Sex Toys For Not-So-Silent Nights

This was originally published on December 8, 2013.


Maybe you're looking to get the ultimate gift for your partner this year. Or, maybe you're just interested in trying something a little different. But, when incorporating a new sex toy in your relationship, there are many things to consider. For example, what works well for solo sessions might not always translate to a fantastic shared experience. There are tons of options out there for women and men of all preferences and desires. The trick is figuring out which one is exactly right for you.

So, think about it: Would you rather gift your partner some boring socks — or knock them off with a sexy toy?

We had three couples check out nine amazing sex toys. Ahead, what was so-so, what worked, and what really worked for these adventurous reviewers.

We-Vibe Touch

Couple #1: Rose and Melancton

Rose:
"The We-Vibe Touch rocked my world. After a sesh with the Touch, I literally had wet dreams over its relentlessly powerful hum. The silicone on this toy is slick, but thick, and very gentle on our softest parts. The thickness of the silicone allows the vibration to radiate consistently throughout, leaving no sensitive parts behind. The curved tip of the Touch looks like a shallow ice cream scoop that fit beautifully along the curve of my clit. Pressed against me, my awareness of the electricity involved in sex was heightened as the Touch poured a steady stream of electrical signals into my throbbing system of nerve endings. The device slid easily inside, but the shape felt a bit awkward for such use.

Applying the Touch during sex made me swell with warmth and ecstasy, which made me feel much closer to my partner. I came rainbows and stars all over the place and now feel very attached to the Touch."

Melancton:
"My god, this thing rocked her world and in doing so, mine, too. Because, let’s be honest, physically speaking, there is not a hell of a lot of nuance to be found in male pleasure. The most minimal effort feels amazing. What elevates male sexuality from a bodily function to something more cosmic is bringing ecstasy to your partner. Seeing her response to the softness of the Touch and its smooth, rolling vibrations alleviated me of any and all performance pressure, extended our love-making session and brought the both of us to hallucinatory climax. To be more succinct, I wielded it in my hand like Zeus’ lightning bolt. The designer is a genius. It shifts between vibration modes like a BMW changing gears. A light-up display surrounding the mode button shows you the setting. It is sleek and sculptural. Do I dare say it evokes Constantin Brancusi’s Bird In Space? I do! Display it on your mantle instead of hiding the Touch in your underwear drawer. Even the magnetic charger is gorgeously designed.

It is not necessarily a couple’s toy, definitely more of a solo thing for her, but her pleasure ought to be your pleasure, hombre."

Jimmy Jane: Hello Touch

Rose:
"The JimmyJane Hello touch brings new meaning to the term "spirit fingers." The Hello Touch is a pair of vibrating pads you strap onto your fingertips. The device is light and the small finger pads extend from a comfortable wristband with wires akin to a pair of apple headphones. I found the vibrations to be powerful, but most powerful around their central nubs. While touching my partner's scrotum alone tends to drive him totally mad, caressing his more sensitive areas while we had sex only intensified and prolonged intercourse. I didn't particularly enjoy the rigidity of the pad design while inserted and when stimulating my clitoris, I preferred keeping the device stationary at particular nerve endings rather than moving in circular motions. Overall, the JimmyJane Hello Touch is a very versatile tool for intensifying and observing various zones of pleasure we normally access with the limitations of our muscles alone, from comfortable angles."

Melancton:
"Hello Touch made me feel like a superhero. The whole set-up is very Tony Stark: The power is housed in a neoprene wrist cuff, the two vibro-pads slip on to your fingers of choice (I recommend thumb and index for maximum creativity). It is one hell of a foreplay game changer to turn the slightest caress into something moan-worthy. I’m not only talking about genital stimulation here, trying out your bionic fingers on a backrub will be well appreciated. Clitoral stimulation during intercourse, however, is where Hello Touch really shines, and transforms you into a techie Casanova. Your partner and your carpal tunnel afflicted wrists will thank you.

The finger straps are a bit tight, and I’ve got fairly slim fingers. After 10 minutes or so, the impeded blood flow, combined with ceaseless, intense vibration left me numb. The big silicon pads are a little clumsy and divorced me from the eroticism of direct, nerve-to-nerve touch."

Lelo: Ida

Rose:
"I love the vibratory pulsing design of Lelo. I also love the hot fuschia silicone exterior of most of their toys, as well as their super sexy and serious packaging. I already own a vibrator from this company, but the Ida is quite different from the standard penetrative fare this world has to offer. The Ida is a toy designed to massage the G-spot while accommodating space for a penis or dildo to be inserted simultaneously for a uniquely techno-DP experience. I enjoyed how Ida's mechanical finger wiggled around inside of me alongside my partner's shaft. The device stayed securely inside, but I must say that I found her finger to be shorter than I would prefer and the shape of the upper vibrating base to be quite uncomfortable while getting pounded. One particularly sweet feature of the Ida is that it operates with remote control! With a simple wave of the hand, the flying-saucer-like remote would leave me buzzing with ecstasy or cooing with anticipation. I must say that I have never felt anything like this before. Lelo's Ida is the sleek, chic and portable automated f**king machine of our time."

Melancton:
"The Ida is truly a shared experience. A buckle-up-and-hold-on roller-coaster ride controlled with some seriously sophisticated remote technology. I was not prepared for the strength of the vibrations. Some men may be used to the feeling of residual vibrations while using something like a bullet in tandem with intercourse, but with the Ida, you experience direct vibration during penetration. Lelo’s Sensemotion technology enables you to sculpt the vibration patterns. It took a bit of time to learn what works and what doesn’t, but once we got the hang of handling the remote, it became an intuitive, connected, and absurdly pleasurable experience. I had some concern that the rotating head would get in my way, but I didn’t notice it at all.

Thrusting did not feel particularly comfortable since I was rubbing against a fairly rigid object. I found that I really had to stay in one spot and enjoy the vibrations. In this sense, the Ida is not really an intercourse enhancer, but rather a shared sexual interface. Almost like a video game for your naughty bits."

Jimmy Jane: Form 3

Couple #2: Jill and Alyssa

Jill:
"The vibration is strong when you're just holding it, but it didn't feel very strong when I tried to use it. Sometimes, I actually couldn't feel it at all. This toy might just take some practice, maybe? The first time I tried it, I spent at least five minutes trying to find the right position, angle, or way of holding it and eventually gave up. The design was maybe innovative for its own sake, not ours!"

Alyssa:
"I love the concept of this toy. It has a ton of settings that allow you to vary the vibration. It's small and the shape seems ergonomic.

But, to me, it's definitely a sex toy to use alone. I tried to use it with my partner, but there was no convenient way to use it together where it would feel good for both of us.

The tongue-like extension is flexible and allows you to apply pressure with the vibration in all the right spots. It's also a bonus that can be submerged in water which makes cleaning really easy and gives me a reason to use it in the tub."

Lelo: Soraya

Jill:
"I've never owned a vibrator this fancy before or one that works like this. I found myself saying, 'Wow' repeatedly the first time I used it. It has a lot of vibration options, which makes it versatile and there's likely to be something for everybody.

However, I tried it drunk with my girlfriend and we actually got into a fight because, in her words, "You wouldn't care whether or not I was here!" Which was maybe true. We tried once more to share, but positioning was difficult and a little awkward. Probably not suited for sharing, but if either partner likes to watch, then it's perfect. Great product overall."

Alyssa:
"My favorite thing about this dildo is the smooth contours. The hole near the base makes for a great handle. Also, a great plus is that the vibration is very quiet.

Personally, I prefer more flexible toys over hard toys for penetration. So, if Lelo would make a version of this that was a little more flexible, I would be all set. That being said, it's great for external stimulation, and the amazing number of settings will keep you occupied for weeks."

Lelo: Dare Me Kit

Jill:
"The Luna Beads seemed intriguing, but after trying one of them, I found I could hardly notice anything. I even tried bouncing around in bed and standing up and jumping around but still nothing. Maybe it works better with two? And, maybe they have to be in the right place exactly. Not sure I could bother trying them again. I guess I'm not great with learning curves when it comes to sex toys.

Handcuffs were cute — I could see those coming up once in a while when desiring a finer, funner line between submission and domination."

Alyssa:
"The balls are probably more useful if you're using them for pelvic floor exercises, but as a sex toy you can't really feel it. If they're aimed at the type of person who would use a whip and hand ties, it seems to be very tame. After reading other reviews of the Luna Beads, it sounded like they would improve orgasms and sexual arousal, but I didn't really find that to be the case. Though I think they did make my muscles contract more strongly.

The hand ties are playful and a comfortable alternative to handcuffs, and, paired with the whip, it makes a cute set."

Jimmyjane Form 2

Couple #3 Elliot and Kate

Kate:
"I have absolutely found my favorite partner toy, ever. This baby is fantastic, and I would recommend it to anyone. Its simple design gets the job done. And its small size and grippable material make it easy to use during the main event. I found it worked best with my partner holding it still on my clit as we were having sex. With this toy, we could go as fast or as slow as we wanted. And sometimes he would hand it off to me. Five stars."

Elliott:
"This one fits fantastically in the hand. And, it's very easy to use in the heat of the moment. The lady I was having sex with had a dramatically improved orgasm. I'm talking Meg Ryan in Katz's Deli orgasm. It's a very fun toy with which to tease. Highly recommended."

We-Vibe 4

Kate:
"I was very interested to try this one, as I've never used a true 'couple's' toy before. The shape was intriguing and I wasn't sure how actual intercourse would feel with this odd, clamp-like device stuck inside me. In practice, it's not as awkward as you think it's going to be. The remote control is awesome, though once I found a vibration pattern that worked for me, I just left it there.

If you're using this device with a partner, then you'll need to go pretty slow. Fast, vigorous motions are likely going to hurt because the silicone is pretty hard. But then a different kind of sex, a slower, more gentle kind, is nice sometimes. Would recommend."

Elliott:
"I definitely love the idea of the We-Vibe. It's a toy designed specifically to enhance penetration, with vibrations for both partners. In practice though, the positives are mostly novel. It's a cool, unique-looking toy that was fun to explore, but mostly in the way any new gadget is fun. The vibes for the dude are towards the base of the shaft, which is not exactly a nerve center. It felt best with very slow thrusting. With faster or harder thrusts, it became a little distracting and uncomfortable. The remote control is a big improvement in this version and makes turning up the power or changing modes super easy. Most of the modes seem superfluous though; anything other than the steady vibe seemed a bit distracting or pointless."

Lelo: Adore Me Kit

Kate:
"A very cute kit. I've never owned such luxe, sexy accessories. The handcuffs [not pictured] were really nice, but they didn't look super-intense. They seemed really substantial and luxurious and SOFT. And, the little lipstick vibe was cute and very fun to play with. It's a nice, unobtrusive addition to the experience."

Elliott:
"Since my lady is very much into being teased, this kit was so fun. The blindfold and cuffs turned her on like crazy and the vibe put it over the top. The smooth plastic was cool on her skin, but can get a lil' slippery with too much lube. Luckily, she had a blindfold on and didn't see me fumbling around trying not to drop the thing, I played it off legit and worked it into my teasing routine."

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