stroker

Review: Arcwave Voy

mb

Note from Kate: I asked my spouse to review the new Arcwave Voy because I was super curious about it. Enjoy!

The Arcwave Voy is the second toy in the relatively new premium Arcwave line of sex toys designed for “modern masculinity,” whatever that means. In less-weirdly-gendered reality, the toys from this We-Vibe sub-brand are designed to look elegant, feel sophisticated, and come in any color you want, so long as it’s black. The Voy is a space-age stroker for penises that follows up their innovative pressure wave toy for dicks, the Ion.

The Voy is a 4.5 inch long black cylindrical stroker which, much like the Fleshlight Quickshot line, is designed to be open on both ends when uncapped. When I first unboxed the toy, I was confused as to why there wasn’t a charger included, since its marketing promises an advanced feature called the TAS (tightness adjustment system) that I assumed worked via motorized suction. Plus, there’s a little circular Arcwave logo on the toy’s case that looks a lot like a power button. But TAS is actually much simpler than that. Twisting a knurled ring on the outside of the toy manually tightens and loosens the stroker; there a total of 8 different diameters to choose from. As it moves between settings, there’s a mechanical click and audible thunk, and the ridges readjust in a triangular shape to offer more stimulation to sensitive spots like the frenulum.

Other than the ability to manually tighten and loosen the walls of the toy during play, the other thing that sets the Voy apart from less expensive toys in the same category is its materials. The Voy’s sleeve is made from a glossy black body-safe “CleanTech” silicone that won’t degrade or hold onto bacteria like the TPR more commonly used in these types of toys, giving the Voy a huge leg up on cheaper strokers in terms of body-safety. It’s also nicely textured with geometric ribs, and fully waterproof. The plastic case and lids feel solid and screw together satisfyingly.

Using the Voy is simple. Unscrew both lids and set them aside, apply ample water-based lube (there’s a sample included) to both your penis and the sleeve, slip inside, and start strokin’. I started on the loosest setting and tightened as my arousal and erection built. The 8 different settings reminded me of different sensations:

1. Fleshlight Quickshot Vantage. Tight-ish but still very easy to penetrate.
2. An already aroused vagina. (Remember, the vagina usually expands during arousal in a process called tenting, to allow it to accommodate penetration.)
3. A vagina that’s tightened as if its owner is about to have an orgasm. This is my favorite setting to come inside, for hopefully obvious reasons.
4. The death grip: my tightest possible fist while masturbating. Useful when I’ve had one too many (drinks or orgasms) and need that extra stimulation to push me over the edge.
5. An unfeeling, robotic milking machine (I imagine) that has no purpose other than squeezing the cum out of me as efficiently as possible.
6-8. Vice grip. Oww. Too tight. Maybe good for CBT but not strictly pleasurable anymore.

Dick widths and hole tightness preferences vary widely, so I’ll note for science (not to brag) that my girth while erect is 46 mm and the Voy’s “insertion area” is 33 mm unstretched. Do with that information what you will.

The biggest issue I had with the Voy is its industrial design. The same quality materials that I praised do have some subtle flaws. The toy is heavier than its competitors due to its clever adjustable mechanism, which can make long sessions or use with chronic pain tiring. Its smooth finish can be hard to keep hold of with lubey hands. And the threaded ends mean that if you grip the toy tightly in the throes of pleasure, you might hurt your hand on some sharp edges. I also miss the translucency of the Quickshot, which is much more friendly than the Voy’s opaque black silicone for voyeurs.

But these are minor complaints. Overall, the Voy is the nicest manual stroker I’ve ever had the pleasure of being inside, and it looks completely innocuous on a nightstand or in a suitcase. Having a no-batteries-required, shower-ready, portable hole with adjustable tightness is the stuff of sexy science fiction, and I’m delighted to be able to own and fuck one on the regular.

If you want to buy one stroker that can service your dick or a partner’s through an entire session, travel easily, and last a long time, the Arcwave Voy might be for you. But if you’re just taking your first few strokes, start with a cheaper toy to make sure you like strokers before buying this one. The journey, or voyage, will be worth it.

 

This toy was sent to us free of charge for editorial consideration.

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 Matt 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 Matt 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 Matt’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, Matt 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).

Lovense Toys Are Fucking Excellent

Kate Sloan

I wrote off Lovense for the longest time. I’m not really sure why. Maybe it’s the fact that they’re not carried by any of the online sex shops I work with, or the fact that almost none of my sex toy reviewer pals have written about them, to my knowledge. They’re not mentioned very often in the circles I run in – which is odd, because in the camming world, they’re hugely popular.

In fact, doing the work I do at my dayjob in adult-industry social media, I often have to pop into camgirls’ rooms to collect URLs and relevant personal descriptors while writing tweets to promote them – and I’ve noticed that the word “Lovense” is basically used interchangeably with “remote-controlled vibrator” on some of these platforms. Like the Kleenex of sex toys, Lovense has proven themselves so wildly good at what they do that they are thought of as the category itself, not just a part of that category.

I recently got my hands on some Lovense products because I was working on an article for the Insider about sex toys for long-distance couples (more on that soon). Here’s what all three of the Lovense toys I tried have in common:

  • Once they’re connected to the app on my phone, they stay connected for the entire duration of the session.
  • Controlling them with the Lovense Remote app is easy, fun, and (most importantly) fast. When I change a setting on the screen, it’s reflected immediately in the toy.
  • Their Bluetooth range is astonishing. The toys continued to respond pretty much instantaneously even when I was across the apartment from my phone, or in another room with the door closed.

You would think that these three qualities would be the most important ones in a Bluetooth-compatible sex toy, but actually, my experiences with We-Vibe and Lelo (among other brands) over the years have shown me that even top-tier companies can’t always get this right.

 

Let’s talk about some of the specific toys I tried:

The Lovense Lush 3 ($119) is an insertable vibrator made to stimulate the G-spot. It’s shaped to hit that spot really well, and has a wide variety of vibration intensities and patterns.

I’m not the biggest fan of G-spot vibration – it usually just feels mildly uncomfortable for me, and can only make me come in conjunction with clitoral stimulation, if at all – but the Lush still feels pretty good to me nonetheless. It’s a fun tease when my partner and I are watching porn together on the couch, and I imagine it’d work well for discreet public play once we’re able to go to restaurants and bars again. (The Lush is fairly quiet, but definitely audible in a silent room, so I wouldn’t wear it to, say, a museum.)

The Lush’s external arm, in which its powerful antenna is housed, could theoretically provide clitoral stimulation, depending on your anatomy – but for me, it just isn’t enough unless I’m physically pressing it against my clit. It’s too slim and floppy. If they fixed this issue, it’d work much much better for me and many other people – although at that point they’d basically be making a We-Vibe, which maybe they’d rather not do. In any case, the Lovense Lush 3 is a fantastic insertable vibrator for people who like a lot of G-spot sensation, and it’s the only vibe I’ve tried of its type that hasn’t had major connectivity issues.

The Lovense Max 2 ($99) is a high-tech stroker that incorporates vibration and suction-based “contractions,” both of which can be controlled using the Lovense app. The stroking itself can’t be controlled that way, and has to be done manually, but even without stroking the toy up and down at all, my partner found the other sensations it offers very satisfying. Specifically, they said that this toy feels the most like actual penetrative sex of any stroker they’ve tried (and, being married to a sex toy reviewer, they’ve tried more than their fair share!).

My one major complaint about this toy is that the internal sleeve is open-ended, so cum and lube inevitably get into the outer case, which then has to be cleaned. It’s also very loud, although that is usually par for the course with this type of toy, unfortunately. As a sometimes-voyeur, I don’t love that the exterior is opaque – I’d always prefer a clear view of the action, as with a see-through Fleshlight – but that’s really a small price to pay for the pleasure my partner gets from the Lovense Max 2.

Finally, probably my favorite of the three: The Lovense Edge 2 ($99) is a prostate vibrator that also has an external portion for stimulating the perineum at the same time. You can control each motor separately in the app.

At first my partner found that this toy kept slipping out during use, but then we learned that the toy’s angle is adjustable – so you can bend it to hit your prostate more effectively, and in the process, keep it anchored more securely inside you. I love this feature and wish more sex toys were this versatile, to account for differences in individual anatomy.

Orgasms from prostate stimulation alone are pretty rare for my partner – I think together we’d only previously achieved it via pegging – but this toy gave them one, and it wasn’t even that much work for me! I mostly just kept undulating the prostate vibration up and down in a wave-like pattern, which made them feel like I was fucking them. Their orgasm seemed super intense, and because of the toy’s app functionality, getting them off this way didn’t cause me anywhere near as much pain as thrusting a dildo for the equivalent amount of time would have. We will definitely be using the Lovense Edge 2 lots more in the future!

 

Have any of y’all tried Lovense toys? What did you think?

 

This post was not sponsored – I really do like these toys this much – but the links are affiliate links.

Guest Reviews for Penis-Havers: Fun Factory Manta, Satisfyer Men Vibration, Kink3D X-Lock Cobra

mb

Note from Kate: Here’s some sex toy reviews I asked Matt to write. Enjoy!

One of the benefits of dating (and then marrying) a sex toy reviewer like Kate, is that as her collection grows, so does mine. Sometimes it’s because brands send her toys that are designed for cocks, sometimes I buy them to use with her, and sometimes they’re gifts from my beloved! In this post, I want to highlight 3 toys that I’ve picked up recently that are useful if you’ve got a penis or access to one 😉

The Manta by Fun Factory ($140) is a rechargeable vibrating stroker that’s marketed as “a men’s toy for couples.” Welp, no men to speak of here, but this toy still works plenty well for me and my nonbinary dick.

The Manta has become my go-to vibrator since I purchased it as an upgrade to the Volta, which worked okay but wasn’t shaped quite as well for my particular penis. The Manta fits around the shaft of your dick (3 cm inner diameter), and it works just as well held stationary as it does as a stroker.

It’s a beautiful object and comes in 3 muted colors (I wish the black had been out when I purchased mine). The vibe is cleverly designed with two flexible wings that are ridged for stimulation and to distribute lube as you thrust, though they can take some work to clean.

Some of the most memorable blowjobs of my life have been enhanced by this toy thrumming against the base of my cock while Kate sucked the tip, but you can also use it solo, or to “turn your penis into a vibrator” during penetration. And if you prefer more pinpoint stimulation, you can gently pinch the wing tips around your frenulum for extra intensity.

The handle is looped, so it’s comfy to hold, the motor is powerful and rumbly, the controls are intuitive, the 6 speeds and 6 patterns can always get me off, it’s waterproof, and it’s got a travel lock. You love to see it. This is the perfect toy for someone who’s maybe tried a vibrator designed for clits and liked it, but wants something made with their body (if not gender) in mind.

A very different (but still unnecessarily gendered) take on the penis-vibrator is the Satisfyer Men Vibration ($50), which I won in the Smutathon. Satisfyer claims this enclosed, rechargeable vibrator “feels like a real blowjob,” which it most certainly does not. But that doesn’t mean it’s not pleasurable. The two motors in this toy and the tight black silicone sleeve work together to create powerful suction as the waves of vibration crash over the tip of your penis, occasionally making some hilarious noises in the process.

You can flip between the toy’s 3 speeds and 11 vibration patterns with the “+” and “−” buttons on the body, but as you increase the speed and intensity, you might find yourself wanting to thrust into the sheath as your erection grows. That’ll cause problems if you enjoy deeper stimulation like I do, because this toy only has an insertable length of 7 cm, so you’re limited to vibrating just the first few inches of your penis. Maybe that’s why Satisfyer calls this an “edging tool” rather than an orgasm tool, because that’s definitely what it’s best at.

The inside of the sleeve is wide, so it can easily accommodate a dick whether it’s erect or flaccid, but it also rapidly narrows toward the back to increase the stimulation on the most sensitive spots. With lots of lube, and some experimentation to figure out my preferred patterns, I’ve been able to reliably come with this toy, but the orgasms are never as satisfying as if my whole dick had been stimulated. So I tend to use this vibrator as it was intended: to tease and stimulate the tip of my cock for a while before I’m ready to come in something (or someone) else.

The Satisfyer Men Vibration is a good value if you’re especially into stimulation of the head of your penis, plus it’s waterproof, easy to clean, and carries a 15-year warranty. But if you’re looking for a toy that can quickly and consistently stimulate your entire cock to orgasm, you might not vibe with this one.

Not all the sex toys I own for my penis are about stimulating it; in fact, sometimes they’re about preventing stimulation altogether. Since reviewing the CB-6000 earlier this year, my chastity kink has only gotten bigger, as has my collection of cages. And if you spend even a few hours on chastity twitter, you’ll frequently see the same elegant black cock cage in photos. This cage is the Kink3D X-Lock Cobra ($155–$185), and it was generously sent to me by its maker, who’s an independent creator and active Redditor and Twitter user.

Kink3D cages are individually 3D-printed from hard nylon and nylon composites, so they‘re incredibly strong, light, and smooth. As with all chastity devices, sizing is particularly important, and there’s a detailed sizing guide here. I wear the size S+ cage with a size 2 ring, and it’s the best-fitting and most comfortable cage I own. Because of its open lattice design, it’s easy to wear the X-Lock long-term and maintain hygiene in the shower with just soap and water.

If you’re into tease and denial with your chastity play, the Kink3D cage also makes it easy for your keyholder to see and comment on your locked erections, touch or lick your penis through the cage’s bars, or hold a vibrator against the cage to stimulate you through it, though watch out for potential pinch points which can hurt in a bad way.

I still think the CB-6000 is the best chastity cage for beginners, because tons of sizing options come in a single box. But once you know your sizes and you’re interested in a gorgeous, custom-fit cage you can wear long-term that won’t break the bank, get an X-Lock. It’s been locked on my body for weeks at a time, and I’ve loved every second of it.

Got Chronic Pain But Love Giving Handjobs?

Kate Sloan

I remember the first time I realized my chronic pain disorder might seriously mess up my sex life. I was kneeling in front of a dominant gentleman friend, sucking his cock while he tugged at my hair, when a telltale twinge of pain began to creep up in my knees. They were, at that time, my most painful and volatile body part – and blowjobs were, at that time, my most beloved and calming sex act. I shifted around, tried putting a pillow under me, tried sitting on my ass instead, but it was a lost cause. My knees had cockblocked us both. Defeated, I finished out the encounter with a handjob.

Handjobs have long been one of my favorite things to do to a partner, so this wasn’t exactly a consolation prize, at least for me. But in recent years, pain in my hands has plagued me even more than pain in my knees. It’s a bummer to realize that the sex act I once turned to when I was in too much pain to do anything else is now sometimes off-limits to me due to pain.

Fortunately, I’ve always had partners who were very understanding about this issue. They’ve typically been fine with me cuddling up to them and kissing their neck while they jerk themselves off, or playing with their nipples while they fuck a Fleshlight. But as any handjob-giving aficionado will tell you, sometimes the joy in acts like these isn’t just about observing your partner’s pleasure, but in directly causing and controlling it. And in that regard, there was only so much I could do.

So when a company called Handy emailed me about their new product, I was intrigued. Designed by a Norwegian engineer, the Handy is an electrically-powered mechanical stroking device, much like the unfortunately-named Sybian Venus for Men – but it only costs $169, while the Venus costs a whopping $956. Okay, Handy; I’m listening.

To be fair, the two products aren’t really as comparable as I initially thought: the Venus is custom-constructed to fit your exact dick measurements, and uses different mechanics to create a sensation I have to assume is pretty different from the Handy’s. But if using a Venus is on your bucket list despite clearly not being in the cards for you financially, maybe the Handy would be a good substitute.

So what is this toy? It’s a somewhat clunky, Fleshlight-shaped mechanical cylinder attached to a fabric band which you can wrap around an included masturbation sleeve (of unknown material, though probably some kind of thermoplastic rubber/elastomer, and definitely porous – ergo, don’t share it with anyone you’re not fluid-bonded with). The band moves the sleeve up and down over the penis once it’s inserted, and you can use the 4 buttons on the Handy to control the speed of each stroke as well as the length of the stroke.

Setup is slightly annoying, as you have to keep adjusting the tightness of the band with its Velcro strap depending on how hard your dick is and how much pressure it’s craving at any given moment. But if you’re already pretty hard and aroused by the time you start using it, that might be less of an issue. Lube is also an ongoing consideration, as with just about any penile masturbation toy; the company recommends water-based only, and you may need to reapply during use, especially if your session runs long.

What I love about this toy, as a “handjob top,” is how much control it gives me. When I use my hands on a partner’s cock, I’m not just altering the speed, I’m also altering the length and location of my strokes – so I’m glad to have a toy that can approximate that, however clunkily compared to the nuance of skilled hands. The “left and right” buttons on the control unit are for speed, and the “up and down” buttons control the stroke length; everything is close together, so I barely have to move my hand or expend any muscle energy when I’m using this toy.

One small complaint is that it’s difficult to know exactly what to do during a partner’s orgasm. When using my hand, normally I would either hold still while maintaining pressure, or slow down and lengthen my stroke quite a bit for the duration of the orgasm; when post-orgasmic hypersensitivity hits, it’s easy to remove your hand quickly, but it’s trickier to do that with the Handy. You can hit a bunch of buttons to swiftly slow the toy down, but removing it from the dick in a rush is likelier to cause more discomfort than just leaving it in place would. However, this’ll only be a minor issue for most people, and some might even like it if they enjoy an overload of sensation.

Cleaning is also an annoyance, but that’s true for pretty much every stroker/masturbator. Resist the temptation to fall asleep in a post-orgasmic haze, and make sure to rinse the cum and lube out of the stroker within a few minutes after using it, or you’re in for a gunky, moldy surprise later on.

If this were a standard review, I would touch on the video synchronization and smartphone-control features of the Handy, and I’m sure that they would help folks whose hand pain is even more severe than mine. But for my purposes, I prefer to get as close to hands-on as I comfortably can, so physically holding the toy works better for me.

Overall, if you have pain/mobility/strength issues in your hands and would still love to be able to give handjobs (or jerk yourself off), I think the Handy is a worthy investment. The band-and-sleeve system makes it so that you could theoretically swap out the provided stroker for a different one, if there’s another texture or size you prefer. You can therefore get more variety of sensation out of this toy than many other comparable ones, especially considering the flexibility of the controls scheme. $169 is a bit steep for some people’s budgets, sure, but I’ve never seen a toy of this type and caliber sold for any less – so when fellow sore-handed people ask me how they can keep on strokin’ dicks, now I know to recommend the Handy.

 

Full disclosure: Handy didn’t pay me for this review, but they did send me the product to try (thanks!) and I do get a small kickback if you buy through my affiliate link. Want more sex toy recommendations for folks with chronic pain? I wrote this article recently for Xtra on that very subject!