Lovehoney has done it again, folks. Ahead of the release of the third Fifty Shades movie hitting theatres in February, they’ve unleashed the accompanying toy line on the world. And just in time for Christmas, too! So far, I’ve loved the products that have been inspired by the books, and I’ve been lucky enough to get to road test a super fancy piece from the new stuff; the rather lovely Fifty Shades Freed Wand, aka Awash with Sensation.
I was late to the Fifty Shades of Grey party. By the time I let my mother (who is a full on Christian Grey groupie) nag me into reading the first installment the third one was already a year or so old. It’s no secret that I quite liked the books at first. I mean, I read to escape the day to day drudge of a working-class life, and where better to go than into the glitzy world of a fucked up bazillionaire with a penchant for evil sex?
But over the last few years, I’ve come to see the books for what they are, which is a depiction of an unhealthy, abusive relationship in which an experienced, powerful, wealthy man takes advantage of the naivety of a passive woman who has no understanding of any part of his world. I freely admit that I’ve not seen any of the movies, nor have I read the story as told from Grey’s perspective, and I have no intention of ever doing so.
No, I’m not a fan of that story anymore.
I am, however, a huge fan of Lovehoney’s toy lines, and I’m gonna stop twisting about the books and get to talking about the good stuff.
While the Fifty Shades Freed Wand is a beauty, it isn’t an innovation in design. Just like Lovehoney’s Deluxe Mains Powered Magic Wand, Desire Luxury Rechargeable Wand, and of course the much maligned Le Wand, it’s a mash-up of a Doxy and a Hitachi Magic Wand Rechargeable. But, as I’ve said in the past, there are only so many ways you can design something like this. I remember a wand I got in a spa kit back in 2001 as a wedding gift. It was very much like the Hitachi Magic Wand Original. Like I said, being unique is hard when it comes to wands.
Anyway, the Fifty Shades Freed wand is lovely. Aside from the rose gold plastic trims around the base of the head and the top of the shaft, the entire piece is a gorgeous deep plum. I usually hate on the purples cos the sex toy market is so oversaturated with them, but I really do have the hots for this shade. I love the rose gold, too. Regular gold would have been ugly, and silver would have been boring, but the coppery rose really pops.
Material wise, you’re looking at a silicone head and neck, and a velvety plastic body. The whole thing feels luxurious and soft to the touch, though it is a very solid, well-made toy. And it’s heavy! Most of the weight is in the business end. That makes the handle feel quite light and because it’s weighted, the head doesn’t shift around much once in contact with the body. It holds its position quite well, a blessing if, like me, you start lopping around the bed when you find the perfect spot.
It’s a full-sized wand that measures up at 13-inches from end to end. The shaft tapers from 4.5-inches in girth right at the bottom of the handle to 6.25-inches at the top. With the controls situated right in the centre of the handle it’s easy to operate, and because you’ll likely be hovering your thumb over the buttons, you’ll find that the weight is perfectly balanced.
So, when it comes to build, this thing gets two thumbs up.
Now for power. The Fifty Shades Freed Wand is mains powered with a UK plug. I don’t know if Lovehoney plans to make versions with US or EU plugs, but if they don’t an adaptor will be your friend.
In the little control cartouche, there are three buttons. Plus (+) switches the wand on and increases the power. Minus (–) lets you backtrack if you go too far and switches the wand off. And finally, the little pulse button in the middle gives you access to the modes. There are ten levels of intensity and twenty – yes, I said twenty – different patterns.
As with any mains powered wand, I expect a whole load of, well, power. I want vibes that feed my clit with deliciously deep rumbles on the lower settings, and I want them to shake me to the core on high. I want to feel it penetrating deeply rather than buzzing away at surface level. A wand has to be that way for me because I don’t find it easy to orgasm from broad stimulation.
Well, the Fifty Shades Freed wand is almost there.
There’s a nice rumble to the lower settings that really wakes my genitals up. It goes deep, massaging my clit above and below the surface. Keeping it somewhere in the bottom three speeds is enough to bring me to a satisfying orgasm that’s strong enough to spread warmth through my limbs. It doesn’t even take long, just four or five minutes.
This is one of the reasons I like using this wand for body massage (which it’s great for even though the neck isn’t very flexible) that leads to either masturbation or sex. All wands are noisy and this one is no exception, but being able to use it successfully on lower settings means it’s quieter. That lets us use it for longer, even when our kid is home, without having to worry about being overheard.
On the higher settings, it does lose a lot of its rumble, though, and I personally find that there’s only a change of noise and not power with the top two. But I can still come quite easily with it, it just means I run the risk of getting numb flaps every time I crank it up. I still like it, though. I’ll still reach for it when I want to play.
I can’t ignore the Fella’s opinion on this wand. He really likes it. Truth be told, the Doxy scares him. It’s too powerful for him. The rumbles cause him pain if we don’t use some kind of buffer, like an attachment or a towel. It’s always been that way for his testicles, but he sometimes bitches about his shaft now, too.
But the Fifty Shades Freed wand does the job for him. He prefers buzzy over rumbly, so I can go higher with him. There have been a few times where I’ve just rested the head on his frenulum and watched him explode, which is exciting. And we’ve also used it to good effect with his Hummer sleeve. Using that sleeve together is awesome. It sits at the bottom of his shaft and pumps vibes through it, and if I hover over him it turns the head of his cock into a clit vibe! Not a powerful one, but I can feel it just fine and it’s fucking hot!
Cleaning mains powered wands isn’t as difficult as you may think. Toy wipes are ace for it, but if you don’t have those to hand a clean cloth sprayed with toy cleaner does the trick. The ridges of the neck do need a careful cleaning, so I use a damp toothbrush for that. It comes with a storage bag, so keeping it dust free and ready to go is simple.
As first introductions to a new line go, this one has been a success. I like it and the Fella likes it, whether playing together or solo. It’s great quality, feels good for innocent and not so innocent uses, and it’s very pretty to boot. If you need the rumbles of a Doxy you’d be better off sticking with that, but if you can live with a bit more buzz, I’d highly recommend it.
Click the banner below to go get your hands on one today! Right now (Nov 6th 2017), if you buy two products from the Freed range you’ll get 25% off! And even better, that offer is currently stacked with a 20% off vibrators offer, so you’d be mad to miss it!
