3 Gorgeous Sex-Related Aesthetics I Admire

Kate Sloan
All images in this post were assembled using UrStyle

When I think of fetish aesthetics, I think of Bettie Page, and of the SuicideGirls. Although these two cultural phenomena hit their peaks decades apart from one another, I think it’s obvious that the SuicideGirl aesthetic was very much influenced by Bettie Page and other midcentury fetish models, and we also see these influences in aesthetics associated with pro dom(me)s and even with the later mania centering around Fifty Shades of Grey.

Sharp nails, sharp heels, sharp eyeliner wings – these are just some of the elements I associate with this type of look. One of the reasons it feels so transgressive is that women’s style is traditionally “supposed to” be subdued, soft, and conventionally feminine. When we incorporate elements that feel tougher, stronger, and scarier – think Sandy at the end of Grease – it can come across as threatening to traditional Western gender roles and even to Western conceptions of heterosexuality as a whole. For many of us, that transgression is exactly what is so appealing and sexy about this type of look.

Obviously the idea of a “sex worker aesthetic” is a problematic oversimplification, since sex workers are not a monolith by any means; even to break down the category of sex workers further and argue that, for instance, escorts in London have a particular sartorial style would be wrong, because they’re all individual human beings with individual aesthetics.

That being said, there are some stylistic elements that are often associated with sex workers in the popular imagination, whether or not these associations are accurate. Some of these come from Hollywood depictions (think Vivian’s thigh-high black leather boots in Pretty Woman) and some come from actual sex workers (such as the pops of red and pink often found in the looks of MF Akynos, founder of the Black Sex Worker Collective). Leather, leopard print, sky-high heels, and fishnets are just some of the stylistic elements commonly associated with sex workers, though of course one’s outfit selections will depend largely on geographic location, weather, the type(s) of sex work being performed, any safety concerns that may limit style choices (including the likelihood of being targeted by police), the type of clientele one is likely to have, and other such factors.

When I did online sex work of various sorts and was briefly a sugar baby, I enjoyed reflecting on the aesthetic legacies of sex workers, and incorporating elements into my look that I associated with them in order to subtly reference those who came before. Obviously these looks can be incredibly powerful and sexy, and they – like sex work itself – have a fascinating history.

Sundresses have come to be discussed as symbols of sexuality in and of themselves over the past few years; “getting railed in a sundress” has become a widespread idea and many women-attracted and/or femme-attracted people rejoice about the start of “sundress season” each year.

If kinky and sex work-influenced aesthetics are conceptually based around transgression, danger, and perversion, I think there’s a certain variety of sundress sexiness that is more about (the illusion of) innocence, inexperience, and immaturity. I don’t mean the fetishization of actual children, which is of course not okay, but rather the fetishization of a certain play-acted naïveté that is seen as feminine, youthful, and fun, but still quite adult in its manifestation.

The vibe, to my mind, is “getting fucked at a picnic,” or maybe “what if the Garden of Eden was a porn scene.” Pretty ideal aesthetic, if you ask me.

 

This post contains a sponsored link. As always, all writing and opinions are my own.

Review: AcmeJoy 3-in-1 Rabbit

Kate Sloan

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.

Sex Work is Work

Kate Sloan
Part of a display at the Leather Archives & Museum in Chicago

What with increasingly puritanical laws like SESTA/FOSTA jeopardizing the livelihoods of sex workers on a daily basis, there’s a lot of discourse these past few years about the validity of sex work as a profession. I think people on both sides are arguing with (what they think are) good intentions, but one side is just flat-out wrong.

See, one of the primary arguments against sex work is that it’s inherently exploitative and bad for society because “selling your body” is somehow more evil, less virtuous, and less valid than other types of work. Critics often make the case that someone can’t freely enter into sex work and agree to “defile” their body in that way because there are inherently a lot of financial (and sometimes social) pressures that push them into that work.

The thing is, a lot of these anti-sex work bigots (or SWERFs – sex worker-exclusionary radical feminists) are either operating from a deeply religious and archaic ideological framework, or don’t even realize how much Christian values have seeped into their thinking. I know this because they hold sex to a different standard than any other activity one might be paid to do, and there’s no reason it needs to be viewed that away aside from the fundamentally Christian belief that sex is somehow simultaneously sacred and special, and taboo and dirty.

If making money using one’s body is what you have an issue with, you’d need to be equally angry with athletes, actors, dancers, personal trainers, lifeguards, models, etc. etc. in order for that position to be ideologically consistent. If you consider “taking something into your body” to be an act so sacred that no one can willingly do it for a living, you should be yelling at food critics and circus fire-eaters too. If you think “inserting part of yourself into someone else’s body” isn’t valid work, why aren’t you harassing surgeons? If touching someone for the purposes of pleasure and relaxation crosses a line for you, why aren’t you mad at masseuses, acupressure specialists, and manicurists?

Some of these examples are a bit ridiculous, sure – but that’s because the arguments they’re refuting are ridiculous too. For me, the wildest thing about anti-sex work criticism is that it points out some of capitalism’s fatal flaws, but rarely goes so far as to actually criticize capitalism – largely because many such critics are well-off, conservative-leaning people who benefit from, and advocate for, capitalism’s deepest inequalities. These people will say that no one can truly consent to a job they take due to financial pressures, that sex work is inherently bad because it’s exploitative and can be dangerous, that it’s gross that someone can pay to access someone else’s body – but all of these are problems with capitalism itself, and not with sex work in particular. If you truly believe financial pressures should be eliminated so everyone can make free choices about what they do with their time, advocate for socialism and a universal basic income. If you think no one should be subject to exploitation and danger at their job, advocate for better worker protections and higher pay. If you think having a lot of money shouldn’t give someone control over other people’s bodies, maybe take that up with Jeff Bezos, for starters.

Humans are prone to trying to come up with “logical” explanations for feelings we hold deep in our gut – and far too often it’s immoral, insulting, dishonest, and ineffective. It’s the reason bigots argue that queer and trans people are the downfall of society, when they actually just think queer and trans people are icky. It’s the reason some racists will argue that they have valid reasons for their prejudices, when actually they’re just propagating the racist values they were raised with and chose not to challenge. And it’s the reason lobbyists and lawmakers would rather make sex workers’ lives harder and more dangerous by, say, banning online sex work platforms, like the Craigslist personals section, Backpage, and escortsliaison.com on the basis of “protecting vulnerable people,” rather than admit that those people either need a different kind of help or don’t need “help” at all.

I’ve only dabbled in some forms of sex work, but even I have encountered these shaming narratives, so I know that people more entrenched in the field are struggling and suffering needlessly under the oppressive weight of discrimination. Sex work is work, and as with all other kinds of work, it can only be done safely if there are proper protections in place for workers, which in this case includes having access to websites that allow them to find and screen clients. And as with all other kinds of work, sometimes it’s freely chosen and sometimes it’s chosen out of financial necessity, and neither is more valid than the other, since we live in a capitalistic system and financial pressures are built into our daily lives by design. If your issue is the danger, take it up with the conservative lawmakers making sex work more dangerous. If your issue is financial hardship, take it up with the conservative lawmakers creating those conditions. And if your issue is just that you think sex work is icky, take it up with your therapist, and leave sex workers the hell out of it.

 

If you want to help sex workers, consider donating to sex workers’ rights organizations like SWOP Behind Bars and Red Light Legal, advocating for sex workers’ rights to your local politicians/lawmakers, and even just donating directly to individual sex workers. This post contains a sponsored link; as always, all writing and opinions are my own.

Review: Acmejoy Lolita

Kate Sloan

I was suspicious of the Acmejoy Lolita from the start, because it’s repeatedly described on its product page as being suitable for beginners.

Granted, it’s not inherently wrong to describe a sex toy as beginner-friendly – I certainly do it pretty often. But when I say that about a toy, what I tend to mean is that it will give beginners an introduction to sex toys (or to a particular category of sex toy) that is both user-friendly and pleasurable. I’ve heard from far too many people who gave up on sex toys after trying one bad one, and so I recommend certain toys to beginners the same way I’d tell a friend to start with my favorite episode of a TV show I wanted them to watch. I want their first impression to be positive and enjoyable, and for them to not feel alienated by it.

But all too often in the sex toy industry, when a toy is described as beginner-friendly, what that means is: It has a friendly and unintimidating aesthetic, but produces weak sensations. There’s an assumption being made that sex toy newbies are far more sensitive than long-time toy users, and that therefore, a toy which might disappoint an experienced user would be just fine for a beginner. I don’t think this is true – and I think it’s insulting.

A truly beginner-friendly vibrator will have a wide range of settings, so that new users can experiment to figure out what sensations they like. It should be a toy they can enjoy right out of the box but that they can also “grow into,” if, for example, they find that they want stronger vibrations a few months down the road, or want to try using a vibe internally after only using it externally. It should be versatile, varied, and forgiving.

The Acmejoy Lolita is none of those things, sadly.

But let’s back up and start with the basics. What is this toy? The Lolita – also known as the “Baby Octopus,” which is a much more apt name, seeing as that is what it looks like – is a small clitoral stimulator with two different functions, sucking and licking. The “sucking” is pressure-wave stimulation, and the “licking” is the rapid movement of a mechanical silicone tongue.

Despite what the Lolita’s inaccurate marketing copy says (“Pleasure two of your hottest hot spots at once!”), you can’t use both of these functions simultaneously, because they are located at different places on the toy. This is a cool idea in theory – you could start with licking and escalate to sucking when you’re turned on enough, or vice-versa. It is a bit odd that both functions are always on if the toy is on (there’s only one button on the toy, which controls both functions at once), but it could be useful if you plan on switching back and forth quickly between the two functions during any given session. Two vulva-owners could also theoretically get into a scissor-ish position and each use one of the toy’s functions at once, but I think it would be challenging to get the angles right.

One other potential benefit to how this toy is designed: If you want to get “sucked” by the pressure-wave part of the toy, while looking at its little silicone tongue flapping, there is a way you can position the toy so that is possible. I sometimes found this vaguely hot, as someone who watches a lot of cunnilingus porn. 🤷🏻‍♀️

My immediate thought, upon discovering that there’s no way to only engage one function at a time, was, “Isn’t that taxing on the motor?” In my experience with low-end to mid-range dual- and triple-stimulation toys, each of the functions tends to weaken when you turn on the other functions, because the motor isn’t typically engineered well enough to keep pace when it’s doing that much at once. It’s like trying to run The Sims on an old laptop.

Indeed, I think the Lolita’s strength suffers substantially for there being no way to use the functions individually. It’s… disappointingly weak, to say the least. Both the sucking and the licking feel very surface-level and insubstantial. Like, yeah, I know they’re happening, but my clit just doesn’t care. In my testing sessions, I was barely able to get turned on, let alone get off. And that’s with weed and porn factored into the equation.

The tongue certainly felt better than the suction. It felt slightly more impactful and even felt a bit like a real tongue at times, albeit the tongue of someone who is teasing you by giving you maddeningly gentle head. The tongue slows down significantly when pressure is applied, though, so for me, this could only ever be a tease – and not a very good one, at that.

The suction is worse – its “mouth” barely encompasses any of my clit, sitting on just the very tip of it, and it doesn’t create much of a seal or generate much sensation at all. Both the sucking and licking functions have 7 intensity settings, and there’s little difference, sensation-wise, between the lowest one and the highest. Have I mentioned that this toy is weak?!

Image via Acmejoy

I have some other issues with this toy, but they’re smaller quibbles that would’ve been forgivable if not for the toy’s bigger flaws. Namely:

After you reach the 7th intensity setting, if you hit the toy’s one button again in hopes of amping up the sensations further, the toy just shuts off. NO TOY SHOULD EVER DO THIS. This is a recipe for ruined orgasms.

Because the toy is spherical, it rolls around a lot and frequently falls off my nightstand. It does come with a small plastic stand, shaped like octopus tentacles, which you can sit it on top of to circumvent this problem, but I’m just not gonna keep something like that on my nightstand all the time, so it’s often not there when I need it. The shape of the toy is also awkward to hold onto – my achy and uncoordinated hands often find it hard to press its one button – and due to its roundness and smoothness, it doesn’t stay securely in place if I try to hold it between my thighs for hands-free use.

When you plug the toy in to charge, there’s no indication that it is indeed charging. Nothing lights up or buzzes or anything. You just have to guess, and hope, and pray.

Image via Acmejoy

I don’t like writing negative reviews, but the Acmejoy Lolita just isn’t a good toy. They’re charging $45.99 for something that doesn’t even feel as good as my fingers alone. Feel free to peruse Acmejoy’s clitoral vibes section – I know for a fact that it contains some options that are way better than the Lolita, including at least one that can actually get me off. But this one ain’t it.

I think we do sex toy consumers a disservice when we say that a weak toy is the same thing as a beginner-friendly toy. I think beginners deserve better than to be condescended to, underserved, and scared off toys altogether by bad ones that didn’t need to be made. I think that if calling your toy “good for beginners” is the only way you can make it make sense, you should probably just go back to the drawing board and make a better toy. Beginners’ tastes aren’t homogeneous, and they won’t be beginners forever. Regardless of your experience level, some toys are just bad. And this, I’m sorry to say, is one of them.

 

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

Kate Sloan

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.