LELO Ella provided for review by Babeland

Mimi

The LELO Ella is a coveted toy for many people, and understandably, considering it feels as luxurious as it looks (very) and it is designed to deliver g-spot orgasms. Pure silicone, velvety purple, and 7″ x 1-1/2″ at widest point.  It’s light and slightly flexible, yet sturdy enough to handle vigorous thrusting. Sounds fantastic, right? Keep reading.

I have had g-spot orgasms, both with and without ejaculation (or squirting), with the use of njoy’s Fun Wand or LELO’s Gigi and a vibrator on my clit. Both of the curved g-spot toys I just listed are harder and less flexible than the Ella, but they are just as smooth, well-made, and fantastic. However, a lot of effort is required for me and I even give my g-spot a “head start” over the clitoral stimulation. The Ella is even more difficult for me, which I was a bit surprised by.

The handle is long enough to maneuver and there are no buttons to worry about (like the Gigi), but there’s something about it’s shape and silicone handle that makes it hard to hold and thrust. My fingers slide out of place and it’s very upsetting. I find myself having to pause to re-adjust my fingers, which is totally not what I want to be doing when I’m getting close to exploding all over my sheets.

And perhaps I prefer the harder and less flexible feel of those other toys. Still, that’s personal preference, and the Ella is shaped perfectly for g-spot stimulation. That counts the most.

If you have difficulty with reaching a g-spot orgasm, don’t stress yourself out over it. It takes time and practice. And sometimes it just doesn’t happen. The point is to have a good time.

The great thing about silicone, in case you didn’t know, is that it can be sterilized after use by boiling it for about 10 minutes or putting it in the dishwasher without soap. This means you can share it with other people.

Joseph

Well, usually I sheepishly describe the materials and cleaning precautions with a vaginal insertion toy. You know, because I don’t have a vagina. No matter what you heard, I really don’t have one.

But this time Mimi covered all of that as well as the vagina factor (that would be a good band name) so I’ll just have to talk about my experiences using it on her.

The Ella is significantly better to use than the Gigi from my perspective because the handle is longer and there is not a big button right where my thumb should be. I can hold on and thrust really well and for much longer quite comfortably.

The Naked Truth

Aesthetics: 5 out of 5 stars

Ease of Cleaning: 5 out of 5 stars

Functionality: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Getting Undressed is better when you tell everyone on the internet!

Bend over Beginner Kit provided for review by Babeland

Joseph

We live in a very strange culture. On one hand there is sex in nearly every advertising message that we see. And boy do we see them. It is estimated the average American is confronted with 3,000 advertising messages in some form per day.

Then on the other hand, our national stance on sex is the equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears and shouting LALALLALALLALA! I am referring, of course, to the fact that a huge number of schools in this nation still teach abstinence only sex education. Because if you don’t teach kids about sex, they won’t have it!

This type of ignorance mixed with over stimulation often gives rise to confusing feelings and the proliferation of misguided concepts about sex and sexuality. Don’t tell me that you have never heard the ludicrous assertions “If I have sex on my period, I can’t get pregnant” or “Well, a blowjob is not sex so you can’t catch anything from giving one“ or the slightly more articulated “If a man receives anal sex, that makes him a fag.”

I grew up in this environment (and I imagine most of you did, too) and while I was able to get my hands on good solid information about sex and sexuality, I am still aware of the general climate in which I live and operate.

It is with that in mind that I announce our first ever review series: The Bend over Beginner kit from Tantus. The reason that we have chosen to do this in a series is because pegging is a very sensitive subject both where we live and at large. We are hoping that by going slowly with this subject, we can cover it more completely and address some of the issues that people have with it.

In this installation we are simply going to talk about the product itself.

The kit is two 100% silicone dildos (7/8″ x 4-1/2″ and 1-1/4″ x 5-1/2″), an adjustable (up to 60″) velvet harness with a pocket for the included bullet vibrator. It also has an interchangeable O-ring in case you want to use larger dildos.

As always with Tantus, the quality of all the materials seems very high and everything is easily cleanable. The harness is machine washable and the dildos can be sanitized via boiling or washing with bleach.

The next installment will cover how the harness fits, warm up and the use of the smaller dildos.

Do YOU have any experience pegging or being pegged? Share your experience with us. Either leave a comment or send us an email. Whichever you are more comfortable with.

Getting Undressed is better when you tell everyone on the internet!

The Alumina Revolve provided for review by ProductEROTICA.com (their site seems to be down, but they really did send it to us.)

Mimi

When looking at the Alumina Revolve, in all of its shiny purple aluminum splendor, I suspected it might just be a nice looking toy with mediocre results. (Of course it looks good. It’s a Tantus product.) There are those sensual, smooth bulbs to consider, certainly, but it’s straight instead of curved, and curved toys tend to be the winners of my g-spot. I am pleased to announce that my initial suspicions were incorrect – the Alumina Revolve is a gorgeous double-sided dildo that performs as well as it looks.

The curved design is a preference of mine because it often makes accurate thrusting against my g-spot easier, for both myself and my lover. And if I want more pressure, I can easily push down on the end I’m holding, thus pushing the end inside up against my g-spot even harder. It’s perfect. The glory of the Alumina Revolve is that the side with only one bulb at the end is large enough that you probably won’t need a curved design in order to hit your g-spot. Thrust, lean back, sigh. It’s also good for partnered play for that reason as well – he or she doesn’t have to worry quite so much about continually hitting just the right spot inside of you.

At 8 inches in length and 1 3/8 inch in diameter, the Alumina Revolve is long enough for you or a lover to hold either end comfortably. This is especially important when squirting. My only complaint for my other two g-spot loving toys – the njoy Fun Wand and the LELO Gigi – is that their small design can make them difficult to handle once the juices start flowing. If you’re like me and your orgasms are best with continual thrusting through to the very delicious, overwhelming end, then of course any slippery disruption to the thrusting is frustrating.

The length of the Alumina Revolve is also handy (heh, get it, handle, handy) when using it for anal play. I would not normally suggest using a toy that does not have a flared base anally, but as long as you’re careful to hold onto the Alumina Revolve tightly, it should not cause you a problem. You’d have to REALLY not be paying attention to get this 8 inch long toy stuck in your own or someone else’s ass. Besides, those rippling, graduating bulbs on the other end of the Alumina Revolve sort of beg to be in your ass, don’t they?

Or was it my ass that was begging? It’s hard to keep track of these things sometimes.

In any case, it feels very good without being much of a strain on your behind, thus making
it an excellent warm-up toy or easy addition to a masturbation session. If you want a different option for play, every Alumina product is capable of being unscrewed and attached to another. I’ll let Joseph elaborate on that and the clean up (which is a snap).
In case you’re incredibly dense and hadn’t noticed it yet, I am really impressed with this toy. Really. It has enlightened me. I feel like I need to make a pilgrimage to Tantus. I won’t, but you know, that’s how I feel.

Joseph

Although she tested it while I was out, I can attest that Mimi’s drooling praise is 100 percent genuine. There was quite a wet spot on the sheet AND a wet towel AND a smirking Mimi with the purple wonder not far away when I returned.

Even from my perspective, I have to say this is one hell of a toy. It is beautiful, safe, and very functional. What more could you possibly ask?

The box claims that it is made from aeronautical aluminum. Frankly, I don’t know what that means. What I do know is that it is made from anodized aluminum. I will spare you the technical process, but basically that means that it is aluminum that has been chemically and electrically bound to its coating. The benefit of this process is that the Revolve is easily disinfected and much more durable than traditional aluminum. It is also one of the most environmentally safe metal treating processes. It is also fully recyclable. That’s a good thing.

Ok, I know you don’t give a shit about the process by which it is made, so I’ll drop that. Let’s move on to cleaning!

To clean:

Use warm soapy water or put in dishwasher (oh snap).

To disinfect:

Clean with 10% bleach solution or boil.

Quite easy.

Aside from being easy to clean, the Alumina line has another great feature: They are interchangeable!

There are four products in this line and they all come apart roughly in the middle. The ends can then be swapped as you see fit. Any end will fit into any other end. The screw in the middle comes out so you can swap male and female ends. Head on over to Tantus’ website and look at the full line: Pace, Motion, Flow, and Revolve.

We haven’t gotten our hands on any of the others yet, but we hope to someday. Until then we’re more than happy with the Revolve by itself.

P.S.

The Alumina line retains temperature remarkably well. This means that a dunk in a warm glass of water makes it sooo niiiiice. But, if you leave in your cold ass bedside table and try and use it, you’ll receive a squeal and a smack for sure.

The Naked Truth

Aesthetics: 5 out of 5 stars

Ease of Cleaning: 5 out of 5 stars

Functionality: 5 out of 5 stars

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

FUCK YEAH purple rock star!

Getting Undressed is better when you tell everyone on the internet!

Getting Undressed is better when you tell everyone on the internet!

Divine Vibrator provided by Babeland

Joseph

The Divine Vibe by Doc. Johnson is somewhat less than divine. Or at least, that what it seems like from my perspective.

That’s the thing, my perspective, as one without a vagina is somewhat limited about things like g-spot stimulators and vibrators meant to be inserted into said non-existent vagina. Therefore, I’ll just break down the dimensions and logistics of this bad mama jama.

The Divine Vibe is an 8” x 1 ¾” variable speed vibrator that has a curvature intended to stimulate the G-spot internally. It is made of ABS (the same stuff as Lego blocks) plastic which is a durable and recyclable plastic made comprised of a mix of elastomer, rubber, and hard plastic. ABS will dissolve when exposed to acetone, so no harsh cleaners.

The vibe comes in two colors, “Yin and Yang” (read: Black and White to the non-marketing goon) and is packaged in a mostly clear plastic container that says “Harmony” for reasons we cannot discern.  It takes two AAA batteries which are not included and has a single button to control the speeds (low, medium, high). I feel kind of silly because it seems like I should be able to figure this out, but there is a symbol on the box and the bottom to the vibe that confuses me. It is a trashcan with a big X over it. I guess this means that this toy must not be thrown away…so….what should you do with it when you are finished getting in sync with your inner core? This? Really, click on that link. It is worth it.

As far as using it on someone, it is pretty easy on the hand. The big, bulbous base makes it very easy to grip and maneuver and the ABS keeps the temp nice and slightly cool.

Because if you don’t “close cap tightly” bad things could happen.

Mimi

Let me just start by saying that I have an odd relationship with g-spot vibrating toys. I tend to dislike them. (I’ll write more about this for our upcoming Lelo Gigi review.) Still, I am open to experimentation and Doc. Johnson’s Divine Vibe could be used in various other ways, so I decided to give it a try.

I received the Yin (black) Doc. Johnson’s Divine Vibe and after pressing the button down toward the battery compartment three times to feel the three different settings, I was pretty convinced that I might actually have a clitoral orgasm with this toy. The low and middle setting are worthy yet the highest setting is the one I used the most.

It didn’t happen. I tried on several occasions, and although it felt good, it didn’t feel close to good enough. I ended up pulling out my Hitachi every time.

We decided that Joseph should use it on me while I use the Hitachi to see how it feels inside me as well as handled by another person.

That was a whole lot of vibrating.

Due to the width and shape of the Divine Vibe, I felt rather “full” while it was inside me. Eventually I had a clitoral orgasm, which felt good. It was a slow burn.

Then I went to wash the Divine Vibe and realized there is a tiny crevice between the “head” of the vibrator and those three ridges in the center. This tiny crevice is a collector, and it is hard to clean. At least it’s waterproof and you can submerge and scrub to your heart’s content. Maybe you don’t care about something as tiny as that crevice.

Maybe you should go masturbate with some Legos then. At least you could build cool shit afterwards.

As I mentioned, it is waterproof and it functions really well as a vibrator that lives in the bathroom and is used on my clit occasionally in the shower as a warm-up. And it does feel great in that capacity. It teases while stimulating because you need more, and that’s where other toys or partners come in. Hopefully.

Divine? More like Pretty Good to Have Around.

The Naked Truth:

Intensity: 4 out of 5 stars

Volume: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Aesthetic design: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Versatility: 3 out of 5 stars

Ease of cleaning: 2 out of 5 stars

Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Jesus: Yo, B! Who the hell is this lumpy fool?

Buddha: I dunno, but he a jive-ass sucka!

Getting Undressed is better when you tell everyone on the internet!

Mimi

I purchased njoy’s Fun Wand almost two years ago to accompany my Hitachi Magic Wand from Babeland after searching online for the right dildo. My specifications were for the toy to be metal, glass, or silicone; double sided; curved for g-spot stimulation; and slender.

Medical-grade stainless steel, 1” at its widest, curved perfectly for g-spot stimulation, and double sided with one end beaded – the Fun Wand seemed perfect. The graduated beads were a selling point for me because I wanted to have the option of that sensation. If you’ve read my other reviews, you know that I prefer versatile toys.

When I first held it in my hands I remember thinking that 11 ounces was heavier than I thought, but the weight felt “right”. Not heavy enough to be scary, not light enough to incite apathy. Very satisfying. I also enjoyed how responsive the Fun Wand is to temperature. (It seems redundant to mention temperature play with a metal toy, but you know, if you’ve never experimented with metal before, it might not occur to you right away.) I like a slight pinch of cold steel before insertion, but if that’s really not your thing, the Fun Wand warms up quickly in your hands or under warm water.

Initially masturbating with the Fun Wand was really awkward, in fact I experienced a “SHIT I just spent $88 on a toy I don’t like” moment. Reasons: 1.) super smoothness + lube = one slippery object, 2.) it’s 7-1/2” long, which after insertion leaves you few inches leftover to maneuver. However, these complications are easily remedied with practice and not overdoing it with the lubrication.

Alas, I took a deep breath and kept at it, despite slippage that disrupted my rhythm and my chi. There’s a payoff to determination. It’s a big wet one commonly referred to as female ejaculation. I’ll admit that I don’t actually care a whole lot about squirting. I’ve had many really intense, amazing orgasms that did not come with a wet dramatic finish.  I’ve also squirted before when it seemed entirely unwarranted. I didn’t even feel an orgasm coming! It’s exciting in a way, amusing, and inconvenient to varying degrees (you will need to change your sheets, maybe flip the mattress, etc.) – it’s not the measuring stick for a good time. So if you don’t do it right away or even within a few weeks of using this product like I did, don’t stress about it.

You will have a good time. You will have fun. They changed the name of this product from Saturn Wand to Fun Wand. Why? Because it’s a lot of damn fun. (Actually, I’m guessing.)

The Fun Wand is also great for anal play, especially for beginners. The beads are small (again, 1” at it’s largest), smooth, and easy to clean. I can’t personally vouch for this, but it seems like men would enjoy it, too.

Fun, sexy, versatile, high quality – could you ask for a better dildo?

Joseph

We affectionately refer to this toy as “the spaceship” because of its sleek, futuristic style. I guess it was the second sex toy I had ever seen up close before and it did a lot to sell me on the use of sex toys. This is not something that is sketchy or questionable. The words “dong” and “ultra-erotic” belong nowhere near this toy.

It comes in a very sturdy black box emblazed with the brand name njoy in silver. Inside the box is a form fitted resting place for the Fun Wand covered by a soft fuchsia fabric. Much like a really fancy coffin….

Anyway, morbid comparisons aside, the packaging alone speaks of quality and care rather than marketing and lowest common denominator.  The medical grade shiny steel toy itself is seamless and has a very satisfying weight to it. The design makes it clear that it was created to be multi-purpose. One end is wider and curved in a way that immediately pops “g-spot” into one’s mind and the other end has graduated beads that look very much like a set of anal beads. I wonder why.

Although I have not personally experimented with it yet, it seems like it could certainly be used for men or women. The experience that I do have with it is helping Mimi use it when my fingers are too sore to do the job. I’ll be honest, it is not comfortable to use on someone else. The graduated beads do not lend themselves to being held at that angle and the steel is not forgiving. Having said that, I have a special place in my heart for anything that makes Mimi squirm the way that this toy does.

If you are looking for a toy that will bring a little respectability to your toy chest and last forever without costing several hundred dollars, the Fun Wand is a very attractive option.

The Naked Truth:

Intensity: 5 out of 5 stars

Volume: N/A

Aesthetic design: 5 out of 5 stars

Versatility: 4 out of 5 stars

Ease of cleaning: 5 out of 5 stars

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

“I’m givin’ her all I’ve got, Captain!”

Getting Undressed is better when you tell everyone on the internet!

Fetish Pleasure Pad provided by Tabu Toys

Joseph

The Fetish Pleasure Pad is another sex toy that is technically a good idea but fails in application. Let me describe it as simply as I can. It is a soft pad with four straps and a hole in the middle. It seems like it would be frustrating to use any other dildos than the ones included because the bases would need to be of a specific size to fit through the hole. Of course, when I say “use” I mean strap said dildo wielding pad to a chair, bench, motorcycle, or whatever kind of sturdy object that you can and have fun.

Pipedream (the manufacturer) is kind enough to include two dongs (the term they use), lube and toy cleaner sample, and a blindfold in the box with the pleasure pad. The dongs are made of latex rubber and stink like you would not believe. Imagine having a condom inside your olfactory glands and then you may begin to understand. Aside from reeking, one of  the dongs is neon blue and “realistic”. The other is smaller, slimmer, and black. Both of them have very effective suction cups and will hang from a wall for days. I know that bit of information is not directly useful but I felt it was worth mentioning.

The lube is very thin but did not dry up too quickly during intercourse and seemed to work pretty well for Mimi on the dongs. We haven’t yet used the toy cleaner, so I can’t speak to how well it works.

I can’t imagine what the purpose of including a blindfold with this product could possibly be. In fact, it seems a little dangerous to me. You strap the pad to a chair, put the blindfold on, and then sexily stub your toe. Awesome.

As far as the product in use…it did not look like Mimi enjoyed it a great deal, but I’ll let her tell you about that.

It is someone’s job to design the labels of these. Think about that.

Mimi

The Shower Smoothy Dong and the Lifelike Dong that came with the Please Pad butchered any fantasy I had about this toy being sexually satisfying. It’s not because the Lifelike Dong is blue or that they’re both floppy rubber, although the material itself helped. They killed it because they smell like offensively cheap floral soap mixed with latex. Can you imagine wanting to put that inside your body?

And I don’t mean a faint smell that you only notice if you press your nose against the toy. Our bathroom, where the toys currently live, smells like those Dongs. It’s a hell of a time to run out of incense, let me tell you.

The pad itself is easy to install and clean, especially if you have a standing shower or if you’re so accustomed to washing items by hand that you could do it in your sleep. If you don’t have space to let it dry out conveniently (and discreetly), that may be reason enough not to purchase this item. There would be no mistaking what this is on a clothes line.

The suction cups, although amusing to childish hooligans like us (see photo of Dong stuck to bathroom mirror), are actually practical – they help keep the Dongs in place while you’re using them. If you can get into the Pleasure Pad, you definitely don’t want it moving on you.

Due to this simplistic design approach, I can see why someone might really enjoy the Pleasure Pad. Sure, when I was a little girl, I used to love straddling the arm of chairs, then rocking back and forth. I get the idea. But I still didn’t like this toy. Aside from having to surpass a psychological hurdle against putting a foul smelling object inside my body, the Pleasure Pad mostly felt awkward and inefficient.

We joked almost the whole time, first about the totally arbitrary “free” black eye mask, then about the positions I had to assume just for the Lifelike Dong to hit my g-spot. The Lifelike Dong is not really firm enough, and that combined with humping a wooden stool/piano bench/chair (i.e., something hard) equates to fairly high percentage of frustration. The Shower Smoothy Dong felt a little more than decent in my butt…

I guess that’s representative of my whole point, though. The Pleasure Pad is remarkably, amazingly okay. At best. Really it just made me want to attack Joseph and get it done proper. So the Pleasure Pad did create a memorable experience between myself and my fiancé, but not in the way intended.

It is hard to come up with picture ideas for every product, ok? Get off our back!

The Naked Truth:

Intensity: 2 out of 5 stars

Volume: N/A

Aesthetic design: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Versatility: 3 out of 5 stars

Ease of cleaning: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Getting Undressed is better when you tell everyone on the internet!