Review: Magic Wand Micro

I keep showing the brand-new Magic Wand Micro to everyone in my life, like, “Look at it!! Isn’t it so cute?!?”

And it is cute, but it’s also a pretty fucking great vibrator. Let’s discuss.

L to R: the Magic Wand Rechargeable, Magic Wand Mini, and Magic Wand Micro

How the Micro fits into the existing Magic Wand lineup

There are currently five toys in the Magic Wand lineup, and they are as follows:

  • The Magic Wand Original ($70) is the one that’s been around the longest, and the one you’ve probably seen in porn. It’s a full-size wand (12″ long by 2.25″ wide) and it plugs into the wall. It’s very powerful, but you only get 2 vibration speeds (sometimes affectionately referred to by sex toy reviewers as “fuck” and “holy fuck”) and no vibration patterns. It’s also got a porous head (all the other Magic Wands have a body-safe silicone head), so I wouldn’t recommend it, because the porosity means it’ll cling onto bacteria and get discolored over time.
  • The Magic Wand Rechargeable ($133) is, if you ask me, the best toy in the lineup, and the one likeliest to work well for most people. Like the Original, it’s full-size, but unlike the original, you don’t need to plug it into the wall, as it’s, well, rechargeable. That being said, you can use it while it’s charging, meaning that if it dies mid-session, you can just plug it in and keep using it. It has 4 speeds: the two high ones from the Original and two additional lower ones, which makes it a better pick for people who are more sensitive, more easily overstimulated, etc. It also has 4 vibration patterns.
  • The Magic Wand Plus ($80) is basically a hybrid between the Original and the Rechargeable. It’s a full-size wand with the same 4 speeds as the Rechargeable but no vibration patterns. It plugs into the wall and can’t be used wirelessly. If you’ve got a limited budget and can’t afford the Rechargeable, I’d suggest the Plus over the Original, because the silicone head and additional speeds make it well worth the extra ten bucks. That being said, I’ve found that it’s a bit louder than the Rechargeable.
  • The Magic Wand Mini ($76) is, of course, smaller (9.6″ long by 1.9″ wide) and lighter, which can be attractive qualities if you want to use your wand during penetrative sex and/or if you have difficulties with muscle strength, dexterity, etc. The Mini is rechargeable and it cannot be used while it’s charging. It has 3 speeds and no patterns. Despite its motor offering comparable RPMs (revolutions per minute) to the larger wands, the Mini feels less strong and less rumbly than its larger siblings, although it’s still plenty powerful for a wand of its size.
  • Finally, the Magic Wand Micro ($65) is indeed quite small, at 4.5″ long by 1.3″ wide, so it’ll fit between bodies during penetrative sex more easily than any other Magic Wand. It’s rechargeable and it can’t be used while charging. It has 3 speeds and 4 patterns to choose from. Its vibrations are less strong than those of the larger wands, but it still packs a punch for its size and is surprisingly rumbly. It’s not waterproof (none of the Magic Wands are). It also comes with an optional/removable wrist strap for added dexterity/grip during use.
L to R: the Magic Wand Micro, We-Vibe Tango X, Lelo Lily 3, and Lovense Exomoon

How the Micro compares to other small vibrators you might know

  • The We-Vibe Tango X ($79) doesn’t have quite as much power as the Magic Wand Micro, but it is rumblier for most of its speeds, so it can effectively feel stronger at times because it reaches deeper clitoral tissues and doesn’t cause temporary numbness as easily/quickly as buzzier vibes. The Tango X also has more speeds to choose from (8 vs. 3), is waterproof, and is quieter than any Magic Wand even on its highest speed.
  • The Lelo Lily 3 ($79) is of comparable rumbliness to the Magic Wand Micro, but is not as strong. The Lily 3 is waterproof, has more speeds, and is noticeably quieter than the wand, but it also vibrates your hand a lot more because it’s smaller/slimmer, and the buttons are harder to press in the heat of the moment.
  • The Lovense Exomoon ($79) is rumbly, quiet, and waterproof, but doesn’t get near the Magic Wand Micro in terms of vibration strength.

Things I like about the Magic Wand Micro

  • First and foremost, it really is impressively rumbly and powerful for its size. On a sensitive day, I can get off using the first speed of the Micro. For reference, I can also sometimes get off on the lowest speed of the Mini and Rechargeable, largely due to the low pitch (i.e. rumbliness) of their vibrations, which makes the vibrations feel more impactful and pleasurable than buzzy ones (for me and many others, anyway) even at low settings.
  • The aesthetic is really fucking adorable. Like, I know you’ve seen the pictures, so I won’t harp on it about it for too long, but I absolutely adore the miniaturized look of this wand. It makes me smile and giggle with glee. I think many people who are familiar with the full-size Magic Wands – whether as a user, the partner of a user, or even just a fan of porn featuring these wands – would have a similar reaction.
  • Like all the Magic Wands (setting aside the porous head of the Original), the Micro feels really well-made. The quality and construction are beautiful, the mechanics work as they should, and there’s a 1-year limited warranty incase that changes.
  • The addition of a wrist strap is interesting and (I think) wise. Smaller vibrators can indeed be harder to keep a good grip on, especially when your fingers are lubey, and looping the strap around my wrist helps a lot with that.
  • As you might expect, the Micro is decidedly the quietest of all the Magic Wands. It’s certainly not silent, but I never feel like anyone in the next room might overhear what I’m doing, which I can’t say about any other Magic Wand.
  • Like the Mini, Rechargeable, and Plus, the Micro has a silicone head with just the right amount of squish to feel comfortable during use, but not so much as to soften the vibrations significantly. It’s also got that same rounded-squarish shape that I like about the other Magic Wand heads, which means I can narrow the vibrations into a smaller, more focused shape by tilting the vibrator 45° to the right or left, thereby positioning just the corner of the head on my clit. I love this versatility, as someone who usually (but not always) prefers a more pinpointed sensation rather than a broad one.
  • Naturally, because the Micro is so small, it never gets in the way of any dildo or butt plug I might be using at the same time, even ones with quite bulky bases. Likewise, it would fit between bodies during penetrative sex much better than the larger wands (I haven’t gotten to test it this way yet because my partner and I are currently 500 miles apart, but I’m sure it’ll happen at some point).
  • The Micro charges via USB-C. I actually have mixed feelings on this because, while I was originally excited to be able to conveniently charge a vibrator with the same cable I use for my laptop and Kindle, you actually aren’t supposed to use charging cables other than the provided one (which is, annoyingly, VERY short), and I found that the Micro wouldn’t even charge when I briefly connected it to my USB-C laptop charger (probably something to do with the wattage?). But it is good to see more sex toy companies moving toward using common charging systems rather than their own proprietary ones.
  • I like that the Micro is cheaper, at $65, than a lot of its direct competitors, like the other rechargeable clitoral vibes mentioned above. I think you’re getting quite a bit of bang for your buck for that price.
  • This might be a niche point to make, since obviously most people don’t have a zillion different sex toys like I do, but sometimes I really like the Micro as a warm-up for using the Magic Wand Rechargeable. Even on its lowest speed, the Rechargeable can be a bit intense for me to start with, especially if I’m not already aroused, but it feels like a perfect continuation from the Micro if I decide mid-session that I want more power or that I want the vibrations to be spread out across a larger surface area. That being said, as I’ve mentioned, the Micro works perfectly well for me on its own, too.
L to R: the Magic Wand Rechargeable, Magic Wand Mini, and Magic Wand Micro

Some potential issues to keep in mind

  • Most importantly: while Vibratex clearly has worked very hard to make the Micro a true Magic Wand, in that it’s good-quality and quite powerful for its size, it won’t satisfy true power queens/kings/monarchs. Its highest speed is about as strong as the 2nd speed of both the Magic Wand Mini (which has 3 speeds total) and the Magic Wand Rechargeable (which has 4). It’s about as rumbly as the Mini but definitely not as rumbly as the full-size Magic Wands.
  • Notably, the Micro also gets buzzier as you turn it up. For me, it never gets so buzzy as to cause the annoying itching or irritation that some super-buzzy vibes can cause, but it can lead to some of the temporary desensitization I associate with buzzier vibes, so sometimes I have to move the Micro up and down or in circles during use to get enough stimulation to reach orgasm. 3 steady speeds also just isn’t very many, and I wish there was even one more.
  • Because the Micro is so small, its vibrations are transmitted into your hand more than they would be with larger Magic Wands. I don’t personally find this too annoying/distracting (and it’s certainly not as bad as the vibration transfer on, say, the original We-Vibe Tango) but it might annoy some people.
  • There are only two buttons on the Micro’s control panel: a power button to turn the toy on or off, and a “Mode” button that cycles through its 3 speeds and 4 patterns. This means that if you reach the top steady speed (for example) and want to go back to the first steady speed, you either have to press the Mode button an additional 5 times to get back to the beginning, or hit the power button twice to turn the toy off and then on again, which brings it back to the first speed. Again, this isn’t something that annoys me too much personally (which might be because I used to constantly use the aforementioned original We-Vibe Tango, which had the same issue), but if you like to move up and down through speed settings a lot – or if you hate vibration patterns and never want to encounter them – then you’d probably prefer one of the Magic Wands that has “+” and “–” buttons (the Mini and Plus) or a wand where the patterns are accessed through a separate patterns button (the Rechargeable).
  • The neck of the Micro is very bendy, which could be a pro or a con, depending on how you like to use vibrators. If you like to apply a lot of pressure, you’re better off with a wand that has less give, like the Rechargeable.
  • Although I haven’t gotten to try it this way yet, I have a feeling the Micro wouldn’t work as well on penises as, say, the Rechargeable does, because it just covers less real estate. But who knows. Maybe I’ll update this review when I have an opportunity to put the Micro on my partner’s dick and ask them what they think. (Also, I recently spoke to the dominatrix Lady Pim about this and she pointed out that the Micro might be the ideal toy for penis-possessing folks who like small penis humiliation, so there’s that…!)

 

Final thoughts

I’m delighted with the Magic Wand Micro. It’s tiny, portable, and adorable. It serves up rumbly vibrations worthy of the Magic Wand name (although true power hounds should still spring for a bigger wand). It makes me smile every time I look at it, and makes me come every time I use it. I have a feeling it’ll become a bedside staple of mine, just like its larger siblings have been for years.

 

You can currently preorder the Magic Wand Micro from SheVibe and it’ll ship to you once it’s available. The expected release date is October 31st, 2023 (happy Halloween, lol!). I would recommend ordering it this way, rather than on Amazon, because there are a lot of Magic Wand knockoffs on there.

 

Full disclosure: Vibratex sent me this product for free, and I am also currently working with them on a Magic Wand-related project (which will be announced at some point!), but as always, I only write stuff I actually believe. This review is as accurate and unbiased as I know how to make it, because I believe my readers deserve my honest opinions, and I know you only trust me because of my consistent honesty about products, including this one.

I’m Surprised By How Much I Love This Little Lelo Vibe

Please excuse any pinkish stains you may see on the toy in these photos; they are not the toy’s fault, I just let it ride around in a makeup bag that had some red lipstick remnants inside it and I am notorious for liking longwear lipsticks that are difficult to remove, haha.

My very first “luxury” sex toy purchase, back when I was a teenager, was the Lelo Nea. I saved up for it for months and was wildly excited when I finally got to take it home from my local feminist sex shop.

Still to this day, the shape of Nea – which is the exact same shape as some of Lelo’s other clitoral vibes, including the Lily – is one of my favorites for clitoral stimulation. I love the way its tip is narrower than its body but not so narrow as to be pointy or uncomfortable. I love the way it curves over my mons and down onto my clit, seeming to fit seamlessly against my vulva whether I’m using it solo or during penetrative sex. I love that it’s small enough to be thrown into my toiletries bag when I travel but not so small that I’m likely to lose it.

But the original Nea didn’t really deliver in terms of vibration strength or rumbliness, which is why I was so excited to be offered the Lelo Lily 3. It’s everything I loved about the Nea, but with a noticeably better motor. And as I’ve written before, the motor matters more than any other trait of a vibrator, so this makes a huge difference.

When I’m at home and I want to get off, I almost always use the Eroscillator or a wand vibe like the Magic Wand Rechargeable or Fun Factory Vim. All of these are strong and dependable, both in the sense of “being dependably able to make me come” and in the sense of “dependably not dying mid-use” – the Eroscillator plugs into an electrical outlet, the Vim has an impressively long battery life before needing to be recharged, and the MWR can be used while it’s charging, should it come to that.

Now, comparatively, the Lily 3 isn’t that great – it has a battery life of about 2 hours – but I bring this up only to say that it’s hard for me to find a rechargeable, travel-friendly vibe that I trust enough to bring with me on a trip, especially a trip where suitcase space is limited. The We-Vibe Tango X is my favorite one in this category, for many reasons, but the Lily 3 has worked its way onto my list of acceptable options, which is hard to do. In fact, at this point I’ve brought it with me as my only vibe for many overnight stays (e.g. when I go over to my parents’ house to visit them and anticipate having phone sex with my spouse when I go to bed), and it has never once disappointed me or made me wish I’d brought a different vibe.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that it’s super-powerful. If you’re used to wands or similar, this almost certainly won’t be enough for you. But what I find enjoyable is its rumbliness, which it maintains throughout its 10 vibration intensities. The smooth ABS plastic translates the vibrations well, which helps, too. I think another thing that makes this vibe so successful for me is one of the few things Lelo has always excelled at: this toy starts at a very low intensity and works its way up to a much higher one. This ultimately results in less desensitization over the course of a session, so that I don’t require as much power to get off and can feel the orgasm more vividly when it does happen. It’s a small thing that makes a big difference.

The Lily 3 is also very quiet, and is waterproof, meaning it’s ideal for surreptitious/discreet play or masturbating in the bath or shower, and is even the kind of thing I’d bring with me to my local sex club if I hoped to get up to some shenanigans in the swimming pool there.

The button layout is easy to understand, a relic from a simpler time in the sex toy industry: the button on the right turns up the vibration intensity if you press or hold it, and the one on the left turns it down. You can switch between its 10 vibration patterns by quickly double-pressing the right-side button, and you can adjust the intensity of any pattern, which is a great feature that always makes me way more likely to actually use patterns instead of just sticking with the steady vibration mode like I normally do. The patterns are good, as far as patterns go – some are too slow for my tastes, but many are steadily rhythmic and can feel really good.

Lelo has made a lot of missteps in their time, and one of them is that they tend to overcomplicate things, making vibrators that have a bunch of unnecessary bells and whistles that no one asked for. (I have been trying, and failing, to enjoy the new Lelo Dot Cruise, for example, in large part because of its “Cruise” function which is still inconsistent and terrible, despite the fact that the toy costs fucking $200.)

But the Lelo Lily 3 only costs $76, and it bucks that trend. It’s what Lelo does best: a simple, elegant, ergonomic vibrator with a wide array of settings, a respectable motor, and a luxurious “it factor” that makes you feel fancy and deliciously self-indulgent just for using it. It’s my favorite thing Lelo has put out since the Sila, their wide-mouthed pressure-wave toy that I adore.

It’s not earthshatteringly powerful or terribly unique. It doesn’t attempt to innovate or defy expectations. The Lelo Lily 3 is just a damn good clitoral vibrator, and writing this review has made me want to use it again, which is a good sign in and of itself.

 

Lelo didn’t pay me to write this review, they just sent me the product and I liked it. You know the drill: as always, all writing and opinions are my own.

Review: AcmeJoy 3-in-1 Rabbit

What is the AcmeJoy 3-in-1 rabbit?

Okay, technically its name is the AcmeJoy 3-in-1 7 Vibrating Modes Rabbit G-Spot Stimulator Anal Dildo Vibrator, but I won’t be calling it that, obviously.

This toy is essentially a standard rabbit vibrator – vibrating shaft with a G-spot curve, fluttery bunny ears for clitoral stimulation – but with an added arm for anal penetration, so it stimulates three erogenous zones at once.

Triple-stimulation toys are always a bit, shall we say, ambitious. Given how many toys only attempt to do one thing and still fail at it, it’s a confident move – almost cocky – for a sex toy company to make a toy that they claim can do three things well. Can AcmeJoy rise to the challenge?

 

Things I like about this toy

  • There are two separate motors in this rabbit. Many dual- or triple-stim vibes only have one motor, trusting that the vibrations will travel throughout the toy to stimulate all the zones it targets, but those toys usually fall short power-wise, and it’s annoying not being able to control the components separately. By contrast, this AcmeJoy rabbit’s two motors can each be controlled individually, using their respective buttons. The motors are located in the clitoral arm and the vaginal arm; the anal arm doesn’t get its own motor, which I think was the right call, because the vibrations are easily conducted through the anal arm as-is and it probably would’ve been overkill to add a third motor.
  • The motor in the vaginal arm is surprisingly strong and even kind of rumbly. I would place it at a 4.5 out of 10 on the rumbly-to-buzzy scale, at least on its first setting; it gets buzzier as you turn it up. I found that the vaginal arm actually felt really good when I tried it out clitorally, for this reason, and it also felt excellent vaginally because the lower-pitched vibrations stimulated my G-spot/internal clit without numbing them out or irritating them with buzziness.
  • I don’t normally care for vibration patterns, but the ones in the vaginal arm of this toy are actually great. There are various types of pulsing which can all feel surprisingly similar to someone thrusting against my G-spot. Despite the disappointments of the clitoral motor (more on that below), these vaginal vibration patterns were so stimulating that this toy could theoretically get me off on a particularly sensitive day, even though I normally need top-tier clitoral stimulation for that.
  • The vaginal arm’s G-spot curve is well-designed. It reminds me of the Lelo Mona (which is excellent), its big head pressing up into my spot insistently but not annoyingly or aggressively. It feels good when kept in one place but can feel fantastic when it’s being thrusted.
  • On that note, this is a rabbit that I found works surprisingly well for thrusting, albeit only with short and relatively deep thrusts (the kind I tend to prefer anyway). The clitoral arm has some flex to it, as do the rabbit ears topping it off, so it moves with my body when I thrust – and the anal beads feel awesome as they move in and out, adding significant stimulation into the mix. I’m not normally the biggest fan of double penetration, as it can be overwhelming or uncomfortable, but it works well here, even with motion involved.
  • Related: One of the reasons I don’t usually like double penetration is that it makes me feel overstuffed down there, which makes it hard to focus on vaginal or anal pleasure. But the internal arms of this toy are well-shaped and well-proportioned (for my body, anyway) so I don’t experience any of that “Thanksgiving turkey” overstuffedness. The anal arm starts out at a diameter of about 0.55″ and is only about an inch at its widest, so it’s beginner-friendly and was comfy for me despite me not using anal toys super often.
  • Usually with double-penetration toys, it’s hard to figure out which order to insert the arms in – do you go vag first, butt second, or vice-versa? This difficulty can be compounded by a floppy anal arm writhing around as you’re trying to insert it. But those problems aren’t present here – the anal arm is firm enough to be inserted easily, but still flexible enough to feel comfortable, and it never took me more than a few seconds to slip it into my ass once the vaginal arm was already inside me. (You just gotta use a lot of lube on both arms, but that’s par for the course, especially with anal toys.)
  • Speaking of lube, the “beads” of the anal arm hold onto lube pretty well, so it doesn’t drip all over the place when I’m getting the toy ready for insertion. (I use a thick-ish water-based lube, though, so your mileage may vary if you’re using a thinner/runnier formula.)
  • I had no issue getting the clitoral arm to actually reach my clit, which is frequently a problem with other rabbits. The flexibility of that arm no doubt helped with this. Actually I found that the rabbit’s head, moreso than its ears, usually landed on my clit, but that’s fine with me and probably even feels better for my pleasure preferences.
  • The buttons are well-placed, intuitively organized, and can’t easily be pressed by accident. They also light up when the toy is on, so you can find them in the dark.
  • When you first turn the toy on, only the vaginal motor is engaged – you have to manually turn on the clitoral motor if you want to use it. I actually prefer this, because it works well for a warm-up; I can still feel the vibrations from the vaginal arm traveling through to the clitoral arm even when the clit motor is off, so it’s a good tease before I’m ready to use full-fledged vibrations on my clit.

 

Things I don’t like about this toy

  • My main complaint is that the clitoral motor kinda sucks. It’s not awful, but it’s definitely not as strong as the vaginal motor and is noticeably buzzier as well. I get that you have to pick your priorities, power-wise, when designing a multi-function sex toy, because motors only have so much power available to them – but IMO clitoral stimulation is more important for most people (and the research bears this out) so I’d prefer if companies allocated more power to the clitoral motor in these sorts of toys, if they have to choose one component to privilege in that way.
  • Relatedly, each motor has only 3 steady speeds of vibration before it switches to patterns – and while this doesn’t bother me on the vaginal arm because I actually prefer the patterns, I always find myself wishing there were more clitoral speeds and that the jumps between the existing speeds were less huge. It’s jarring, especially with the vibrations being buzzy.
  • When I angle the vibe so that its vaginal arm makes the best contact with my G-spot, the anal arm tends to slide out of me. This is a pretty predictable hazard of triple-stimulation toys: it’s really hard (if not impossible) to design a toy that will hit these 3 different erogenous zones regardless of anatomical differences between users, like the distance from the clit to the vaginal opening, or from the vag to the butthole.
  • It’s only splashproof, not waterproof.

Final thoughts

I was surprised by how close the AcmeJoy 3-in-1 rabbit got me to coming. Its blend of rumbly internal vibration patterns, consistent clitoral contact during thrusting, and extra-stimulating anal beads is… a lot, in a good way.

The problem is the clitoral motor, which is (for me, and many others) the most important part of a toy like this, and often the part that turns out to be a letdown. It needs to be stronger, rumblier, and to have a wider range of settings with smaller jumps between them.

But aside from that, this is pretty close to the ideal triple-stimulation rabbit, so it’s worth considering if that’s an intriguing idea for you. Especially at its current sale price of $27.99, I think it’s a good deal for how much sensation it serves up. You’d probably like it more than I did if you’re really into G-spot stimulation and/or anal play and find those activities stimulating enough on their own, or with minimal clit stim. ‘Cause let’s be honest, the clitoral bunny on this vibe is really not pulling its weight.

 

This post was sponsored, meaning I was paid to write a fair and honest review of the product. As always, all writing and opinions are my own.

Review: Fun Factory Vim wand vibrator

Well, it finally happened. Fun Factory made a wand vibrator.

I love Fun Factory, and I love wand vibrators, so obviously I was hugely excited about this news. So excited that I texted my sex-blogger group chat in a frenzy. So excited that I sent my partner a cavalcade of pictures. So excited that I replied to the press release begging to be sent one, even though I wasn’t going to be able to attend the exclusive launch party at the Museum of Sex. (Fun Factory’s PR people were nice enough to send me the goodie bag I would have received if I’d gone, which included the wand itself as well as a scented candle, branded matches, and a bottle of Sutil Rich. Perfection.)

I’ve been testing out the wand these last few weeks, not just in dedicated testing sessions but also during phone sex with my partner. This is rare – the toys I get sent to review are usually bad-to-middling, and thus not worthy of inclusion in the lineup of toys I actually use in my “personal life.” But the Vim made the cut, and it’s probably going to be one of my go-to vibes from now on. Let’s talk about what makes it so great – and what I wish was different about it.

 

Things I like about the Fun Factory Vim

  • The most important thing to know is: it’s really fucking rumbly. Fun Factory talks a big game about how the Vim has a “unique weighted motor” which makes it feel rumbly from the lowest setting to the highest – and they’re actually telling the truth when they say that. It’s veeeery rumbly, meaning that its vibrations feel low-pitched, stimulate clitoral structures (or other erogenous zones) in a way that isn’t just skin-deep, and don’t cause the annoying numbness or irritation that buzzier vibes can. I have strong, deep, surprising, breathtaking orgasms with this toy, because it stimulates the deepest parts of my clit, not just the part on the outside.
  • The Vim’s 5 speeds start very low – a mild, barely perceptible trembling – and top out at a wildly powerful, jackhammer-esque intensity. For that reason, I think this would be a great first wand for someone who’s curious about them but worried they’ll feel too overpowering. A lot of other wands start strong, strong enough to scare off beginners and sensitive folks, but this one has such a wide range of intensities that just about anyone could enjoy it.
  • The majority of the wand’s weight is concentrated in its head. This allows it to feel rumblier and also means it’s not as tiring to hold onto the handle. As someone with chronic pain and muscle fatigue issues, I appreciate this.
  • The textured handle of the toy makes it easier to grip onto, even when I’ve got lube on my hands. Fantastic.
  • The shape of the Vim also makes it easier to hold than many other wands, because of how it curves inward toward the middle. I also just think this looks better/sexier/cuter than a straight-up-and-down wand.
  • I really love the aesthetic of the Vim. It’s friendly and fun, and the contrast between the matte silicone and the shiny plastic (or metal? not sure) on the neck and control panel is quite pretty. The one I got is a delightful shade of electric orange, and the other color option is a dignified deep blue. Both of these colors feel pretty non-gendered to me, too, which is always good to see.
  • Even at its highest speeds, the Vim is still reasonably quiet. Someone would definitely be able to tell you were using a vibrator if they were in the same room as you, sure, but behind a closed door (or with music on) it would be nearly imperceptible. This is extremely rare for a wand vibe this strong.
  • Most people seem to like when wand vibes have a bendy neck, so I’ll mention it here even though it’s not all that important to me personally. I will say, though, if you like to press down hard when you use vibrators, you might find that the neck of this toy has too much “give” for you to get the amount of pressure you want. (The head itself is firm, though, not squishy.)
  • As with most Fun Factory toys, the buttons on this wand are rounded, easy to locate, and make a satisfyingly responsive “click” that you can hear and feel when you press them. This is way better than toys that sometimes just don’t respond to button-presses (I’m lookin’ at you, Doxy) or that make you question whether you actually pressed the button or not. The Vim’s buttons also light up when the toy is in use, so you can find the button you’re looking for even in the dark.
  • The rumbliness of the Vim feels really good when held against the base of a dildo or butt plug that’s inside me, which can conveniently be done even while the vibe’s head is also stimulating my clit, because it’s big enough to reach both at once.
  • The Vim has an almost-unprecedented SIX-HOUR battery life. Absolutely wild. (For reference, the Magic Wand Rechargeable‘s battery life is about 3 hours.)
  • It has a travel-lock function, so it won’t turn on in your suitcase or backpack, etc. This is an uncommon feature in wand vibes of this size/strength, so it’s worth noting.

 

Things I don’t like about the Fun Factory Vim

  • My #1 annoyance with this toy is that once you reach the top speed, if you press the “+” button in the hopes of increasing the intensity further, it just moves on to vibration patterns. This can really kill the momentum of a session and could even ruin an orgasm if you weren’t expecting it. I have a strong preference for patterns being accessed via their own button that is separate from the buttons which control vibration intensity, for this reason. I almost never like vibration patterns or want to use them, and I’d love if it was impossible to switch to one accidentally.
  • The Vim starts at a medium intensity when you turn it on. This happens every time you turn it on. I strongly prefer when vibrators start at their lowest setting, because that is generally where I’ll be starting my session at, so I find it annoying that I always have to hit the “–” button a few times to get back to the lowest setting when I start using the Vim. However, if you tend to skip over the weakest settings on wand vibrators anyway, you might not mind this and might actually prefer it.
  • I don’t really understand how the Vim’s “customizable” speed adjustment works, and the manual doesn’t clarify sufficiently. The instructions seem to indicate that you can either short-press the “+” and “–” buttons to move between preset speeds or hold them down to “micro-adjust” until you reach your exact preferred vibration level, but sometimes holding them down doesn’t do anything and sometimes short-pressing them doesn’t do anything, and I don’t know why. 🤷🏻‍♀️
  • As with many wands, the bulkiness of this one means it’s not well-suited to missionary/face-to-face sex positions unless you adapt the position to make room for the toy. Its head is also large enough that it can get in the way a bit if I’m using a dildo that has a wide base.
  • While I mentioned above that I enjoy the wand’s center of gravity being in its head, there are times when this is somewhat annoying – mainly, when I’m trying to move the wand around my vulva (or to use it for general body massage), which can feel more tiring for my fibromyalgia-afflicted body than it would with a more balanced wand.
  • Fun Factory designed this toy so that the vibrations will mostly stay focused in the head, rather than vibrating the handle as with some other wands (which can be irritating, numbing, and even painful for me at times). If I hold the vibe by the end of its handle, the vibrations are indeed barely perceptible in my hand – but, when I hold it where it makes most sense to hold it – where the controls are located – some vibration definitely travels into my hand. It’s a minor issue but worth noting.
  • The textured head, which is designed to hold onto lube (which it does indeed do well), can be harder to clean than the smooth head of something like the Magic Wand Rechargeable.

How does the Vim compare to the Magic Wand Rechargeable?

  • The MWR has 4 speeds and 4 patterns. The Vim has 5 speeds and 3 patterns, although you can hold down the “+” and “–” buttons to “micro-adjust” the speed in any of its modes, a feature that the MWR doesn’t have.
  • The two are similar levels of rumbliness. The MWR feels stronger on its highest setting than the Vim does, but I think this is mostly because the MWR gets buzzier on its highest speeds (while retaining a good foundation of rumbliness at the same time), whereas the Vim stays pretty rumbly throughout. This is up to personal preference, but if I was masturbating on a particularly desensitized day (e.g. I’d already come twice that day, had used other powerful vibrators recently, or was on SSRIs), I’d probably pick the MWR over the Vim because that extra “top note” of buzziness is sometimes what I need to push me over the edge. However, for general/everyday use, I prefer a rumblier vibe, so I’d stick to the lower levels of the Vim or MWR and wouldn’t notice much of a difference, vibrations-wise.
  • The MWR is significantly louder than the Vim, especially on its higher settings.
  • Both the MWR and the Vim are not waterproof and should not be submerged in water, but the Vim’s instructions re: cleaning are much more chill/permissive about water getting on the toy. You’re supposed to wipe the MWR’s head clean, not wash it with water, but you can safely wash the Vim with soap and water as long as you don’t fully submerge it.
  • The MWR can be used while plugged in, which is a game-changer, especially if your vibe dies mid-session and you want to keep using it. However, as mentioned above, the Vim’s battery life is about twice as long as the MWR’s.
  • The MWR’s neck isn’t as bendy as the Vim’s, so it’s better if you like to apply a lot of pressure with vibrators.
  • The Vim is lighter, at 0.95 lbs to the MWR’s 1.3 lbs.
  • The Vim is a bit shorter: 12.3 inches, versus the MWR, which is 13 inches long.
  • The Vim’s handle is skinnier (about 4.25″ in circumference, measured around where the controls are located, versus the MWR’s 5.75″), which might make it better for you if you have small hands.
  • The Vim’s head is slightly longer and slimmer than the MWR’s. The difference is minor enough that I think some Magic Wand attachments would work on the Vim, although they wouldn’t fit perfectly/securely.
  • I tend to tilt my MWR on an angle when I use it, so the vibrations are focused into the corner of the head, making for a more pinpointed sensation, which my clit prefers. This isn’t possible with the Vim because its head is rounded; however, tilting it does narrow the area of contact somewhat so it’s not that much of an issue for me.
  • The Vim retails for $169 (nice) while the MWR retails for about $130.

 

Final thoughts

To be honest, I’m pretty attached to my Magic Wand Rechargeable. I think it’s hands-down one of the best wands on the market, in terms of engineering, vibration strength and quality, and even aesthetics (I mean, I got it tattooed on me, for heaven’s sake!).

But the Fun Factory Vim really gives it a run for its money. It’s sexy-looking, wildly rumbly, quiet, has an astonishingly long battery life, is easier to clean, and has a travel lock. If these features matter to you, I think you’d love it.

I might suggest you get an MWR instead if any (or multiple) of the following things are true for you:

  • You prefer (or don’t mind) a little buzziness at higher intensity levels
  • You prefer being able to use the wand even while it’s charging/even if it runs out of battery mid-session
  • You don’t want to pay $169 but can stomach paying $130
  • You like to press down hard with vibrators when you use them
  • You want a wand that will definitely be compatible with standard wand attachments and accessories
  • You have sensory issues, vulvodynia, etc. which would make a smooth wand head more appealing than a textured one
  • You prefer an aesthetic that’s more clinical/non-sexual or toned-down

But if you’ve got the cash to spare and you want a mega-rumbly, ultra-beautiful rechargeable wand, I can proudly recommend the Fun Factory Vim. It’s everything I hoped it would be.

 

This review was not sponsored, I just really like this toy.

Guest Review: Lovense Gush

Note from Kate: Here’s a guest review from my spouse, of a toy we use together pretty often these days! Enjoy.


For many years, I have been obsessed with the idea of the “hands-free orgasm,” a climax that occurs without direct manual stimulation or penetration of the genitals. I’ve even been lucky enough to achieve it in my own sex life numerous times, mostly through hypnokink, where I first became aware of how hot the concept is. There are countless erotic hypnosis audio files traded and sold online that promise to put you in a trance and make you come with words alone, and uh, they can and do work for a lot of folks after sufficient practice. Usually, these tracks are about an hour long, because building up the requisite mental arousal needed to make someone orgasm usually takes much longer than doing the same thing physically. Sometimes I just don’t have the time to drift away for that long with my headphones on and my dick out, but I still want the feeling of coming without using my hands or sliding a toy up and down my shaft.

That’s where the Lovense Gush comes into play (so to speak). The Gush is a small Bluetooth “glans massager,” i.e. a penis vibrator designed to focus on the tip of the dick. It’s shaped similarly to the Fun Factory Manta, minus the handle, and comes in a similarly beautiful sea-blue silicone. The 3.4-inch-long and 2-inch-wide cylinder is open at the top, and flexible wings allow it to fit around even the girthiest heads. Because it’s open on both ends and not meant for full penetration, it can also be used on penises of nearly any length, as long as the glans extends far enough to reach its vibration. While many users hold the toy still during play, subtle ridges on the inside provide additional stimulation if you prefer to stroke.

The toy has all the things you’d expect from a toy of its caliber and price point ($119.00 USD): strong, rumbly vibrations in four speeds and four built-in patterns, a magnetically rechargeable battery that can last for up to 2 hours of continuous use, IPX7 waterproofing for luxurious bath or shower wanks, and a one-year warranty from the manufacturer. It comes with a black storage bag, a USB cable for charging, and a manual.

But what makes the Gush special and particularly suited to hands-free orgasms is the inclusion of a color-matched silicone band, which wraps around both the toy and your shaft, holding it in place on your body as long as you’re sitting or lying relatively still. This simple-but-brilliant addition frees up your hands to touch a partner, stimulate other body parts, or be restrained for kinkier “milking” or “forced orgasm”-type scenes. The band is easy to slip on and works well to keep the vibrator focused on the most sensitive part of your dick – but if you’re not using your hands, how do you control it?

The app! As discussed in many of the other Lovense reviews here, the Lovense Remote app for iOS and Android is best-in-class. It allows you to control the toy locally over Bluetooth, hand over control to a long-distance partner over the internet, share custom patterns with the community, and even sync the vibrations to music or use the Gush as an alarm clock. Cock-a-doodle-do! Sure, if your phone is dead or you’re without it, you can use the single button on the toy itself to control the speed and flip through the patterns, but where’s the fun in that?

I’ve used the Lovense Gush with Kate many times since we got it for review last May. It’s perfect for us as a long-distance couple, especially because, while Kate enjoys domming from time to time, it’s easier for her to top me on the phone if she’s doing something in addition to just talking dirty. Our sessions usually involve me getting her off with dirty talk while she fucks herself first, so by the time I take out the Gush, I’m already very aroused. I then turn on the toy, open the Lovense app, lube it up, and strap it on. From that moment, Kate has control. Sometimes she’ll instruct me to rub the toy up and down my shaft (which you can do with the band still attached). Other times, she’ll tell me to keep my hands by my side or in a set of cuffs while she uses the sliders in the app to control the vibration, listens closely to my reactions, and guides me slowly (or quickly 😳) toward a satisfying and often surprising hands-free orgasm.

As we played with chastity more, she realized it doesn’t just work on my bare cock – because of the shape and flexibility of the design, it can just as easily be strapped onto my chastity cage when I’m locked up for her. Even with a full stainless steel sheath surrounding my cock, the rumbly vibrations translate extremely well. She can decide whether to tease and deny me with sporadic light vibrations or crank up the intensity and force me to come in my cage, even when I’m not allowed or able to touch myself at all.

But can everyone gush hands-free with the Gush? Certainly not. When it comes to sex, nothing is universal. But it’s not at all an uncommon occurrence. A search for the Lovense Gush on PornHub returns dozens of videos of penis-havers strapping it on and coming within minutes, no stroking required.

Look, I know I’m gushing over it. But the Lovense Gush really is the perfect compact vibe to buy if you’re interested in coming hands-free, if you have a long-distance lover who wants to stimulate your dick from afar, or if you want to experiment with setting up custom patterns and kick back while a toy does all the work. It’s also great because it doesn’t require an erection to use (or to reach orgasm with). It’s also been affirming for nonbinary, transfeminine, and intersex reviewers, who often appreciate its genderless marketing and de-emphasis of penetration.

I’ll leave you with a final piece of advice: the first time you have a hands-free orgasm with the Gush, do not shout, “Look Ma, no hands!” – unless you’re alone or you know your partner’s into that kinda thing.