This Might Be the Best Vibrator I've Ever Tried
There’s a new class of sex toy that’s unlike anything else—and not only is its latest incarnation the best vibrator I’ve probably ever tried, but I’m pretty sure the technology it uses will be the future of pleasure products. Unlike traditional vibes, toys like the Womanizer and the Satisfyer (which won a spot in our Sex Toy Awards) create airwaves around your clitoris to suck it upward. Nothing else has given me orgasms in under two minutes or multiple orgasms in one session, so it makes sense that LELO, the company responsible for some of the most high-end sex toys on the market, would create its own version of the suction vibrator. And let me tell you, it does not disappoint.
The LELO SONA Cruise, which the company dubbed a “sonic massager,” has a similar design to the Satisfyer and Womanizer toys, and at $108, its price point is right in the middle of those other brands. It’s got a handle with three buttons—one to change vibration modes, one to increase the intensity, and one to decrease it—and a head that looks like a little mouth, which goes over your clitoris. You don’t move it, you just hold it there and it does all the work for you.
Both the Womanizer and the Satisfyer vibrate very softly because their main function is suction—it feels like they’re reaching deep within your core, pulling an orgasm out of you. The LELO SONA Cruise feels more like a vibrator, with extremely powerful vibrations on the surface of the clitoris. This surprised me, since the press release emailed to me said it “stimulates the entire clitoris—even the parts you don’t see—with an eager, fluttering sonic hum, for a different kind of orgasm produced by the gentle deep-tissue massage of sonic waves.” That wasn’t my experience: The vibration felt very concentrated on the head.
This part of the press release, though, did ring true: “It’s a prolonged climax after a sensual build-up, an orgasm that comes from somewhere deep within you.” While its competitors aim to get women off quickly—and do a damn good job at it—the LELO SONA Cruise aims for more sustained pleasure. And it succeeds, too: My orgasms from this one take more like four or five minutes, rather than two or three, but they follow a very distinctive arc. Around a minute or two before climax, my vagina starts having singular contractions spaced a few seconds apart, each of which feels like its own mini-orgasm. I’d describe the process as more of a hill than a mountain with a sharp peak.
PHOTO: Lelo
Also unlike the Womanizer and Satisfyer, this one isn’t great for attempting multiple orgasms. The vibrations are so powerful it would probably leave your clit in a coma. I usually like to put vibrators up to the highest setting, but I couldn’t handle this one that way, likely because of another unique SONA Cruise feature: The toy’s name is a reference to “cruise control,” because it doesn’t lose power when you press it hard against you. Honestly, I could’ve done without this. It felt like more nerve cells in my clit were dying with each use (felt being the operative word—contrary to popular belief, vibrators can’t actually permanently desensitize you).
Another downside is that the whole thing, including the nozzle, is pretty hard plastic. The Satisfyer Pro 2, for example, is squishy where it comes into contact with your skin, so you can press it down without worrying about pain. But you’ve got to be careful with this one: Its power is unprecedented, and that’s saying a lot for someone who’s tried the alarmingly strong Satisfyer Pro 2: Next Generation.
I wouldn’t be surprised if even more toys following this suction model come out over the next few years. So far, though they have the same basic premise, none of the different models I’ve tried have felt too similar. The Satisfyer and Womanizer are pretty alike, but the LELO SONA Cruise provides a different kind of pleasure that’s not really better or worse, merely suited to different needs.
Personally? I’m going to cover all my bases and keep one of each in my bedside drawer.
More:
—Check Out the Winners of Glamour’s First-Ever Sex Toy Awards
—My Antidepressants Made it Hard to Orgasm, Until I Discovered These Toys