A Comparative Review: Top Electric Massager Vibrators – Part 2
This is a continuation, please see Part 1 which talks about the plug-in style.
I already mentioned this but I’m going to mention it again.
The Big Pro:
~It’s cordless. You can use it anywhere that doesn’t have a nearby outlet or even electricity, provided it’s fully charged.
The Big Con:
~It is not “full power full time”. I think most of these have a run-time of about an hour, depending on how firmly you press the head to your body.
To reiterate from Part 1:
Should you choose one style over the other? That depends on the environment you’d be using it in and your masturbation style. The plug-in style boasts all power, all the time, always on. However this means you are tethered by a cord and must be near an electrical outlet to use it. The rechargeable style means that you can take it anywhere you please, so long as it’s charged. The downside is that your usage hours will vary depending on how hard you press down on the head, and you could very well find yourself mid-wank with a waning vibrator (been there, done that). The rechargeable is also more expensive. They aren’t lacking on power though. I’d rate that the Acuvibe falls in between the Hitachi and the Miracle Massager. Whereas the MM can’t get me off, the Acuvibe will. My verdict is to start wherever you want but eventually own one of each style.
Rechargeable Style Massagers
First up is the more well-known and more vanilla of the bunch: The Acuvibe. Because it’s the mother of the rechargeables, it doesn’t have the most ergonomic design to it. It’s in the same boat as the Hitachi. It does however look more modern than the Hitachi. Hitachi’s design clearly has changed very little since it’s conception. Acuvibe comes in a pretty light blue and white design. Is it more powerful than it’s newer fancier cousin, the Ideal? I’m not really certain on that.
Natural Contours doesn’t seem to publish the RPMs (like CalExotics doesn’t publish the RPMs). I think it’s safe to say though that it’s comparable to the Acuvibe but the Ideal is certainly not equal to the Hitachi. But hey that’s not always a bad thing. The Ideal is made by a sextoy manufacturer, and the design is focused on being more ergonomic. The handle is hooked. As I said in my initial review, I love the handle but I hate the noise. Most of the people who’ve reviewed the Ideal mention the excess noise. Above and beyond the noise of the vibrations is this ratting-like-something-is-broken sound. It’s annoying and makes me doubt the longevity of the toy. That rattling noise does disappear when there is any pressure on the head, but that’s not quite good enough for me.
And then Acuvibe introduced the mini. Acuvibe mini is only one speed, it’s smaller, and comes in blue or pink. Because of its smaller stature it is even more portable. I believe the single speed is equal to the full size version’s Low setting, but I can’t find documentation on this. Oddly the RPMs of the original are out there, but not the mini.
One other thing I find disconcerting in my research is that specs aren’t always matching from site to site. Some places claim that the Acuvibe Mini is two speeds – it’s not. Some claim the Acuvibe Mini is 1.1 pounds, or 1.3 pounds. Even on the Human Touch website, their description paragraph says it is 0.6 pounds but the specifications section say it is 1.2 – the same as the original. This can’t be true, since they’re not the same size. (its not, I got out my kitchen scale for the ones I have and asked other Mini owners to look at their packaging insert)\
I do want to mention something here about the Acuvibes – the manufacturer tells you to let the massager completely drain of all power every 16 hours of use or thereabout, to increase longevity of the battery.
| Acuvibe | Acuvibe Mini | Ideal | |
| Price on EdenFantasys | $65.99 | $59.99 | $58.99 |
| Power | High is 5700 rpm and Low is 4300 rpm. Compared to Hitachi this means: High is really close. Low is close but definitely less. There’s more difference between high and low than Hitachi. 1400 rpm difference vs 1000 pm difference. | I can’t find documentation of the rpm. I think it’s probably say….4800, I felt it was just a touch less than Hitachi’s Low setting. | Again I can’t find documentation on the rpm – there is a high and low and I think they’re about comparable to original Acuvibe. From what I can feel, High is pretty equal to Hitachi’s Low. |
| Noise Level | While the manufacturer claims these both have a “vibration damped” motor and are “whisper quiet”, I don’t think that’s accurate. It is certainly quieter than the Hitachi though but not at all whisper-quiet. Low is markedly more quiet than high. | Perhaps a bit quieter than the full size | As mentioned above, I think that when it’s pressed against something the noise level would be equal to the Acuvibe, but when not? It’s like a mini jackhammer. |
| Head Design | The head is about 2″ in diameter, smooth but with 3 grooves for decoration. These grooves are difficult to clean gunk out of – you need a toy cleaning cloth like Afterglow Wipes and a fingernail or similar. It’s a spring-mounted head but a firm plastic covers the spring – you can’t see it. | This head is entirely smooth, but to go along with the smaller body the head is 1 5/8″ in diameter.Same spring-mounted type head as original Acuvibe. | Completely smooth surface, easy to clean. Diameter is 2.25″. It is also spring-mounter however when you bend the head a bit you can clearly see exposed spring. Might be bad for the ladies who don’t shave bare or trim to minuscule. |
| Body Design | Straight, smooth plastic where its white and a different plastic where its blue. If I press my nail into the blue part, it indents. Makes for better gripping. Weight is 1.1 pounds. Length is 11.5″. Sliding switch in the upper third of the handle. | Straight smooth plastic. Weight is 0.6 pounds. Sliding switch in the upper third of the handle. | Angled ergonomic handle, smooth plastic. Weight is 10 ounces. Length is 8.5″ measured in a straight line, or 12″ measured from tip to top. Sliding switch is different from all other massagers – goes side to side rather than top to bottom. Right at a bend in handle. |
| Attachments | There are none made for it. However, a few of the other attachments might work on it. The silicone head cover fits. Perhaps the MM dual stim? | None. The head is smaller than all the others and any attachment falls right off. | Natural Contours makes one specifically for this vibe, even the color matches. It’s a dual stim. A few Hitachi attachments work with it. |
| Charging | Acuvibe says you should charge it for 8 hours, I didn’t wait that long. They also say it’ll run for 45 minutes, give or take depending on usage. | Same as original Acuvibe. | Reports say the charge lasts an hour; charging time takes 5 hours. You can certainly wait less time if you must, it’ll be fully powerful it just won’t last as long. |
My verdict? I’m torn. I really am. Acuvibe Mini is great for what it is – more portable because of its small size. Also perhaps even more usable during sex because of its small size. But you can’t use attachments and it has one speed. Acuvibe original fits some attachments, has more power. The Ideal has a shorter charge time, a slightly longer use time, the head is a bit bigger so it’ll fit more attachments (even though the intended one sucks) – but….big BUT here… I still hate the rattling loud noise. And that you can see the spring easily. I just wonder about the quality and longevity of this toy as compared to the Acuvibe. All of these are equally discrete and can pass off as a back massager.
Ew, rattling noises are not good. I can handle loud vibrations, but rattling is another story entirely.
The noise of the Ideal put me off, that’s a horrid rattle. Acuvibe I was curious about but I like my Hitachi and I think I’ll stick with that. Great to see the comparions, thank you! x
Hitachi–hands down winner
I prefer my MM over the Ideal. The angular handle just didn’t allow me to apply pressure the way I need and it got so erratic in terms of vibes and sound as is died. It was weird.