Today we’re going to be taking a look at the all new prostate massager attachment for the Doxy No. 3, courtesy of the fine folks over at Nexus.
Tag: Nexus
Nexus Revo 2
A couple of weeks ago the folks over at (the sadly now defunct) Strawberry Blushes got in touch with me and asked if I’d like to review a product for them, and out of all the wonderful items to choose from in their catalogue, the one which stuck out to me the most was the Nexus Revo 2, so I was thrilled when they generously agreed to send it to me.
The Revo 2 is the successor to the original Nexus Revo prostate massager, which as it happens is a product that I’ve had my eye on for quite a while now. The Revo 2 was only announced at the end of last year, and up until recently hasn’t been widely available to purchase, so it’s always fun to try out something so new.
When you think about choosing a prostate massager, generally there are only two main considerations to take in terms of functionality: do you want something that’s manually operated or hands-free, and do you want something which vibrates or something which doesn’t? Beyond that your choices are pretty limited, which is what makes the Revo line so special, because they really are a first of their kind. What the Revo offers that other prostate massagers don’t is motion, physical motion. It’s actually not at all uncommon to see toys for women with moving parts, such as many rabbit vibrators with shafts that rotate and twitch about, so naturally I’ve always wondered why nothing like that existed in a prostate toy for men. It makes me rather please, consequently, to see that now something like that does indeed exist. The name ‘Revo’ is short for the dword revolve, because that’s precisely what the shaft of this toy does, and what sets it apart from every other product in this category.
Physically the Revo 2 is quite similar in design to other prostate massagers, and has that distinctively-shaped insertable portion which you’ll recognise from the G-Rider. Alongside this it features a standard forward-projecting arm designed to sit flush against the perineum, and this forms part of quite a large and bulky base section which houses both the battery and presumably the mechanism to rotate the shaft.
The Revo 2 is made from a combination of ABS plastic, and silicone which coats insertable sections. It has a two-tone colour scheme allowing you to visually differentiate between the plastic and silicone portions. On mine it has a black silicone section, while the plastic area is Playstation-grey, but it’s also available with the colours reversed. Aesthetically it does look quite nice, though there’s a certain inescapable cheapness that I find associated with the appearance of grey plastic. I recall seeing the original Revo in a purple option, so it’s a shame that they didn’t carry that through to the Revo 2, as I do enjoy a splash of colour in my toys. The choice of materials for the toy is great as both the plastic and silicone are completely odourless, non-porous, and body-safe, so you can feel confident when using the product.
The construction of the Revo 2 is done to a high standard, with the possible exception of the occasional mould line here and there, but these blend in quite subtly with the soft velvety finish of the matte silicone layer, and can barely be felt. One of the big differences with the design of the Revo 2 is that it’s now waterproof, which should make cleaning it a far more simple affair.
The other major difference with the Revo 2 is that it’s rechargeable, and that’s a change which I’m glad to see they made, as for a toy of this price I’d expect not to have to be dealing with batteries. Like the Ego E4 the Revo 2 is supplied only with a USB charging cable. I must say that I’m not a huge fan of this practice as I don’t enjoy having countless devices plugged into my computer to charge, though I can see how it might benefit people who travel a lot and are happy to charge things from their laptops. There is always the option of buying an adaptor plug which will allow you to plug your standard USB charging cable into an ordinary power socket, but it does mean an added expense on top of an already pricey toy. The charging cable connects to the Revo 2 magnetically, and it attaches firmly enough to do the job adequately, though the design behind it isn’t quite up to the standard of the Fun Factory Click ‘n’ Charge system. You can leave the Revo 2 sat in a variety of positions, and the charger seems to say put quite happily, which is useful because the rounded underside of the Revo 2 makes it hard to stand upright.
The Revo 2 is operated by a large round button towards the front of the base, and it has six settings: slow revolution, slow revolution with constant vibration, slow revolution with rapid pulses of vibrations, faster revolution, faster revolution with constant vibration, and faster revolution with rapid pulses of vibrations. You press the button once to turn the toy on, and this starts the tip of the shaft moving around in a clockwise direction, then you press the button again to cycle through each of the settings until finally it turns off again. unfortunately there is no way to quickly turn the device off altogether, nor to have it turn on and already be set to your favourite mode.
When it comes to using the toy it is rather comfortable to insert, though it may present a slight challenge for beginners to anal play, as the tip of the shaft is rather blunt and has a 4″ circumference. As such I’d recommend a warm up toy in this circumstance. Once it is inserted, and not yet activated, it does just feel like any other prostate massager, though immediately the shortcomings of the large and cumbersome base start to become apparent. Unfortunately because the base is so large you simply can’t sit on it, at least not in a manner which is at all comfortable. This is a disappointment for me because I do prefer to assume a more seated position on the bed when using toys such as this.
Once you turn on the Revo 2 and start to experience to motion of the shaft it becomes apparent that there’s a bit of a design flaw. The initial sensations coming from the rotations are quite subtle and not all that easy to feel, and then you realise the reason why. If you look down at the device you’ll see that the base is moving around quite a lot outside the body, and as a result the shaft is moving less internally. There’s nothing to hold the base in a stationary position, so it’s a bit like holding a helicopter by the rotors and having the body of the craft spin around instead. The only way to try to counter this is to a.) hold the base in place with your hand, which then makes it no longer a hands-free toy, or b.) hold it firmly in place against a surface by sitting on it, which as I mentioned earlier is not comfortable, so neither solution is ideal.
When you have successfully secured the base you’ll discover that the motion of the shaft can be felt much more strongly inside the body, which unfortunately brings me to the next problem. The shaft is too long. Now the shaft is in fact only 4″ long, which doesn’t sound like a great deal, but the thing is that the prostate is not 4″ deep inside the body. When you can really feel that shaft moving you can feel exactly where it’s touching, and every time that head moved around in a full circle it felt as though I was being poked firmly right in the back of the bladder. For me being poked in the bladder is a little uncomfortable, and doesn’t really increase my sexual appetite, so every time I tried the toy I just couldn’t seem to enjoy the way this felt. What I did discover though was that if I pulled the toy about halfway out, and held the base firmly in place, then as the toy rotated the head would actually hit my prostate, and it felt pretty nice in the process. This was a little frustrating though, because it proved that the concept could work in principle, but that the design was just at fault. Had the shaft been an inch or two shorter then I could be raving about it right now instead of being critical. What I originally liked about the toy was the idea that something electronic could duplicate that “come hither” motion that people use to stimulate the prostate with their fingers, and had it managed to achieve that then it would have been fantastic. It came so near, yet it was also so far off.
The other aspect of the function is that it can be set to vibrate along with the physical movement. The source of the vibrations appears to be located down in the base of the toy, which is unsurprising considering all the mechanics going on in the shaft. The vibrations aren’t the strongest in the world, but what’s unusual is that they appear to get buried inside the toy. I wouldn’t expect to really be able to feel them at the tip of the insertable section, but you can’t feel them that strongly along the perineum arm either. The vibrations just don’t seem to travel up to the surface of the toy and focus anywhere along it, instead they seem to get lost deep within the base of the toy and dissipate out in all directions. All you get is a vague tingle emanating equally from everywhere and it doesn’t add much to the experience, whether set to constant or pulses.
One nice thing about the toy is that it isn’t overly noisy. It isn’t completely quiet, and you do get a strange mechanical whirring noise going on when it’s activated, alongside the humming of the vibrations, but it’s mostly unobtrusive to hear, and it won’t be audible to anyone in another room.
The Revo 2 does come inside a lovely black cardboard presentation box, which helps to make it feel expensive and luxurious, and included with it is a black cloth drawstring pouch for everyday storage.
On the whole I’m probably not going to recommend the Revo 2 to anyone, and by this point that shouldn’t come as a surprise. I really do love the idea behind it, and the fact that Nexus have gone and created something quite innovative, but the performance of it really just doesn’t work for me. The clincher here really has to be the price though, because it does currently retail for £120, and I just couldn’t justify spending that amount of money on it. If you’re spending over £100 on a toy then you’re really going to expect a lot of bang for your buck, and not something which vibrates meekly whilst prodding you in the bladder. It was definitely an interesting experience for me to try out, and an educational one at that, but unfortunately not one I would have been happy to pay for the pleasure of. My quest for the perfect prostate massager is destined to continue for now.
If you’re interested in the Nexus Revo 2 then it’s available from: Bondara, Lovehoney, SexShop365, and UberKinky in the UK.
Thanks to Strawberry Blushes for sending me the item, though they may no longer be around.
Nexus G-Rider
This week the friendly folks over at (the now defunct) SweetFun.co.uk have sent me a Nexus G-Rider vibrating prostate massager to try out. It’s a toy I’ve been interested in for quite a while because of its rather appealing shape, so I relish the opportunity to put it through its paces. This is only the second product from Nexus that I’ve tried, after the Nexus Glide which I reviewed last year, but I do have my eye on the Nexus Revo 2 in the future.
The G-Rider is one of different 8 vibrating prostate massagers currently manufactured by the British company Nexus, and it’s been on the market since around 2009. The design of the toy has it assembled from two separate parts: there’s an exterior sleeve manufactured from 100% silicone, and inside this is a removable-battery operated vibrator. Part of what drew me to the toy initially was the fact that it was made from silicone, as silicone is one of my favourite materials due to its properties of being odourless, non-porous, and completely body-safe.
The G-Rider is available in an assortment of colours, varying from retailer to retailer, including a delicious red which strongly appeals to me as you might imagine. Mine came in a nice simple black which, while not always my favourite colour for a toy, actually quite suits it in this instance.
The Silicone portion of the toy is almost completely seamless, with only the faintest visible hint of how it may have been moulded, and which you would need the eyes of an eagle to spot. I really can’t fault its construction at all, and it’s entirely free from any defects or raised mould lines. The surface of the silicone has a matte finish which feels velvety-soft to touch and almost begs you to caress it with your fingers. On the scale of sex toy silicones it is one of the slightly firmer ones, and it doesn’t have a great deal of give in the surface when you squeeze it, but it’s pliable enough to bend and flex in the right places.
The shape of the toy may seem familiar as all Nexus products tend to use broadly the same design for their insertable portion, and you’ll also notice similar offerings from companies such as Aneros. This section of the product has been ergonomically designed to correspond to the internal contours of the male body. At the top is a bulbous section which protrudes forwards and is intended to apply pressure to the prostate, then below it the shaft waves in and out a couple of times before meeting the base. In all the insertable length is around 4 1/8″. Unlike the the Glide the shaft of the G-Rider is a good thickness, and measures 4 1/2″ around the widest point. By far one of my favourite aspects of the design is actually the base of the toy, which is shaped rather like a kayak or surfboard, only with upturned ends like the tip of a Persian slipper. Towards the rear of the base the surface is completely smooth, while at the front the top area is covered in raised nodules designed to stimulate the perineum. Underneath the base is gently curved and the removable vibrator sits completely flush with it when inserted. I really like this particular feature because it’s unlike a lot of similar products where the vibrator protrudes awkwardly.
The G-Rider is a nice easy toy to insert, and thanks to the matte finish on the silicone it holds water-based lube incredibly well. Because it is a slightly thicker toy you want to be careful with what you’re doing if you’re a beginner, and remember to relax and take it nice and slowly, but I wouldn’t say that it’s a toy which a beginner should feel the need to avoid. Initially there is something about the shape which makes it not quite the most comfortable toy to insert, at least compared to something with a completely straight shaft, but once you get over that first bump then the rest of it slides smoothly and effortlessly into the body without a hitch. When the toy is inside the body it does feel incredibly comfortable to wear, and also pleasantly filling, but at the same time you can feel the tip pressing firmly against the prostate. The whole toy settles into quite a secure position, thanks to the thinner neck-like section of the shaft above the base, so there’s no need to worry about slippage. Meanwhile the shape of the base itself allows it to slot perfectly between the buttocks where it nestles quite discreetly – enough not to be noticed under clothes. At the front the upper surface of the base all makes contact with the perineum, while the pointed tip applies some light pressure to a pleasant effect, and this can be increased slightly by clenching the sphincter and drawing the toy marginally further into the body. The G-Rider is quite versatile in how it can be used, from in the midst of sex to simply wearing it while walking around, and there’s nothing in the design which would make any of this even remotely awkward. One the best parts is that you can even wear it while sitting down, which is why I’m so glad that the vibe doesn’t protrude at all. When sat down you can really feel those nodules in the base pressing into the perineum and stimulating it, and the rounded underside allows you to rock back and forth to generate extra stimulation from the toy both inside and outside the body.
The vibrating aspect of the G-Rider is powered by a small bullet specially designed to slot into the base of the toy. The bullet is only 3″ long and therefore doesn’t extend all the way down to the end of the silicone portion, stopping around 2″ from the very tip. When the bullet is inserted the only part of it which is visible is the flat base, which is where the power button and battery compartment are located, making it unnecessary to remove the bullet when changing the battery. The bullet is powered by a single AAA battery, but as it’s not waterproof it probably is best to remove the whole thing prior to washing the silicone section, and thankfully this is easy to do so.
Operating the bullet is done by depressing the button on the base. A single press activates the vibrator and an additional press cycles the setting. The bullet has only one level of intensity, but there are 5 different modes of vibration to choose from: 1.) a constant vibration, 2.) a long vibration followed by a long pause, 3.) a constant vibration again, 4.) a short vibration followed by a short pause, and 5.) a medium vibration followed by a short pause. Audibly mode 1 sounds slightly different to mode 3, as though it’s intended to be a sequence of very rapid pulses whereas 3 is a true constant, but in practice they both feel much the same during use, and would be indistinguishable if you were unable to hear it.
The vibrator feels reasonably intense, similar to a RO-80mm bullet, and is also on the more buzzy end of the spectrum, verging slightly towards a medium. It’s not really my ideal vibe in an ideal world, but the position of it within the insertable portion of the toy immediately improves its performance, and the vibrations travel through the silicone well without much noticeable dampening. Inside the body you definitely get a pleasant feeling from the vibrations, similar to using the Tantus Zing, but the fact that you have patterns to choose from is a big bonus. Because it’s not even a remotely rumbly vibe you don’t get that targeted penetration of vibrations into the prostate, but you do get a nice tingly feeling all throughout the rectal cavity.
One big plus about the bullet is that it is whisper quite during use, and at most you hear a slight buzz from coming beneath the bedsheets, so you’re not going to cause a disturbance with it. Once you’re done with it for the day you simply hold the button down to turn it off, but you do have to hold it for a good 3 or 4 seconds, significantly longer than with other toys, so you can’t kill the power in a rush. In the case of being interrupted it’s just as well that it’s quiet.
I have to say that unfortunately the quality of the vibrator just isn’t that fantastic, and it does let the toy down somewhat. As soon as you pop it out you can tell just from a first glance that it’s a little run of the mill, and a closer inspection reveals things which don’t build confidence, such as loose wires floating around inside the battery compartment. I dare say I could overlook things like that to an extent if everything worked perfectly, but in my experience the vibrator can be quite temperamental. One of the electrical contacts for the battery is in the cap to the compartment, and if it shifts and isn’t aligned quite right then the whole thing can just cut out. I spent quite a while trying to figure out why sometimes it wouldn’t turn on and other times it would turn off without explanation. Once you know the reason why it’s not too much hassle to deal with, but the fact that it happens at all is annoying. The other issue is that the battery gets stuck inside the compartment and isn’t at all easy to remove. You really have to shake it and tap it for a while in order to dislodge it, so if you like to remove the battery before you store a toy away then it will frustrate you. When you consider how great the rest of the toy is you really feel as though it deserves a little more than this cheap looking bullet; something which enhances it rather than detracting from it. They could easily have made it a little longer, a little thicker, a little more powerful, and a little better quality.
Overall I’m going to say that on the balance of things I probably still would recommend the Nexus G-Rider, flaws and all. The shape of it is something which I absolutely love, both the insertable portion and the base. It’s comfy, you can sit on it, you can walk with it in, you can wear it during sex, and through all that it gives you some good firm pressure on the prostate. The vibrator admittedly isn’t amazing, but it is adequate. If you like big rumbles then it doesn’t have much to offer you, but if you’re happy with something less then that buzzing/tingling sensation which it creates should satisfy. I do wish it had more ‘oomph’ but when you compare it to something like the Bad Boy from Rocks Off then the Nexus G-Rider has the better shape, the better feeling material, the better bullet position, and the better choice of vibration modes. It’s the clear winner in its price bracket, and on that basis I’d say it’s worth trying.
You can buy the Nexus G-Rider from:
Nexus Glide
My lovely friends over at DIY Orgasms were running a contest recently to win a Nexus Glide, courtesy of NexusRange.com, and I just happened to be the winner. I felt that the least I could do to say thanks would be to review it and give their website a big shout out.
The Glide is one of a range of prostate massagers available from Nexus, who specialise in making male toys. It has a shape that’s fairly traditional for this type of product, and that shares a number of design similarities with other brands such as Aneros. The Glide is one of Nexus’s smaller and non-vibrating models, so I’d consider it to be aimed more at beginners. The body of the toy measures in at only 4″ long, and with a circumference of 3 1/2″ at the widest point, so it’s unlikely intimidate anyone.
The Glide is manufactured from a very hard plastic and features a finely textured surface, which unfortunately is one of my least favourite combinations in sex toy construction. I don’t mind hard materials in general, in fact my metal and glass toys are amongst my favourites, but the difference is that they balance their rigid inflexibility by having smooth shiny surfaces which aid insertion. The Glide has a matte finish, and this feels especially prominent on a hard toy, compared to softer toys where fine textures get somewhat lost when the material is compressed. What’s unfortunate is that Nexus seem to have altered the design at some point, as older photos of the original purple version show the surface to be shiny, but in my colour and others it’s very much textured to the touch. The plastic of the toy is all made in one piece, but it does have a slight mould line running the length of it. This isn’t an area of concern though, as it’s barely raised and can’t be felt during use.
The end of the Glide isn’t huge, but it is quite blunt, so if you’re not used to anal play then I’d be careful as trying to insert something hard and blunt can cause discomfort in a sphincter that isn’t relaxed enough. Provided you’re prepared it should begin go in with relative ease, but inserting the Glide all the way isn’t the most seamless action, as the texture of the surface does cause some noticeable friction. Once the Glide is inside it naturally doesn’t feel that filling due to its small size, but the firm and inflexible nature of the plastic means that you can feel the tip of it nestling up against the prostate. Somewhat surprisingly the toy does seem to stay in place quite well, despite not really having a neck. Typically the anus will come to rest somewhere around the top of the ribbed portion of the shaft, and I was expecting it to gradually work it’s way out, but this never occurred – perhaps in part because I was very sparing with my use of lube. The Glide is intended to create stimulation in the prostate simply by moving in response to the user clenching and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles, but I found this particularly disappointing, and noticed no greater stimulation than when the toy remained stationary. In my experience in order to get the most out of the Glide it needs to be moved, and that’s where the base of the toy comes into play.
The base of the Glide incorporates two features: a perineum stimulator at the front, and a handle-like portion at the back. Initially the handle seems as though it’s going to be problematic. I’m a person who generally likes to use my anal toys in a seated position, or lying on my back, but the shape of the handle makes that impossible and considerably limits your options. The only way to really use it is when lying on your side or kneeling, because if you attempt to sit on it then it’s rather painful. While the toy tries to promote hands-free use, the thing is that you actually need access to that handle in order to make the most of the toy. By using the handle you’re able to gently thrust the toy and angle it right into the prostate. My preferred technique is to place my thumb on the base of the shaft, and wrap my first two fingers around the handle in order to gain some leverage. Once you start using the toy in this manner, with short rhythmic prodding, a wave of pleasurable prostate sensations will come over you. I found that this can be a little hit and miss though, being enjoyable at times and having no effect on others. The best indicator that it’s working is that you’ll spontaneously and unavoidably develop an erection in the process. The big downside is that this can be quite tiring to keep up, especially if you don’t have a partner to manipulate it for you, as prostate orgasms don’t come easily if they come at all. If you really would prefer a hands-free experience then a better alternative might be the Nexus G-rider, which has a rounded base, allowing the user to rock back and forth on it to generate sensation.
The other aspect of the base is the perineum stimulator, which I found worked less well. It consists of a ball bearing mounted into a socket, and which is supposed to roll over the area to stimulate it. The problem I had with this was primarily down to its position; it’s located only 5/8″ away from the anus, so it’s not applying pressure to an optimal point of the perineum. The other issue is that it’s angled upwards too much, so you lose about 3/4″ of insertable length in order to accommodate it, but this seemed to have less of an impact. By comparison the Nexus Neo seems much better designed in this regard.
Plastic wouldn’t be my first choice of material for a toy like this, but it does have some benefits such as being odourless, and compatible with silicone lubes as well as water-based. Plastic is also quite easy to clean, and handily the Glide comes with a little attachment which allows you to pop the ball bearing out of its socket. To clean the Glide you can simply wash it with anti-bacterial soap and hot water, or as plastic is non-porous you can wipe it over with a 10% bleach solution to sterilise it. One thing it’s not safe to do though is to boil the toy, as the rapid heating and cooling could cause the material to crack.
I have to say that the Glide is a bit of a mixed bag for me; it some ways it’s exactly what I expected it to be, and in other ways it pleasantly surprised me. Once I found a technique for using it that suited me I got more pleasure out of it than I thought I would, but frankly the lack of consistency with which it delivers this, combined with some of the flaws I found in the design, discourage me from using it more. What it really comes down to is that I prefer something a bit bigger, a bit softer, and that vibrates so I have to do less of the work.
The Nexus Glide is available from SexShop365, and Honour