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Leaf Rechargeable Vibrators: The Spirit Vibe

Entirely too long ago I received the Spirit vibe from Leaf to review. I sometimes wonder why it takes me so long to write certain reviews while others seem to write themselves, and I realized why: When I don’t love or hate a toy, I find it hard to know what to say. And that’s the problem here; I don’t love or hate the Spirit.

Spirit is tiny; smaller than I expected. For some reason I expected it to be more along the lines of the Layaspot in size, but it’s actually a little smaller than the Je Joue MiMi and definitely smaller than the We Vibe Touch. Which means that for some people it could easily get misplaced. Of course that bright, spring-green color would make it more difficult to lose it.

Green Squared

The entire Leaf vibes line is touted as being “green”; not just green in color (as it’s the only color option available) but environmentally-speaking a “good idea”. The thought is that silicone rechargeable vibrators are more “green” since there are no disposable batteries. Of course, one argument is that disposable batteries can be recycled or simply tossed in the garbage with no serious effects to the landfills  while very few people would ever recycle the rechargeable portion of a vibrator (mainly because you’d have to recycle the whole toy and there aren’t a lot of sex toy recycling places out there, plus it’s a bitch to get the battery out of the toy). Another way that Leaf is pushing the green aspect is in their packaging, which gets met with some argument as well. The box is all recycled cardboard; it’s heavy and sturdy cardboard though, with a magnetic closure so it would be great for storage. It’s not a 100% discreet storage option but yet it doesn’t use the words “sex toy” or “vibrator” anywhere on the box. Instead it says “Natural Pleasure“. The included storage pouch looks like hemp but is probably just cotton canvas. The only plastic to be found was the plastic bags used to contain the vibe and the charger. I think that overall there is a step in the right direction for being more environmentally conscious and not just for being a silicone sex toy.

Powered by PowerBullet

The reason I was so interested in the Leaf line was because the motor is “Powered by PowerBullet”; The Jopen Vanity line is also made with PowerBullet motors and since I adore my VR6 so, so very much I had high hopes for Leaf Spirit. After I did some research, though, I found out that only one other vibrator (not something made by a US-distributed company) powered by PowerBullet is as strong and rumbly as the VR6. Ah well. This isn’t to say that the Leaf Spirit is weak; it’s not. It’s really got quite a punch. In fact I’d easily compare it to the Je Joue Mimi. I’d say that the We Vibe Touch is perhaps a bit more powerful (there is one caveat to all three of these, which I’ll get to in a minute) but the We Vibe Tango & Salsa are more powerful than any of the aforementioned three vibes. The reason for this is because the Spirit, MiMi and Touch all have what is, to me, a fatal flaw: as soon as pressure is applied to the vibrator or it is surrounded by flesh (hello, fleshy labia) the vibrations greatly decrease. They go from deep and rumbly and powerful to almost surface-buzzy and moderate. It’s a huge let-down. This could be happening with the Spirit because it is so small. Perhaps a larger model would fare better because there would be more space to hold it (holding it firmly is also “pressure” in terms of muting the vibrations). But if I had to quantify the difference, I would say that the Leaf Spirit is 3 times more powerful when you’re just barely holding it compared to if you have a good grip on it and/or are applying pressure (you’d likely require a good grip on it if you get it slick with lube or body fluids).

I’m also a little disappointed that when it’s not in use the Spirit doesn’t hold a charge very well. It has an impressive Run Time vs Recharge Time ratio: 2.6 hours of run time for only 2 hours of recharge time (according to the company). Many rechargeable sex toys require more charge time than you’ll get in play time.

Like all luxury sex toys, the Leaf line is covered in pure medical-grade silicone and is very body safe. It’s waterproof, great for travel and the curved shape of the Spirit would work well laying against your pubic mound during penetrative sex.  Due to the small size of Spirit, the whole toy vibrates but the motor is located in the tip. There is a seam in the silicone skin but only the most sensitive people would feel it. Spirit has only one button so it’s easy to use, yet if you want to go down a step in power you have to cycle through and turn it off, first. I’m not a huge fan of that. I also think that the vibe itself would be more aesthetically pleasing without the abundance of required markings on the top, but they are sadly required to be there by law. They do blend in and might even add just a hint of texture for holding on to it. The silicone skin covering the hard plastic toy is the silky soft type and so it’s not a huge dust-magnet like We Vibe silicone can be.

Final thoughts

Would I recommend this? Eh. It depends. If you don’t like pressure with your vibes, or you don’t require a very powerful vibe and you adore the smallness and the green-ness, then yes. Otherwise? I’d probably recommend something else for the money. Cute only goes so far in my book.

 

Click here to read about the properties of silicone sex toys and care & cleaning  |  This toy was provided in exchange for an honest review

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I’ve found a new secret to my G-spot

Or rather….my husband has. For the first decade of our sex life his penis alone managed to hit my g-spot over and over during sex to varying degrees of bliss. In more recent years he and I have done more exploring both with his fingers and both of us using toys. I never doubted my husband’s ability to locate my g-spot and stimulate the hell out of it; combining his skill in the last few years with a vibrator on my clitoris gave me intense orgasms which would be immediately followed up with vaginal sex that was then even more pleasurable for me since the g-spot would be even more sensitive and swollen after a clitoral orgasm.

But the last few times we’ve fucked he suddenly changed his fingering technique and he knew right away that I approved. It was more intense and amazing as evidenced by my even louder moans and screams and gibberish. His manipulations have frequently left me with the sort of orgasm that jacks up all the right hormones and chemistry to leave me euphoric (and sometimes to the point of uncontrollable giggling right after). But this? All I could say (after I came down from the breathless high) was: What the FUCK did you just do there because holy crap it was amazing.

Every woman’s g-spot is a little different, like a snowflake sort of. And just like we all like different types of clitoral stimulation, we all like different types of g-spot stimulation. So what works for me might not be a euphoric nirvana trip for you, too. But his description of his new technique and what he’s feeling has left me certain that the g-spot is not a “spot”, it is not a zone, it is more than just a differently-textured spongy spot of sensitive tissue in the vaginal wall. Whatever he’s hitting there is a thing, an object, and 3-D…. much like the prostate.

The first time he tried his new trick he “had it” for a bit and then “lost it”¹. Both g-spot massage techniques were pleasurable and aided in me achieving a blended orgasm fairly quickly but this new, intense treatment was just cranking up the pleasurable sensation to HOLY SHIT FUCK OMG ITS AWESOME^Y#~%@^(*^. I cannot duplicate what he’s done via my love, the Pure Wand. If I were smaller of body and longer of arm and generally more flexible perhaps this is something I would have discovered on my own but I think his position lends him a more unique angle of assault. For me personally my G-spot is right next to my pubic bone, therefore fairly shallow in the vaginal canal. He can use this location to a distinct advantage now² by changing his digital manipulation from a 3-finger massage (which I loved because it provided both a filling sensation and spot stimulation) to a 1-finger massage aided on the sides by 2 other fingers. He’s extending his middle finger to do more precision stimulation right on the g-spot. He’s going above and beyond that “come hither” motion to a more twisting, side-to-side-and-all-around intense high-pressure attack. I’ve used words that sound harsh like assault and attack but that is because this is no slow and easy massage; this is an intense treatment but in the most awesomely pleasurable way. He does this because he knows I can take it and I like it, but I wouldn’t recommend that every person try this on their g-spot-owning partner without a build-up and knowledge in existence that the person enjoys “rough” sex and intense stimulation.

Perhaps something else that is adding to this newly awesome mix is that I’m using a vibrator that doesn’t overpower the g-spot stimulation sensations. In the past when I’ve used the Wahl or the Hitachi with the Pure Wand I almost couldn’t really feel the g-spot stimulation. I knew it was going on because the pleasure factor had tripled but I could only discern clitoral stimulation. The balance has shifted a bit now that I’ve started using my We-Vibe Salsa on my clit while he’s doing this. Yes, it is a powerful and intense vibrator but it’s not as overwhelmingly intense as the big, electric massagers. The deep-tissue rumbly factor to the We-Vibe Salsa hits the external clitoris and the internal portion of the clitoris, while his fingers are ramping the g-spot stimulation up to 11 and probably also getting a bit of the internal legs of the clitoris which leads to me floating on a motherfucking rollercoaster climbing cloud of things beyond words. I truly can’t even come up with the words, that’s what it’s all like.

Don’t be afraid to try new things and go a little outside of your box. This g-spot thing might be hard to find since it can’t be mapped, but believe me it is real and with time, exploration, a good clitoral orgasm and a willing set of fingers and/or dildos you CAN find it. Oh and no, this new technique didn’t make me squirt. I don’t really give a crap about squirting anymore since it doesn’t correlate at all to the intensity of my orgasm. It’s not a goal, it’s not a thought to us, it’s not a checkbox on the list. And there is no “right” or “wrong” way to achieve orgasm or stimulate your clitoris or g-spot – you do whatever feels good to you.

 

Oh and if you’re looking to try out the new We Vibe mini vibrators? EF is having a site-wide 20% off sale, which will save you almost $20. And I think it’ll qualify for free shipping, too!

 

 

this post sponsored is by: EdenFantasys (What this means), where I buy my sex toys

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Surprise! We-Vibe has 3 Amazing Vibrators

We-Vibe has done what I didn’t think was truly possible: Created a rechargeable clitoral/external vibrator that is powerful and rumbly – and I truly do covet a good, rumbly vibrator. And they didn’t just make one, they made three. The combination of lower RPMs with a powerful motor leads to vibrations that go way beyond a tickling surface buzz. With the high speed having 4800 RPM (compare this to the We-Vibe couple’s vibrators whose high speeds are 5500 RPM and while they are decent, they lack the power/rumbly I need), the We-Vibe Salsa, Tango and Touch are all rumbly sweet goodness. I’ve talked a lot about why I love and need rumbly vibrations; my clitoris needs stimulation past the surface level, it needs something that’ll rattle the legs that go deep inside me. The Salsa and Tango can provide that; I’ve even been able to orgasm when the charge is dying or the vibration is on setting 3 of 4. That really speaks to the sweet-spot these vibrations hit, and shows that it can go way beyond just “moar power”. Find yourself the right type of vibration and you may not need something as mind-blowing and hand-numbing as the Hitachi Magic Wand.

The We-Vibe Salsa and Tango are probably a lot smaller than you’d expect. I won myself a back-up copy of the Salsa at Dirty Bingo during MomentunCon and I immediately took it out of the box to show off to my table. Everyone who hadn’t seen it was surprised at the small size. These mini vibes are just about exactly the size of my slightly-plump-and-short middle finger. The We Vibe Touch however is more substantial in size but it is still an external-only vibrator.

Salsa and Tango are nearly identical – the only difference is that Salsa’s tip is bullet-pointed and Tango’s tip is lipstick-pointed (slanted tip with a flat surface). Salsa comes in red, black or white and Tango comes in light blue, pink or purple. I don’t quite understand why the Salsa is the only item in the We-Vibe catalog that has deviated so far from their normal color scheme or why the Salsa seems to come in colors usually deemed “masculine” while the Tango is more “feminine” – either way, I don’t care much, but I will admit that I prefer the red/white/black over the very-overused purple/pink/blue. The Salsa and Tango are also hard plastic. This is, for me, their winning feature over the somewhat more ergonomic Touch¹. Touch has the same exact motor but it is surrounded by a lot of silicone. For women who don’t like a lot of power, this would be the better choice because it dampens the vibrations on contact. If you just turn on any of these vibes and touch the tip of your nose you might be a bit afraid – but since these are rechargeable they’re more susceptible to the power decrease that seems typical in most rechargeable vibes. As soon as pressure is applied the vibrations are dampened to various degrees. Pressure doesn’t have to mean how hard you press the vibrator to your skin; it can also mean how you hold it, or how much flesh is surrounding it (women with fleshy outer labia will notice this). The Salsa and Tango do experience some of this decrease but not even half as much as the Touch. I can nestle the Salsa in between my labia while sitting at my desk (it’s then held in place by my body and my underwear) and still feel a lot of powerful, rumbly vibrations. The moment I do this with the Touch I’m disappointed. For the Touch to get me off I have to make sure I hold it as far away from the motor as possible and spread my labia to expose as much of my clitoris as possible. I also can’t apply much pressure (which for me then the whole design of the Touch is pointless because I can’t cup my clitoris with it, that’ll dampen it too much). 

None of the products feature a vibration-lock function; it only requires a normal push of the button to turn things on. It can turn on accidentally during travel so I recommend that you find a pvc/leather small pouch just for the toy itself to help prevent nearby items from pushing up against the button. You could keep the charger base attached to it for travel to help ward off accidental button-pushings. The charger for these is a bit ridiculous, I’ll admit. It attaches magnetically so you do need to be careful that the contacts are lined up and such. The portion of the charger that touches the toy is not permanently attached to the cord that goes to the wall and I don’t understand it. There’s the bulky head of the outlet plug attached to the cord which ends in a jack-style plug and then that plugs into the tiny charging base. What does this mean for people like me? I could potentially lose the charging base if it gets unplugged. This design doesn’t make the charger any more travel-friendly because the outlet plug is still so large and you do need that for recharging on the go. The manual/site lists 2-hour run time; I’ve actually found it to be more like 1 hour or a little more but I do run it on the highest steady vibration setting 90% of the time.

All the vibes have a single push-style button at the base, where the charger attaches. This base glows a faint orange color and will pulse if you have it on a pulse setting. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to turn it on or change settings but yet it isn’t overly sensitive, either. All the vibes also have the same exact vibration settings. For some reason I first assumed that there were only 3 different steady-vibration settings; I kept thinking that the button just wasn’t working well. I’m not sure which two settings are the ones I couldn’t really distinguish from each other but that ended up being the reason.

Fun Fact: We-Vibe Salsa is nearly the same size as the RO-80mm bullet & Tantus’s N1 Bullet

Why does this matter at all? Because the RO-80mm bullet, and ones that look just like it,  is used to power a number of high quality, silicone sex toys. Top dogs on that list include anything made by Rocks Off LTD (Rock Chick, Bad Boy, etc) and any vibrator from Tantus. I’m not a fan of the RO-80mm bullet for numerous reasons; the first is the battery type it takes and the second is the surface-buzzy vibrations that don’t travel well through dense silicone (and are also of the “itchy” variety). I own a few of the Tantus Little Secret vibrators (basically a silicone sleeve over their N1 bullet) and I don’t love them because the vibrations are meh – not exactly un-powerful but they’re not rumbly like I need. Replace the bullet with the Salsa? Newfound love!! I’m really excited to try out the Tantus Panty Play now, simply because of the Salsa. The only downfall of course is that all that silicone tightly surrounding the bullet does tend to take down the intensity of it a bit and it might contribute to the charge draining a little faster. I’m hesitant to say that only the Salsa will work here because it mimics the pointed-tip bullet shape; the Tango has the lipstick-shaped head with the flat, angled look to it but it’s the exact same dimensions as the Salsa so it likely will work unless it’s a really tight squeeze in the particular toy you want to pair it with. Salsa is not a 100% perfect match though to the RO-80mm / N1 bullet: while it is 80mm in length the 80mm on the RO bullet is including the protruding push button; also the Salsa is about 2mm wider in the body. I’ve not run into any problems though swapping out the Salsa for the RO-80mm – just add a tiny dab of lube before sliding it in the toy. RO-80mm & N1 bullets take an LR1 size battery which can cost you anywhere from $1-$3 per battery depending on your area/availability. Given how quickly you’ll run through batteries the cost in getting a Salsa merely to upgrade an RO-80 compatible toy suddenly seems more plausible. As for the Tantus vibrators that take the smaller, single speed bullet that uses LR44 cell batteries? The Salsa will stick out the base more but is still the same width enough that it can be used as a replacement.

Regardless of the few minor downfalls to the Salsa, Tango and Touch I would still recommend them highly. If you want the most powerful vibe possible, then choose the Salsa or Tango. If you prefer the  subtler side of vibrations, choose the Touch. Yes they all carry a high price tag and that will deter some. After all, you can buy a bullet of any type for much less or a cheap pocket rocket for less than $15. I’ve only had one pocket rocket last me more than 6 months (It’s actually one of the first sex toys I bought so that is an amazing feat); these We Vibe products come with a good warranty and will last you a lot longer than the cheap-o jobs. This is the motor that I wish ALL rechargeable vibrators had; too many of them are moderate and most of them are surface-buzzy. If the Lelo Mia had this motor I would be in love with it because of the USB-recharge option. The Salsa/Tango are powerful and/or with more pleasing (rumbly, deep) vibrations than: Lelo Mia, Lily or Nea, Je Joue Mimi (dulls down too much with pressure), JimmyJane Form 2 or Form 3, anything from Bswish, RO-80mm bullet, Layaspot, Extase Liberte, any of the Tantus Little Secret line, and any cell/N-size battery operated bullet.

 

Disclosure: I purchased these on my own, or acquired them in a swap. I owe this review to nobody but you, readers and consumers. However, this is a sponsored post so that I may be able to purchase more sex toys to check out for you!
Check out the cleaning guide for Plastic and Silicone Vibrators for more details.

 

this post sponsored is by: EdenFantasys (What this means), the place I buy my sex toys

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Lelo admits to faulty SenseMotion remotes: The good news and the bad news

A few months ago I reviewed the abysmal Lelo SenseMotion Insignia Tiani. Insignia SenseMotion Tiani? What a mouthful either way! The fact is, I and other reviewers, had come to the same conclusion: Lelo’s hyped SenseMotion was a total failure. For some reason though most of us assumed that the technology itself failed and Lelo hadn’t actually tested it before sending it out into the world; we all assumed that it was another disappointment in the growing line of increasingly-expensive Lelo sex toys. Jaded, much?

Rumors swirled that someone had contacted the warranty department at Lelo, they had been sent a new remote, and lo and behold – SenseMotion worked like it was supposed to! After first chalking this up to a PR rumor, I finally looked into it and my contact at Lelo didn’t so much as confirm as “eluded to” the fact that the first run had faulty remotes in some of the toys and a new remote would actually perform as intended.

I was skeptical. I admit it.

I was wrong! They DID fix the remote. I inserted the Tiani and then put pants on¹. I was alone for my test so I changed the remote to the one setting where it did not vibrate and I um….well…I set it on the cat tree. What! It allowed me to walk 15 feet without barriers of walls! I found that I was able to get about 15 feet away before the vibrations cut out. However the difference now is that all it required was for me to move just a foot in another direction and the vibrations started up again. I was able to walk into another room and it still worked. I was able to sit down. And cross my legs. And effectively have the ENTIRETY of the Tiani covered in flesh.

And it still worked.

Given that this was the major complaint of many reviewers, having a functioning remote could very well change a lot of opinions. Heck as far as “public remote controlled vibrators” go, this change might technically edge up the Tiani over the We Vibe 3 for public use. The range on the We Vibe 3 is a mere 10 feet and while it works fine with flesh, heavier clothing requires the remote to be close by. Anyways.

Here’s the bad news. You knew it was coming, so don’t act all surprised.

The new remote makes the SenseMotion work as it should. Which is, I admit, quite neat. However it does not change the intensity or style of vibrations in the actual Insignia Tiani vibrator. They are still weakish and surface-buzzy as hell. If I were very sensitive, then this toy might serve as a great tease but I can’t see how it could bring about orgasm. ² The fact that the remote now has 500% better reception with the vibrator still doesn’t take away from these negative points which still mean I don’t like the Tiani and would hesitate to recommend it:

• The vibrations are just piss poor
• The slender arm meant for insertion simply doesn’t stay put for me if used as a “public” vibrator, not during intercourse. I was not really very aroused so I can’t imagine it faring any better if I were wet
• The remote requires batteries
• The remote requires a special tool to open the back – I tried to open it without it, and failed. As I said in my initial review of the Tiani, you could use a coin but that would end up scratching the metallic-painted plastic over time. Some people think that this is not a big deal and that some of us are big baby whiners. To them I say bravo: you have normal functioning in your hands/fingers/grip. I do not. Lube on your fingers? Fuggeddaboutit. You’re not opening that back without the plastic key.
• The remote is large and not discreet; if you put it in the non-vibrating mode then you still have to have it visible to know what setting it is on. If you leave the vibrations on, then it is no longer discreet enough for public use. The vibrating remote is also louder than the toy itself.
• The price tag is around $150.

The bottom line is this: Lelo vibrators come with a warranty, and the faulty remote that you might have gotten is covered under this warranty. Simply contact them for a replacement remote. When you contact Lelo’s warranty department, I must warn you that your replacement remote will ship out from China. This international shipping means that discretion is compromised – on the outside of the UPS International bag will be a ziploc-style bag for the documentation paperwork that is needed for customs. This is made so that anybody can view the paperwork without opening up your package. However, this also means that snoopy neighbors/roommates/parents can easily get to the paper and find out exactly what is contained in the package.

I will end this update on a positive note: It does appear that honest reviews are getting back to Lelo and they are taking them to heart. They listened to the honest reviews and they fixed the remotes. They claim to be making the SenseMotion toys more powerful, however, I cannot and will not attest to that without seeing it for myself.

They also claim that they made the Lily and Nea, two first-gen Lelo clitoral vibrators that were about as lackluster in vibrations as the Tiani, more powerful – yet unlike the Mia, they have not made this news public. Why not, I wonder? I suppose it would lead to customers who care about it wondering if the retailer they are purchasing from is sending old stock or newer, updated and more powerful versions. I don’t know if the Lelo Tor cock ring had any increased vibration intensity of their first-run Bo cock rings, but I can say that despite initial concerns on the lack of stretch in the cock ring itself, their updated Tor II cock ring does have better vibrations – more powerful and more rumbly. If those vibrations in the Tor II that I have were in the Tiani? I might recommend it more.

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The Ultimate Guide to Silicone Sex Toys – With Metis Black of Tantus, Inc.

Silicone sex toys are heralded as the most superior sex toy material to many people. Silicone dildos can vary through a range of densities and silicone vibrators can feel plush without the potential for harm (like jelly or rubber). I picked the brain of Metis Black¹, the fabulous woman behind Tantus Inc, makers of some very awesome silicone sex toys. She is one of very few sex toy manufacturers that I fully trust to tell me the truth. Get your sex geek on and find out some myths and facts about silicone sex toys!

Myth or Fact: Silicone sex toys will “melt” or degrade if they touch each other while in storage

I own a lot of silicone. Scratch that; I own a lot of quality, true silicone. And I’m not diligent about storage. So if there’s anybody who can say that this is a myth, it’s me. And Metis. I asked her about this and she said:

I think this came from so many toys that were TPR or TPE that were (and continue to be) mislabeled silicone. Thermoplastic materials melt because they are unstable (they have free electrons that try to bond to other materials). As these electrons leave the toy, the toy disintegrates. No silicone is going to melt. At 600 degrees F it turns ashy. A silicone toy like the O2, with extra soft silicone, may burn off some of the dimethicone – flaming a little and becoming sooty- but still not melting.

So in other words if your silicone sex toy has any issues in your toybox, then it’s either not truly silicone or some rogue silicone lube from another toy got on it.

Myth or Fact: Silicone lube should never, ever be used with a silicone sex toy!

99% of the time you will be told that you shouldn’t use silicone lube with a silicone sex toy. I’ve parroted that info as well because it’s all I know. However a couple of manufacturers, Fun Factory for one, used to² advertise that you could use silicone lubes with their silicone sex toys. 

The Metis quick-n-dirty science geek answer:

The only thing that links silicone molecules is silicone so that’s why you may need to avoid lubes. The quality of the silicones in the lubricant and in the toy make a lot of difference.

Let’s say you really like your silicone sex toys and you really like using them in the bath or shower. Water-based lubes will fail you here. Are you out of luck? Not quite. A higher quality silicone lubricant won’t mess up a silicone sex toy - usually (Metis recommends Sliquid and Pjur brands)

Even with these brands we recommend you do a patch test (just like you’re supposed to with hair dye): on the base of the toy put a dab of lube and see if the lube gets gummy (it doesn’t ever melt). If it does get gummy it will happen pretty quickly and with only a small patch, you can clean it off with your finger nail.

So if it’s possible that yes, the two CAN meet, why the drumbeat of “Use only water based lubes!”? Litigation.

It became a liability issue when someone claimed it “melted” the toy as they were playing with it and so the customer went to the hospital. The companies who made the lubricant and the dildo paid that hospital bill and made a settlement; they also started publicizing that their materials were not compatible.

If you purchase both high-quality lubes and sex toys³ then you should be safe to mix, but test it first. I can tell you that the Fun Factory Body Fluid was smeared all over a Fun Factory and 2 Tantus silicone items with absolutely zero reaction that damaged the toy. There was a little bit of a “machine shop” odor though (see really-long-footnote #2 if you haven’t already).

Silicone is perfect, it is non-porous and the ultimate in safety! Right?

A few weeks ago I pulled out some travel bottles called Go  Toobs that are a soft, silicone body and plastic flip cap. They boast as being really great for travel. What they don’t tell you is that they’re using a lesser grade of silicone. It’s food-safe grade, which is still pretty good quality, but everything in my travel tubes dried up. I thought, how is this possible? And the woman from the company tells me that silicone is porous. Wait, what? This went against everything I’ve been told and have told others about silicone sex toys. They’re non-porous! Body safe! Yes, they are. For the most part.

Technically silicone has very tiny pores and is virtually non-porous. The pores are smaller than virus’ and bacterias- but some smells can be absorbed⁴. With time those smells will go away- you can try putting lemon juice on it (though I haven’t tried it) and see if that helps.

Ok so they can still be sanitized. They’re not going to hold onto larger-spored things like mildew, viruses or bacteria. This is the important stuff. An odor can be gotten rid of. Just keep an eye on your anal toys consider 10% bleach washes more often on those.

ETA:Super-soft silicones, like the outer layer on the Tantus O2 dildos, can absorb small amounts of dye depending on the situation. A few years ago it was reported that ForYourNymphomation sex toy cases had a lining with a dye that could transfer to certain toys. The more solid silicones will not take on any dyes but really soft types can. They’re still medically non-porous, however.

Myth or fact: If you see a clear (or stretchy, i.e. a cock ring) “jelly-like” sex toy that claims to be silicone, it really isn’t

This is fact.

Contact Lenses can be made from silicone so yes it can be ultra clear- however silicone that clear is really hard, brittle and about 10 times as expensive for raw materials. It’s beautiful but I’ve never been able to figure out an application in toys where I could justify charging that much. If it’s clear and super stretchy- there is no way it’s silicone. Tantus is shortly introducing the first super soft c-rings- they are nicely stretchy. Every buyer who’s seen them has been really excited- they are coming out later this month, in about a week. As you’ll see however, these rings aren’t clear.

Which leads me to the next question…..

How can the consumer tell if their sex toy is truly pure silicone, and not a blend?

Really it’s still a buyer beware situation. After we burned “silicone” in Australia a few years back, another vendor friend said his stuff was silicone- I told him it wasn’t. I saw this friend’s website recently telling me and you that all their crystal clear super stretchy cock rings were silicone. They aren’t. China told them they were though, and they seem to be sticking to China’s authority. Remember most “manufacturers” don’t manufacture anything but package design and sales strategies. Sometimes they do some engineering but often they don’t even do that. This allows companies to rapidly enter the market- all they need is a warehouse for storing boxes.

Now, Metis isn’t recommending that we all turn into pyromaniacs, but the infamous “lighter test” will work to melt TPR, Sil-a-gel, silicone blends and other silicone-look-a-like materials. I’ve recently added a post all about the flame test for silicone sex toys which includes video so that you can see exactly what happens with true silicone products vs silicone blend products (which are marketed as merely “silicone”) when you light them on fire (or try to).

What do all these words mean, isn’t silicone silicone? What makes Japanese silicone better than medical grade and what is platinum? Why do they have to confuse us??

Because they’re salesmen? Platinum isn’t just a word used for high-selling albums and expensive wedding bands. Metis said first to me, in part replying about the lube compatibility issue that “It’s about different chemistry, some lesser grades of materials bonding. Originally it was a Tin not a Platinum silicone (this refers to chemicals that are in the silicone which make the two liquids into a solid– vulcanize it).” But of course you’ll never see Tin used to describe a sex toy.

The refining process of making silicone was originally created by GE back in the 50′s and they sold the patent to Dow. Then GE apparently figured out the value of it, and created a totally separate method of processing it. There are several other raw processors who make the base materials from sand, ‘silica’. One is a German company Wacker, another a Japanese company Shin Etsu. The only reason to reassure people that it’s Japanese or German is because there is inherent quality believed by consumers to belong to products coming from those two countries.

So apparently the general public has been heavily swayed by cars. Awesome. Also? “Wacker”. *snickers* Yes, I’m 12.

But on the other side of the naming coin is the trickery used by lesser quality manufacturers to make us think that something is silicone. Cybersilicone, TPR-Silicone, SEBS (Silicone Elastomer Blend), Sil-a-Gel, “Crystal Cote” toys – none of these are 100% pure Platinum, Medical-Grade Silicone. They may contain some silicone but they still retain the porous properties of whatever else they’re mixed with – i.e. they’re not as safe or hygienic in terms of being non-porous. They very well may be phthalate-free and latex-free, but they’re not non-porous.

Is there a difference between the shiny silicone, the matte silicone, the stuff they stretch over vibrators, etc?

Yes and no. I started off comparing things like the shiny and hard Feeldoe to the matte texture of the soft-exterior Cush O2. Metis said:

Matte silicone just has a different finish on the master or the mold. Molds on the Feeldoe, for example, are highly polished. The difference with the Cush is that the super soft silicone has a different chemistry- it has more of the silicones that are in lube, making it a little less stable (with silicone lubes). 

Ok but what about the silicone that gets stretched over mechanical vibrators?

The silicone on a Lelo, or a WeVibe, etc, is an injection material that needs heat in order to cure. You can make dildos with this material too but it’s a process that is much more effective with thin small amounts than with larger amounts.  You can tell a silicone toy that is injected like this because the molds have parting lines with small tolerances. Most of Fun Factories designs are made this way. Vixen and Tantus’ products mostly aren’t. The silicone again for both processes is very safe and stable.

I’ve also recently (after writing this post) read about Lelo’s silicone process. They coat their items with something called SST (Silicone Soft Touch) which aids in lending that powdery-silky feel. I know that a lot of other luxury silicone toy companies use this product (it’s basically a liquid silicone that is also body-safe) and so when you flame-test these toys you’ll get a different result than when you flame test the shiny/sticky silicone products. You can see in my video of flame testing that items coated with SST will show a scorch mark that rubs off whereas other non-coated silicone products develop a pale ash, from the dimethicone burning.

Myth: Silicone doesn’t feel as “realistic” though as Cyberskin/Jelly! Silicone isn’t as fun/sparkly! Silicone is expensive!

I hear too many people trying to defend lesser quality materials with arguments like these. Silicone doesn’t mimic a realistic feel or look? Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. Mentioned before, the Tantus O2 line is a dual-density that has a really firm core with a layer of plushy silicone over top. Vixen Creations also makes some very realistic dildos. Two things though that these manufacturers won’t have in the “realism” department that a gross rubber/cyberskin dildo will have: multiple colors for a realistic skin look (i.e. painted-on veins and a pink cock head) and/or fake pubic hair. I mean, if you really have a burning need for that dildo to fool you into thinking it is a magical, dismembered human penis then I can’t stop you. But that fake pubic hair will trap all kinds of gross shit and the painted-on realistic features? That will wear off after awhile. Where is it going???? Think about that one. Silicone might not be clear and gem-like, but they can certainly add glitter to it. I’ve seen both Tantus and the almost-defunct Jollies LLC do it.

People will also complain that silicone toys are too expensive. I know, they can be. Some manufacturers exploit the whole “luxury sex toy” angle. But there is a valid reason why silicone sex toys cost 2-4 times the prices of jelly, rubber or TPR. And frankly if after reading this whole post you don’t understand why……then I give up! But if you are on a super-strict budget, just watch for sales or keep an eye on the closeout bin at Tantus.

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So have you learned a lot or are you more confused? For me this reinforced my thoughts that when you’re buying silicone sex toys (which you always should, in lieu of jelly, rubber, cyberskin or PVC/vinyl) you should be purchasing them from a reputable company who isn’t just going to trust what China is telling them. Is China bad? Sometimes. Not all the time. It’s more on the manufacturer to do their quality checks. And, by the way, Tantus isn’t made in China. They’re made in the US, in their own shop and Metis knows everything that goes on. They are never in the hands of an unknown mass production company. Thankfully Tantus is not the only sex toy manufacturer that is knee-deep is quality checks, but sadly they’re still in the minority.

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