Verve - prostate massager by Sinclair Intimacy Institute&re - review by Naksetamun

Bad puns aside, here we have a rather interestingly shaped toy from "Sinclair Institute," which is marketed as a vibrating prostate massager.

This toy has a long 'handle' as its base, which could work for self-stimulation, or as a great grip for a partner... as in our case:

"Yarrrrrr! Do ye like me new hook?"

Because of the three well-sized graduated nodes of this toy, I was not concerned with it slipping out of my hand and getting lodged in mister's nether-regions. However, if one were to insert it all the way past the bumps, one ought to attend the handle at all times; the base is not flared significantly enough to guarantee the toy stays outside of the body.

The business end of Verve is curved, as many of the p-spot stims on this site are, to place more concentrated pressure onto the prostate itself. I could see this toy being used experimentally on the G-spot or clitoral regions as well, especially considering the vibrations and grippable handle. Have I tried? No. Because, despite the high material safety, this is his toy and I have my own toys!

After attempting insertion from a few different angles (seated, cross-legged, lying face up, laying on stomach, and doggy position), we decided having him on hands and knees (doggy) is the most comfortable and pleasurable position to use the toy from (at least for us as a couple). It provides a very easy means to monitor the depth and angle that the toy is at, so as not to offend the receiver. On top of that, doggy position sets me in a great position to provide perineum stimulation from another vibe, reach around to masturbate him, or mess around with his nipples... A great plus that we haven't had the luxury of with smaller plugs that did not stay put.

The nodes give you a little something to play with as well. Each can hold the toy at a different depth inside, where you can leave it to vibrate while doing other things. I imagine for some players this can be a great tease. For my participant, the most satisfaction came from the very first bulb being inserted and rocked to-and-fro. The handle was absolutely vital for our sessions, and honestly I have no idea how we played without a handle like this on p-spot toys before. It is a heavenly mixture of handled-dildo/ perineum massager and prostate massager.

Next time he goes for a solo session, I'll set him up to use it on himself from the front to see how it goes. Much success is anticipated.

Verve is cast in hard, black plastic that looks and feels fantastic! It is an amazing, patent-leather-like smooth gloss. The gloss finish really adds to the toy, as it does not catch hair and seems to need less lube than my velvety-textured toys do. Barring for where the end screws off (which has a corner/edge that is the "sharpest" exposed part of the toy), there are only smooooooth curves.

On this toy, you can feel a very slight casting line, but it is so low-profile and smooth that it feels like a vague bump along the lengths of the shaft.

Contrary to the rest of the toy, the twist control for the vibe has texture to it to help in gripping the dial.

I love the plastic for its neutrality; no smell, no give, no texture, no taste. I love that it's rated very high on the material safety scale (8/10). So while we have started to tend towards silicone, I accept this toy into our box with open arms.

Though we were wary of the design from the pictures, this toy has proven to be very accessible as we progress with anal play.

Overall, following the curve and including its handle, the Verve measures 8.5 inches long, and the insertable length is about 7" (it doesn't seem safe to insert it that far, however).
This is not an overwhelmingly long toy at all, even for us.

It was the circumference that had us worried, especially the circumference of the first knob, which does not offer a gentle taper for insertion. You are exposed to the second widest point of the toy right away, at 3.75 inches by my measure.

While this presented a challenge for him, it gave a satisfying *POP* as he cleared the first node with a gasp.

There is a good 1/2 inch of "neutral" space between the first bump and the next one, and this neutral area is AWESOME because it gives you room to work the ball at the tip around... without having to take in too much more of the toy than you are comfortable with. This is where I stopped out of respect for my little mister's comfort level with the new toy.

*POP*

*POP*

The next bulb does have a gradual taper, up to the widest part of the toy at 4" around. That's a big deal for some (us), but not for more experienced p-players. Right after the second comes the third bump, which has an even lower profile and graduation, and is slightly smaller than the middle node. I honestly can't wait to work up to those, when the 4"-4.5" of shape can reach the spots that it was made to.

He seemed to really enjoy simply having the ball tip inside and vibrating away though, and as I mentioned before, these bulbs can *POP* in at intervals and hold the toy in place better than many plugs that we've tried. This leaves me free to tease, pinch, scratch, massage, lick and bite anywhere else on his body while being assured that the toy is where I left it and buzzing away.

Besides this, the handle is a trim 2.5 inches around and about 2.25" long, which is just enough to get a good grip!

The end of the toy, being the base and controller, leaves something to be desired for me. For any occasion when a daring prostate player can accept this entire toy, there is a very weak 3.5 inch "flare". Just to be clear, that means that the base is only about 1/8 of an inch larger around than the handle. I'm not sure how sensitive your body is to eighths of an inch, but last time I checked, if you can fit four inches up there, an eighth of an inch won't be too much of a challenge. If I were ever to work the mister up past the last nub, there is no way I am letting my hand come off of Verve. I am not going to the doctor and explaining that. This flare collar is about 1 inch long, and decorated with a Sinclair Institute logo (white line art).

My hubs has proposed tying a cord around the flare, and I am considering that.

The dial is your run-of-the-mill vibe turn-dial. While it has "ribbing" to help you grasp it, it could definitely have a better texture that would provide better grips! Once lubed up, it is hard to shut this off gracefully or on command. It provided an awkward moment when somebody got home a little too early and I needed to shut this buzzer down PRONTO. A lot of fumbling and slipping ensued. I ended up unscrewing the battery compartment faster than I could shut it off the correct way.

Overall, the shape is interesting and provides a little bit of variety in the ways that you can use it! Its size is not huge and super thick like some massagers are, but it isn't a wimpy and unfulfilling size either, and the controls are a little bit awkward, but can be worked with. I just love the bulbs and handle for functions as I described above: the nodes for holding the toy are different depths, and the handle for easy manipulation from a hundred different angles, including if he were to want to try solo play.

Verve doesn't have a lot of moving parts or features. The vibe on board is not a hugely powerful deal. It is about average as far as what is available in the lower price ranges on EF. It is buzzy and not deep... but not shabby. It's loud enough to have to turn it down if somebody walks by the door.

That DAMNED ribbed twist control that plagues many of our toys can use an improvement. I truly hope they begin to move away from this design of dial and more towards buttons or knobs that you can really grip! It's hard to turn on and off in the heat of the moment. The only thing I can say is that the dial is not sensitive to bumps or nudges and will stay on where you set it.

Verve also has an O-ring, but only claims to be water resistant. No water got inside it when I washed it off in the sink, and I even tried a quick submersion to test the ring.

Before even reading the box, we know that plastic toys can be safely cleaned with antibacterial soap and water, or isopropyl alcohol that you can buy in a bottle from the drug store. I used this as an opportunity to try out my FF toy wipes in between position changes too.

Since the hard plastic is not sticky or heat-sensitive, you can take it and store it pretty much anywhere, bearing in mind that is is not discreet!

According to the box, it is recommended that you inspect your O-ring to make sure it is intact, use water-based lube, and clean with LIQUID antibacterial soap.

Also recommended is that you remove batteries before storing... but besides that, how much more carefree can you be with a toy?


This vibe takes AA batteries, which are loaded into the compartment that opens by twisting off the end of the toy. Very simple!

The packaging is actually very beautiful, minimal, and classy. Truly it would work as a gift box if wrapped or bagged. Unfortunately, it is not very discreet as the toy is visible and printed on one side of the box.
Covered with silver lettering that describes the massager's measurements, materials, maintenance, and features, the white box looks very clean and not at all cheap. On the inside flap, Sinclair Institute also details a 30 day limited warranty on mechanical defects.

Also covering the box are Sinclair Institute (TM) Logos, and a testimonial from a "Yvonne K Fulbright, PhD, MSed" that isn't actually about this specific product, just "intimacy products" in general.

Verve's box has a neat cut-out window on the front that shows off the toy in its clear plastic bed.

It's not great for storage, as the toy does not need tons of protection and the box is very bulky!

Also similar in concept and shape are:

ProPal
Silicone P.E. Vibe
Get a Grip
Vibing prostate stimulator
Talon

I have to admit that mister and I have been a little intimidated to try rigid and hard toys for anal play. However, I began to feel lately that he has gotten to the point where he could enjoy them. While not what I would truly call our style of toy, he opened up to using it, and off we went.
We have been practicing and exploring prostate play for a while now, and I have been looking to graduate the mister to larger and more fulfilling toys, from those wimpy and texture-less plugs. I have to say that this toy has fit that job very very well.

When thoroughly lubed (with Probe Silky Light, water-based lube as the massager manufacturer has recommended), I gave my love some gentle and relaxing butt-rubs and perineum massage with my hands, to get him relaxed. After fiddling around with positions mentioned above, we settled into doggie position and it was easy to get a rhythm going rocking Verve in and out. My god, was the response grand. Let's just say that that session was intense. He raved for hours.

Using it today from the front, I see that the curve fits up against under his balls and perineum and right up against the back door, giving fantastic pressure while still leaving me room to grip the toy!