With the various sleeves and masturbators I have, I’m always looking for something new and unusual – something that dares to be different.
The Rocks Off ‘Hand Solo’ looked like it would fit the bill – and took the plunge, using my precious Lovehoney Oh! Points – and yesterday, it arrived. Vibrations and Masturbation seem to be a match made in heaven, if you ask me. In fact, unless there’s something vibrating somewhere, I tend to get bored of plain old ‘non-vibrating’ strokers (my penis really has been spoiled lately).
So, did the Hand Solo teach me the ways of the force… or did it end up in the Sarlacc pit?
First Impressions
Like most of the other toys in the ‘Rocks Off’ range, this arrives in very basic, non-descript packaging. There is a plain white outer-slip with purple writing, and then underneath that is the main packaging box, which is a simple black design with text.
Note: I apologise for the pictures – the silicone sleeve kept attracting dust – as soon as I had cleaned it, it was covered in dust again – I blame Elphie (my puppy for those who don’t know..)
The toy itself is nestled in a plastic tray, and underneath the tray is a manual and a storage bag. The toy comes with batteries included (but just in case, the RO Bullet requires an N size battery) so it’s ready to go straight out of the box. The masturbator comprises of a soft silicone sleeve with a removable bullet vibrator (RO-80mm). The sleeve actually looks less like a sex toy – and more like something you might use when someone owes you money – it looks like a knuckle duster! Although this is more soft and flexible, and most likely feels a damn sight nicer.
The stimulating part of the sleeve is covered in lots of little silicone nubs, which initially feel quite hard to the touch. Generally it feels quite well made, and the bullet felt like it had a fair bit of power behind it. As it’s removable, you can also use the bullet elsewhere – so effectively, you have two toys in one. I can certainly see this appealing to a couple.
In Use
I was told Lovehoney used to stock these a little while ago, but discontinued them – but that they have now been improved and are much better than before. Well, I have nothing to compare it against, but if this is indeed a ‘new & improved’ version, I would have hated to have seen how it was before. Now I’m generally very open minded, and willing to give people and things the benefit of the doubt, should it not work properly the first time round. But I do have a limit, and the Hand Solo took me so far over the limit, that I wanted to just shake it and throw it out the window in frustration. But more on that in a bit.
After getting myself ‘ready’, I squeezed a little bit of lube into the stroker. This was where I encountered my first ‘problem’. Because the nubs are so compact, the lube just kind of got ‘stuck’ in once place – and trying to spread it around was not easy – you basically have to squirt lube ALL OVER the sleeve – meaning you probably end up using more than you need to (and make a HELL of a mess in the process).
I placed my fingers through the grip and held it like I would a taco – placed it on the underside of my penis and started the vibrations. I could barely feel them on the lowest setting. So I switched it to the third and highest vibration setting. That was a little bit better. So I started to ‘stroke’ with it, and placed my thumb around so I was gripping the shaft. After a few moments, I started to feel uncomfortable – and this is where I encountered my second ‘problem’. The silicone ‘nubs’ are just a little too firm – at one point, it felt like I was sanding/grating my penis because the nubs scratched at me like a possessed cat going mad at a scratch post. A sex toy is meant to feel pleasurable, not torture.
I figured I wasn’t using enough lube, so I applied more and went again – still the same issue. I switched hands, changed what way I was holding it – nothing I did with it felt good. The silicone sleeve also dampened the vibrations quite significantly – out of the sleeve, the bullet has a fair kick, but once it’s in the sleeve, the power drops about 50%. On the plus side though, as the bullet is removable (and waterproof) – you can have plenty of fun with the bullet separately. In fact, I was able to give a better hand job with just a little bit of lube and the bullet than I could with the actual sleeve. But that kind of defeats the point of this – I should have just bought a bullet.
Clean-up and Maintenance
The Hand-Solo is totally waterproof, so aside from having fun in the bath or shower, it makes clean up a breeze. Plenty of water and toy cleaner will get it looking good as new, just ensure you really scrub the inside as lube and what not really gets stuck in between those little nubs (I have a little toothbrush that I use specifically for cleaning these sorts of things). Let the silicone sleeve air dry and then pop it in the storage bag until next time (if there is indeed going to be a next time…)
Summary
Well the good news is, I’ve made it to the end of the review and haven’t made a single star wars pun. I really wanted to like this toy. It’s a good idea, it’s just poorly executed. The texture is just OK at best, and painful at worst. The sleeve also dampens the vibrations too much, which is a shame as the bullet is generally powerful. It really does pain me to have to write such a negative review, and I will say this – everyone is different – so whilst it may not work for me, it might work for you – unless you give it a try, you won’t know. All I know is, I really didn’t like this toy, and I wish I could leave it in a galaxy far, far away… Oh shoot…
Where to buy
Note: This product has been discontinued.
