Revel Body

November 19th, 2013

This is an archive post. SheVibe no longers sells the Revel Body or attachments.

revel body
What can I say about a vibrator that others have dubbed the “shit orb”? Seriously. I guess I’ll start by saying I don’t think this is necessarily a shitty toy. In fact, it uses some new technology and does some things in a way that make sense to me. However, as a whole, it’s a very peculiar vibrator that’s going to work for a very particular sort of person. I think the success of a sex toy often hinges on its versatility, but if the Revel Body doesn’t work for you, there’s no “plan b” about it. $180 is a lot of money for a toy that just might not work for you. Fortunately — unfortunately for the company — I expect a lot of these will go up for sale or swap as us reviewers finish with them.

But let me tell you what you need to know about this toy to see if you’d like it. The Revel Body is a spherical base with a cylindrical hole down the center. The hole and base of the attachments are magnified so they stick together when you insert it. This is brand new to me, and the magnetic attraction is amazingly strong. Don’t worry about it not working because it’s not going anywhere during use. This led me to stick the attachments to my refrigerator. So that’s kinda cool.

There are multiple attachments, and I’ll talk about them in another post. The main attachment has a rounded shape. It’s inconspicuous, boring perhaps. There head is made of silicone that’s squishier than the rest of the toy. The silicone sphere has a texture that’s quite easy to grasp. I rather like this about it. It’s not so small that it will cramp your hand. It’s not the first time that I’ve enjoyed a round toy.

The vibrations transmit through the magnetism so that the entire attachment vibrators in the hole. Of course, this means it’s the type of toy that you can’t achieve a lot of pressure with; otherwise, it dulls the sensation. This is absolutely a deal-breaker for me, which is a shame. I rather enjoy pressure, but I also like something about the revel body…

The vibrations. They’re rather deep and rumbly, and they’re designed to be that way rather than strong. I can deal with weaker vibrations if they’re strong. Interestingly, as you increase the strength of the vibrations, the frequency goes up. The manual explains that it’s the third setting or so that is the deepest. They feel buzzier as you increase them. In fact, you can continue to increase the frequency to the point where you can’t even feel it. This happened to me, and I could have swore the Revel Body was broken. I guess I don’t understand the point of these “higher” settings, like why do they even exist?

I was instructed to press the “-” button five times to fix it, which worked. However, the idea that the strongest/deepest vibrations are somewhere in the middle just makes sense to me. I just.. don’t need anything else. Nevertheless, you get both high and low power. Press the power button to switch — the light strength indicates high or low. At many settings, I didn’t notice a difference. In many ways, Revel Body just seems overly complicated.

Furthermore, I need to be able to apply some sort of pressure, and the Revel Body just doesn’t provide it. You get a sphere that doesn’t do anything when it actually makes contact with you. You have to hold it at a very particular location away from your body and this is just annoying. Obviously, this isn’t the type of toy where you just turn it on and stick it in or on wherever you want to stimulate. It’s sort of like the Eroscillator in that this is a toy that you have to learn, not one that learns you. And let’s be honest.. ain’t nobody got time for that.

Another issue is that it’s the loudest on those most rumbly settings. This is because the attachment is moving the most in the hole. It certainly makes sense, but the Revel Body is not whisper quiet in any way, not like the site suggests. It’s more like some of the wands, and your body won’t muffle this sound because you can’t press it to yourself.

If you do happen to like hte Revel Sonic, note that it’s fully waterproof thanks to the design. This makes cleaning easy, too. It charged on a donut-shaped base where contacts meet together. It looks kind of cool, sort of futuristic but that means jack if the toy doesn’t get you off. The vibe comes with a USB cable and an AC adapter, so you can charge it from an outlet or your computer. Yawn. This is expected now. According to the manual, 90 minutes get you a full charge, and you’ll get about 60 minutes of use per charge.

So what can I say? It’s interesting. There’s some ideas I like. The design is sharp, but Revel Body will probably never get me off.

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Categories: Reviews, Vibrators

Pleasure Tops

May 3rd, 2009

Pleasure Tops
N/A from

This is an archived review of a discontinued toy.

Most of the time, when I am not completely satisfied with a new sex toy, I develop a grudge against it, and it becomes extremely difficult to see the strengths of the toy. This really isn’t the case with the Pleasure Tops vibrator. In fact, I just can’t help but focus on how close this was to being my perfect toy. It does make the disappointment harder to swallow, though.

When Doc Johnson designed the Pleasure Tops vibe, they went out on a limb. It certainly is a unique toy with its cone-shaped base and thumb-like protrusion. It’s also fairly small. I thought it seemed tiny compared to the size I thought it would be; I know there is always some reconciliation between expectations and the reality of sex toy size, but I had never overestimated size so badly. The Pleasure Tops toy sits in the palm of my hand and is less than 5″ tall overall. The girth at the base is a whipping 7.85″, but only a portion of that is actually insertable.

Even though the size was not what I was expecting, this is not altogether a fault. I enjoyed the size and uniqueness of the cone. Insertion of the TPR-covered toy (I chose the blue over the pink that reminded me too much of bubblegum) was a breeze with just a dab or water or silicone-based lube. Once inserted, I couldn’t really feel the bullet in the tip of the cone because it didn’t really touch anything. Rather than improving upon the size and strength of the bullet or the shape of the toy, I think the cone simply does not need to vibrate. I enjoy cumming around items (like a vibe, dildo, or cock) and have often wished for a sort of vaginal plug, which the Pleasure Tops does nicely. Because the external portion of the vibrator is the largest part, I could easily feel it at the entrance to my pussy but it wasn’t so long or large (only 2.5″ long and 5.25″ around at the widest insertable point) that the inserted portion was uncomfortable, which I sometimes experience with longer toys.

On the other hand, I thought the clit stimulator could use a little more in every sense. This thumb-shaped stimulator is made of the same soft TPR (the material does pick up lint, so beware), which covers a second mini-bullet. Even at the highest setting, this was nothing more than an exciting tingle. A larger bullet is absolutely necessary. This would improve both the strength of the vibrations and the size of the clitoral stimulator, which, I thought, was both too short and too thin. While I could easily manipulate the clit stimulator into place, it didn’t like to stay in place over my clit and would slip down or to either side. I especially wished for a wider clit stimulator.

I tried out the Pleasure Tops both lying and sitting up because it seems like it would be a good toy for use while sitting. Use while lying was similar to using any other dual stimulator toy, but I had a bit more trouble sitting. Because an inch or so of the cone protrudes, I could not sit with the cone flat beneath me but I could sort of squat over a chair, using the arms to support myself. However, I was able to sit more or less normally, with the cone tilted so the back edge rested on the seat of the chair. This was actually fairly comfortable and also provided for hands-free stimulation, but it didn’t bring me to orgasm.

Ultimately, I don’t think this is a toy that can do it for me. It was an exciting tingle, and I liked the overall fit but a stronger and larger clit stimulator would have really pushed me over the edge. As I am prone to say, I enjoyed the way the toy hugged my pubic bone. Had I been able to achieve orgasm, I think it would have felt great.

For those who only need a lighter touch or want a toy for warmup, then Pleasure Tops might do the trick but I kept the vibration on high the whole time, and it still wasn’t enough. For the strength of the vibration, I found the amount of sound to be acceptable. It is noticeably louder on the higher settings, but once pressed against flesh, the sound is muffled. For 2 AAA batteries, the amount of power is reasonable but I would consider a power supply of at least 2AA batteries, if not more.

I would also change the entire control system. I might have tried to work myself up to the highest system is it was not such a hassle to adjust. To insert batteries, the end base, made of ABS plastic, unscrews. Battery insertion is easy and you screw the base back on. However, the base does not like to be screwed on snugly otherwise the vibrations do not work. There needs to be a thin area of space between the base and the rest of the toy itself. I could easily slip a piece of paper folded 4 times between this space. Not only is this annoying, but it made me wonder how waterproof this toy really is. I ran the toy under running water and patted down the outside before checking inside. There was water between the 2 parts of the Pleasure Tops but not in the battery area itself, so I would trust it to hold up in the shower but maybe not completely submerged.

I wish the touchiness of screwing on the lid were the only problem I had. Unfortunately, the controls just suck. The base is also something of a giant dial. Because of this, turning too far toward the “Low/Off” side can cause the base to unscrew and turning too far in the “High” direction causes it to tighten to the point where vibration stops. The only way to ensure that neither happens is to use both hands, which is really a hassle because you pretty much have to remove the toy to adjust the settings. Dial controls should not be so difficult. I would much prefer a corded hand-held control with buttons and specific settings but I’m not a big fan of dial controls, period. Perhaps making this change would also make the Pleasure Tops usable during sitting.

Were the size and strength of the vibrations the only complaints I had with the Pleasure Tops, I would still use it because the shape is really what I have been wanting for a long time. However, the problematic base/controls really seem to thwart any efforts on my part to make the best out of Doc Johnson’s Pleasure Tops. Because this is so close to my perfect toy, I would plead with Doc Johnson or anyone else to take my suggestions into consideration. You have no idea how happy and sated that would make me!

10 Comments

Categories: Reviews, Vibrators

Bijoux Indiscrets cosmetics for better sex

Vibratex Pearl Thunder

April 25th, 2009

Pearl Thunder
N/A from

This is an archived review of a discontinued toy.

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 it as the “Thunder from down under” and I conjured up a sort of purple, Aboriginal totem pole.

And don’t worry – there are 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 the 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 that 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 that provide a bit of external stimulation. 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 stickiness 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 seem 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 ran into was the foil-like gold sticker around the controls that describe the functions and direction of strength. When I opened the Pearl Thunder, 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 I 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 one that 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.

6 Comments

Categories: Reviews, Vibrators

Image © MisterUnlucky; used with permission.