Flexi slim purple nubby - traditional vibrator discontinued by Cal Exotics - review by G.I.'s Girl

The Flexi Slim Purple Nubby is a traditional vibe that has a flexible spine and 10 vibration functions. In theory, this should allow you to use this toy in a myriad of interesting ways, both as an insertable or clit vibe. I say "in theory" because, in practice this vibe didn't do much for me at all. After using it in a variety of positions and situations, and in conjunction with my husband and other toys, I found that I simply could not make this vibe work for me.

Its bendable feature, long length, slim design, and variety of vibration settings, should have made it a wonderful toy to use in all sorts of interesting positions. But instead, using this toy required too much stopping, re-bending, and repositioning, to allow for any momentum to build sexually. Instead of enhancing the mood, it killed it.

This toy has five bulges along the bendable shaft, with a small ring of nubs at the base of the insertable length. Because of the slim nature of this vibe, the bulges really don't add much sensation, and instead seem to be simply joints at which the toy can bend. The nubs at the base, I believe were added to provide additional stimulation during vaginal insertion; but are too small, and situated too far down on the shaft to be of any use. Even when the vibe was bent in a U position the nubs were much too far away to provide any useful contact.

The Flexi slim is Phthalate free, made out of TPR, and has a slightly sticky, rubbery texture. Due to its slight stickiness, be sure to use a lube (or be well lubricated naturally) when using this toy. Without a lube, the material drags along the skin, and is a bit uncomfortable (imagine the feeling of sweaty bare skin sticking to vinyl). The package recommends using a water-based lube, but silicone can usually be used safely with TPR toys as well.

As with any TPR toy the Flexi Slim can be cleaned with soap and warm water, or with a toy cleaner. I found that it is best to let this toy air dry, as patting it dry with a towel just transferred lint and fabric onto the toy. And as always, when sharing, remember to use a condom.

The Flexi Slim is a traditional vibrator measuring a total of 9" long (including the control housing). The insertable length is 7 1/2", and the circumference is listed in the product description as 4". In truth, the circumference does measure four inches, but only at the very bottom of the vibe right above the controls. At the bulges on the insertable length the circumference runs about 3", and is a more accurate depiction of this vibe's size.

The shaft of the Flexi Slim is covered with five bulges, which provide some stimulation, and serve as the joints at which the vibe can bend. At the base of these bulges, about 5" down, is a ring of nubs which are supposed to provide extra stimulation; but are too small and too far down the shaft to do much good.

The vibe does bend easily along the top 5 inches, but once bent does not hold its shape very well. Once bent in any fashion it will easily bend back, with the slightest pressure, making it difficult to use this vibe both vaginally and against your clit. Because of the slim size I would normally recommend this type of vibe for a beginner, however, the design flaws are so great, that I can't say that I would recommend this vibe to anyone.

The Flexi Slim comes equipped with 10 functions. Unfortunately none of these actually function very well. Of the ten functions, three are basic steady vibrations, at three different speeds. I would assume they would be described as low, medium and high, but instead they simply felt like low, lower and lowest. Even at the highest vibration setting, not much stimulation is happening. The rest of the settings are made up of varying types of pulsating, and escalating vibration patterns (I swear one is set to the tune of the William Tell Overture).

I generally love vibes with these kinds of varied vibration settings however, once again, this vibe takes a good idea and fails to execute it. All of the pulsating/escalating functions operate at one power level (about the medium setting on the straight vibration). This means that, while the patterns of these vibrations are good, the power is way too weak to bring on an orgasm. I ended up switching vibes to finish the job.

Another slight problem with the design of this vibe is the type of controls used. All ten of the functions, as well as the on/off device, are controlled by a single push button at the base of the vibe. This means if you do find a setting that you like, and want to go back to it, you have to keep pushing the one button over and over to find it.

Additionally, changing back and forth between settings is difficult, and can really slow your momentum. I usually like toys with simple controls, but in this case the controls are much too basic for the amount of functions contained in this vibe.

A final note on the functions of this vibe is the battery type. It takes 2 "N" size batteries, which to me are very obscure and difficult to find. It does come with 4 batteries, however, I have found that the batteries included with vibes (especially low cost vibes), are generally not of the highest quality and, are usually weak if they work at all.

With other vibes, I usually replace the included batteries with ones of my own, and have much better power results. However, because of the odd battery size, I not only didn't have any batteries on hand to use as replacements, but I have not been able to find any since. To be fair, I do live in an area where some things are harder to find than usual, but I can see how battery replacement may become an issue when the free ones die.

As mentioned above the Flexi Slim is made of TPR, and can be cleaned with soap and warm water or a favorite toy cleaner. I had better luck with the warm water and soap route, as the spray-on/wipe off toy cleaner I use just caused lint from the towel to transfer onto the vibe.

Also beware of where you store this vibe, because the material will pick up any loose hair, dust or lint in the area. I store it in a closed toy box with other vibes, but it still seems to need washing before (and of course after) each use to get rid of the fuzz it attracts.

Because of the material this vibe cannot be boiled, and the manufacturer recommends using water-based lubes.

I tried many times, and in many ways, to find a way to successfully use this toy. First, as I do with most of my vibes, I took it on a solo test run. The length and the bendable aspect of this vibe should have made it very easy to use. I first tried to bend the vibe in a U shape, and use it like I would a g-spot vibe.

It worked well at first, but the minute I applied any real pressure the vibe lost its shape; I would have to reposition, or stop and re-bend. Finally after many stops and starts, I tried it as a clit vibrator. In this instance the multitude of vibration settings was nice at first, however after a while I simply needed more power. And when I tried to make up for the lack of vibration intensity, by applying more pressure, I ran into the same problem I had when I was using it vaginally; it simply would not stay put. In the end, I gave up and switched vibrators.

The second time I tested this vibe, I did so with my husband. I hoped that when used with a partner, or with other toys, this vibe would work out much better. No such luck. First, when used on body parts other than the vagina (such as nipples), the material was too sticky to use without lots of lube.

Secondly, when being used on me by my husband, or when I used it during various positions, we ran into the same power and bending issues I had when I used it solo. As soon as he or I would hit a "sweet spot" the vibe would unbend, or bend with any type of pressure, and the vibrations were way too light to provide more than foreplay-strength sensations. After many position shifts, we eventually gave up and abandoned the Flexi Slim.