Minivibe Spring - traditional vibrator discontinued by Fun Factory - review by Owl Identified

So you've heard about the new Fun Factory's Minivibes, right? And you want to know if they live up to the hype? Well, believe the hype: these babies are every bit as awesome as they look. I was skeptical because of the size, but the Spring is a wonderfully strong, deeply penetrating little vibrator featuring some light texturing, adorable detailing and gorgeous, vibrant colors. Did I mention no batteries necessary? It's rechargeable. And it's cute! I got mine in the seafoam green color, I mean, c'mon people: can we all just take a second to collectively "awww" at this thing?

The Spring is ideal for fairly powerful external stimulation to the clitoris, labia, perineum, testicles and even for a little teasing of the outer anus. It's made out of silicone too, so no worrying about tedious clean-up if you want use it to tease your bum. Of course, this vibrator is not flanged so keep in mind that it should not ever actually be inserted anally. Because of the lack of a base to "catch" the toy, it is possible for the powerful rectal muscles to draw the toy in. Trust me: no one wants to spend a night in the ER while doctors go spelunking in your butt for your new vibe, so play it safe, eh? The Spring is really very nice for vaginally use as well. It is not curved, so it does take a little work to hit the G-spot with it, but with some creative angling you can get some nice stimulation. The Spring also has some lovely embossed flowers on its surface, creating a little texture, and the body of the toy has a slight undulation so you get a little variation in girth.

I think this is a vibrator that should suit a pretty broad spectrum of users. Its vibrations can be adjusted to fit your personal preferences, ranging from a whisper quiet tickle to a genital-rockin' growl. It makes a great beginner vibe because of its unassuming size, but its high quality construction and variety of speeds and functions will meet the standards of even the most cynical and seasoned toy collectors. The only thing that might disincline me to recommend this to a toy newbie is its hefty price tag, although between its rechargeability and all its other gleaming qualifications, it just might be worth it.

The Minivibe Spring is made from the tradition silky, matte, 100% non-porous silicone that Fun Factory is famous for. It gives it a little more personality and texture than more glossy silicone materials, but the drag and friction generated here is still fairly mild. To me this is a great balance, and Fun Factory's silicone is one of my favorites. The Spring is appropriately peppered with some small, carved flowers that are not terribly noticeable during insertion for me, but I definitely do feel them when I use this toy on my clit. I actually really enjoy these flowers, because I sometimes have the problem of things getting a little slippery during masturbation. The flowers almost provide a bit of traction (think snow tires for your vibrator) and prevent it slipping.

The silicone used in this toy is also fairly plush, and while it's not exactly a flexible toy seeing as a rock hard motor lurks beneath the surface, the very tip (which does not cover the motor) is exceptionally squishy and nice. It sort of creates a similar effect to Tantus's O2 material; firm core, plush exterior. There is no taste or smell to this toy, but silicone can take on the smells of things it comes in contact with. If your toy starts to smell a little musky, give it a wash and let it sit out for a day or so in a well ventilated area and the smell should dissipate.

Fun Factory's Spring measures in at roughly 5 inches in length, with about a solid 4 of those being insertable, in my experience. With a touch more than an inch in diameter, this is what most would consider a small to moderately sized toy. If you go for size you will probably not be impressed with this, but for beginners and people that can enjoy more petite packages, this is definitely a worthy option. As I said earlier, the Spring is a pretty straight shot with little curvature to its design, but you can see in the pictures that it has a gently bulge in its body which is very nice. This is not going to give your G-spot its undivided attention, but rather distribute its delicious, rumbling vibrations to everything it touches. I was able to angle this from some fairly firm G-spot pressure but it definitely took a lot more effort than I would have needed with something with more of a lean to it. If this is a deal breaker for you then this might not be the toy for you.

I also really, really love that this is such a discreet toy. It's easy enough to tuck inside your sock drawer, in your itty bitty clutch purse, or under the mattress without you developing Princess-and-the-Pea syndrome. I love that if I'm going over to my partner's apartment I can easily throw this in my bag and not have to worry about it toppling clumsily out when I open it to pay for my Coke.

Okay, so usually a toy's waterproof-ness is not something I focus on. I tend to mention it in reviews as more of a side note, and this is partially because I don't much care for shower play and most toys are only capable of being splashed. I also tend not to trust most splashproof or supposedly "waterproof" toys in water as I've had plenty of bad experiences with battery compartments leaking. Besides, there is nothing sexy about half-squatting in my shower, twisting and arching trying to find a comfortable way to masturbate while the shower nozzle squirts water up my nose. Yeah. Not hot for me. BUT. I saw the original video promoting the Minivibes and saw them completely submerged in a beaker of water without the water interrupting its functioning at all. Because no battery compartment = no possibility of leakage, right? I got a little excited over that, because masturbating in the bath is DECIDEDLY more sexy than masturbating in the shower. And again: believe the hype, because the Spring performed awesomely in the bath for me. I don't even have a bath in my apartment. I went out of my way to find one to test this in and it was totally worth it.

While water pretty thoroughly muffles the hum of this toy, in the bedroom I've found this little guy to be surprisingly noisy on its highest setting. The lowest vibrations I can barely hear over my blanket, but the highest ones can be heard through the wall when the apartment is quiet. Turn your radio up if you like your vibrations on the intense side. The Spring's settings increase incrementally through an interface that is integrated into the toy, and once it reaches its most powerful setting, another each successive touch of the plus sign will send it cycling recursively through three speeds of the same pulsing pattern. To return to a previous setting, hit the minus button until you reach the desired speed, and to turn off simply hold the minus button down. There is no designated on/off switch for this so there's no way to quickly turn this toy off which is a bit of a pain, but really a minor problem.

Overall, I was wildly impressed with the power of this tiny toy. The vibrations are so much more penetrating than those that I'm used to. In fact, on the highest setting I almost found them to be too intense; I could feel them rumbling all throughout my labia. Having tried the new Click 'n' Charge version of the DeLight and this Click 'n' Charge toy I have to say I think that Fun Factory is stepping up the might in their elegant and funky creations. Between all of the functions and speeds I think there's something here for everyone.

The Spring charges through a magnetic, universal plug. By aligning the magnetic tab with the magnetic base of the Spring, the two ends connect, causing a red light in the base of the vibrator to turn on. When the lithiumpolymer batteries within your toy are done charging (after a few hours) the light will flick off, letting you know that you're done. Just be careful not to knock the plug loose, as it is rather easy to do.

Being fully waterproof, you can wash this with anti-bacterial soap under warm water as liberally as you like without fear of damaging its functioning capability. You may also sanitize it by wiping it down with a 10% bleach solution or a toy wipe. Silicone is 100% non-porous meaning no microbes can penetrate the toy and breed, but you can never be sure that you have sterilized all of the microbes on the surface. For this reason, if you are sharing with a non-fluid bonded partner then a barrier (condom or dental dam) is your safest bet.

Silicone tends to attract lint, dust and hair so you may want to keep the Spring in a plastic Ziploc or a toy pouch to avoid unnecessary rinsing/cleaning. Silicone is also not typically compatible with silicone lubes as the lube can bond to the toy, so stick to water and oil based lubricants to be safe.