hands free toys Archives

[Update 30.12.2019: The Desire Butterfly has been discontinued. Links have been updated accordingly.]

I love anything a bit unusual and different when it comes to sex toys. That’s why, when my friends over at Lovehoney offered me the product of my choice from the new Desire range to test and report on, I was immediately drawn to this one.

Facts ‘n’ Figures

The Butterfly is part of the new Lovehoney Desire range of luxury toys. I tested the clitoral pebble vibe a few months ago from the same range. The Butterfly is a wearable vibe which rests against the vulva and is held in place with a strap around each leg and one around the hips.

The underside of the Lovehoney Desire Butterfly, a purple vibe which is flat escept for a small raised ridge where the head of the Butterfly would be. Black elastic straps are attached.

It’s a smallish vibe, 4.2 inches in length. The underside (pictured right) is flat and smooth except for a bump of around 1 inch which sits against the clitoris. The harness is super adjustable, with a maximum width of 40 inches around the hips. I have wide hips and I found it very comfortable to wear.

It’s remote-controlled. The vibe itself is rechargeable via USB, and the remote control takes one watch-style battery, which should last ages. All Desire toys come in their own stylish black case (pictured right) which is perfect for storage and travel. The Butterfly even features a travel lock, so no worries about it accidentally turning on in your bag!

My Experience

It took me a bit of experimentation to get the Butterfly to sit correctly against my body. I had to adjust the straps a few times to figure out the best placing for them so that the lovely ridge rested against my clit. After a few minutes and some very attractive wiggling in and out of bits of elastic, I found a position that worked and settled down with some smut for a nice wank.

The Butterfly has 8 patterns and 12 speeds, but I just wacked it up to “constant vibration, highest speed,” because that’s how my bits roll. I also realised, not for the first time, that entirely hands-free stimulation, while nice, very rarely makes me come. I prefer to have the toy I’m using pressed somewhat firmly against my vulva so I can grind against it. So I ended up pushing it against my body with one hand. This wasn’t really a problem for me, and wouldn’t be necessary for someone who doesn’t need such firm pressure in order to get off.

I found the Butterfly’s vibrations impressively strong for its size. Not strong enough to get me off in record time in the way a wand can, but thoroughly enjoyable for a nice slow wank! It took me about 40 minutes to go from “cold” to “orgasm” with the Butterfly. This would be a long time for some people but is quite normal for me if I’m not worked up before I start, especially with a toy I’ve never used before.

In conclusion: I really enjoyed this toy.

My Ratings (all scores out of 5★)

Price: ★★
The Butterfly retails on Lovehoney for £74.99, which puts it at the higher end of the Desire toys’ price-range. It won’t be in everyone’s budget for this reason. However, the difference in quality from lower-priced toys, including Lovehoney’s own budget range, is noticeable. These toys look and feel luxurious, but I’m not entirely convinced it’s worth the price when you can get a much more powerful vibe for a similar price.

Materials: ★★★★★
The entire body of the Butterfly – AND the remote – are silky soft silicone. Silicone is my favourite because it’s non-porous, phthalate-free and completely body-safe. I recommend water-based lube with silicone toys (and just in general because it’s gentler on your body.)

Appearance: ★★★★
It’s cute and actually looks like a little butterfly! It also, if I do say so myself, looks really pretty when it’s on. It’s the same purple as the whole Desire range, which is a lovely colour and provides a really nice, stylish look.

Ease of Use: ★★★
This one definitely took some practice. The interface is simple – you switch on the toy with a single button on the body, and then use the remote control to cycle through the settings. There are three buttons – speed up, speed down, and change pattern. It’s the positioning that can be a struggle at first. I suggest taking your time to experiment, try different positions for your body and the toy, and be prepared to adjust the straps a few times to make it work for you.

A quick note for anyone who, like me, has a natural bush: the straps do have a tendency to trap stray pubes if you’re not careful! Watch out for this if you don’t want a non-consensual wax job courtesy of your sex toy.

Ease of care & cleaning: ★★★★
Being pure silicone, the Butterfly can be cleaned with a sterile wipe (try the kind from medical suppliers, but make sure they’re body safe!) It’s waterproof, so you can submerge it fully in water to clean it thoroughly. The straps come off easily so they can stay dry when you wash the toy. Not condom compatible. You could use a barrier like a dental dam, if you want to share and are cautious about infection transmission.

Versatility: ★★★
The Butterfly has 8 pattern settings and 12 speeds, so whatever you’re into, there will be a setting for you. It’s great for solo play, but could also enhance pleasure during intercourse. I’m already planning to wear it next time Mr CK bends me over the bed and fucks me from behind! Another way to use it with a partner would be to give your lover the remote and let them control the toy. It is technically waterproof, but I’m not sure I would bother using it in water as it seems like the straps would be a pain to dry.

Intensity: ★★★
Not… bad, but not amazing? I would have preferred the vibrations stronger and rumblier, personally. But they were adequate to – eventually – bring me to orgasm.

Overall Score: ★★★
A nice enough little toy which serves a specific purpose. I’d recommend it to folks who like gentler clitoral stimulation. It’s also a decent choice for anyone who needs a hands-free or low-energy toy for pain or mobility reasons.

Thank you to Lovehoney, who sent me this toy in exchange for an honest review. If you use one of my links to buy, I may make a small commission. This does not in any way affect my views which are, and will always be, my own.

The images featured in this post are property of Lovehoney and are reproduced here with their kind permission.

UPDATE 23.12.2019: The original Ruby Glow has been discontinued. A review of the new Ruby Glow Dusk will follow in due course.

I wasn’t going to do sex toy reviews when I stared doing this blog. But… I guess I’m doing toy reviews now! Let’s dive in, shall we?

To begin with, there are two things you need to know about me. The first is that I know what I like and, when it comes to sex toys, what I like is lots and lots of hard vibrations right on that spot on my clit. For this reason, I haven’t bought a new vibrator since my amazing partner gifted me a Doxy nearly two years ago. The second is that I am endlessly curious and a bit of a geek. Sp of something is a bit quirky, a bit different, or a bit “ooh, I’ve never seen one of those before,” I have to try it, especially if it relates to sex.

Is there any wonder, then, that when I encountered the new Ruby Glow (designed by Tabitha Rayne and made by the good folks at Rocks Off) at Eroticon 2017 I simply had to get one?

The Ruby is, essentially, a ride-on external vibrator. It’s hands-free, non-penetrative and can be used through clothing or directly on the body. It has ten different settings and dual motors to control the vibrating vaginal/perineal mound and the clitoral stimulator, which can be used together or separately.

I first tried the Ruby Glow sitting on the edge of my (epic, super-king) bed at the end of a good fuck with my primary partner, Mr CK. There were some pleasant vibrations coming from the toy but nothing that was going to have be screaming in orgasmic bliss any time soon. The problem, we quickly identified, was that the surface of the bed wasn’t rigid enough for me to be able to grind against the toy in a satisfying way.

“What if you tried it on my desk chair?” Mr CK asked. And that’s exactly what I did. Laptop in front of me with some of my favourite erotica open, I put the toy between my legs and set it going. I tried a few settings. My favourite, by far, is the highest of the 3 constant vibration settings on both motors – but, as with anything else in sex, your mileage may very well vary.

I readjusted the toy a few times to get it on my clit in just the right spot, but once it was in place I could grind against it and fuck it easily, without needing to use my hands – keeping them free to browse through the delicious porn on my screen..

I’m not, typically, a girl who comes quickly from clitoral stimulation, but I do have my biggest and most satisfying orgasms this way if I persevere. It took me about 25 minutes to get off with the Ruby Glow, and it was a deliciously slow and drawn out orgasm with a long build-up. Yum!

This toy is perfect for me particularly because I like to read erotica (typically on a screen but occasionally in a physical book) while I masturbate. Anyone who has done this will understand the fine art that is balancing a book/laptop/other device in one hand, while keeping the other free for finger action or holding a toy. The Ruby Glow beautifully solves this problem. It’s also ideal for anyone who writes erotica and finds themselves getting turned on while working, anyone who engages in cyber sex and wants to wank and type at the same time, and anyone with joint or mobility issues that make using a hand-held toy difficult. In short, if you’re a person with a vulva who enjoys vibrations, I recommend you give this toy a try.

My Ratings (all scores out of 5★)

Price: ★★★★★
At £39.99 it’s comparable in price to many of the far less luxurious – not to mention less safe – toys on the market, and more affordable than many of their higher end counterparts.

Materials: ★★★★★
It’s made of absolutely gorgeous, silky soft, body-safe silicon.

Appearance: ★★★★
It’s reasonably pretty and it looks like a little saddle, which makes me giggle. And for someone new to sex toys, it looks a lot less threatening and scary than a giant wand or “rabbit” style vibe. It even gets a pass on being pink (a bit of a bugbear for me) because it matches the name and it’s not an obnoxious, ouch-my-eyes neon.

Ease of Use: ★★★
It takes some experimenting to get the angle and setting that works for your body, and you may have to try it on one or two different surfaces or chairs to find out what works for you. Worth persevering for, though? Definitely!

Ease of care & cleaning: ★★★
The Ruby is not waterproof, which makes it a little more difficult to clean. The best way is to use a body-safe sterile wipe available from medical suppliers.

Versatility: ★★★★
With two individually-controllable motors and ten different speed and pulse settings, an easily customisable wank is yours with the Ruby.

Intensity: ★★★
Full disclosure here: I like my vibrations intense. I’ve found myself even wanting to turn my beloved Doxy, “the world’s most powerful massage vibrator,” up one notch higher than it goes. For this reason I can only give the Ruby Glow three stars on this score, as the power isn’t quite where I would have liked it to be. I completely acknowledge that not everyone wants power power power, and at the end of the day the Ruby Glow still gave me a glorious orgasm!

Overall Score: ★★★★
Cute, safe, innovative and effective! Could have done with a bit more power, and not the quietest, but it’s genuinely innovative and enjoyable to use. A great addition to your collection.

(All pictures in this post used by kind permission of the Rocks Off Team. Affiliate links are contained within this post and if you use them, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.)

Tag: hands free toys

[Toy Review] Lovehoney Desire Butterfly Hands-Free Vibrator

Facts ‘n’ Figures

My Experience

My Ratings (all scores out of 5★)

[Toy Review] The Ruby Glow

My Ratings (all scores out of 5★)