The Tantus T-Rex

Apr 102012
 

Sometimes, what you really need is a great big dildo.  Maybe you need it to accessorize for your next party, maybe you need a little something masculine for your altar, or maybe that special someone just knows what they like!  No matter what, you’ll be ready to give it to ‘em with the Tantus T-Rex and a lot of lube.

  • Toy:  T-Rex (sent by Babeland.com for review)
  • Type: (Very big) Dildo
  • Manufacturer: Tantus
  • Material: Silicone
  • Price: $99
  • SMT rating: N/A
Nowhere near actual size

The Tantus T-Rex lives up to its name

Let’s get the obvious, most important point out of the way first: the T-Rex is big.  This high-quality silicone dildo by Tantus measures 2-1/4″ across and 6-7″ insertable length.  I think that numbers don’t really communicate the massive-feeling girth of this toy, so you’re well-advised to check out the video above so you can see how it looks in relation to other objects, like a hand (I can’t even get mine all the way around it!).
So, other than its hulking presence, what else is there to know about the T-Rex?  Well, it’s by Tantus, and that means it’s high-quality.  It is also quite lovely, and could be considered a functional piece of art.    It’s nicely detailed, with some well-formed ridges, ‘veins,’ and other flourishes, enough to make it semi-realistic, but not enough to make it uncannily so.  Since it’s made from high-quality silicone, it’s easily cleanable (like most Tantus toys)–you can boil it, run it through the dishwasher without soap or bleach, or wash it with antibacterial hand soap.  It’s also fairly heavy, around 1.5-2 pounds.  Since it’s got some attached balls, it’s harness-compatible, but be aware that you’ll need a larger ring than most other harness-compatible dildos, and a stretchy one at that.   It has a nice bit of flexibility, but is still firm enough to be usable for anal play.
Bottom line, make sure you’re really looking for something this large and get a sense for how thick it is.  If you do want a large toy, this is a fantastic one, because it is difficult to find high-quality toys in this size.  If it’s what you’re looking for, you’re very likely to be happy with the T-Rex.  And, hey, even if you don’t know anyone who can take it, you can wear it around to make one hell of a first impression.
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Not So Sweet on the Honi

Dec 112011
 

The Honi is a cute, larger-sized bullet vibe, but it’s just not sweet enough to be worth the effort.  It could use a bit more power, unless you’re a light touch, and (in what seems to be a pattern for the Picobong brand and, to a lesser extent, its parent brand, Lelo), it leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to ease of cleaning.

  • Toy: Honi (sent by Babeland.com for review)
  • Type: Bullet vibrator
  • Manufacturer: Picobong
  • Material: Silicone and ABS plastic
  • Price: $34
  • SMT rating: 0
The Picobong Honi lacks the power and ease of cleaning necessary to capture our hearts
The Picobong Honi is a fairly standard bullet vibrator.  It’s made from silicone (for the vibrating end) and ABS plastic (for the screw-cap/battery case end) and, at 3″ long and 1″ wide, is a little larger than the standard bullet vibe.  This larger size is nice, giving bullet vibe users more of a choice in terms of size variety, and is one of the Honi’s strengths.  It also has a nice, solid retrieval cord that makes it easy to remove if it’s being used internally.  Plus, it runs on a single AAA battery rather than expensive and harder to obtain watch batteries like some of its bullet relatives.
The Honi, however, failed to impress on several levels.  First, its vibration felt a bit lackluster, and we would’ve preferred a strong motor.  Those who prefer a lighter vibration, of course, may consider this a  pro instead of a con.  Second, the section where the plastic battery-cap screws onto the body leaves a small ridge that collects lube and body fluids; this section will need special attention during cleaning but this cleaning must be done carefully to avoid getting water in the battery area.  Furthermore, the unscrewing cap portion has hollow areas that require a Q-tip to get clean.  And, as a lesser cleaning complaint, the engraved Picobong lettering can be somewhat annoying to properly scrub out, as well.  On a non-cleaning note, the +/- buttons are hidden in the engraved Picobong logo lettering, which will make them difficult to find for visually-disabled users.  Overall, the Picobong just didn’t seem to have a lot of thought put into its design, particularly for cleaning purposes, and wasn’t powerful enough to be worth using, in our opinion.
 Babeland Products, Blog Entries, Reviews, Toys  2 Responses »  Tagged with: , , , , ,

Get Some Cush-in’ for the Pushin’

Dec 112011
 

They say that the winter holidays are a time for giving and that giving is more fun than receiving, but I think that you can have fun on either end–or both–with this toy.  The Cush is a dual-density silicone dildo by Tantus with a semi-realistic shape and a gorgeous, unrealistic color.  It’s on the hefty side of moderate (see the video) and plenty firm with a wide flared base, for fun anywhere you want to put it.  In addition to the great feel of the firmer core and the somewhat softer outer layer, this is a uniquely beautiful dildo.  It makes use of having two layers of silicone by putting a frosty white color over a rich purple core.

  • Toy: Cush (sent by Babeland.com for review)
  • Type: Dildo
  • Manufacturer: Tantus
  • Material: Silicone
  • Price: $62
  • SMT rating: N/A
The Tantus Cush is a gorgeous and delicious-feeling silicone dildo
Like the previously reviewed Tantus Bandit and Mark, the Cush is a dual-density dildo; it has a firm silicone core, with a softer, squishier silicone outer layer.  As with the Bandit and Mark, this dual-density silicone gives the Cush a deliciously realistic feel.  The Cush’s density is a little firmer than some other dual-density toys, making it plenty flexible but not too much so.  It has a very nice feel to the touch and is enjoyable to squeeze with a hand or other body parts.  The Cush’s 6.5″ are pleasantly smooth with some texturing on the shaft, and its 1.75″ width gives it some nice heft.
The best part, however, of the Cush is how beautiful it is.  Unlike the Bandit and Mark, which are flesh-colored, the Cush embraces an unrealistic aesthetic, with a frosted-white outer layer and purple core.  The purple of the core peeks through differently depending on the thickness of the outer layer in the given area, and gives it a very pretty sort of “icicle with snow on top” look.
As far as I’m concerned, the Cush doesn’t really have any downsides or caveats to speak of.  As usual, it is important to note that since the Cush is a silicone toy, it shouldn’t be used with silicone lubricant.  This is particularly important for these dual-density toys, as the squishy outer layer of silicone can be particularly vulnerable to a conflict with silicone lube.

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Review of Babeland’s Mahana Duo Vibe

Nov 042011
 

  • 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:
 Babeland Products, Reviews, Sex Ed You Can Use, Toys  2 Responses »  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Minna Ola Responds to Your Touch

Aug 292011
 

 

  • Toy: Ola (sent by Babeland.com for review)
  • Type: Rechargeable vibrator, mostly button-free controls, touch-responsive vibration, waterproof
  • Manufacturer: Minna
  • Material: Silicone
  • Price: $165
  • SMT rating: Strong 0 if you squeeze hard, but not quite a 1.

The sex toy industry is always looking for the newest, fanciest, prettiest way to seduce you into purchasing a brand new best friend.  Sometimes, these attempts are gimmicky flops, but every now and then one of their crazy ideas really hits the spot, if I ain’t being too subtle.  The Ola by Minna (aka the Minna Ola) gives us a truly original way to control the power of this S-shaped, waterproof, rechargeable sex toy.  The underside of the small part of the S is a squeezable, soft, enticing little touch-pad that reacts to pressure.  Stroke it softly, and it responds with an immediate rumbling purr.  The harder you squeeze it, the more intense the vibrations get, culminating in a very respectable intensity level.

The Minna Ola lets you make your own vibration patterns and control them by touch

The Minna Ola is rechargeable, and its recharger connection is magnetic, which makes it easy to line up and attach.  Thoughtfully, the Ola lets you know how charged it is by vibrating one to three times (three being fully charged) when it’s turned on; this is much more useful for people who are visually impaired than the “blinking light” method of demonstrating charge that many other toys use.  The S-shape of the toy works with the body in all sorts of delightful ways, whether you use it on the vulva or in the vagina.  The main draw, of course, is the touch-responsiveness.  You can use this to create all sorts of fun sensations and patterns, and when you find a favorite, you can use the second button on the toy to memorize and repeat a pattern until you want to give it a new one.  The Ola even comes fully charged, so you can start playing with it right away!
The touch-responsiveness of the Ola may be a downside, depending on what you like from a toy.  If you enjoy upping the vibration intensity or flipping through patterns by simply hitting a button, you may find the touch-pad too fussy a way of controlling the toy.  While this touch-vibration style makes it a great toy for exploring, either with a partner or solo, the creativity necessary to use it effectively keeps it from being totally effortless.  It’s intuitive, but not effortless.  The body isn’t flexible, which could be a plus or a minus, depending on what you’re looking for.  Finally, like any other silicone toy, you need to use water-based lubes, not silicone-based, with the Ola.
Overall, the Ola is a cool new type of  vibrator.  Its touch pad is intuitive and easy to use and allows you to let your creativity shine in what sorts of patterns you make for yourself (or your partner).  It’s a fun, sexy toy, and while the touch-pad is certainly unique, it isn’t a cheap gimmick.  The Minna Ola is being sold exclusively through Babeland, and I appreciate that they sent me a copy of this delicious toy for review.

 

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The Amor from Over the Rainbow

May 052011
 


Sometimes, the perfect penis is an absolutely average-sized one.  You mean, you gotta figure that Mother Nature knew what she was doing with the design specs, there.  However, I do have to admit that a dildo with rainbow stripes might even be  a little bit extra-perfect.  No offense, Mother Nature!  So, is the Rainbow Amor the most perfect penis of all?  Read on to find out.

  • Toy: Rainbow Amor (sent by Babeland.com for review)
  • Type: Dildo, harness-compatible, rainbow-colored!
  • Manufacturer: Fun Factory
  • Material: Silicone
  • Price: $65
  • SMT rating: N/A

Babeland's limited-edition Rainbow version of the Amor is deliciously colorful

 

Fun Factory spoils us so.  Not only do they may fantastic, body-friendly and oh-so-good toys, they’re now releasing a delightfully colorful version of their Amor dildo: it’s the Rainbow Amor!

Other than the beautiful coloring (and, seriously, look at how cute and pretty that is), what makes the Rainbow Amor so great?  It’s made from medical-grade silicone, so it’s body-friendly, but it has some give that is reminiscent of old-school extra-firm jelly toys without all the health risks.  It has a soft, flexible flared base that is comfortable against the pubic bone when worn in a strap-on harness.  Its curved shape is moderate but noticeable, gives nice G-spot pressure, and feels filling without being a large toy.  For those who prefer a more realistic size, the Amor is 5.5″ long and 1.5″ wide, which is about the national average for penis size.

And, finally: HELLO, IT IS RAINBOW-COLORED.  How awesome is that?

There aren’t any downsides to the Rainbow Amor, per se, but it may have some features which bother you depending on your personal taste.  First, since it’s about average for real penis sizes, it’s a bit on the small side, especially lengthwise, with regards to its size compared to other dildos.  Also, if you prefer your dildos to look realistic, clearly the rainbow coloring of this toy might be too much for you.  Since it’s a smooth, non-textured shape, this also makes it a less realistic toy.  And, finally, it’s worth repeating that since this is a silicone toy, it is not compatible with silicone lubricants.

Overall, the Rainbow Amor is a great dildo.  Not only is it a nice, friendly, average-size with a good shape for G-spot stimulation and pleasant, giving texture, it is also a beautiful rainbow color that pretty much guarantees it will be the belle of the ball at any Pride celebration.

 

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