Raquel - dildo discontinued by Vixen Creations, Inc - review by IndependentlyHappy

The Raquel is a dildo designed for vaginal or anal insertion, and more specifically G or P-spot play. Since the toy features a wide, flared base, it is safe for anal use and is also harness-compatible.

The Raquel is made of VixSkin, Vixen Creations’ brand of dual-density “skin-like” material that is advertised as boasting the realistic feeling of cyberskin toys while maintaining the superior hygienic qualities of silicone ones. It is made of 100% silicone and is therefore non-porous, phthalate-free, and has no detectable odor.

Upon first taking the toy out of its packaging and handling it, I was impressed by how soft and squishy it feels. As one would expect from a toy that is supposed to feel like skin, it is very soft to the touch. It has a bit of drag and is slightly tacky, but not in an unpleasant way. It’s a lint magnet, but, as I already own many silicone toys, I expected this. The head is very squishy since it does not contain any of the firmer silicone that comprises the inner core. As you work your way down the shaft, there is more of the firmer material. The base is made entirely of firm silicone.

Upon first impression, the Raquel is a solid, darkish-pink color, which is slightly darker than it appears in the pictures posted on Eden. It’s no secret that I greatly dislike the color pink, which is what almost turned me off of this toy, but I’m glad that I temporarily put my aversion aside. I still do wish that Vixen would give their customers other color options to choose from, but if you feel the same way, please don’t let that stop you from buying the Raquel.

With that out of the way: the Raquel features 7.5” of insertable length and measures in at a little more than 1.5” in diameter at its widest point (the head) and more like 1.25” in diameter further down the shaft. This translates to roughly a 5" circumference. The head may be a bit thick for the beginner to take, but the fact that this material is so squishy means that you will likely find it easier to insert and take a larger girth than you would be able to with a harder material.

The Raquel is simply designed, but built for function with curves in the right places: the shaft of the toy is curved and the head bulbous and protruding on its underside, which is designed to stimulate the G-spot or P-spot. The toy does not have an obviously phallic shape and it might pass for a children’s toy if one did not look too carefully at it, but anyone with some experience with sex toys would probably be able to figure out what it is. Therefore, I wouldn’t call the design discreet. The Raquel also features a flared base that is suitable for harness and anal play.

This toy’s VixSkin material is advertised as a luxury silicone that is supposed to feel like real skin. Personally, I feel that it succeeds moderately well in accomplishing this goal: with dry hands, it obviously feels tackier than real skin, but once it is lubed up and ready to go, it does feel more like actual skin, in my opinion. The dual-density material combined with the smooth surface makes the toy feel more realistic and more like a real penis than others that I’ve tried.

By “others I’ve tried”, I’m comparing this material to Tantus’ competing dual-density O2 silicone. I own the O2 Revolution and Rascal, and have to say that although I like both materials, the VixSkin feels more realistic. While O2 is also soft and squishy, I feel that the O2 toys are likely either made of a firmer soft silicone, or contain more of the firm inner core than the Raquel does, or both. They’re also soft to the touch, but are definitely more rigid than a real, erect penis is.

In the case of the Raquel, the inner core is firm enough to give the shaft shape and keep it from being overly floppy, but you can still bend it in half easily and it has “floppiness” that is characteristic of a penis. The shaft, with its thin layer of soft material over a firm core, also feels very realistic. While I also like O2, VixSkin performs better as a “real-feel” toy. I can’t speak for how well the toy performs in a harness, since I’ve never used the Raquel for this purpose.

Since the Raquel is made of 100% silicone, it is non-porous and can be safely boiled for three minutes, sterilized with a 10% bleach solution, or run through the dishwasher to disinfect it. As with any silicone toy, please do not use a silicone lube with the Raquel, as it will likely react with the material and ruin the surface of the toy. While you could probably care for this toy as you would any other silicone toy, I’d recommend using care so as not to damage the soft surface.

I would also recommend storing the Raquel separate from other toys, especially other silicone ones. I’ve read about VixSkin toys going flat on one side or otherwise becoming misshapen in storage due to the very soft material, so I store mine in its original tube to be on the safe side.

In my opinion, the toy’s packaging is functional and simple, yet elegant at the same time. Since this is my first Vixen Creations toy (but not going to be my last!), I can’t speak for their other toys’ packaging, but I can imagine that this is probably similar. There are no scantily clad models or the like, but given that you can clearly see the product through the clear plastic tube, I would not call it discreet. The plastic tube features black caps and a large “VixSkin: Worth Every Inch” label on the front. The back has a larger label with a Vixen logo, plus more information about VixSkin as a material and some of its selling points. It advertises the fact that VixSkin is supposed to feel like real skin, is 100% silicone, and all of that other good stuff.

Personally, I find that the casing is handy for storing the toy, but it is a bit bulky to stash in a drawer or a toy box. Ordinarily I’d discard such packaging, but I haven’t come up with a better way to keep it from gathering lint, and I don’t want to risk damaging the soft material in storage. Depending on your preferences and storage capacity, your opinion may vary, but I’d recommend keeping the tube unless you’re desperately short on space for whatever reason.

I mentioned earlier that the head and design of the Raquel are built for G-spot stimulation. I’m happy to say that it excels in this department…the thick, squishy head feels lovely and creates a nice amount of drag against my G-spot, and the soft material feels realistic – it feels like a penis without being excessively large and/or rigid, which adds to the realism. Since I prefer harder thrusting action with dildos, I should point out that the toy’s wide base makes it easy to hold on to even with hands covered in lube, and is a plus in terms of design. It’s not too thick, or too thin for me, and the head isn’t hard and uncomfortable bumping against my cervix, as some harder toys tend to be.

Honestly, I can’t really think of much to complain about in terms of my experience. I could go on and on like this, but suffice to say that I got plenty of pleasure out of this toy and plan on doing so again in the near future. I haven’t used it anally yet, but that will be on the menu at some point whenever the whim strikes me. This is my first experience with a VixSkin toy, but it definitely won’t be my last as the Raquel has quickly found its place among my favorites in my toy box.