Expensive vibrators/Expanding collection

[Red_Dreamer]

I know this is something that comes up quite a bit, but I'm interested in knowing which vibrators are really worth having. If you were to compile a list of a number of vibrators that you'd say every woman should have, what would be on it?

I already have a rabbit (Platinum Rampant Rabbit from Ann Summers) and I live in the UK so the Hitachi Wand is out, as far as I know, because that has a power cord suited to the USA.

I also have a slimmer, clitoral vibrator.

What else would you say a girl needs?




My second question is whether more expensive vibrators are really worth it? Vibrators seem to cost anything from £10 to prices ranging into the hundreds, and some of the ones at Babeland.com look lovely.

Has anyone tried any of their products? Are they worth the price?

The $175 'Form 6' (which, with the exchange rate would in actuality be a lot cheaper, I know) has caught my eye, as well as the $165 'Delight', the $175 'SaSi', and the $109 'Gigi'.

Has anyone tried those? Is it worth spending quite that much money on them?

I'm the first to admit that I'll buy the most expensive, rather than the best if given half the chance, and I don't want to waste my money (especially given that the store's not based in England), not to mention the fact that those beautiful designs are more than tempting . I'd love some advice, I'm a little new to this .

Thanks .

 

[tgnytg]

Expensive vibrator?

One word: Sybian

 

[temp256]

You can buy an american power adaptor to use the Hitachi Magic Wand. It's definitely worth it...(stares of into space with a dreamy look)

 

[SweetErika]

Google 'Hitachi Magic Wand UK' and you'll see that it IS available there. Lovehoney has it, but you can get it a lot cheaper elsewhere. I'm not sure if they just put the right plug on it or send it with a converter, but I also know there's an Aussie version, so it clearly can be used in other countries. I'd imagine you could also use an American one with a power converter and plug adapter sold for travel, but you'd have to check the statistics on how much power it puts out and what the converter can handle, as I think it sucks a fair amount of power.

It's our absolute favorite, with the blue, vinyl attachments (they're only $5-10 each online, and can be purchased separately from lots of places). Because it's so versatile (clit, vaginal/g-spot, penile, anal AND muscles!) a quality product and likely to last many years, it's worth the investment. I've also never heard from anyone who doesn't really like it for at least one thing, so it's a safe bet for both women and men, IMO.

Most sex toys are WAY, WAY overpriced, and paying $100-200 for a vibe won't make it last longer or perform better than a much less expensive toy. I could see paying more for a vibe that I knew would perform well, was made of silicone and components that could be fixed or replaced when they went out, but apart from Hitachi (which is actually sold by Vibratex), I don't know of any that are made like that or offer a good warranty.

The reality is that motors burn out, cords get loosened, etc., on ANY vibe, so it's a better deal to get 5-10 less expensive vibes than one really expensive one. That's how I see the rabbit, and interestingly enough, both of my rabbits have powered through 4 or so years of heavy use. I got them both on eBay for under $20 each, including shipping. With a few exceptions, getting more, less expensive vibes will serve you a lot better over the years than getting just one expensive vibe. Plus, you'll have the money you would have spent up front in your bank account longer AND you'll be able to get some variety.

Babeland and similar stores are great, and if you have the money you should support them because they're a good company, but if you're on a budget, you can usually find the same toys or something just as good for much less online. I've looked at many of their toys in the Seattle store, and while some of them have some features that look fun, most of them don't strike me as worth the pricetags or as so unique that I couldn't find something comparable for a lower price elsewhere.

There's only one vibe I'd spend a lot on: an Eroscillator-type toy. There's nothing else like it and I've heard it's made to last a long time. The original Eroscillator does have some competition now that's more reasonable, but haven't read the reviews lately, so I'm not sure what's out there and how they compare.

But spending $50+ (yes, I know things are more expensive there) on a battery-powered vibe that I may not love and may not give me years of pleasure? No way!

They can only charge exorbitant prices for sex toys because there are enough suckers who are willing to pay markups in the hundreds, and often thousands, percent range. It's the same deal as beauty products and many womens' clothes and a lot of healthier foods.

But that's me. If you're comfortable paying so much for a sex toy you may or may not like, and may or may not still work in a year or two, go for it. Just realize doing so is a big part of what contributes to the high prices in the first place.

 

[Guest]

edited

 

[asaendra]

"Wild G-Spot Vibrator" I got it from A&E and I love it !! It was less than $50.

 

[SweetErika]

"Wild G-Spot Vibrator" I got it from A&E and I love it !! It was less than $50.

I can see paying $50 for that. It's waterproof, silicone (they should change the "JELLY" description on the right, if it's pure silicone as they imply in the description) and appears to be well-designed, unlike most of the jelly rubber rabbits.

Plus, A&E has a risk free, 90 day return policy, so if it stops working or doesn't do what it says, you're not out the cash. That's definitely worth paying a little extra for, IMO.

It's still a bit high for rabbit for me personally at this point (for the same amount, I'd rather get a few cheap, powerful ones and put a condom over them), but I can totally understand where the higher price comes from in this case, and may be willing to pay it to get the higher quality product in the future.

 

[asaendra]

I can see paying $50 for that. It's waterproof, silicone (they should change the "JELLY" description on the right, if it's pure silicone as they imply in the description) and appears to be well-designed, unlike most of the jelly rubber rabbits.

Plus, A&E has a risk free, 90 day return policy, so if it stops working or doesn't do what it says, you're not out the cash. That's definitely worth paying a little extra for, IMO.

It's still a bit high for rabbit for me personally at this point (for the same amount, I'd rather get a few cheap, powerful ones and put a condom over them), but I can totally understand where the higher price comes from in this case, and may be willing to pay it to get the higher quality product in the future.

It is pure silicone, it's not really jelly at all .. maybe a little more jelly like where the little round balls move around.

This was one of my first vibrator purchases and I'm so pleased

 

[Lurnk]

<snippers>My second question is whether more expensive vibrators are really worth it? Vibrators seem to cost anything from £10 to prices ranging into the hundreds, and some of the ones at Babeland.com look lovely.

Has anyone tried any of their products? Are they worth the price?

The $175 'Form 6' (which, with the exchange rate would in actuality be a lot cheaper, I know) has caught my eye, as well as the $165 'Delight', the $175 'SaSi', and the $109 'Gigi'.

Has anyone tried those? Is it worth spending quite that much money on them?

I'm the first to admit that I'll buy the most expensive, rather than the best if given half the chance, and I don't want to waste my money (especially given that the store's not based in England), not to mention the fact that those beautiful designs are more than tempting . I'd love some advice, I'm a little new to this .

Thanks .

Good thread idea. I'm also on the market, scoping the toy sites for those essential toys after realizing that my collection pretty much bites. I was eyeing those same toys on Babeland a few days ago, and I'm quite tempted.

The best advice I have is use your intuition. Examine the toys as best you can, forming an idea of how their shapes and functions would or wouldn't work for you. Imagine yourself actually using the toy--pretty obvious, but you never know. Also, use the customer reviews, ignoring effusive, uncritical praise, to get a sense of their dimensions, textures, unforeseen benefits, and any problems, which might crop up in more than a couple reviews.

Some reviews are quite helpful as the images and product descriptions can be pretty tricky sometimes.

 

[Camilleon]

My husband owns a gun. I'm glad, because if I can't have my Hitachi Magic Wand, I want to be able to shoot myself.

Yes, I like it! I bought it flowers for Valentines!

I also have a Pocket Rocket. It is no match for the Wand, but it works well in situations requiring more discretion. Like behind the white, cotton table cloth in a fancy restaurant. Just try not to gather too much tablecloth in your clenched fist when the waiter walks up.



Camilleon

 

[SweetErika]

My second question is whether more expensive vibrators are really worth it? Vibrators seem to cost anything from £10 to prices ranging into the hundreds, and some of the ones at Babeland.com look lovely.

Has anyone tried any of their products? Are they worth the price?

The $175 'Form 6' (which, with the exchange rate would in actuality be a lot cheaper, I know) has caught my eye, as well as the $165 'Delight', the $175 'SaSi', and the $109 'Gigi'.

Okay, I just had a chance to check out these at Babeland. SaSi is the only one I can see paying a lot for, as there's actual technology involved, and it's unlike anything else on the market, I think. Still, $175 seems like an awful lot. $125 is probably the upper limit of what it's worth, realistically.

Yeah, the other ones are pretty and silicone and well-designed, but they're vibrators, FFS! I'm thinking there are a lot of other nice-looking (although, do you really care what it looks like when it's between your legs?), quality vibes that provide the same type of stimulation (g-spot/vaginal) at a much more reasonable price. When you're having an amazing orgasm, are you really going to know or care if it was induced by a $50 silicone vibe or a $175 silicone vibe?

Practically, I think it's a very bad idea to put so much into a rechargeable vibe that you're going to be stuck with unless it malfunctions shortly after you get it. What happens when the battery won't hold a charge anymore, and what if that happens after the return period but before a year or so? And if you want to use it but it's not charged, you're stuck waiting, since none of them seem to come with backup battery packs.

If you wait a little while, some very smart people WILL put similar, lower-priced products on the market, and they're likely to be even better than the originals. Or, the manufacturers of these "luxury vibes" will come out with the next overpriced toy, and the prices will come down on the originals. Or, stores that have good return policies, like Adam & Eve, will carry them. For what they're charging, I think the least they can do is allow people to return it if they don't like it. If it's really that great of a product, the vast majority of customers will keep it because they love it so much. In my mind, greed and fear the product won't live up to the hype are the only reasons they don't allow returns on super-expensive vibes.

In short, I think these companies figured they could dress up a vibe or dildo in a pretty package and slap an outrageous price on it to make people think there was something really special about it. And they will, too! Just think about it, if you pay that much for a toy, aren't you going to convince yourself it's the best thing since sliced bread just so you can justify the cost to yourself? Something akin to the placebo effect is a real factor with luxury products.

 

[Red_Dreamer]

Thanks so much for all the replies! The Sybian looks amazing, but unfortunately there's no way I'd be able to get that until I get my own place. I had no idea you could get a power adaptor, thanks so much for that . The Hitachi definitely seems like one of the best toys around; browsing the internet it's the only one people honestly seem to rave about.

The 'Wild G-Spot Vibrator' does look really good, I think I'll definitely buy that once my rabbit dies. It looks great quality, and it's not as expensive as the rabbits from my local sex toy shop .

Lurnk, yeah, that's a good idea. I hadn't thought of imagining using the toy before, except with the Delight, which took quite a bit of imagination . And, mm, all the descriptions make it hard to differentiate. That's one of the things that drew me to Babeland, some of theirs seem to be offering something extra.

Are Pocket Rocket type vibrators as silent as some sites claim?

SweetErika, thanks for all the time you put into replying to my thread , it's all so useful; you've given me a much better idea of what I should consider paying more for. Yeah, the reason Babeland attracted me was because it seemed like a good company; I was a bit wary about using e-bay or something like that, and much more so with some of the other vibrator sites. Don't want to enter my card details anywhere dodgy . Or, alternatively, end up with a package labelled SEX-TOY on my doorstep...

Yeah, I've heard of the Eroscillator, do you know which site sells the original?

Ah, yeah, I think most markets, especially those aimed at us girls... are subject to such things. The sex toy market is probably worse, because it's so hard for competition to establish itself, although the internet's made that easier.

Yeah, the SaSi looks special, although possibly as over-rated as the iPod their design compares itself to. Aha, well I'm bisexual so vibrators tend to end up as close to my face, as to other parts of my anatomy half the time, but even so, I see your point. The silicone, and variety of speed and intensity settings were what made me think that the prices might be worth paying. I hadn't thought of the battery issue; are replaceable battery powered vibrators better than the Babeland rechargeable ones? Ah, yeah, I probably would convince myself it was fantastic . But from the reviews, some of them do look amazing, and the fact that the Form 6 tops the 'Best Sellers' is an encouraging sign (unless I take a very, very cynical outlook...).

I think, on your advice, I won't be quite so eager to buy the ultra-expensive vibes, are there any that you'd recommend instead? I'll definitely be checking out the Hitachi and the Eroscillator...

Thanks again for all your advice !

 

[SweetErika]

I've actually bought a lot of toys on eBay with great success. The tricks are to know what you're looking for (in terms of features, manufacturers, etc.), check with the seller if you have any questions, look for reasonable shipping costs and sellers who have A LOT of transactions with a very high rating (if they've gotten it right 96% or more of the time on hundreds, or thousands, of transactions, there's a good chance yours will go well). Most of the sellers use Paypal, so your info stays safe and you're protected if something goes wrong.

People who sell sex toys regularly always package discreetly. No one wants an obvious package on their doorstep. Again, I've NEVER had an issue with this.

I use replaceable rechargeable batteries in my toys because they're more economical in the long run and I can always have a backup set ready to go. When they do give out after a lot of cycles, I simply replace them with new rechargeables. They're pretty good, but if I were paying over $100 for a toy, I wouldn't want it to be dependent on the manufacturer's battery because those types of batteries can fail quicker than NiMh replaceable rechargeable batteries, IME.

Honestly, though, we really appreciate our plug-in toys just because we never have to worry about batteries and they're a lot more powerful (intensity can be toned down various ways, but if something's too weak, you're stuck with it).

And with that in mind, besides the rabbit, the Hitachi is what I recommend and we usually end up reaching for because it's so damn versatile, we never have to deal with batteries and the orgasms for both of us are beyond compare. When I find something that works really well, I tend to stick to it! And because my needs are probably a little more stringent than others' (I have to have something that can provide intense, focused stimulation, even if I don't always use that feature, and I don't buy complete junk).

Apart from the Eroscillator (if you google it, you'll find the site(s)--it's endorsed by Dr. Ruth--and FreddyandEddy.com has a review of the knock-off that's prettier, cordless and comes with more heads, and comparison with the original, IIRC), the next things on my vibe list are:
- a small egg/bullet or two to fit in my strap-on harness and be used separately. I might get a rabbit sleeve for the bullet, too, because the buzzing ears provide the right type of stimulation for me, and this makes it all the more versatile.

- either the 1-finger or Fukuoku glove, which is a vibe that slips over the finger for easy clit stim during sex, but there's also a glove version that's pretty cool (although a disposable glove needs to go over it, as it's not waterproof and can't be washed, I don't think). Something else that would fit between us easily AND has some power behind it would work, too. I'll have to see what's currently available.

-it's probably about time for my rabbit to be replaced, too. Maybe, just maybe I'll give a different model, like the A&E one posted a shot, even though it's more than I'd like to spend. However, knowing I can return it if it's not powerful enough for me makes me feel a lot better about trying and spending that much on it.

-maybe a vibrating butt plug or two (perhaps one or two for each of us to use at various times)

Other than that, the Hitachi has us very well-covered in the vibe department. There are only a few things it doesn't do or work for, like slip into a tighter space and go places without electrical outlets. I want lots of non-vibrating things, like a sex swing, additional vac-u-lock dildos for our harness and more BDSM toys (although I make or use pervertibles for most of those), though.

I don't do vibrating dildo-type toys because the whole point of the vibe for me is the clit stimulation, and the phallic shape doesn't provide enough intensity or focused stimulation for me, so that narrows down the possibilities a fair amount.

 

[Camilleon]

Are Pocket Rocket type vibrators as silent as some sites claim?

No. They do seem to be a little quieter than most, but if you were to turn one on in a place without a fair amount of background noise, people nearby would hear it.

In fact, in my little joke about the restaurant, we actually did that, but if the waiter had walked up, we would've had to turn it off. That particular restaurant has a piano bar, so there was plenty of background noise to prevent others from hearing the vibrator.

I might point out also, that the Pocket Rocket and a few other similar styles are turned on by twisting the two halves of the "shell". That's good. The ones with a normal slide type switch can be accidentally turned on in luggage.

And believe me, they're not quiet in luggage!

Camilleon