Toy Review – The SenseVibe by SenseMax
I really wanted a dual-stimulator vibe that I would like. I really wanted to like the SenseVibe. I really want a lot of things in life.
But I don’t get most of them. Sadly, the SenseVibe just misses the mark with me, leaving behind a long long trail of what-could-have-beens and if-onlys.
I’d been considering dual-vibes (or “rabbits”, even though half of them no longer follow the stereotypical shape of the classic rabbit vibe anymore) for a while now. I’d been convinced that such a thing wouldn’t work for me, because as we know, so many things don’t work for me, but I’m also learning how to find pleasant surprises and things that prove me wrong as well so I decided it was time I put the theory to the test – I needed to try one. Having had my eye on the SenseVibe ever since it was released, I decided this was the one I had to ask for. It looked like it might actually fit my body, it looked pretty uncomplicated, other people said it was strong and rumbly and fit them well, if any dual-vibe was gonna be a good bet it was probably this one.
The SenseVibe is a fairly simple design. Coming in black or turquoise, it lives inside it’s own carrying case which doubles as the charger. SenseMax calls it “wireless charging” but you still need to plug the case in so while I guess I appreciate the cute little box…I also have tons of other toys that don’t need to go into a box to charge, I just plug them in? It’s not any easier or harder to plug the box in than the toy itself. I guess the case is a bit more discreet but I’m kind of an all-or-nothing mindset on that one – it’s either safe to leave a toy laying out or it’s not safe at all to have anything even vaguely toy related in the vicinity. The case doesn’t lock or anything so if someone is gonna snoop…they’ll find it. At least the case isn’t utterly enormous – I’ll give them that one. I don’t mind the case, but you know what I would add if I were the person who decided a toy needed to live and charge inside of a case in order to function? The case should tell you what your battery level is at when you place the toy inside. I hate misjudging how much juice is left in a toy and having it die on me. A feature like that turns the case into something truly functional instead of just an accessory. Feel free to take my advice, SenseMax.
Another funny bit of advertising is the “yoga neck.” They’re literally just trying to find a clever synonym for “kinda flexible” – the interior arm can bend 30some odd degrees. Does that actually work? Not really. You can’t bend it and keep it in place prior to insertion, it means that if you push the back of the toy in a direction, the internal arm will respond. Which is great, I can very comfortably jam it up into and apply the needed pressure to my G-spot…by angling the clitoral stimulator downward and away from my body. Because that’s how these things really work. If you firmly grip both ends in your hands then yes it can be contorted in such a way that the interior arm bends upwards towards the G-spot and the angle of the neck compresses so that the clitoral part can still be pushed towards the body, but the walls of the vagina don’t have an iron-tight grip on the toy. If you push one way, the other end of the toy is gonna go the opposite. The “yoga neck” just means it wont be as painful as if you tried angling a straight rod through your curved orifice. Flexibility be damned, this toy still has what is probably the most significant issue people experience with dual-stimulators, which is that only one half fits at a time.
The second killer for me is the clitoral motor strength. The internal arm’s motor is great. Like really great I like it a whole fucking lot and if the clit part of the toy didn’t get in the way of it, I wouldn’t mind using just the G-spot part in conjunction with some other clit toy because I think it’s really rumbly and quite strong. But that clit nub is just a fuckin joke. If the internal arm is placed where I actually want it, then the clit part barely touches skin for me, so that’s a problem in itself. But even if I shove the toy in deeper so the clit nub makes proper contact, it’s still just so weak. I feel like instead of the vibrations traveling to the end of the external bump, they’re headed backwards towards my hand in the base of the toy. They in no way match up to the sensations the internal arm is capable of. I personally like to just abuse the shit out of my G-spot, so when I’ve got the internal arm’s motor cranked all the way up it completely drowns out whatever little buzz the clitoral motor is trying so desperately to achieve. This doesn’t feel good – certainly not orgasmic – it feels annoying.
I feel like the tiny, worthless clit nub was SenseMax’s response to complaints or fears that larger external pieces were going to fit poorly or hurt or get in the way when the user was trying to place the internal portion properly. I certainly had those assumptions about rabbits prior to this and that’s why I wasn’t bothering with them for so long. However, at the same time I received the SenseVibe I also picked up another dual-stimulator with a larger clit arm that also had a “yoga neck” (it was bendy) and it didnt hurt or jab or get in the way or anything. If that toy didnt electrocute me and give me cramps I would have liked it. So maybe SenseMax moved just a bit too far away from a good design. If they made the external bit larger (and kept it yoga-y) it would have fit my body better and they probably could have used the extra space to accommodate a larger, better motor. The internal vibe feels great so it’s really just the shitty external half that’s keeping the SenseVibe from totally knocking it out of the park for me.
Aside from the part where it just doesn’t fit, the design is quite good. I’m usually a sucker for simple and the SenseVibe delivers. The middle button turns the toy on, and cycles through the patterns. The separate plus and minus buttons that I love so much increase or decrease the vibration intensity. The one thing I’m a bit unclear on is the supposed “8 vibrating modes and 18 speeds” the specs on their website claims. The 8 pattern settings I get, but I don’t count 18 discernible separate speeds. In all the patterns I’ve tried setting it on, when I turn it all the way up I only get 12 minus button clicks before I turn it all the way off. Do I really need 18 speeds? Not really, never have I been fucking myself and went to turn the dial up only to frustratedly scream “oh no this one only goes to 12!” – it’s either strong enough or it’s not. A toy can have 30 speeds and all of them suck. I’m just curious how we’re counting to 18 here is all.
I also don’t know why the user manual tells you not to wash it with soap. (Actually yes I do, they’re trying to sell you a totally not necessary special branded toy cleaner instead). If your toy is really silicone, it’s perfectly fine to use regular ol hand and/or body soap on it. Nothing bad is gonna happen because I washed it with the same bar of Dial I washed my body with. Also don’t know why the manual says not to use with oil-based lubes. Those are also fine when used with silicone. Coconut oil that bitch up all you want (just don’t stain your bedsheets.)
Overall, if I could chop my SenseVibe in half and only keep the internal part, I would, because that part rocks. But as a whole package? It’s not gonna get me anywhere.
Big thanks to SheVibe for sending me the SenseMax SenseVibe for review – you can purchase your own by clicking HERE
SenseMax SenseVibe – Tl;dr
