Sex Toys Review (4)

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Again, this month, a mixture of girls' and boys' toys are up for review from our dedicated testers... 'CurvierBunny' took a look at a couple of girls' toys for us...

Gleamy

I haven't quite worked out why this is called 'Gleamy', as it doesn't really gleam in a gemstone-like fashion. However, this is an attractive vibe, the swirly patterns on it make it aesthetically pleasing and the phthalate-free 100% surgical-grade silicon it's made of make it safe, hygienic, easy to clean and odourless (am I the only girl who hates that 'sex-toy' smell? I doubt it).

If I were to describe Gleamy in a nutshell, I would do it thus: this is basically a version of the rabbit vibrator without the rabbit part. Clear as mud, eh? Gleamy comes with a 'squirmy' setting. Push a button and the top of the vibe wriggles around in a similar style to the beads in the shaft portion of a rabbit vibrator. So, if you found you didn't like the extra clitoral stimulation of the rabbit, this is the vibrator for you. The squirmy setting also changes direction at the touch of a button, great for introducing a different sensation in the middle of play.

The vibrating motor is located in the top of the vibrator, great for clitoral and other external stimulation and also for hitting the G-spot if you (or your willing partner) angle the vibrator correctly. The controls are mounted on the bottom of the vibe. The top button switches the squirmy part on and off, next is the directional-change button, third is the vibration on/off switch and lastly there's the vibration-intensity speed button.

All in all I found this to be a good vibrator, but the four different buttons took a bit of getting used to, and it's not a vibe to use if there's a chance you'll be interrupted by kids, flatmates, etc. But, its fiddly buttons make it the perfect excuse to recruit someone to help out with the controls. It's not a silent vibe, but very few of the good ones are; it's certainly not the loudest on the market, put it that way. It was fun to use and good for the times when you just don't want the fullon intensity of a rabbit vibrator. I'll be adding this to my collection of 'regulars', if you know what I mean!

Supplied by www.cherrybliss.com

Hush Bunny Turbo

In theory, the Hush Bunny should be the best friend of any girl with a regular male partner. Described as 'the ultimate couple's toy', this basically turns your man into a rampant rabbit. Serving a dual purpose as a clitoral stimulator for her and softly vibrating cockring for him, the Hush Bunny Turbo is very stretchy and flexible with a small but powerful wireless bullet inside the bunny part. This waterproof toy is made from hypoallergenic, phthalate-free silicone, which makes it easy to clean and very unlikely to cause allergic reactions (should not be used with a silicon lube). The Hush Bunny Turbo is marketed at both men and women. For women, you have the bunny clitoral stimulator made (in)famous by the original rabbit vibrators, meaning that if you were not previously the kind of girl who orgasmed from penetration alone you might be now - and you have the option to use it on a standard vibrator if the real thing is unavailable. For men, this product offers the same increased staying power as a cock-ring with the additional vibration for a novel sensation. It's also pretty quiet, which is definitely a bonus.

If I were to be honest about this vibe I would say that, as far as couples' play is concerned, this is not the toy for a man who has never experienced cock-rings, vibrating cock-rings or anything in that genre before. My partner was one such toy virgin, and he struggled with the new feeling of a cock-ring and a big bunny clitoral stimulator between us and to be honest, I don't blame him. If I had had the choice, I would have started him with a very simple-cock ring - perhaps one that vibrated but certainly not one with a big extension on it - get him used to the sensations and work up to the Hush Bunny when he was ready. But, if your man (or men) is experienced with various attachments and extras, then you will both get a lot of pleasure out of this. I enjoyed the sensations a lot, but not enough to justify the discomfort my partner was experiencing,
I prefer everyone to be having as much fun as each other when it comes to sex. Oh, and while I remember, if your man is the kind that lets his public hair grow free, it might be worth giving him a trim round the base of his penis, if this ring catches long hairs it really wouldn't be a nice experience for him.

All in all, I enjoyed this a lot, but I won't be using it again until I've tried more basic attachments on my partner to get him used to the different sensations.

Bebop Baby

What makes this waterproof multi-speed vibrator different from the bog-standard number is that its surface is a mass of mini 'polka-dots' in horiontal stripes (rather unalluringly, I found) in blue and purple. Odd shades for a sex toy...

Each polka-dot has a short filament which vibrates rather excitingly when switched on - the effect is rather like a stripy shivering cactus. Certainly the sensation when held against the skin is light and tickling - the sort of thing that if you rubbed it over your cheeks (facial ones!) you'd expect a mild exfoliating effect!

The manufacturers say you should use a lube - and although it's not a very large vibe - just 10 cm above the screw-on base - its surface is heavily textured and a bit of lube is essential to start off. The base control turns up the strength of vibration, traditional style, and one of the most pleasing aspects was enjoying the almost 'frilly' vibrations as an external stimulator. I have to say that having sampled the generous proportions of standard rabbit vibrators, this is a bit on the mean side when it comes to length - especially as the screw-on base is quite stubby. The unit is waterproof - which adds to its appeal - but I'd have to say it's not up there with the rabbits, so to speak!

Supplied by www.toyjoy.nl

Luckier took a look at four toys for guys, including a turbo hand-job, another 'sex in the can', three male g-spot masturbators, and the magic wand from Sex in the City!

Xtreme Optimum Power Hand Job Turbo Stroker

Having previously used a couple of different versions of the Robo Suck masturbator (and still having one of them for regular use), I had great expectations for this Hand Job Turbo Stroker, as it appears to use the same technology and design, and I was expecting it to give me an even better sensation than the Robo Suck. I was also expecting it to make me cum loads into its 'soft life-like futurotic climatic sleeve' (a bit like a Fleshlight insert, noduled and with a realistic feel) but very disappointingly, there was no way it was going to do that - to simulate the sensation and feeling of a great hand-job.

Despite what it claimed on the box - that it would give me an incredible masturbation journey, engulfing the full length of my penis, with the 'Incredible Stroking Hands' rubbing up and down my cock, creating (it said on the packaging), the perfect hand-job, and giving me the ability to reach new optimum heights of pleasure, it did nothing of the sort. Shame really, because I thought it had a very sexy 'red' look, and even though its 'Newly Designed EZ-Grip Turbo Power Pak' was very plasticky, I still remained hopeful. But I soon felt very let down. In fact, so bad was it that I eventually gave up and decided to administer the hand-job myself! After all, isn't a handjob meant to be a pleasure - erotic, sensual, fun and fulfilling? Of course it is. But you won't get any of that if you rely on the Turbo Stroker, so my recommendation is if you are thinking of getting yourself one, DON'T! because, I reckon you will be very disappointed - as I was.

It appears to have all the right ingredients to make it work as it should, but it just does not come through with anything near the sensation that you get from a DIY hand-job. I think one of the problems is that the plastic hands are not flexible at all, so all they do is just vertically slide up and down at a most unrealistically high speed and never even touch your penis - let alone stroke it. Surely the object of the toy is lost! And something else that was very offputting - how noisy it was. It makes such a racket. As soon as you switch it on, the hands start racing up and down the sleeve that hugs your penis (the only good thing about it) at a rate of knots, which you cannot slow down for love or money! In the end I was pleased to switch it off as I believe that the best hand-jobs in the world come from slow and unhurried stroking, so this toy, with all its downsides, was never going to come close.

Certainly, it won't give you the kind of sensation that you would expect from such an expensive product. If I was asked to rate it on a scale from one to ten, I would probably give it naught!

Supplied by SexToys.co.uk

Vibrating Travel Honeypot

Nowhere near as bad is the Vibrating Travel Honeypot, which is, in more ways than one, very much like the Pink Fleshlight (see SHM 1), but with just a couple of marked differences. One for and one against! Like the Fleshlight, it's housed in a canister that is meant to look like a utility flashlight, and while it may look slightly more like one than the Fleshlight does, it still isn't going to be mistaken for one. The one advantage, I suppose, is that its smaller size is easier to conceal from prying eyes. But don't let the size put you off. This is still a good runner-up to the Fleshlight if you enjoy sexual self pleasure and cumming inside a vagina masturbator when there isn't a real-life one around. And for just half the price of the Fleshlight, it's a pretty good buy. The insert, too, is made from much the same realistic material as the Fleshlight, and comes pretty close for feel and realism (with one main exception that I will go into later).

But perhaps one of the winning features over the Fleshlight is that the Honeypot has its own multi-speed vibrating unit built into its base, which adds a much nicer feel. The vaginal insert, though, is what lets the Honeypot down slightly. Sure, it has good nodules running inside the length of it, and true, the insert can be removed from the canister for easy maintenance and cleaning, but there is one very noticeable exception for which the Honeypot loses points on realism. The entry to the vagina is very much smaller, and in my opinion, not as realistic, not as detailed and not as life-size or realistic. That's what I really like about the Fleshlight so much - it was so close to the real thing in size and feel and look. The entry into the Honeypot is quite a lot tighter, and even for me, with a manageable-sized penis, I found I needed to use a lot more lube to enter it, but once inside, then there is little difference between the two products. Apart from that, I would say it is almost as good as the Fleshlight, or comes a pretty close second, and with the built-in vibrator (even if it is a bit noisy), I think it will leave you feeling pretty much satisfied. Certainly, if you don't want to spend twice as much for an item that more or less does the same thing, then this is a very good alternative. In fact, I would say that the Honeypot is perhaps best described, simply as a cheaper version of the Fleshlight, and one I would recommend you consider adding to your collection if you don't have the Fleshlight. I was pretty chuffed with it for its ability to completely satisfy, please and make me cum!

Supplied by LoveHoney.co.uk

Nexus Excel/Glide/Titus

Although I have always been one of those guys who loves to have my arse touched and played with, it was not until recently that I wanted to try penetration with an anal toy. The Nexus male G-spot massager came along just as I had started to experiment with self anal sex, and I was curious to try it out, but wasn't quite ready to do so until now, for this review.

I was hoping that one of the three models from the Nexus series (the Excel, Glide and Titus) that were sent to me to try out would do what I had read they do, and that was to massage my prostrate to the point that I would experience a full-body orgasm, which according to those that who have tried it, iss out of this world. And what's more it would be one of the strongest and most powerful I had yet experienced - so I was very much up for giving them a try when they arrived. The first thing I did though was go through the preparation that is recommended in the instructions, and also a few of my own. One of them was pleasuring myself by massaging my inner bum-cheeks and inner thighs, and another was taking enough time to seductively lubricate my anus with my fingers slipping in and out, adding more lube, and generally making myself feel good so that when the time came to insert the Nexus, I felt really relaxed, comfortable and ready.

If you're worried about having something like this toy in your 'back door' then don't be. Insertion is easy with a bit of practise, and a lot of lube, and as long as you take it slowly and gradually, it will be fine. And let's face it, the practise can be one of the most enjoyable things about playing with something new. But if you are still unsure about anal play and perhaps before forking out for a Nexus, why not pleasure yourself down there with your fingers to see how you like it. Another thing I learnt about anal play with the Nexus was that it was not going to be like penetrating myself with a vibrator, a dildo, a butt plug or anal beads. Oh no, this was going to be ohhhh... so much more, and that was down to the fact that this rather unique toy works on body movement - the more you move your body, the more positions you try out, the more it is going to make you cum, or should I say, cum without barely touching your penis apart from the odd stroke here and there. My kind of toy!

What is perhaps so good about the Nexus range is the rather neat rollerball that can be removed and cleaned, and even heated in warm water before use.When it's in use, the ball rolls back and forth, giving out the most delicious pressure between your scrotum and your anus, with delicate, almost tongue-like sensations on the outer access to your G-spot. It licks with lovely short, firm strokes. If you do venture to try it out, be prepared to take time with it. If you are anything like me, you will be probably be playing with it for at least an hour or more as it also has the ability to give you the wildest orgasm without ejaculation. So you could well be on the verge of cumming for at least half of that time and that's the beauty of it. Prolonged sensations! All in all, a simply brilliant toy for first-time anal users and also for those more experienced.What is also nice about the range is that they come in different colours, shapes and sizes, ribbed, unribbed, with pebble-shaped heads, and with thick and thin shafts, all for different sensations, so you can choose which one is best for you and which one you think will give you the kind of intensity you are looking to experience.What more could you ask for?

Supplied by Pleasure2Me.co.uk

Hitachi Magic Wand Massager

I first spotted this mains-powered massager in an American girl-2-girl video in which one of the girls was using it on the other to give her clitoral stimulation and to make her cum, and of course, it has been more widely seen in Sex In the City. I investigated to see if it was available in the UK, as I thought it would be something that would be fun to use for my DIY sessions to stimulate my penis, but before splashing out, I thought I ought to read some online reviews. Even though the general opinion said it was more a clitoral toy for women, it was also being used by couples on each other, and the one review that was the deciding factor for me to go ahead and get it, was how one guy found it absolutely amazing when his partner used it on his scrotum.

But I also discovered that it was never really meant to be a sex toy. It was originally sold (and still is to this day) as a straight stress-relieving massager, but since its appearance in Sex in the City, it seems to have become more popular as a masturbator than for the massage purposes for which it was intended, and perhaps that is the appeal and beauty of it as a sex toy. And even more so now that several anal and vaginal attachments have been made available so that it can be used for internal stimulation as well as externally.

What I liked about it most is the large and flexible round head that, with the choice of two speeds, can give out some really nice and intense erotic massages that I think would have most, both male and female, pretty much satisfied. Some say, however, that the vibrations are a little too strong, and certainly a lot of women won't use it directly on their clit without a towel, and I must admit I also like to have a towel or a pair of thongs or a pouch on when I use it on myself. But I also like to use it when I am naked. I love the feeling of it on the base of my penis and under my balls and then even better when I lightly run it up and down my penis, over the penis head and then slide it back down to do all the other bits around my scrotum. It really does give out some very sensuous feelings.

But I also think its one of those toys that will either work for you or it won't. I remember using it on a playmate and it did nothing for him whatsoever, so as with all things in the sex-toy department, it's down to what you like and what you don't. But I like this, and also like to use it in conjunction with an anal toy. OK, there are downsides and the only real one, which seems to be a common problem among vibrators is that this one is noisy, and that can be really offputting - but if you are looking for a toy that gives out strong vibrations and you can ignore the fact that it isn't that quiet, this will probably work for you. Certainly I think you would be hard pushed to find something with stronger vibrations than this. I should also mention that you will need a converter to use this in a standard UK power socket, but then again, most online suppliers who are selling this, generally speaking, include the converter with it, but it's worth checking when you purchase.

Supplied by LoveHoney.co.uk