I feel like it has been ages since I’ve had a wand to review! I think the last one I reviewed was in July! That is an unacceptable amount of time to go between vibrating wands! Thankfully Betty’s Toy Box stepped in and brought an end to my wand drought and sent me the Shibari Hello Sexy Power Massager. They are the true heroes of this story.
I am very excited to be working with Betty’s Toy Box, I kind of adore the pin-up aesthetics of their website and love their selection of quality sex toys. Hooray for awesome sex toy retailers!
The Shibari Hello Sexy arrived in a pretty basic cardboard box with some very feminine branding. The box kind of reminds me of what walking into a Victoria’s Secret feels like. Everything is pink, feminine, and trying very hard to be sexy. The Shibari Hello Sexy packaging is the Victoria’s Secret of boxes… and I want to like it, but it’s also kind of too much if I look at it for too long. I think what my real problem with the packaging is that it seems to imply that this wand is for women. Between the “hello sexy” name and the pastel pink and black bows design… it doesn’t exactly scream “I’M A GENDER NEUTRAL TOY”. And let’s face it, it’s just a vibrating wand. A vibrating wand is a great toy for anyone, no matter what you are keeping in your pants (be it a penis, vagina, or a cthulhu-esque tenticle creature). Branding issues aside, the cardboard box is fairly sturdy so it would be possible to continue to store the vibrating wand in its original box if you don’t like having lose wands floating around your house. Personally, I have my wands spread out all over my bedroom so there is always one within arms length no matter where I look. You never know when you are going to have a vibrating wand emergency!
Out of the box, there are a lot of things I actually really like about the Shibari Hello Sexy wand. One major thing is that it is rechargeable. I love my outlet powered Doxy wands dearly, but sometimes it’s just impossible for me to be near an outlet when I’m ready to play. I’ve been in a situation where I brought my Doxy wand to a hotel room and we couldn’t find an outlet near the bed… (seriously!) the only outlet we found was behind the t.v. and in the bathroom (anyone in the hospitality industry take note! Put outlets by the bed for both ease of cell phone charging and ease of outlet powered wand fun!). It was a total bummer! So, having a good, rechargeable wand in my arsenal is a pretty big deal, especially when I’m traveling with a toy. The Hello Sexy charges via the included USB cable (it took about and hour and a half to charge fully) and unless you are my mother, you have probably figured out where and how to use USB cables at the point. However, if you are my mother and need help… feel free to call me at 3 a.m. because you can’t remember how to plug your cell phone in if the USB cable has become disconnected from the wall cube.
Another feature I really love about the Shibari Hello Sexy is the curve of its handle. What a difference just a little curve makes when using this wand with a partner! When I use my Doxy Wand, for example, while engaging in penis in vagina sex, I have two issues. The first is if I choose to get on my knees and use it doggy style, the length of the wands handle means I have a hard time getting the angle I want, as the bed (or floor) gets in the way. My second issues is that if my partner is on top, they have to endure a little second hand vibration as they thrust away and it isn’t always enjoyable for them, and if their body is pressing against the handle of the wand, I have very little control over the angle. With the Hello Sexy the curved handle is practically ergonomic! The handle is practically shaped to my body and allows me both better control of the wand and a better reach/angle. I can actually use this wand with a partner without it ever feeling unwieldy or getting in the way. It is also much lighter than the Doxy, so my wrist doesn’t tire quite as quickly when using it.
In use, the Shibari Hello Sexy isn’t exactly the most super-powered vibrating wand I’ve used. It is definitely much more subdued than either the Doxy or the Hitachi vibrating wands, but it does feel like it is light years more powerful than the Le Wand (grumble grumble Le wand grumble). I would describe the vibrations as being moderately-strong and I feel like it does have a deep, rumby quality to it. After my first use, I did feel a little let down, I was kind of expecting the high-powered whir that I’ve gotten used to with my outlet powered wands. But as I settled into using the Hello Sexy I really started to enjoy the low rumble it provided, it was like taking the scenic route to orgasm…. sure the Doxy gets me there and gets me there fast… but sometimes its worth enjoying the ride. I have found myself reaching for the Hello Sexy multiple times after the initially testing phase, it really is a very nice wand.
The Hello Sexy features 20 combinations of both speed and vibration that range from escalating to pulsating. As far as I’m concerned, this is an excessive amount of variation. I disregard the patterns completely, I don’t enjoy any of them, and I keep my wand set at it at its constant speeds which I find far more enjoyable.
Controlling the wand is a fairly simple processes. The body of the wand houses three hot pink buttons (the color makes them hard to miss!), the bottom most button (furthest from the toys head) is the power button hold it down to power the toy on and again to power it off. The next button up from that controls the Hello Sexy’s various patterns. Pressing that will cycle you through the toy’s pretty basic selection of pulsation patterns (yawn). Then there is the upper most button (closest to the toys head) which when pressed will increase the toys speed. It’s kind of a bummer that you have to cycle through all the top end speeds before reaching the lower ranges again… but I guess nobody is perfect. The buttons do have some LED back-lighting when the toy is powered on, which is nice when using this wand in the dark!
I was really hoping that the head of this wand would turn out to be silicone. Even as I was beginning to write down my notes for this review, I had myself convinced that it must be silicone. So imagine my disappointment when I read that it was TPR. While it can claim to be both body-safe and Phthalate free… it doesn’t change the fact that it is still porous. Be sure to clean thoroughly after each use and watch for any discoloration or weird smells that may indicate microbes are growing in those pores. I have seen various silicone head attachments available that fit a wide variety of wands, it is possible that one of those would fit the Shibari Hello Sexy if you want to be able to share you wand with multiple partners (like at a play party).
All in all, I think that the Shibari Hello Sexy Power Massager is a pretty solid wand and worth the purchase price. The vibrations it delivers are moderate and rumbly while the wands body is smooth, sleek, and easy to hold. If you are in the market for a wand that is less intense than the the popular go-to wands (Doxy/Hitachi) but still delivers a quality vibration, the Shibari Hello Sexy is something I could definitely recommend.
Looking to purchase the Shibari Hello Sexy Power Massager? Betty’s Toy Box can hook you up (with free US shipping to boot)!
The Shibari Hello Sexy Wand was provided to me free of charge by Betty’s Toy Box in exchange for my honest review.