Sunday, June 23, 2013

Wishlist of the Week: June 23 - 29, 2013

This is the first of a (hopefully) weekly feature of toys I find on my internet travels which pique my interest, but are not yet a part of my toy box. Why? I like day dreaming and Mister XXX needs an idea of what I want for my birthday.

Stronic Eins by Fun Factory

I'm used to seeing thrusting toys which are huge contraptions that no one with my amount of square footage or income could ever hope for. I'm not used to seeing them in a handheld device. Fun Factory claims that the Stronic Eins is the first of its kind: a thrusting, silicone-based, completely waterproof toy. If nothing else, I'm pretty sure they sponsored the first sex toy race ever, so at least they're breaking ground on that front. I've been hearing some really good things about this toy, which makes me want - nay - need it all the more, but with a $200 price tag and a wedding coming up (can you put sex toys on a wedding registry?) I guess I'll just have to keep dreaming.


Flickering Massage Candle by LELO

I really, really love pepper, the smell and the taste. Sometimes I take the pepper grinder and just grind it in my mouth (no, that's not a joke). So imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon this black pepper and pomegranate scent from LELO. Mister XXX and I are huge fans of wax play so this is definitely on our "to buy" list. Until then, expect an upcoming review of "You Choc My Socks Off", a chocolate and chili massage candle by Picobong.
Twist Plug by Tantus

I love Tantus and I love anal toys, so putting the two together must be a match made in heaven, right? Truth be told, I'm not very experienced with textured anal toys, so the Twist Plug seems both enticing and daunting (as of writing this, I'm leaning towards enticing). Even in the purple colorway, something about the Twist seems delightfully sinister. Also interested in the Ryder, which has been getting a lot of attention in the blogosphere. I might just try to pick up both!

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Silicone Jack Rabbit by California Exotic Novelties

In honor of my first review on this new blog, let's talk a bit about one of my very first toys.

I had bought one other vibrator before this story takes place- an egg-style one I found at a novelty shop in the mall - but found it to be lacking. Mostly, I found it to be lacking something I could penetrate myself with. That's when I happened to catch the Sex in the City episode profiling rabbit vibrators. Like so many others, I was inspired to take a trip with a friend to the only sex shop in town. It was a dingy, shady, halogen-lit store with very little in the way of variety and even less in the way of an inviting atmosphere. After making a hurried decision based mostly off what an unemployed kid just fresh out of high school could afford, I ended up with a rabbit vibe I affectionately named "Natasha", but which the package named a "Jungle Jiggler".

Natasha didn't offer me much in the way of stimulation. It was loud, unwieldy, too big to insert inside a novice like me, and worst of all made of jelly (yuck). I found other ways to use it by just using the vibrating attachment because I'm a masochist who doesn't like wasting money, but when it eventually broke I swore off buying another rabbit vibrator ever again.

That whole story is a long winded way of saying that, despite previous bad experiences, I recently decided to give rabbit vibes another chance. Enter the Silicone Jack Rabbit by California Exotic Novelties. Yes, that's right, silicone. My past self is vibrating with jealousy! That being said, the silicone isn't the best. It does have some squish to it which I enjoy, but it also drags quite a bit, so I find I need lube even if I'm already wet (remember to use a water based lubricant).

The shaft of the Jack Rabbit has three different speeds of rotation that range between not-very-fast and kind of fast, as well as a button which reverses the direction of rotation. There's some bumpy texture up near the head (1 1/2" circumference), but I didn't find it to make any appreciable difference. There's a 3 1/2" insertable portion until it ends as the "pleasure dome" (yes, that's apparently what the bulbous part of the toy is called, reminds me of this). This houses six columns of beads which rotate on a track so they don't get stuck. I found that even pressed into myself, the beads still kept rotating, which I found to be pretty impressive.

One feature I found I really liked about this toy was one that I initially thought might be pretty useless: the button that reverses the shaft's rotation. I found that once I have it nestled on my g-spot I can press the button mid-rotation so the shaft continuously strokes it. This sometimes reduces my masturbation sessions to a flurry of button mashing, which may not be the most erotic thing in the world, but I'll take it.

The packaging boasts seven different patterns of vibration. I'll go ahead and spoil it for you, the patterns don't vary that much and the vibrations are nothing special. There's three different speed settings, a setting where it gradually increases speed from slowest to fastest, and three pulsing settings. Though it's got a nice rumble, it's not strong enough get me off by a long shot, so I usually end up flipping the toy around and using the rabbit's ears for some tickling anal stimulation.

The four AA batteries are housed in a waterproof housing at the base of the toy. However, there's some gaps in the casing for the control panel which make me nervous to actually test it in the tub.

I got mine in pink, but if you're not a fan it also comes in purple, blue, and white. How's that for variety?

Overall, I give this toy three purrs out of five. It's performance is pretty standard, but it gets extra points for being silicone. It also receives some extra points for the price. It's in the sub-$50 range on most major online stores, sub-$40 on Amazon, though I encourage you to support small, independent sex shops. If you're new to rabbit vibes - or in need of a reintroduction - this is a good, cheap place to start.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

About Me

Hi, I'm Kitten. I'm a submissive (mostly) gay trans man in my twenties.

I've always been passionate about sex education and creating sex-positive environments, but more specifically I've always been passionate about toys. I've also always been a bit of a know-it-all. With years of experience using toys, I'm the one who always gets dragged to the sex shop when its time for a friend's first purchase, so making the jump to reviews seemed like a natural progression.

I'm engaged to a wonderful cisgender man I'll call Mister XXX, who will help me review the toys intended for people with penises. We are proud parents of a wonderful cat-baby who may make an appearance from time to time.

What you can expect:

  • Unabashedly honest and sometimes snarky toy reviews
  • Articles about sexuality informed by queer, feminist, and trans* perspectives
  • Personal anecdotes and musings about my cat because, hey, it's my blog!