I have a special surprise for you—the SaSi Vibrator! This toy has intrigued me since I first saw it and the description of its Sensual Intelligence. What self-respecting woman wouldn’t be intrigued by a vibrator that claimed to learn what you like and adjust itself accordingly? Heck, I still haven’t fully trained my partner and I’ve had him for more than ten years!

When I was offered a chance to review this toy, I jumped on it. Of course checking my porch every time someone drove by and it sounded like there could possibly be a delivery van in my driveway didn’t make it arrive any faster—but I couldn’t help it. Murphy being the taunting PITA he always is, it arrived on a day when I had to go out and run errands so my partner found the box. Thankfully he has been trained to not open mysterious packages that have my name on them in front of the child.

The instant the child went to bed, he was trying to hand me the box so I could open it. Did I mention he has as much of a desire for delayed gratification as I do? I relented and let him open the box. The SaSi vibrator comes in a beautiful black box that includes its charger, plug adapters, a manual and its storage bag. The box is wonderfully designed to cradle the SaSi so it has its own pedestal! The wonderful attention to detail in the box gave me great hopes for the toy.

The SaSi did take a few hours to charge so my partner had to content himself with reading the manual, mostly out loud, while it charged. The occasional leaps up to check if it was charged or not seemed to stop eventually—or I fell asleep—or both. Hey, it was late and I was tired. New toys are more fun when you’re awake, after all.

The SaSi had more than enough time to charge overnight and the next morning my partner proceeded to recite to me the entire user manual. Not kidding—the whole thing. After convincing him to go play with the child, I locked the bedroom door and prayed for some peace.

The SaSi is nicely made. The top section with the control buttons is a hard plastic, very well finished with no burs or seams to be found or felt. There’s a very well fitted silicone tab that tucks into the top to cover the charger socket that keeps it clean and dry during play without having a separate piece to lose. The silicone cover over the rest of the vibrator was also nicely finished and only had a faint odor of mold release.

I gave the SaSi a loving bath with toy cleaner and plain water. It’s important to note that the SaSi is NOT waterproof. It is splashproof, however—enough so that I felt comfortable running water slowly over the silicone working side to rinse it. A quick dry and I was ready to play—after one more check of the lock on the bedroom door.

The SaSi can seem complicated to “teach” but it’s actually fairly intuitive once you’re holding the vibrator in the “ready to launch” position. There are two basic modes: a “customize” mode that you use to teach the vibrator what you like and a “favorites” mode that you use to let the SaSi go through what you’ve taught it are your favorites. The SaSi has a knob on the bottom that moves in different patterns, a bit like a tongue or finger. It also has options for several levels of vibration, and you can speed up or slow down the motion.

I decided to just jump on it and try to teach the SaSi what I like. I’m not fond of the drag of dry silicon on my vulva or clit, so I dug the water-based lube out of the Toy Box and warmed up with a generous (and thorough) application of lube. I set the SaSi on the “customize” mode and started to play.

I have to say my first little while with the toy were … interesting. Sorta like a blind date sorta interesting. “Do I like this?” “Should I pick up someone else?” “Holy crap, that’s my dream date!” In essence, we were getting to know each other.

The variety of movement was impressive, I turned the vibration on and off or up and down as the mood struck me. There were multiple points where I needed to hit the “OMG” button—okay, the manufacturer calls it the “Don’t Stop” button but I was enjoying it more than that would convey. A few times I skipped a movement that did nothing for me.

I did notice that after about fifteen minutes, the SaSi was working hard and getting pretty warm. Not uncomfortable or painfully hot, but noticeably warm. The nice thing was that the control side of the toy was what was getting hot, not the working side.

I was also pleased that this vibrator didn’t seem to be overly incompatible with my clit hood piercing. I didn’t ever have a moment where I winced and had to shift the toy or the ring in my piercing.

After about twenty-five minutes and several close calls, I was getting tired and the child had trouped past the bedroom door at least twice. I put the SaSi aside and finished off with an old-fashioned finger-fuck. It took, oh, about three strokes. I cleaned the toy and plugged it in again, just in case the run time wasn’t as long as I’d like.

By the time I was in bed, the SaSi was recharged and my partner was giggling like a teenage boy who’d finally discovered that masturbation didn’t really make you go blind. He was dying to watch and, honestly, I was eager to see what the SaSi would do with the training I’d done. This time I gave the prep job to my partner (yumm, he’s got a talented tongue) and turned the vibrator on in its “Favorites” mode. It had definitely taken instruction well and about five minutes later, my head tried to explode in a fantastic orgasm. Because my clit can be overly-sensitive when I’ve come, I turned the SaSi off and molested the not-protesting-at-all partner instead. He didn’t want to try the SaSi though—spoilsport.

I’m really impressed by both the quality and the innovation of the SaSi vibrator. I love the ability to teach it what you like and have it save that information. I’m very pleased that it’s rechargeable—my battery budget is already large enough to be a line item on the household budget. It comes with some plug adapters, so it can travel internationally as well and it can be locked so it doesn’t go off in your luggage. I don’t relish explaining that the strange sound is just one of my toys and not a terrorist device. Really, officer, honest.

The SaSi makes it possible to replace both the control panel hard plastic side and the silicon cover. That strikes me as a great thing, whether needed because of wear, accident or pet curiosity.

The SaSi might take some getting used to and training and how you hold it may vary depending on your own anatomy and likes or dislikes. I had great results just holding it in my hand and pressing it into my clit and vulva but some people have better results if they lie on their sides with it pressed between their thighs. I could see trying it while sitting as well—might have to try that next, in fact!

The SaSi is not a cheap or budget toy, it is what it says—a luxury vibrator. That being said, in this case I feel the design, the usability and the effects actually warrant the price on the sticker. This is a toy that can be trained more and more to suit just you and that means it’s definitely not a one-trick-pony. Once it gets your number, it’s a wild ride! The SaSi is a woman’s toy and designed to be just that, there’s not a lot of effect to using it on a male partner (all threats aside). If you can squeak the money out of your budget for this lovely toy, you won’t regret it!

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

SaSi Vibrator
Material: Hard Plastic, Silicone
Powered by: Built in Rechargeable Battery
Waterproof: No – Splashproof only
Recommended Cleaning: Anti-bacterial soap or silicon-safe toy cleaner. Do not immerse.
Recommended Lube: Water-based
Care: Clean thoroughly after each use and recharge when needed. Allow to dry thoroughly before storing.
Babeland Buy Link

Note: This item was provided for review by Babeland and buy links point back to that provider. This review was originally published in April 2009 as part of my “Out of the Toy Box” column for the Erotic Readers and Writers Association but has been re-edited for this blog. Photographs are courtesy of Babeland.

(Note: This item is no longer available on Babeland’s website but you may be able to find it elsewhere, if you look around.)

I specifically chose the Tuyo to review because I was really curious about this unusual toy. I wasn’t sure what to expect or even how I might use it but I know you’ll be thankful that I took on the challenge for you. Really. Now, despite the passing resemblance to a ball used in pool or baseball, I don’t advise throwing it — even in fun.

This toy actually arrived while I was embroiled in some other issues and I didn’t get a chance to open it for days – despite the pestering, hints and campy pouting from my partner. I finally relented and opened it to find a lovely satin-lined box fitted hold the pearlescent white plastic and pink silicon orb. It’s hard to judge from the pictures but the Tuyo is three inches in diameter – the size of a baseball. It looked a lot more like a pastel Christmas tree ornament – something I’d never considered to be sexy before. I fear my holiday views may have been permanently warped.

After a bit of work (it’s a tad difficult to hold onto, being a sphere), I got the Tuyo open and inserted the required trio of AAA batteries. The battery compartment is sealed with a rubber o-ring to make it splashproof and the threads were fine enough that I had to take care to insure I didn’t cross thread it. I don’t even want to contemplate trying to remedy that – even with my partner’s love of “fixing” things…. I highly recommend inserting the batteries before you wash the Tuyo, however.

Once I’d washed and dried it, I started to explore the Tuyo. It’s controlled by a recessed button on one end, covered by a silicon shield and each time you press the button, the vibrator cycles through 3 different speeds and 5 different patterns. I found out that there didn’t seem to be a shortcut to turn it off when my youngest asked what the sounds were coming from my bedroom. I’m still not sure he bought the “shaving my legs” excuse – he may merely be too polite to call me on it.

The Tuyo is pretty loud. Not Magic Wand loud but definitely calls attention to itself. I also discovered that, although the vibrations are fairly strong, they seem to be somewhat diffuse – maybe because of the ball shape.

Later (and after my son was in bed), I took the vibrator out to actually play with it. A few minutes later, I realized this was an unusual toy that I needed to really experiment with. The ball shape turned out to be a lot of fun to roll over my breasts and graze my nipples with but it was a bit large to easily rub between my legs. A bit of inspiration provided a new solution, however, it was great to nestle between my legs while sitting up – in fact it later turned out to be a nice accessory to reading or watching porn. The diffuse vibrations didn’t bring me to an orgasm but were a lot of fun anyway.

When used with my partner, we actually had more fun using it almost as a foreplay accessory than during actual intercourse. A few attempts to sandwich it between us led to a fit of the giggles and tossing it off on the floor. Important safety tip – do not leave the Tuyo on and unattended. It WILL get itself into spots it may be difficult to retrieve it from and which may terrorize your feline housemates.

The silicon band around the Tuyo did provide a nice gripping surface and since the bottom of the ball holds the motor and vibrates the most, it’s handy for manipulation. I’m not sure, despite the fact it’s quite beautiful and well-made, the Tuyo will be a constant companion. The lack of ability to really give me an orgasm and the unusual shape make it fun to play with but better as a preliminary course.

If you like playing and experimenting, the Tuyo may make a nice toy for you. If you need or want strong vibrations and good control of the application of them, the Tuyo may not be for you. I would, however, recommend it as a great couple’s toy for luxurious and unhurried foreplay and teasing. It’s not a cheap toy, however, so it may well not be for everyone.

Tuyo Vibromasseur
Material: Hard Plastic, Stainless Steel, Silicone
Powered by: 3 AAA batteries
Waterproof: No – Splashproof only
Recommended Cleaning: Anti-bacterial soap or silicon-safe toy cleaner. Do not immerse.
Recommended Lube: Water-based
Care: Clean thoroughly after each use and remove batteries when not in use. Allow to dry thoroughly before storing.
Babeland Buy Link

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

Note: This item was provided for review by Babeland and buy links point back to that provider. This review was originally published in May 2009 as part of my “Out of the Toy Box” column for the Erotic Readers and Writers Association but has been re-edited for this blog. Photographs are courtesy of Babeland.