Sohimi

Review: Sohimi Viele dual-stimulation vibrator

Kate Sloan

Imagine, if you will, going to bed with a cute person, who kisses you deeply, grinds against you slowly, and – whips out a deck of cards and starts doing magic tricks.

“Pick a card, any card,” they patter away, brandishing the spread deck at you – as they kiss their way down your body, toward your junk.

Now, surely this is some people’s fantasy… and seeing as I married an erstwhile magician myself, I might even sometimes count myself among those people… but the point still stands: attempting to multi-task in bed is not always the wisest move. It can very well lead to confusion, disappointment, and accidentally getting jizz all over your pricey trick cards from the local magic shop.

All this to say: I admire the ambition behind Sohimi’s Viele dual-stimulation toy, which licks and sucks and vibrates and flaps – but I think the toy would’ve been better if it’d had fewer tricks up its sleeve. Let me tell you about it.

Things I like about the Sohimi Viele:

  • I’ve tried a lot of oral sex simulators over the years, and this one is pretty closely aligned with my own cunnilingual preferences – rare! The Viele’s “mouth” is quite top-heavy, with a thick upper lip that moves up and down in a not-quite-sucking motion (it’s more like kissing, since there’s never enough of a seal formed for it to generate suction). This works well for me; when receiving head I tend to favor a soft sucking technique over direct licking, because the tip of my clit is too damn sensitive for that – and the design and motion of the Viele’s mouth make it one of the closest things I’ve found to that sensation in a sex toy. Don’t forget to apply water-based lube generously to any oral-esque sex toy before using it! (Incidentally, Sohimi might be the best online sex toy shop for cunnilingus enthusiasts – they have more “suck vibrators” and licking toys than you can shake a clit at, many of which I have reviewed here before!)
  • While each function of the toy has 5-7 presets, you can vary their settings much more precisely by connecting your toy to the Joyhub app via Bluetooth. This was easy and quick to set up on my iPhone. Navigate to “DIY” mode and you’ll be able to individually control each of the toy’s functions using a slider. The app also lets you invite a far-away partner to control your toy, and to sync up your toy with games or videos. I’m glad to see more toy companies offering Bluetooth-controllability via app, especially toys at a lower price point like this one ($39!), especially since long-distance play has soared in popularity these last few years.
  • The low price is worth its own bullet point, because it’s rare to find a rechargeable dual-stim (or triple-stim) vibe as inexpensive as this. There’s a reason for that, though, as the next section will illustrate…

Things I don’t like about the Sohimi Viele:

  • Like many other mechanical mouths I have tried, the Viele’s mouth slows down significantly when it encounters any pressure – and I do tend to want to apply pressure with it, because it applies almost none on its own: it’s more like gentle kissing than sucking. As such, it’s an enjoyable tease at best, and when I do manage to come from it, the orgasms are underwhelming and unsatisfying.
  • The movement of the mouth is also inexorably paired with buzzyish vibration. It’s not terrible, but it dims my clitoral sensitivity over the course of a session, which – again – makes for some mediocre orgasms.
  • The shaft of the toy contains a hollow cut-out, in which there is a long noodle-shaped piece of silicone that flaps back and forth at high speeds when the “flapping” function is engaged. At low-to-medium settings, this feels a bit like some G-spot vibrators I have enjoyed, albeit much weaker… but the sensation is so subtle that it’s immediately drowned out when I turn on any of the toy’s other functions. It also seems to slow down significantly with pressure, like, y’know, my vag muscles squeezing as I become aroused…
  • I also find that the flapping function sometimes produces a queefy, trapped-air feeling in my vag when used at high speeds, which is not a turn-on for me, to say the least… and the hollow cut-out in the toy is difficult to clean.
  • The shaft also vibrates, but the vibration is so buzzy and “blah” that I rarely used it, since it generally just made my vag feel a bit tingly/itchy and then slightly numb, as tends to happen with buzzy vibration.
  • This is quite a loud toy, especially when all three functions (mouth + flapping + vibration) are engaged at once. It can definitely be heard through a closed door.
  • There’s no good way to use the toy’s “mouth” on its own, as “foreplay” for using the toy penetratively. This annoys me on principle.
  • It’s not waterproof – and even if it were, I’d probably never use it in the bath anyway because the very presence of water would probably provide enough resistance to slow the toy down substantially.

Final thoughts

It’s rare that a sex toy feels like a downgrade from jerking off by hand, like in olden times – but the Sohimi Viele falls into that category for me, unfortunately! Its mechanics are too weak to stand up to pressure, and so the orgasms it produces are weak, too.

I wrote in my testing notes, “Sure, I came, but at what cost?” – which, to be fair, is also probably what I’d say if that magician got me off and then pulled a Queen of Hearts out of my cunt and said “Is this your card?!” Sadly, with the Viele, I’m just not feelin’ the magic.

 

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

Review: Sohimi Norma dual-stimulation thrusting vibrator

Kate Sloan

One of the most encouraging things I’ve seen in my 11+ years as a sex toy reviewer is that you can get fancier features in cheaper toys now than ever before. There was a time when you had to spend a pretty penny for functions that are considered basic now, such as waterproofness or even having multiple settings. But technology has advanced to a point where you can get better toys for less, if you know what to look for. (That’s why I write reviews, baybee!)

I’m thinking about this because today I’m reviewing the Sohimi Norma, a toy that retails for $55.99 (at time of writing) but nonetheless has some qualities I’d expect to see in pricier vibes. It’s not perfect by any means, but there are some aspects of it that impressed me nonetheless, so let’s jump in and talk about it, shall we?

 

What is the Sohimi Norma?

This is a dual-stimulation vibrator, which aims to stimulate the clit and G-spot simultaneously.

The internal arm boasts a gentle curve, a semi-realistic head, and some gentle ridgy texture. It mainly functions as a thruster, pounding back and forth against your G-spot (hopefully), although it also subtly vibrates.

The external arm, designed for clitoral stimulation, features what Sohimi calls a “high-frequency vibration ball.” More on that later.

This toy also has a warming function. When Sohimi describes the Norma as a “4-in-1” toy, they are referring to 1) internal vibration, 2) internal thrusting, 3) clitoral vibration, and 4) heating.

 

Things I like about this toy

  • First and foremost: the internal arm’s thrusting is genuinely impressive for the price point. It pushes rhythmically against my G-spot with a surprising amount of force. It’s not quite as forceful as a Velvet Thruster, but definitely feels more impactful to me than the Fun Factory Stronic toys, which are all way more expensive than the Norma. The sensation can make me squirt, and reminds me of when a partner is fingerbanging me in a particularly vigorous way – which I like, personally, as long as everything is well-lubed, but YMMV!
  • There are 7 different thrusting settings, including some that are slow and steady, some that are fast and steady, and a couple that are more random/erratic. I tend to stick with the steady settings because that’s what my G-spot prefers, and I like that I can start at a slower speed and work up to faster thrusting (although I wish these settings were ordered differently; more on that below).
  • The vibration and thrusting can be controlled separately, as each has its own button that you can short-press to cycle through its settings. You can also turn off one of the functions and just focus on the other one if you want. I always appreciate this feature in dual-stim toys, since my G-spot doesn’t always crave the same intensity of stimulation that my clit does at any given time.
  • The Norma has a looped handle, which makes it more accessible and easier to hold onto for those of us who struggle with hand pain, muscle weakness, etc. It’s also just a stylish-looking feature – it’s a silvery rose-gold shade, and is visually reminiscent of the metallic plating found on some Lelo toys.
  • Sohimi says that the Norma can last 1 hour on a charge, assuming both functions are set to full power. That may not sound like a lot, but it’s actually really unusual for a dual-stimulation toy, since the multiple functions can be very taxing on a motor. I’ve yet to run out of power while testing this toy and only charged it once, when I initially got it. I’ve been surprised by how consistently the thrusting function just keeps truckin’ away inside me, even if I stretch out a masturbation session while reading erotica, watching porn, etc.

 

Things I don’t like about this toy

  • The main problem with this toy – and it is, unfortunately, a glaring issue – is that the clitoral arm is bad. When I saw that Sohimi refers to it as a “high-frequency vibration ball,” I imagined that maybe the ball would roll around in a fast oscillating motion or something, but it’s actually just a sphere-shaped vibrating appendage – and the vibration is very buzzy (i.e. high-pitched and surface-level). It’s decently strong for the price point, sure, but I find it hard to enjoy all that power when the vibrations are so buzzy that they make my clit feel noticeably numb within seconds. The only way I was able to get off with this toy was by angling it so that I could slip a better vibe onto my clit, while still enjoying the Norma’s thrusting internally.
  • For reasons unknown, the thrusting function starts on a fast setting by default, and you have to cycle through a couple of those + a couple of random/weird settings before you get to slower, steady thrusting. IMO the toy should start on this slower mode, since most people are going to want to build up from lower to higher speeds as their arousal increases.
  • This toy is loud AF. That’s par for the course with thrusting toys, I’ve found, but this one sounds particularly robotic and creaky, even when it’s inside me. (On the plus side, though, the vibrations aspect is relatively quiet.)
  • Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to test the heating function, because it requires you to press two buttons simultaneously while the toy is in standby mode, and no matter what I tried, I couldn’t seem to sync up my button-presses enough that the heat turned on. The toy always just acted like I only pressed one of the buttons, activating the thrusting or vibration. This could be due to my mild coordination issues from fibromyalgia, but even when it looked to me like I’d pressed them at exactly the same time, it still didn’t work. 🤷🏻‍♀️
  • The Norma is only IPX6 waterproof, which means you can wash it in the sink, or even use it in the shower, but shouldn’t submerge it in water or use it in the bath. I am a fan of bathtime masturbation so my hope is always for toys to be fully waterproof instead.

 

Final thoughts

Ultimately I didn’t love the Sohimi Norma as much as I wanted to, because of the lackluster clit vibrations. I’ve said this before, but I wish more companies would prioritize motor quality in their vibrators; other bells and whistles just don’t matter anywhere near as much. The majority of people with vulvas require clitoral stimulation in order to reach orgasm, so the clit arm of a dual-stim toy needs to be damn good, or the whole toy suffers as a result.

That being said, I really like the thrusting aspect of this toy; it’s strong, variable, and pairs well with the curved shape of the toy’s internal arm, making for intense G-spot sensations that add substantially to my pleasure. I just can’t get off with this toy unless I use a different clitoral vibe with it.

Sohimi has plenty of other thrusting toys, and I’d encourage you to check them out if you’re looking for a thruster on a budget (and feel free to check out all my previous Sohimi reviews if you want more guidance). I look forward to a day when good clitoral vibes are easier to find on a budget, too.

 

Thanks so much to Sohimi for sponsoring this post! I was paid to write a fair and honest review of this product. As always, all writing and opinions are my own.

Review: Sohimi Rose Queen

Kate Sloan

Sometimes, when I talk to my younger sex blogger friends about the way things used to be in this industry, I feel like a cranky old man describing his uphill-both-ways trudge from home to school and back again. You kids don’t know how great you’ve got it, I imagine myself saying (lovingly). Back in my day, a $25 vibrator barely felt like anything at all, and even a $100 vibrator wasn’t guaranteed to get you off. Can you imagine?!

That last part, at least, is still true, and always will be: no toy can guarantee orgasms, because every person’s anatomy and preferences are different. I will say, however, that vibrators in the under-$80 price range used to, pretty consistently, feel like almost nothing to me. Either they’d be so weak that I’d yell “THAT’S IT?!” upon reaching the highest setting, or they’d be so buzzy that my genitals would go fully numb before an orgasm was even visible on the horizon, or (most commonly) both.

That’s not the case anymore. Which is fucking awesome.

The Sohimi Rose Queen, for example, costs only $38 at time of writing. Ten years ago, a vibe at this price point would have made me sigh, roll my eyes, and toss it across the room; this vibe, on the other hand, makes me come.

Apparently rose sex toys are hot right now. When I told my spouse that this Sohimi toy was on my docket, they asked, “Is it the TikTok-famous rose vibrator?” I looked it up, and it’s not – but evidently, other companies are cashing in on the sudden cultural cachet that clit-pleasing roses have accrued. Like the toy that recently blew up in popularity on the ‘Tok (I’m 29, am I allowed to call it that?), this one is a clitoral pressure-wave toy shaped like a lovely rose – but this one has, in addition, another end, which vibrates and can be used to stimulate the clit, G-spot, or pretty much anywhere else you please.

The clit-sucking end is not my favorite, but then, very very few toys in this category of products really do the trick for me. On this one, as with many others, the suction feels too immediately intense and too precisely focused on the very tip of my clit, creating a buzzy effect that tends to be more annoying than arousing. However, as I often do, I’ve tended to use this one positioned on top of my clit and stimulating it through the hood, and that feels much better. It still has a buzzy, insistent quality that just doesn’t excite my clit the way something deeper and thrummier like the Lelo Sila does, though.

Oddly, this is one of the few pressure-wave toys I’ve tried that’s actually noisier when it’s on your clit than when it’s not. I wouldn’t call it loud, exactly, but I’d want to close my door and turn some music on if I was planning to use this toy when anyone else was home.

The other side, the vibrating one, is even louder – it sounds a bit like someone is mowing their lawn in a neighboring yard. But I find it much more stimulating and satisfying. The vibrations sit somewhere in the middle of the buzzy-rumbly spectrum, rumbly enough that my internal clit feels sufficiently stimulated but buzzy enough to give the surface of my skin that “whoa!” sensation that sometimes prompts orgasms. Though these vibrations start at a higher intensity than I’d prefer, they can get me off quickly and consistently, albeit sometimes with the addition of me rubbing the toy against myself in circles to counteract the slight numbness brought on by that buzzy top note.

That numbness, by the way, gets into my fingers, too, when I use this toy. The entire length of this rose vibrator buzzes when the vibrations are on, making it hard to comfortably keep a grip on it. I like using it hands-free for this reason, clamping it between my thighs once it’s positioned where I want it on my clit.

Both ends of the toy offer a few different patterns as well as a few steady speeds. I tend to prefer steady speeds when the sensations are as intense as they are in this toy, because the addition of rhythm to the equation can be overwhelming, but to each their own.

The shaft of the vibrator is flexible enough to be comfortable when used internally (though not necessarily pleasurable – it lacks a G-spot curve or anything else that my vaginal erogenous zones tend to like). But it’s not quite flexible enough for you to use both ends of the toy at once (unless you’re using one and a partner’s using the other, of course!). I don’t much care for using the vibrating end internally; it’s just buzzy enough that it makes my intestines feel mildly weird instead of stimulating any pleasurable zones in there. That said, it is smooth and slim, and could work well for someone who’s just easing their way into penetrative play, or prefers penetration on the skinnier side.

The shape of this toy leads me to believe it could be safely used for anal, because of how it flares out when the “rose” part begins. Just be sure to use a lot of lube, because the silicone is quite draggy.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive toy that can both suck your clit and vibrate your bits (though not at the same time), you could do plenty worse than this rose sex toy by Sohimi. It’s a genuinely powerful dual-usage toy that goes for just $38. But you’ll have to be willing to put up with its quirks, namely its lack of lower settings, its propensity for vibrating the fuck out of your fingers, and its higher-than-ideal noise level. Like any rose, it’s got its thorns – and sometimes the pain is worth enduring for the pleasure of the rose itself.

 

This post was sponsored, meaning I was paid to write a fair and honest review of this product. As always, all writing and opinions are my own. You can use the code GIRLY10 to get 10% off your purchase of this product.

Review: Sohimi Alice Hands-Free Masturbator

Kate Sloan

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by some of the inexpensive-but-great toys Sohimi has sent me to review before, like their efficient dual-stimulation clitoral sucking vibrator and their inventive tongue-like toy. Some of my readers have even reached out to say that they bought a Sohimi toy on my recommendation and enjoyed it too, which is great!

When the company reached out to me this time, they wanted me to review a product from their “sex toys for men” section. Unnecessarily gendered language aside (please, companies, if it’s a toy for penises, you can just say that! Trans and non-binary people exist!!), there are a number of toys in that category that look just as innovative and interesting as the vulva-focused toys Sohimi has sent me before, so I was curious to see what my partner mb would choose to review.

They eventually settled on the Alice hands-free masturbator, a mechanized stroker that both rotates around your dick and strokes it up and down. I asked mb to take notes during their initial testing session with the Alice and they described it as feeling “like a car wash for your cock.” But in a good way. Mostly.

In lieu of having adjustable speeds and separate controls for each function, the Alice just has a series of pre-set patterns you can flip through. Some of these are nice, while some are too overwhelming and/or erratic to feel all that pleasurable – unless you’re into overloading a partner with sensation for kinky reasons. Actually, sadistic fantasies are one of the first places mb’s mind went when trying out this toy; we’ve watched a fair amount of porn involving dommes “milking” their subs for cum, in a way that combines D/s, bondage, orgasm control, edging, medical play, humiliation/objectification, and various other delightful fantasies, and the Sohimi Alice is pretty ideal for scenes of that nature. The unpredictability of its array of patterns can make it feel more like someone else is controlling the toy – and your dick – even when you’re operating it yourself.

The internal texture of the sleeve is intense, particularly when combined with the spinning/stroking combo served up by the toy’s motor. My partner’s dick sensitivity is average (I’m a slut, I would know), and they noted that people with more sensitive cocks might find this toy overstimulating. But, again, that could be cool for scenes involving consensual overstimulation and maybe even forced orgasms.

Indeed, mb says they can get off from using this toy easily, because of how hyper-stimulating it is. It works best if you hold it still, rather than thrusting into it, which can strain the motors and slow them down – but that need to remain still, too, plays into potential fantasies of being controlled and toyed with.

Like most strokers, the Sohimi Alice has its problems. It’s quite loud. It’s a bit big and bulky, so if you have strength/grip issues, you may want to find a way to brace it against something (like a pillow or a wall) to hold it up at least some of the time while you’re using it – although it does also have a suction cup mount, so if need be, you can affix it to a wall or a floor and thrust into it hands-free. The sleeve is made of TPE, which is porous, so you shouldn’t share it with people you’re not fluid-bonded with, and should expect to need to replace it within a few years. Cleaning it is annoying, mostly because you have to dissemble the device before washing it to avoid getting the mechanics wet, and because the time at which you have to do it is the time when you’d most often like to lie in bed enjoying the afterglow instead.

However, overall we’ve really enjoyed using the Sohimi Alice together. It provides unique sensations not often found in other strokers, and is surprisingly well-suited to numerous different pervy fantasies. Who knew a “car wash for your cock” could feel this good?

 

Thanks to Sohimi for supplying us with this toy! Check out their “male” sex toys online. This post was sponsored, which means I was paid to write a fair and honest review of this product. As always, all writing and opinions are my own (and my partner’s).

Review: Sohimi Sucking Clitoris Stimulator & Wand Massager

Kate Sloan

I feel like I’ve reviewed approximately one zillion pressure-wave toys as of late… and I sort of have. But, encouragingly for this once-tiny category of sex toy, each one I’ve reviewed recently has been pretty different. There used to be very little variety in pressure-wave land, but now you can get tons of different takes on this same basic idea.

Today I’m reviewing the Sohimi Sucking Clitoris Stimulator & Wand Massager, which I think needs a much snappier name, like perhaps the Suck ‘n’ Buzz, or the Beyond Wand. (Okay, no one should hire me as a sex toy namer. That much is clear.)

This petite pink rechargeable wand vibrator has a classic wand head at one end, and a clitoral suction nozzle at the other end. At first I was confused about why anyone would want this, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense to me. Vibration and pressure waves are the two major modes of clitoral stimulation that the sex toy industry offers these days; it’s a cool idea to package them both in one toy, so that regardless of which one you’re in the mood for, you’ll have both at the ready. Or you can start with one and switch to the other mid-session, something I often do.

The pressure-wave functionality of this toy is… not my favorite. The nozzle isn’t as tiny as that of the Sohimi Hedgehog, but is still pretty small, so it’ll probably only stimulate the very tip of your clit. It starts out very mild – which I appreciate, since suction toys can often feel wayyy too intense toward the beginning of a session – and gets much stronger as you cycle through its 7 suction modes. But rather than feeling rumbly and rhythmic, these pressure waves start to just feel like buzzy vibration as I turn up their intensity – so eventually they just numb the tip of my clit and don’t feel like much of anything. Boo.

The vibration component of this toy is much more compelling to me. It’s a weird blend of buzzy and rumbly. I’m sure it’s not ideal for everyone, but it surprised me with how much it felt like “the best of both worlds”: it contains some of the deep, delightful thrumming I associate with rumbly vibration, but also has that surface-level, buzzy edge that can sometimes push me into an orgasm. The orgasms I have with this toy are, indeed, very intense, and come on surprisingly fast.

It’s strong from the get-go, strong enough that I have to spend a good few minutes moving it around my outer labia and thighs before I’m warmed-up enough to put it on my clit. The vibrations get a bit buzzier as they get stronger, but it’s still nowhere near the shitty, desensitizing sensation I get from most inexpensive wands of this one’s ilk.

The powerful vibrations are, I think, especially well-suited for transmitting through something, like underwear or even another sex toy. I used this vibe on my partner’s cock cage while they were in chastity, for example, and the sensation traveled through the cage loud and clear.

There are only three steady speeds, followed by a handful of patterns. I do wish there were more steady modes available, since they’re what I use almost exclusively, but this annoyance is easily mitigated by just moving the vibe around on my vulva. The same speed can feel very intense when it’s on my clit and much less intense when it’s on my labia (of course), and I use this strategy to make the vibe’s limitations work for me.

Unfortunately this toy is suuuuper loud, despite its marketing copy claiming that it is quiet. (I don’t know why so many sex toy manufacturers insist on saying their demonstrably loud toys are actually nearly silent. If someone is shopping for a quiet toy, it’s generally because they need a quiet toy, due to their living situation. Companies should not lie about this!) It actually makes a somewhat ugly, grinding sound. The noise eases up a bit when I press the toy against my body – or when I use it in the bath, which is doable because it’s fully waterproof – but it’s still loud enough to be heard through a closed door.

One neat thing about this toy is that you can enable both the suction mode and the vibration at the same time – so, theoretically, you could use it with a partner, like a double-ended dildo except for external stimulation only. (Well, I guess you could try to insert the wand head into your vagina, but I wouldn’t recommend it.)

For its $35 price tag, I think you could do a whole lot worse than the Sohimi Sucking Clitoris Stimulator & Wand Massager. Its vibrations are significantly more powerful than what you’d typically find in a vibrator at this price point, and I like that you can switch between suction and vibration at will for a more varied masturbation session. If you have the cash, I’d recommend you just get two separate toys that do their jobs very well (and much more quietly than this one), like perhaps the Satisfyer Pro 2 and Bodywand Midnight, which would run you about $90 total. But I know many people’s budgets are tight right now, and to that end, I think the Sohimi Sucking Clitoris Stimulator & Wand Massager is a pretty cool product if you want big vibrations in a small package, with a side of clitoral suction. Just don’t expect to be able to hear your sexytimes playlist over the roar of the vibe.

 

Thanks to Sohimi for sending me this toy! This review was sponsored, which means I was paid to write a fair and honest review of this product. As always, all writing and opinions are my own.