Houston's pink leopard - traditional vibrator discontinued by Cal Exotics - review by Oneirogenic

Despite it's delightfully tacky appearance, this multi-speed vibrator is actually pretty strong and definitely does its job. It's a pretty standard hard plastic vibrator, but I'm not exaggerating when I say it's strong--the highest setting is almost too intense for me unless the battery has died down a bit. It works best for clitoral stimulation with its intense vibrations, but was a bit too painful to use for any kind of penetration. It's definitely good for beginners who aren't looking to use it for penetration.

As mentioned before, this vibrator is made of very hard, smooth plastic. Aside from a slight imperfection at the very tip, the material is completely featureless and lacks any interest such as ridges or seams, which can be either a pro or a con depending on how you like your vibrators. Personally, I find the material to be uncomfortably smooth, especially if I'm overstimulated, so this is something to keep in mind if you prefer more velvety materials.

I also didn't notice any kind of smell when I got it, except for a slight plastic-y smell which has since gone away in the time I've had it.

The color is tacky as heck, but I find it charming, in an ironic, retro kind of way. It's definitely attention-grabbing, though! I wouldn't really consider this particularly discreet, especially due to the fact that it's fairly large. If anybody finds it, they will have little doubt that it's a sex toy!

From a functional standpoint, it does its job fairly well as a clitoral stimulator. Its lowest settings are fairly ho-hum, but the highest ones are absolutely ridiculous. Strangely enough, this vibrator seems to work best for me after the battery has worn down a bit. The size can be pretty nice for getting a lot of coverage on your vulva and clitoris, which is definitely a plus.

For penetration, however, I would suggest something else. Unless you like the feeling of hard, inflexible plastic inside of you, it's just too stiff to use comfortably. I noticed that it was fairly hard to angle properly to hit my G-spot without hurting something in the meantime.

One thing I do love about this vibe is how easy the controls are. You turn it on and change the setting with a dial, which means no endless cycling through unwanted functions. The dial is also made of hard plastic, but it has fantastic traction, even when completely covered in lube.

It has about five discernible speeds of steady vibration. The first is far too low for me, but they increase in intensity until you get to a very buzzy, overwhelming vibration that will leave me numb if I use it for too long. The second-to-highest setting is very nice, though, and doesn't have the same kind of buzziness as the strongest setting, resulting in much deeper vibrations. What it lacks in fancy settings like pulsing and escalating it definitely makes up for in intensity.

Strangely, this toy started out as a lot quieter, but has since gotten louder and buzzier after around eight months, as though something inside is loose. Unless I hold it in a specific way now, it buzzes and rattles around, making a pretty terrible racket that is definitely noticeable through a closed door.

While I haven't submerged it entirely in a bath yet, I have used this in the shower with no problems. The base seems to seal very well, and I've had no problems with moisture getting inside of it.

After using it at least three or four times a month, for about eight months, I have only had to change the batteries twice. Instead of going completely dead on me like my last vibrator, the only effect of dying batteries I noticed was a lower intensity and a more sluggish response when I tried to change settings. This is actually not too much of a nuisance, considering the highest settings with a fresh set of batteries is far too intense for me. It definitely lets me get a lot more life out of batteries than I normally would.

This toy can be washed easily with soap and water, alcohol or a toy cleaner. It's waterproof, so as long as the base is screwed on, you aren't going to have any problem washing it.

I don't really store it specially and it's held up pretty well just knocking around in a drawer with my other toys. Because it's plastic, it doesn't react with anything, so it can handle just about any kind of lube.

The packaging somehow manages to be tackier as the vibrator itself, sporting a large-breasted model wearing a metallic, pink bikini. Not something I'd want to keep around--but as far as I can remember, that was not a problem as it was not reusable. If I were going to give this to someone as a gift, I would probably make sure they had at least some sense of irony, because the packaging is almost comically trashy.

The Houston's Pink Leopard is a fun toy that doesn't take itself too seriously. It's an easy to use, no-fuss vibrator with no real special frills and features. Despite its shortcomings, it has enough settings and intensity to get me off almost every time I use it.

If you want an intense, rock-hard plastic vibrator that looks like it could have come out of the 80's hair metal scene, then this is probably your best bet.