TENGA are always continually trying to revitalise and reinvigorate the sex toy arena by developing products that not only push the boundaries of pleasure, but design as well.
I was extremely interested when TENGA had announced their new range of vibrating toys – after the experiences with some of their other products, I was genuinely thrilled to be given the opportunity to try out one of these new products.
There are 5 different ‘flavours’ of Vi-Bo, all have different functions and can be used differently but the common element is that each Vi-Bo is basically a small vibrating ball that you slip into an insert. The particular Vi-Bo that I was testing, was the Ring Orb. So, did this bring a smile to my face? Well let’s find out…
First Impressions
One of the things I love about TENGA is the packaging. It combines geek chic with elegance – and getting a new TENGA product usually gives me the same feels as getting a new iPhone (which I did today *eep* – but I digress…). This time however, I didn’t get my usual excitable feeling. For this particular product, the packaging felt incredibly cheap. The Orb sits in a plastic clamshell style case, with a little instruction leaflet at the top. This really did not feel like the quality I expect to come from TENGA – but I still had faith that the toy was going to be at least top quality.
The ring itself also left me feeling a little underwhelmed. The blue outer covering is made from a stretchy elastomer (the same sort of Elastomer you might find in the TENGA eggs/Flip Hole) only here, it doesn’t feel nearly as nice. The vibrating ball is easy enough to remove, and is powered by 3 LR44 Cell batteries (included). All in all, my first impressions are not good. Perhaps it will be better in practice?
In Use
In essence, this particular Vi-Bo is a vibrating cock ring – you slip the elastomer ring round the shaft, with the vibrating ball resting on top of the shaft, which during use with a lady, would provide external clitoral stimulation. Unfortunately, I cannot confirm if the Orb works really well as a clitoral stimulator, however I can confirm that as a cock ring – It’s OK.
As the elastomer is extremely stretchy, this will accommodate most sizes easily, without it feeling too snug. This in essence is a small problem in on itself. If you have ever used a TENGA egg, you’ll know that after a good use, the elastomer is all stretched out and will no longer fit back inside the egg shell properly (which isn’t a problem really, as they are designed for single use) – well here we have a similar problem. I noticed that after a couple of uses and stretches, the ring gradually got looser, and so with each use, it wasn’t fitting as ‘snugly’ as it was before. For a toy that is designed to be used multiple times, this is not a good start. So you’ll need to be extra careful when putting it on/taking it off.
In terms of vibrations, this certainly left a lot to be desired. The Vi-Bo is one speed, and as it is powered by the same sort of batteries you get inside the mini vibrators (the button cell batteries), you already know that battery life is going to be limited. The back of the packet says you should get about 30 minutes continuous usage from one set of batteries (we clocked it just under). A side effect of this, is that the vibrations just aren’t terribly strong. However, as my OH doesn’t have a clitoris anyway, the vibrating side of the cock ring is essentially wasted on us anyway. But a little bit of re-purposing, I decided to try slotting the ring over the middle finger and generously lubing up my hand and then using it to try and give a hand job, hoping that the vibrations would stimulate the sensitive areas on the penis – but due to the size of the Orb, it was just awkward.
Clean-up and Maintenance
Supposedly the Vi-Bo’s are waterproof. I haven’t tested the theory, but as the vibrating ball is removable, you can was the elastomer cover in some warm water and anti-bacterial toy cleaner. The ball can just be wiped over with a soft cloth, then you can pop the ball back in the elastomer cover and store it away.
Summary
Well, I’m less than impressed with the Vi-Bo. But you know what, I’m not that mad. TENGA have produced some amazing products, and one little blip in the road isn’t going to make me stop loving them. By all accounts, they’ve made up for it by introducing their new range of vibrators for ladies (the IROHA). In terms of cock rings, there are countless others that I think can do the job better than this one. It’s OK TENGA, I forgive you.
Where to buy
You can pick this up (as well as others from the VI-BO range) at Simply Pleasure.
