Divine Inspiration Rotating Massager

June 8th, 2011

Divine Inspiration Rotating Massager

Divine Inspiration Rotating Massager
$39.99 from California Exotics

So, I’m into new and unusual things and the Divine Inspiration Rotating Massager from California Exotics fits the bill pretty well. It’s a wand style toy that rotates and vibrates and it’s all decked out in pink and black. The specific model I received is straight-handled. The handle is about 1.5 the length of my fist so it’s not like the size of a Hitachi or anything. It’s fairly small. This small toy is powered by two AAA batteries that insert into the end of the handle, after the pink cap screws off. There’s one of those ribbons to aid you in removing batteries–although, I usually find them to get in the way–and a small O-ring around the battery compartment.

Toward the top of the handle, where it begins to narrow, is a silver band for no other reason than to look pretty. I have to admit, I am a fan of the rock and roll chic appeal but I prefer the other toys in the line ever-so-slightly. The head consists of a bright pink TPR that is squishy and velvety. There is a row of oblong bulges that encircle the top of the head. I guess the idea of texture is interesting but perhaps not as functional as Cal Exotics would have you think.

There is a single push button at the base of the rotating massager. One push starts the rotating, a second shifts direction and a third turns it off. Although there is supposed to be vibration in addition to rotation, I could only feel the motor straining inside the handle of the wand. The rotation itself is interesting. It sort of reminds me of the Sasi. It’s an interesting feeling that is somewhat akin to oral but, you know, not exactly. Of course, the problem with this function is that you cannot press the head of the massage against you without forcing the movement to stop. This may also be problematic for you if you’re fleshier. You’ll have to push your labia out of the way. It doesn’t lend itself well to pressure or intense stimulation. while I kind of like the idea, it’s just not enough to get me off.

In use, I really didn’t find the ability to switch direction was effective. Actually, it somewhat hurt to switch direction which makes very little sense. Regardless, a toy like the Sasi is more creative in terms of movement and overall, preferable. Another reason I prefer it is that I can turn off the movement of the ball, when I’m sufficiently aroused, and just use the vibration to get off.

You’ll definitely want to use lube to aid the rotation and keep things comfortable. The texture holds it well, perhaps too well. After I was done, I cringed as I had to scrub the lube out from the tiny crevices in the head of the Divine Inspiration Rotating Massager. I’d really like something a little less time consuming when it comes to washing.

In fact, I’d have to say that, ultimately, this sex toy is more like an electric lube applicator than anything else.

CEN Sexpert

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Categories: Reviews, Vibrators

Best buy dolphin

November 3rd, 2009

Best Buy Dolphin

Best Buy Dolphin
$27.54 from Store.OfSexAndLove.com

No, this isn’t a vibrator that I bought at Best Buy although some part of my simultaneously giggles and cringes at that idea. It’s CEN’s take on an affordable rabbit vibrator that is great for those looking into rabbits for the first time and also perhaps for folks who sometimes become overwhelmed by all the options rabbits can have. It’s not luxury, nor is it meant to be. It is simply.. the Best Buy Dolphin.

Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the sheer number of things a vibrator can do. This was the case with Evolved’s Lunar Rabbit which has hundreds of possible combinations but it ultimately didn’t do anything of them perfectly. In my opinion, when a toy does a few things really well it beats a toy which does many in a mediocre fashion – hands down. That is what the Best Buy dolphin aims to do which makes it perfect for any rabbit newbies or anyone who is just plain sick of a million settings, none of which quite hit the spot. As usual, there are a couple glitches with that ambition.

There are only 4 buttons on this toy. One to turn on/off each of the functions and the other to adjust. For the rotating shaft and beads, this reverses the direction. For the vibrating dolphin clit stimulator, this changes from low to high and back. There’s a few combinations but it remains newbie friendly. Of course, there’s no pulsation or rollercoaster type settings, either so if your clit likes something a bit more exciting than steady vibes, look away. Per usual, the beads and rotating shaft work together and I would love to find a rabbit where the beads could be operated separately.

I was surprised at how well the rotation works. I think this is because the 4 rows of plastic beads rotate pretty fast but this also makes a whining sound. Most rabbits freeze up under any sort of duress but the beads actually hurt me when I clenched and I had to ease up. On the one hand, they work pretty damned well; on the other hand, many people (including myself) tend to clench during orgasm so this can actually be a con.

In terms of vibration strength, I was unimpressed. The high is more like a medium and most vibrators and I usually don’t use the medium on most rabbit vibes. Neither setting did anything more than tingle. Furthermore, the dolphin shaped clit stim just didn’t work for me. I found it to be a little short; only his points nose made contact and it actually hurt a bit.

I’m not surprised the vibrations were lackluster. The bullet seems to be quite small; although there is quite a bit of TPE material around it so the bullet looks larger. Furthermore, this is only powered by AAA batteries but is pretty quiet. Granted, it uses 4 of them but my experience is that I usually need at least 2AAs. The battery pack is also a little strange. It pulls straight out and pops back in but there’s a screw which attaches the battery cap to the casing which makes it seem like you might need to unscrew it. You don’t, it’s just misleading. Also, make sure it’s secure. It will turn on even if it’s not only to have the batteries fall right out.

As I mentioned, the shaft and clit stim of the Best Buy Dolphin are covered in a soft, blue TPE which is translucent. It’s very flexible and thin. I can actually pinch some off the shaft. I wouldn’t mind thicker material around the beads and thinner material on the clit stim to make it more comfortable. The shaft had water and wavelike textures while the also has 4 equidistant ridges (and is thinner than the shaft) but none of those textures are really effective.

TPE is both silicone and water-based lube compatible and you’ll want to use it, not because the Best Buy Dolphin is huge (it’s respectably girthy at 1.75″ diameter at its widest) but because the TPE is so sticky and this can cause friction without proper lubrication. I found the 5 insertable inches and girth to be pretty adequate, myself. It also collects a lot of lint and dust so popping on a condom isn’t a horrible idea to make the whole thing a little cleaner (plus it’s somewhat porous).

When it comes to cleaning off that lint and whatever fluids may have collected, soap and water should do the trick. However, I’d be reluctant to submerge this vibrator completely (whether playing or cleaning) even though it’s supposed to be waterproof, especially considering that the battery cap can pop off if it’s not secure. The cap just doesn’t seem as watertight as others California Exotics styles.

The Best Buy Dolphin is a pretty good option for those who are just getting into rabbits but isn’t anything amazing. The clitoral stimulator definitely needs more power and its shape was just no match for me. Although the beads rotated enough for me to squirt, no part of this toy was going to make me orgasm. For less than $30, you could do worse.

 

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Categories: Reviews, Vibrators

Dream Maker Lunar Rabbit

September 1st, 2009

Dream Maker Lunar Rabbit

Dream Maker Lunar Rabbit
$99.95 from Store.OfSexAndLove.com

I was pretty excited when Evolved came out with their Dream Maker Rabbits. The pink Lunar Rabbit – which I have – is a fancy looking toy with LED lights and multiple buttons and rotating beads and a vibrating clit stimulator and it’s waterproof on top of that. The Dream Makers were received with, generally, mediocre reviews but this only piqued my interest. I was even more interested in this bunny when some of the early reviews made no mention of shaft rotation – only awesome rotating beads and vibrating clit stimulators.

Packaged in Evolved’s typical metal box (although the lid is now plastic encased as well) and nestled in foam, was my pink Lunar Rabbit. I quickly discovered that the soft TPR material, which coats the shaft and clit stim, was one hell of a lint magnet. It seemed even more so than other Evolved toys I’ve tried and reminded me of my less than stellar experience with Cyberskin. The control pack is velvety, hard plastic like Evolved uses in many other products and does not attract lint, of course.

I had no issues popping in 4 AAA batteries into an EZ load style pack, after unscrewing the bottom. It seemed plenty secure for waterproof purposes and makes cleaning with soap and water quite easy. There is a sticker which says to push and I expected it to click in and out of a secure position; however, pushing didn’t actually seem to do anything. The battery pack just sat there loosely, the whole time. It’s not an issue but it just seems pointless to tell us to push when it doesn’t do anything.

I immediately played with was the different functions and LED light. There is a master On/Off button which I appreciate. This is a great feature in times of unexpected.. interruptions. The clit stimulator and shaft have separate Up/Down arrow controls as well. On top of this, there is a function button for the shaft and clit stim as well for a total of 7 buttons. This is definitely more buttons than some may be used to or even like. It’s a toy that takes a bit more practice before play to get a feel of and I was initially confused.

Overall, I prefer the control pack to Evolved’s other single-button styles because it’s much harder to accidentally turn off and there’s also 3 finger indentations on the back of the toy for grasping. I did notice that the buttons for the rotation were less responsive than the rest of the buttons, for whatever reason. I would have to push them several times to increase or lower the intensity and this was just during experimentation. It’d probably be more difficult and frustrating during actual play.

The light display is in a shape of a star, with a light at each point for a total of 10 lights. When first turned on, the Lunar Rabbit turns on the lowest setting of function 1. This setting corresponds with the lights at the bottom 2 points of the stars. As you increase the speed of either feature, another point on the star lights up (for a total of 5 stars to each feature). In all, there are 5 functions, each, for the clit stim and shaft with 5 settings/speeds for each function which results in hundreds of different combinations. The functions of the clit stim include steady vibration, short pulsation, fast pulsation, an increasing pulsation and roller coaster while the rotation/beads includes forward, backward, back and forth, faster back and forth and “stop and go” rotation. The shaft and clit stim can be operated separately by turning down the speed on the function until it turns off but I wouldn’t have minded a quick Off button for either feature, either.

I was also surprised by the fact that the shaft does rotate; it just rotates in very tiny circles which could easily be missed. Overall, though, disappoint did abound. I think Evolved made a grave mistake in powering this rabbit with AAA batteries and no matter how many you use, simply upgrading to AA would have seen a vast improvement in power. Even on the higher settings, the bunny clit stimulator wasn’t all that impressive. And while I appreciated the variety in bead rotation, it didn’t stand up to muscle clenching at all. As you can guess, I couldn’t even feel the shaft rotations even though I knew it was happening – or supposed to be. My muscles likely put a stop to that, too.

Furthermore, I found the hundreds of combinations to be lackluster, really, but I’m more of a girl who likes one or two really good settings/functions and sticks to them. I tend to skip “low” settings right for medium or high and more than one pulsation setting is pretty unnecessary for me. I would have been more than happy if my Lunar Rabbit had only a handful of stellar combinations but.. it didn’t. With that said, fans of light to medium stimulation, who love variety and build up might enjoy the power of this more.

There was one redeeming quality, however. It’s not well known and Evolved doesn’t advertise it as a feature but the shaft can bend, below the beads. I actually discovered this by accident when rocking the toy to stimulate my G-spot, which caused the shaft to bend. This offers much more noticeable stimulation via shaft rotation but I especially enjoyed it with rotation off, using the rocking motion to create a very effective dual stimulator and to finally achieve an orgasm or two. Because it bends below the beads, it really offers an experience like no other rabbit I’ve tried. Unfortunately, the folks from Evolved say that continuous bending might cause this wire to break which is a shame. I think this is by far the best quality of the Dream Maker Lunar Rabbit and without it, I was less than impressed by lackluster power, the confusing LED display, and the tendency to collect lint.

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Categories: Reviews, Vibrators

Decadent Indulgence

April 30th, 2009

Decadent Indulgence
$96.66 from Store.OfSexAndLove.com

Years ago, before we were concerned with safe or environmentally friendly materials in our sex toys, we focused on function alone. The toys which were best loved, like the Decadent Indulgence, came with a high price because they performed so admirably and, even though it may now be considered inferior by some, there were hordes of women who were singing their praise for this rabbit style vibrator. Despite the fact that I have tried more than my share of rabbit vibrators, and I usually find a fault, I knew it was my responsibility as a reviewer to try out one of the Decadent Indulgence vibrators. I went with the original because it’s the original for a reason, right?

Back in my early days of sex toy exploration, people raved about the Decadent Indulgence. I never once read a bad review. Women wanted to marry it, despite the fact that it cost over $200. Today, this rabbit vibe costs only a fraction of the price at just under $100. Some wonder if a toy which is made of only TPR is really worth the price but I have to tell you, it’s not the material that will blow you away! Powered by 4 AA batteries, the original Decadent Indulgence is pretty much a powerhouse of vibration and rotation.

Let me back up a bit. This pink rabbit vibrator by California Exotic, as mentioned, is made of TPR over a rotation shaft and beads as well as a bullet in the humming bird shaped clitoral attachment. The box claims TPR is “hygenically superior” but not only is it spelled wrong, it’s just wrong. Pure silicone or even a silicone composite would be better if hygiene is your concern. Also, considering the stiffness of this material, it wouldn’t make much difference if it were upgrade to silicone. In fact, that is my one major complaint about the Decadent Indulgence. The wings and beak on the humming bird are cute and vibrate loosely when the clitoral stimulator is on but they’re rather thing, pointy and sharp. It’s not something that bothers my hands but I found use of the clitoral stimulator to actually be painful unless I was firmly pushing the bullet against my clit so that those appendages were more stationary instead of vibrating freely against me. Because my use of dual stimulators tends to focus on clitoral pleasure, this is a big issue for me. I really wish there were no protrusions at all, just a TPR-covered bullet.

There are two controls for the functions, one for the vibrating hummingbird and one for the shaft/bead rotation. I always prefer separate controls for shaft rotation and beads so I would like to see that here. The buttons are not the hard-to-press digital kind; they are easy to find and press which I like. In fact, they might be too easy. I hadn’t realized there were 8 levels for each function because the “ultra sensitive control pads” tend to increase 2 or 3 levels at a time. There is also a button in the center which switches modes from basic vibration and rotation to a slower pulsation and back and forth rotation and then a must faster mode. The mode applies to both functions so the rotation and beads occur at the same speed as the pulsation, resulting in a more profound effect than if they operated at separate modes. Overall, the combinations are endless.

I found the vibration to be adequate but the increases were more of speed than size, as is typical with bullets of that size. What I really liked were the pulsation modes. They were incredibly strong, almost too strong at some points, and not at all like the high frequency pulsation of other vibes which left me wanting. Even as I lay thinking about how the beak was painful, the pulsation led me orgasm. It was really the first orgasm I had without even trying and that was vibration-induced alone so it was something of a milestone even if it wasn’t the best I’ve ever had. If that doesn’t say something about the value of this toy, I’m not sure what can.

For once, I quite enjoyed the rotation of the shaft. The 3 tracks of 3 beads each move in the same direction and at the same speed as the shaft and were noticeable but the overall effect felt like there was only one internal function. The rotation was also rather powerful and stood up to clenching but it was hard to tell if both the shaft and beads stood up to my muscles or if it was just the shaft or beads. Either way, I have had few rabbits which stand up at all to clenching so it was nice.

One of the things I especially like about rabbit vibes is how they hug my pubic bone and the Decadent Indulgence did a decent job. The TPR, while pliable was stiffer than some jelly I have experienced, and helped with this. I wouldn’t complain if it was a more snug fit. The bullet seemed to be a little further away from the shaft than in some rabbits I have used, resulting in a clit stimulator which is a bit too flexible. I found that in order to place the bullet as high as I like on my vulva, the beak was simply in the way, poking at my mons, and the shaft did reach a little further than I like but this was less of an issue than the beak.

A few other thoughts on this toy. The TPR will attract a little lint and has a slight rubbery smell but it’s really not offensive. The battery pack is closed with a slide-on cover which doesn’t seem super secure. This toy should not be submerged an this warning can be found on the bottom of the box along with a reminder to only use water-based lube. However, TPR should be safe with both water or silicone based lubricants so I am not sure why this would be the case.

In the end, I loved the functions of the Decadent Indulgence. The pulsation truly lived up to the name of this toy. However, I could really do without the painful clitoral stimulator. California Exotic does have a lot of toys with similar functions so I will definitely keep my eye out for something that has all the strengths of the Decadent Indulgence without the bite.

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Categories: Reviews, Vibrators

Vibratex Pearl Thunder

April 25th, 2009

Pearl Thunder
$104.39 from TabuToys

A while ago I mentioned that, hey, I must just like ’em big and eagerly took up TabuToys when they offered a larger sized toy for review. After all, why wouldn’t I be curious just how much I can take? The answer is, at least, a diameter of 1.75″ or a circumference just shy of 5.5″. Not bad if I do say so myself. Still, my experience with Vibratex’s Pearl Thunder illustrated that maybe a toy of such size isn’t the best for rotation. Or maybe I should just be done with rotating toys in general.

Although billed as an X-tra Thick toy, I found only part of this rabbit style vibrator to be really large: the head. In fact, only the head is truly 1.75″ in diameter. The rest of the shaft is slightly smaller at about 1.5″ in diameter (and around 5 insertable inches) which seems pretty average to me.

Although, that’s probably the only “average” part of this vibe. I found the whole thing to be really unique, perhaps even weird. With 2 different faces on the toy – 1 which gives new meaning to “head” of a cock toward the top with the engorged tip seeming like hair and one molded into the back of the shaft – I almost want to giggle. The description on TabuToys lists is as the “Thunder from down under” and I conjured up a sort of purple, Aboriginal totem pole.

And don’t worry – there’s animals too! The clitoral stimulator, which is some sort of fork tongued panther-like animal over a small, unique, cylindrical (rather than bullet-shaped) vibrator. And we’re not done yet. On the back of the shaft, around the same height as the clitoral bullet is some sort of rodent (squirrel, otter, beaver?). Whatever it is, it does nothing as I couldn’t feel it at all during insertion.

It almost seems like Vibratex took a bunch of leftovers from production of other toys to make the Pearl Thunder and, as you can imagine, there is a lot of texture. There are little etching-like markings over the whole shaft which provide friction if I stroke my hand my over it but aren’t felt as much upon insertion. The clitoral stimulator also has some slightly raised nubs which provide a bit of external friction. The added friction, especially with a toy this large, requires a healthy dose of lube and although I used water based, silicone based will work as well. This is also helpful with the stickyness of the “food-grade,” latex-free vinyl (AKA Jelly). The toy will pick up a bit of lint and could possibly react with toys of similar material so storing it in a cool, dark place and away from other toys is the way to go. Furthermore, sharing or anal use is best done with a condom because of the porous nature of the Pearl Thunder.

Looks and texture aside, the functions of this toy are pretty standard. There are two rows of 6 beads each which spin and are controlled by the same sliding button as the rotation. Turning on these functions also shines a red light below the clear beads. As I don’t love rotation like others, I long for toys where shaft and beads have separate controllers. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the strength of the beads. It took the complete strength of my hand to halt their movement and once inserted, they spun despite any clenching of my muscles. I think this is the first time I can say that for any toy so Vibratex hit the jackpot with the beads.

The head of this shaft is on a bendable wire so that it can be bent to hit all the right spots but if someone is really looking for an extreme angle, they won’t find it with the Pearl Thunder. Only about an inch and a half can bend but because of the super-engorged head, it can only be bent right above the beads to the extent of a 25 degree angle (approximately). I didn’t find this to be an issue because I don’t require my toys to be bent and I’m not a big fan of rotation: the less, the better.

The issue I had with this toy was that it was actually uncomfortable, even painful, for the shaft to rotate. There is a lot less space for movement when the object inserted is as large as the head on this vibrator and the front wall of my vagina wasn’t liking it. I was even sore a bit the next day. Unfortunately, I did like the sensation of the beads which was, as I mentioned, pretty strong so it was either all or nothing.

I did prefer the clitoral stimulator of the Pearl Thunder over another Vibratex toy I recently reviewed, the Rock Your World vibe. Although not quite as large and powerful as I like bullets to be on rabbit vibes, it did the trick (and with 4 AAs, it better!). The vinyl material is just a little more solid so the clit stimulator lay snug against me and the toy hugged my pubic bone how I like. Ultimately, I achieved clitoral orgasm with the shaft turned off and the bullet turned up to high as I rocked the toy against my pubic bone.

Although I’m usually not a fan of sliding controls like the ones Vibratex uses, I noticed something on the Pearl Thunder that I do not recall on other toys. On maximum, the controls seems to click into place. Although it’s not a secure lock, it does help somewhat to prevent the controls from accidentally moving when you’re in the throes of passion.

One snafu I rant into was the foil-like gold sticker around the controls which describe the functions and direction of strength. When I opened the Pearl Thunder, which comes in a plastic box with cardboard band (on which any information is printed) like the Rock Your World vibe, this sticker was only partially pressed on and seemed to be slightly off center. The sticker itself looks tacky but that it wasn’t even completely on was even worse. I pressed it on and it stayed but wound up peeling it off, ultimately. The toy looks infinitely more attractive without it, in my opinion.

I think Vibratex did some things really well with the Pearl Thunder but there is still room for improvement. The size was nice but I would have preferred a vibrating head as opposed to a one which rotates – or separate controls. The beads felt nice and effectively stood the clench test and the body-hugging clitoral stimulator with its slightly raised nubs hit all the right spots (but could have been larger). Although not the safest material, the vinyl was comfortably pliable and the controls were surprisingly effective once the tacky sticker was removed. Out of all the Vibratex toys I have used, the Pearl Thunder is probably the one I like the most, despite the painful rotation.

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Categories: Reviews, Vibrators

Image © MisterUnlucky; used with permission.