t doubt his firmness would make him the right man for the job if someone could intervene for me (damn my short arms). Yet, the Boss isn’t a man so hard you need to be afraid – he has a sensitive side. The Boss is definitely soft and flexible. The top half of the shaft is pure, flexible silicone, while the motor is located toward the middle of the shaft, on the bottom half.
Using the Boss’s flexibility to my advantage has turned this into the perfect dual-stimulation toy. I know he doesn’t look like much of a double-tasker, but being able to bend him upward so that the little clitoral nub makes contact is amazing. Otherwise, I don’t think that little clitoral nub will do much of anything; in fact, that was even the thought I had about it right out of the package. While I’ve used the Boss to get off with the head on my clit, bending him has definitely provided the best orgasms. I find that I can sometimes get into such a rhythm that thrusting him provides stimulation against both my G-spot (the thrusting causes the vibe to curve back in a way it otherwise wouldn’t) and clit, in sequence.
I’m glad, for once, that The Boss proved me wrong. He has proved to be a much harder worker and easier to work with than I would have originally guessed. For instance, I thought he had some control issues, in the beginning. It was difficult to push his buttons to access the multiple levels of vibration and pulsation. My small hands struggled. However, because my grip on the toy was actually reversed when in use, I found the buttons easier to use this way and was soon provided with 7 or so pleasing levels of vibration (provided by 4 AAA batteries). While not the strongest toy in my collection (that pleasure goes to the Miracle Massager), the boss was not disappointing, either, and his 3 levels of pulsation were not the wimpy kind – I definitely felt them deep within. All the while, the Boss used only a suitable indoor voice and you’d never know he was just a room over. I would have to say, however, that the Boss does not perform consistently. The vibes were much stronger near the clitoral bump than the head of the shaft.
Of course, I’m a critical person and I couldn’t help but notice a specific area where the Boss’s traits were over-exaggerated a bit. Rumors about the Boss say that he is good at giving an extra boost to get the job done when it’s really getting down to the line. I was not impressed by the turbo boost button at the end of the vibe. Essentially, it seems like an extra level of steady vibration, which you can press when orgasm is near, to set you over the edge. I didn’t find the boost to be that powerful, and the fact that you need to hold it down also hampers the effect. It would make more sense if, say, I could press the boost button once and get a few seconds of extra power without needing to hold it.
Nevertheless, there are a few understated qualities of the boss that make him a pleasure to work with. He’s not afraid to get his hands wet, which makes him perfect for use in the shower and easy to clean.
If you can’t tell yet, I’ve really gotten used to working with the Boss and I look forward to our teamwork in the future.
11 Comments
Bloomy
February 24th, 2009
Bloomy
Sadly, Fun Factory no longer makes the Bloomy.
Fun Factory’s Bloomy anal plug/dildo was a pleasant surprise. I fell in love with it as soon as I first laid eyes on it; after all, it’s a really unique shape, and both black and deep pink are attractive colors. Mine came in pink, not the typical fit-for-Barbie pink of so many sex toys but a deep, grown-up pink. Although I love black, I actually prefer pink because I think it better highlights the shape of the bloomy – a shape vaguely reminiscent of a flower but not obviously so, but perhaps that is just my opinion.
The Bloomy came packaged similarly to other Fun Factory toys. Actually, I think mine had some packaging snafus as it included two copies of the Fun Factory brochure, two packets of lube, instructions for the Teneo Smart Balls, and instructions for the Bloomy. The toy itself was also nestled only in a “bottom” plastic tray, leaving the toy open so you could touch it while in the box. Because of the silicone, the toy had actually attracted some dust and dirt during shipping which was kind of gross.
Nevertheless, I easily washed it with soap and water and was surprised to find how much give this silicone toy has. I actually thought it was a bit too floppy at first but this soon proved not to be the case.
The Bloomy is billed as a multifunction toy, and I certainly cannot argue; the pure silicone makeup is boilable for sterilization, so it’s safe to use anally and vaginally. However, I only used this toy vaginally and will continue to do so. I have no doubt that the bloom shape would make for a fine anal plug and the “leaf” extension could stimulate the perineum as well but, for me, I immediately thought this could be a dual action dildo and identified the loop as an insertion point for a bullet vibe.
And that’s exactly how I used it. I slipped my BNaughty into the loop, turned it up high and let the toy transmit vibrations to my body. This was pretty nice but I found the thin “leaf” to be a little too soft for adequate clit stimulation. Fear not! I found an unexpected use for this toy, which actually resulted in a new kind of orgasm! Yes! A new kind of orgasm for me.
With the bullet in the loop, I was able to grind this “middle” section against/into the opening of my vagina, stimulating the nerve endings which are there. I moved this toy in a circular sort of motion and was soon experiencing my first (then second and third) vaginal orgasms. Now, these weren’t G-spot orgasms as they weren’t located that far in but it was still different from my usual clitoral orgasms and I was ecstatic to say the least.
On that note, I didn’t find a whole lot of G-spot stimulation because the silicone does have a lot of give – more than I am used to from pure silicone toys which usually seem to be firmer. I also can’t say that I was very sensitive to the shape of the Bloomy. I liked it but it wasn’t obvious that it has a unique shape after I inserted it. Still, it did feel good and I actually found walking around with this toy inserted to feel pleasurable (internally, at least, the walking was kind of silly).
I was really excited to find a toy that both looked and felt amazing, and the unique orgasms the Bloomy gave me were a welcome change from my usual routine. It was exciting to learn something new about myself, and I think the Bloomy makes a great toy when paired with a bullet vibe, but it’s certainly versatile enough to use in other ways. In the future, I will likely invest in a stronger bullet/egg vibe to use with my Bloomy, and I think the fact that I want to get another sex toy simply to improve my Bloomy experience says a lot. I would recommend the Bloomy to just about any way!
14 Comments
Laya Spot
January 8th, 2009
Laya Spot
N/A
from
This is an archived review of a discontinued product. Fun Factory has released newer versions, the Laya II and III.
The Laya Spot might be small but it should never be underestimated. This toy’s tiny stature was both surprisingly small yet enough to get me off time and again. It has quickly rekindled the passionate spark in masturbation for me, causing me to increase my frequency. I would not be lying if this was the only toy I could for the rest of my sexual life, I would be satisfied and I think everyone with a clit should own one. Period.
No matter how detailed a toy’s description is, I am nearly always surprised at its size when it finally shows up. Perhaps it was because of the close-ups of the Laya Spot, but I didn’t realize it was so tiny. It’s no mini bullet but it easily fits in the palm of my hand, making masturbation much more effortless than before.
My Laya Spot is black and purple with the main body of the toy being a softer black Elastomed and the controls and battery cap a hard purple plastic. This makes it a fairly hypoallergenic toy which can be cleaned with soap and water but Fun Factory does not recommend boiling or wiping down with alcohol so I’m not sure it can be sterilized.
Overall, it’s a quality toy, which even the packaging suggests. I had heard that Fun Factory has impressive packaging, and I must concur. The Laya Spot came in a box which didn’t waste a lot of space or packaging. The box contained two “flaps,” with a bit of information about the toy. These flaps folded down and stayed in place with small magnets. My Laya Spot also came with a small instruction sheet (in several languages) and a sample of Fun Factory’s water-based (thus safe for everything) lube, ToyFluid.
The Laya Spot is a really unique shaped toy which I think is its best selling point. The rounded ends work perfectly for stimulation, and I think this toy would work well for women of all shapes and sizes, as well as perhaps even regular massages. With my fingers reaching toward the controls and the heel of my hand resting over the battery pack, I can easily control the Laya Spot. I use it like the instructions suggest, placing the Laya Spot over my mons. However, it could be used in a variety of ways – perhaps with the battery pack stimulating the vaginal opening, which I didn’t try. The placement I like would also work well during many sexual positions, but I’ve never tried that.
This position worked well when it came to using the controls. For the most part, I could reach and use the controls which include 2 buttons. Holding the + button turns it on (while holding the – button turns it off) or increases the vibration. After the highest level, which I thought was pretty impressive for this small toy, it begins a couple patterns of pulsation. So you have a lot of options, quite literally, at your fingertips.
Although the vibrations were very nice, I used this toy without having it on and also got off. I think the innovate shape is that effective. I also didn’t love the pulsation settings so I kept it on regular vibration most of the time. There are something like 7 levels of vibration so that certainly didn’t disappoint.
Most of the time, I used the Laya Spot through my panties. This wasn’t for any real reason, but it definitely worked out. I finally decided I wanted to try out this little toy with the included lube so I lubed it up, slipped out of my clothes and began my merry journey. The combination of no fabric and lube provided a sensational vibrating feeling, and the tip of the Laya Spot glided easily when I directed it with my hand. I soon came a handful of times.
I have yet to play with the Laya Spot and not orgasm so I’ve been pretty impressed. I also have had very satisfying orgasms with this toy and I am the queen of frustratingly unsatisfying orgasms so that says a lot. In fact, I feel so relaxed after playing with the Laya Spot. I’m usually so uptight about everything and something about this little toy just clicks with me and is extremely pleasing.
I also love that it’s small enough to take just about anywhere, which I imagine I will do in the future. It’s shape makes it fairly discreet so people won’t automatically know what it is. It is a little loud for its size, especially on higher settings but it’s not something you’ll hear through a wall.
So, is there anything I don’t like about the Laya Spot? The answer is “yes,” sadly. It’s only splash-proof, not waterproof. It would be damned near perfect if it were waterproof. The battery cap does seem pretty snug but I am not going to risk it. The battery cap is another issue. After inserting batteries (2 AAA), I didn’t close it all the way. The last little push you need to firmly close the cap, which twists on, is pretty hard so it can seem fully closed before it is. Before I realized this, the cap popped off a couple of inopportune times.
Finally, and I don’t know if it’s just me, but the Laya Spot had a rather offensive odor when I first opened it. It was something like super-condensed BO. It has gotten better as I have washed it a few times since then and generally keep it in the fresh air. I really don’t know what this is about. I haven’t really read any reviews where others have experienced the same thing, so I don’t know if it’s necessarily a material smell or what, but it’s really, really unpleasant. Luckily, everything else about this vibrator is so impressive, or I might have given up on it.
If you like clit stimulation, the Laya Spot is a great vibrator, any way you look at it. The unique shape made this an amazing toy, even when used without vibration, and I cannot recommend it enough!
