Sex Toys | Exploring Intimacy

FunWares and I are working hard to answer your super important questions on sex and relationships! In this video, I answer a common question: how do I introduce sex toys into my relationship without upsetting my partner? Check out the video for my suggestions.

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You’ve been covertly checking out the reviews online and visiting your favorite sex shop, and you’re ready to bring home your first toy. But how do you warm up to a vibe when you’ve never had one before? Dr. Ruthie and FunWares walk you through Sex Toy 101 for first time vibe owners to help you get comfortable and explore your next best friend.

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Let’s face it, laying on the heavy g-spot stimulation can involve a lot of hand and wrist stamina and if you’re going DIY then the angel can be especially challenging. Now that you know the where and how of you g-spot from the last post, let’s talk sex toys for the g-spot. Do you know how to pick a good one, why they come in such crazy shapes, and how to use one effectively? You will after this video from FunWares and me!

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Toy: Oden (sent by Babeland.com for review)
Type: Remote controlled vibrating cock ring with AAA battery powered vibrating remote that goes with a rechargeable cock ring vibrator
Manufacturer: Lelo
Material: silicone and hard (ABS) plastic
Price: $149
SMT rating: 0, moderate strength vibes for both

One thing I’ve learned over my years of doing toy reviews is that people friggin’ love remote controlled sex toys, but they rarely live up to the hype and expectations. So, can a premium company Lelo pull it off? They have a new line of high brow vibes, all featuring unique wireless remotes paired with the design sense that so many folks love about Lelo. So, lets dive in, shall we?

Whew. Seriously. You get the works with this package! In your sassy black box (Lelo always has great packaging) comes your usual paperwork (directions, 10 yr warrantee, etc.) the Lelo insignia brooch, charger, satin toy bag, a vibrating battery powered remote control and a vibrating rechargeable cock ring with a unique design that resembles a giant sperm with a curly tail. Plus, there is a special little plastic tab which acts as a key to get the back of the remote open and closed for swapping out the batteries. That’s quite a lot of stuff to play with!

So how well does it all work?

Pros:

If definitely feels like you’re getting a lot for the money with the Oden. The packaging is lovely, as always, and if you loose the key for the back of the remote you can still get it open using a US nickel or similarly sized coin.
If you charge it for about 2 hours, you’ll get about 2 hours of use. This isn’t too terribly far to plan ahead, and will last long enough for the vast majority of folks.
The remote vibrates, too! That means that you can easily monitor what the cock ring is doing by feeling the remote, which is pretty cool. You can also use it’s many settings to stimulate other areas while the cock ring does its thing.
The ring is an open circle, making it very adjustable and easy to get on without awkwardly sliding it down or shoving your bits through. It’s also easier to adjust where the protruding vibrator on the ring hit’s the partner’s body.
Have trouble finding an insertable innie vibe with a clitoral vibe that hits your body right? The Oden is a great fit for wrapping around your favorite phallus-type vibe. You can adjust the tilt somewhat and place it at the right depth, and if necessary you can easily use your thumb to push the Oden’s vibe against your clit while grinding away with your toy. Heck you can even use the remote to buzz yourself elsewhere at the same time. Go to town!

Cons:

Few products meet my desires for easy cleaning, and neither does this. All of the pretty chrome Lelo toys have a troubling valley where the chrome meets the silicone coated ABS plastic, and that area requires special cleaning attention lest crustiness build up. This is true on both the remote and ring for this toy. Furthermore, in order to recharge the vibe on the cock ring, it is unscrewed from the ring-tail and plugged in. The place where these two parts screw together collects quite a bit of lube and people juices, and is not easy to clean without pulling it apart and flushing out the tail part thoroughly and pulling out the Q-tips and cleaner for the vibrating section.
This remote is stronger than most I’ve reviewed, but it still didn’t do well when the testers’ plush bodies were pressed together. It just couldn’t get the signal through all that flesh. Would it work better for skinnier owners? I’m probably not the one to ask. When the signal is lost the controller keeps vibrating but the ring stops, which is frustrating. It would have been better if it continued at the last known setting, but alas.

Noteworthy:

The remote uses buttons to switch settings, but there are two other unique ways to turn it on, if you’ll pardon the pun. One setting allows you to tilt the vibe to control it. The more vertical it is, the harder the buzz. The other reacts to shaking or jiggling – flail madly and it buzzes harder. Hm. While these were interesting features and may be enjoyable for some folks, I found them functionally useless and didn’t even include them in the video – but I am adding it here so you know this about the product. You still have to use the buttons to synch the product and turn it on/off, so if you trouble pushing buttons you’re still out of luck.
Be sure this toy with a quality water-based lube (like Maximus), as silicone lube may eventually wear down the silicone coat and oil based lube with be especially hard to clean out of the toy’s crevices.
Cock rings don’t work for everyone. The vibrator on this cock ring extended nicely and was flexible at the base as well as nicely contoured, so it’s probably going to work for a wider range of people. For some women their clit is right above their vaginal opening, so a shorter vibe is best. For many others it’s a little higher above the vagina, so the extra reach is important. And remember, flesh cocks don’t carry vibrations well and all cock rings work best with grinding-style style vs. thrusty sex.

So there you go! If you’re interested in vibrating cock rings but need a vibe that doesn’t stick out as far from the ring, or you prefer an enclosed ring to help keep him harder, you might also want to check out the: Tor by Lelo, JimmyJane Iconic Ring, or the Ophoria V-Ring. Or you might try the Koa ring, by Lelo’s economy priced brand, PicoBong. I haven’t reviewed that one yet, but it may be worth a look as it also has a vibrator that sticks out further, and there is no remote.

Toy: Mahana Duo Vibe (sent by Babeland.com for review)
Type: AAA battery powered vibrator, dual vibe innie/outtie combo
Manufacturer: Picobong
Material: silicone and hard (ABS) plastic
Price: $69
SMT rating: 0, low to moderate strength vibes

While rumor has it that I’ve never met a toy I didn’t like, I’m sad to report that I am not a fan of the Mahana Duo vibe. It’s not that it’s crappy, it’s just not worth your time or money.

The Mahana Duo is not twice the fun

The Mahana Duo vibe from Picobong is meant as a lower-cost alternative to the high-quality, classy but more high-end toys from Lelo (which shares the same toy design team). Unfortunately, it ends up being a get-what-you-pay-for situation, and so is hard to recommend. The Mahana Duo is a combination innie-outtie vibrator, like several other toys that have been previously reviewed here (see the bullet list at the bottom for these more highly-recommended toys of a similar style). It has a flexible C-shape with both ends containing vibrators; one end is meant to be inserted, while the other should rest against the clitoris. It’s about 1/2″ wide at its widest, and takes 2 AAA batteries (one for each vibrating end).

On the plus side, since it’s from the same design team as Lelo toys, the Mahana Duo has a reputable brand to back it up, and is made from body-safe silicone and ABS plastic, as we’ve come to expect from its higher-end siblings. It comes in two cute colors (pink and blue) and has a smooth, simple, non-intimidating visual design. If the C-shape stays in place correctly, then its innie-outtie design can be useful (but see below on our testers’ feelings on how well it stayed in place).

Unfortunately, the Mahana Duo raised many qualms and negative points in testing. First of all, it’s difficult to clean well; the engraved Picobong logo and the edges where the vibrator-ends screw onto the plastic are both grooved in a hard-to-get-at way. Cleaning the Duo thoroughly would require Q-tips and a lot of patience. It didn’t come packaged with any directions, instead opting to include a little six-sided die with various toy emblems on it. This is exacerbated by the fact that the controls are somewhat non-intuitive; the buttons aren’t readily visible, and are hidden beneath plus and minus signs that blend into the logo. It just feels cheaply made, with little aesthetic appeal and the sharp contrast between silicone ends and plastic middle. The vibrations are fairly low-level and lackluster. Additionally, C-shaped innie-outtie toys are meant to be able to stay in place without help (and maybe even be able to stay in place during intercourse or other play). None of our testers, however, reported that the Duo could stay in place without constant assistance. Finally, if you’ll watch the video review, you can see that the toy began making loud, ugly buzzing noises during the course of the review after only a couple of uses. It’s normal for vibrators to become slowly louder over the course of many uses, but to have a toy start making such obtrusive noises so early in its life is a bad sign. Overall, it’s hard to justify spending the money on the Duo–it has no special qualities to recommend it and several flaws that speak against it. Here are some better alternatives that fulfill the same functionality and general design of the Mahana Duo, but are worth your time and money:

Come for a Cause

Oct 202011

Babeland.com is doing a wonderful October fundraiser called Pink October: Come for a Cause. For each qualifying purchase, 10% will go to the Young Survival Coalition, which helps women under 40 with breast cancer. One of the best ways to have fun while making a Come for a Cause purchase is by checking out the Power to the Pink kit. This kit contains a delicious bottle of Sliquid Pink Lemonade flavored lube, a Babeland Buzz vibrator, and the ever-popular pink Mystic Wand. Check out the reviews for all three products in these videos!

The Power to the Pink Kit is a fun way to support breast cancer survivors

Sliquid Pink Lemonade flavored lubricant is one of the most high-quality flavored lubes I’ve encountered. It has a strong fruity lemonade scent, but only light to moderate flavor, so it isn’t overwhelming or sickly sweet. It works quite well as a lube, especially considering it’s flavored (most flavored lubes tend to be stickier and less useful for actually lubricating). It has a body-happy formula, a quality Sliquid products are known for. And its pink lemonade flavor is unique and refreshingly different from the usual strawberry/cherry flavors of most flavored lubes.

The Babeland Buzz is a waterproof and easy-to-use bullet vibrator. It has a simple one-button control, and provides strong buzzy vibrations. It has all the convenience and fun of a good bullet vibe, plus it comes in a cute sparkly pink color! Note: be careful to tap the batteries all the way down when putting them in, as I found it was easy to get them not-quite-all-the-way in by accident and think the toy was breaking (see video).

For the full scoop on the Mystic Wand, you can check out my review of it from last year. In short, the Mystic Wand is a portable, battery-powered vibrator. It has a variety of settings with powerful vibrations, and is nice and lightweight. Plus, the button panel has a really bright blue light, so you can pretend you have some strange piece of alien technology between your thighs (if that’s your thing)!