Well, it’s happened. The sex toy world has gone clit sucking crazy. Not only are Womanizer and Satisfyer duking it out with new release tripping over new release, but other companies are throwing their versions into the ring, too. Some of them are truly terrifying, as you’ll see if you read Dangerous Lilly’s public service announcement/review of the supremely unsafe HIKY. But then there are those that are making positive waves everywhere, even among those who long ago picked their side in the Womanizer/Satisfyer standoff. One such company is LELO. They’ve joined the sucking simulation race with two versions of their newest toy, the LELO SONA.
Those two versions are the basic SONA and the premium variant, the SONA Cruise (the differences between which I’ll get to in a wee bit). Luxury Vibrators know that I’m a huge fan of this type of stimulation and I was delighted when they offered to send me Cruise.
The SONA Cruise comes in an all black box with simple silver printed text and a peek-a-boo window through which you can see the toy. Well, you probably can if the one you’ve got is pink. Mine’s black and so is the foam it’s nestled in, so I couldn’t see much at all. Anyway, in there along with the toy you’ll find its charging cable (USB to pin charger), a mini satin bag, a sachet of LELO Personal Moisturiser (water-based, glycerine & paraben free), a warranty registration card (1-year warranty, 10-year guarantee), and instructions.
Now, I’m a proud member of Team Womanizer. I absolutely adore their products, not just in use but in looks. Yes, even the ugliness that is the leopard print W100. But I must say that the LELO SONA Cruise has to be the smartest, classiest, sexiest looking ‘suction’ clit stimulator out there.
Smooth, silken black silicone makes up the majority of the body and, as with all of LELO’s Insignia line, a chromed plate trims the back of the toy. In this case, it’s a very swanky looking gold. Its shape is very different to what I’m used to from this type of toy. It’s pebble shaped in the same manner as the NEA 2, except probably four times the size (at least) and with the stimulation cone poking out of the upper silicone side. Lengthwise it’s just on 4”, width is 2.25”, and the depth at the business end is just short of 2”.
The first thing I noted about it was the non-removable head. That cone is moulded into the silicone and initially, its size worried me. I’ve been using the XL head on my Womanizers, so to see this weeny little 11mm opening made me nervous. I have a small clit but only until it’s aroused. Then it swells to about the size of a peanut M&M. The big question was, would it even fit over my clit?
Before finding out I had to charge the thing. After plugging the charger into the socket at the base and letting it sit for its 2-hour charge (which gets you up to an hour of play) I set about discovering the difference between not just the two SONA models, but also what makes them different from every other sucky toy out there.
What I found was that the LELO SONA Cruise is not like the others. While the Womanizer and such uses air pulse technology to provide that weird sucking/pulsing/putting sensation, LELO has done something different. They have used sound wave technology instead.
Yep, sonic waves pulse from the mouth of the SONA to stimulate all of the clitoris. Even the parts of it we can’t see. Those waves supposedly penetrate deeply into the body, travelling all along the network of nerves that make up this most pleasurable of body parts. This allegedly delivers a bone-deep orgasm, something that LELO (rather boldly) claims can be more or less instantaneous.
Air pulses are more surface level and although most of my orgasms using a Womanizer are toe-curling, they can sometimes be very localised to my clitoral head. I was curious to see if my clit would detect a difference in stimulation type or if it would just be like, woo-hoo, Ella’s got another one of these things.
So, the difference between the two SONA models. Both of them do the same thing I just described above, but the premium SONA Cruise has a little trick up its sleeve. LELO claims that one of the most common complaints made by sex toy users is that, just when they need it most, the power of their toy can dip when they press it with some force against their body. That, in turn, can stall or even ruin an orgasm.
Well, the SONA Cruise is fitted with a clever little sensor that detects when its user is putting on the pressure. To combat the resulting dip, 20% of the toy’s power waits in reserve to be released when it’s needed. LELO says that this power surge happens so seamlessly, keeping the intensity constant without dipping or stalling, that the user will never know it happened. All they’ll know is they mashed that little beastie into their clit and, rather than giving up the ghost, it soldiered on and gave them the orgasm they knew was coming.
Hmmm. Interesting, no?
So, on to use. Most LELO Insignia toys have the same control interface. Set into the toy’s silicone inside of the Insignia symbol, you have a PLUS button for switching the SONA on and increasing the intensity, a SWITCH button in the middle to change the modes, and a MINUS one at the bottom, for decreasing the intensity and switching it off. All very simple.
Until I put it between my legs. Even though the SONA sits lovely in my hand, and even though I can reach the buttons fine, things get weird once my flaps get involved. Yep, my labia make this toy a challenge to use. See, although the angle of the head should have the body curving away from me, the fact that said head only sticks out half an inch means I have to really mush the SONA against my vulva to get clitoral contact. That puts the controls pretty close to my mons, and there’s been more than one occasion where I’ve tried to adjust the setting and lost contact, and therefore an orgasm.
So, unless I’m playing with the Fella, I have to have two hands in on this game. One to hold the SONA and one to tame my flaps. I mean, I can get contact with just one hand, and as I prefer to choose an intensity and stick with it I don’t have to mess around with buttons. However, I’ve found one of two things will happen if I don’t part my lips:
- I’m pushing so hard my clit blocks the mouth of the SONA and it stops. Yes, it literally stops dead until I pull it away and let it gasp for life. Or…
- There’s a wee pause and then the Cruise Control kicks in and pisses me off cos what am I gonna have later on when I need that fucking 20%?
Obviously, I ain’t got time for any of that, so a two-handed approach it is. But when I do use both hands good things happen.
The LELO SONA boasts eight patterns and six intensities. When I first switched mine on I was like, what the fuck, is that it? Its lowest intensity is quieter than the buzz on my phone. I was like, is it broke? Then I put it over my lips (the ones on my face) and nearly shit the bed. I was not expecting that kind of power from the lowest setting.
It may look refined and pretty but don’t be fooled. The LELO SONA is a beast. I’ve always said that the main difference between the Womanizer and the Satisfyer is that the latter is more aggressive. The Womanizer is smoother, starting out gentler than the Satisfyer but climbing to a more powerful level than it while still retaining its finesse. The SONA is a beautiful union of that aggression and refinement. And LELO’s claim that it stimulates 75% more of the clitoris is true for me.
I do feel the sensation quite deeply. It doesn’t feel surface level or localised, it feels like it’s doing something behind my mons and under my labia. It’s so intense it can be painful if I haven’t applied enough lube, or if I’m not fully aroused. But even when I’m super slicked and super horny, I still haven’t experienced this almost instant orgasm. My clit needs time to get over the shock, initially, and then I need my orgasm to build. I don’t mind that, though. Sometimes quick orgasms feel empty to me. They leave me feeling more annoyed than satisfied. I’m always happier if I’ve had to experience at least some kind of lip-biting anticipation, cos the end result is always worth it.
And one other claim that LELO made is pretty accurate, too. When I use the SONA Cruise and I press it against my body in a bit to snatch an orgasm, I don’t feel the 20% reserve boosting the motor. It does feed in without me noticing and I only realise once I’ve come and I think, yes, it didn’t stroke out on me!
So, yeah. The SONA does what LELO says it does. And I like it. Still not as much as I like my Womanizer, but I do like it.
I also like that I can clean it in a sink full of soapy water. The mouth needs a little waggle around with a cotton bud and the buttons need to be scraped out (if ya messy like me) but other than that it’s easy enough to clean. Seriously, all toys should be waterproof by now, it can’t be that hard.
If the LELO SONA Cruise sounds like something you’d like to try, click the banner below and go check it out. It’s on special offer right now so be quick.
