Touch - clitoral stimulator by Leaf - review by lexical

The Touch by Leaf is a small, travel-friendly silicone vibrator that is at its finest when used as an external vibrator, stimulating the clitoris, the labia, the nipples, or even the penis and scrotum. You can attempt to insert it and use its curved tip for shallow g-spot stimulation, but its length will not allow for deep penetration. I would not recommend using this toy anally, except to stimulate the anus externally. Because of its shape, lacking a flared base, inserting it may lead to its becoming lost inside of you.

This toy will appeal most to those with a need for discretion and a flair for green products, both literally and figuratively. It will serve you best when you need a quiet but moderately powerful pick-me-up, whether you're on-the-go or snuggled in bed at home. Beginners and advanced users alike may enjoy this toy's versatile design.

The Leaf line is made of internal metal and plastic components, completely surrounded by a high quality, bright green silicone skin. It is somewhat dual-density, as you can feel the internal structure through the silicone skin. In fact, the internal shape of the toy is such that I think it might poke through the silicone if you bend it or move it too much.

Silicone is a body-friendly, non-porous, hypoallergenic, latex- and phthalates-free material. There is no taste, though it has a very faint smell of silicone, which fades with time. There are some emblems emblazoned on the toy. They are fairly subtle, but they also contribute to making this toy look slightly tackier and lessy classy than expected. Although Leaf claims that their toys are seamless, my Touch has a noticeable seam around the entire thing, making it look cheaper and far less aesthetically pleasing in general.





The texture is smooth with a matte and velvety feel, holding onto lubricant well and making for a lovely amount of grip and drag. A small drop of lubricant goes a long way with this toy, but make sure you only use water-based, as silicone-based lubricants may damage the surface.

The design of the Touch by Leaf seems to be quite versatile. It has a scooped, concave side and a curved, convex side, as well as a tapered tip. The shape should allow for a wide array of sensations, from cupping your clitoris to applying firm pressure with the convex side to the most pinpoint of stimulation with the tip. Beginners and advanced users will be happy with the versatility, allowing them to explore and enjoy various types of stimulation.

Unfortunately, it is not quite large enough to be used as an insertable, g-spot vibrator, unless you require very shallow insertion. Even then, the curve may not be dramatic enough to apply significant pressure, nor will you have much of the handle left exposed in order to control thrust and pressure. The toy is only 1" thick at its widest and is just 5 1/4" in length. The handle end tapers to a mere 1/4", while the end that houses the motor is a slightly more blunt 1/2". It is shaped like a leaf, without the stem.



I do have a serious complaint about the location of the motor. It's located in the slightly thicker end, which is the end that I naturally would like to hold in my palm, so that I could use the pinpoint end on my clitoris. Instead, you have to hold the pinpoint end in your palm - unless you'd like your palm vibrating! The vibrations really do not travel the full length of the toy, which means that the pinpoint tip/handle end has weak vibrations, while the more blunt tip has the most strength. I wish that the pinpoint tip housed the motor for the most powerful vibrations.

The way I would like to hold it in order to use the pinpoint end:



The way it needs to be held in order to feel the vibrations fully:



It does indeed having a locking feature, is quite discreet, and is small enough to easily hide, making it ideal for travel.

The Touch is very quiet, and fairly strong for its size, with extremely buzzy vibrations. It is somewhat stronger than your average watch battery or AAA battery powered clitoral vibrator. It is comparable to the Bcurious, but ever so slightly more powerful. However, it is significantly less powerful than your average corded bullet, like the Multispeed basic vibrating bullet. It's definitely buzzy, rather than rumbly, making it feel less powerful.

It only has one single, solitary button and only one function - steady vibration, at different speeds. Leaf claims that the use of this one button and its "Press and Hold" technology follows natural human instinct. To turn the toy on, you hold the button for a moment and the green light beneath the skin will come on. Though the instructions say to hold for two seconds, it definitely takes less than one second to power on, starting with a low vibration. It will continue to speed up as you hold the button down and you may release it at your desired power level. While you hold the button down, the light flashes until you release it at whatever speed you choose, resuming a steady glow. To instantly turn off the vibrations, you press the button once more. The light turns off.



Unfortunately, this means that the Leaf line has a quality that is one of my biggest pet peeves - no way to cycle back to a lower setting. Instead, you must not only loop around, but actually turn your toy off and then back on again. I had trouble getting used to the Touch's controls. There have been times when I wanted to power it off and instead I turned it on higher power! I actually find the act of holding down the button to be completely counter-intuitive to what I usually would do. In most toys, you hold down the button to power the item off.

All Leaf products come with their locking feature enabled. To unlock it, you must quickly press the button three times. To lock it again, you press the button three times while the power is off. When you press it the first time, the power will turn on and then you must quickly press two more times to activate the lock. The green light will flash once and then go off, rendering the toy non-responsive until you unlock it again. This feature is always handy to have for convenient and safe transport of your toy, but the process of locking your Leaf is, to put it bluntly, a bit of a pain in the ass. The button itself is not very sensitive and is somewhat difficult to push, with no noticeable click or feeling when you do push it correctly.

Although the instruction manual says that the first battery charge takes at least three hours, my Touch was done with its initial charge about 30 minutes. Apparently, charging times vary based on which model you have from the Leaf line, but the Touch takes an average of 2 hours to charge. To charge the toy, gently and slowly insert the pin into the little hole in the silicone, below the button, until you feel a soft click. A light beneath the silicone skin that covers the button will glow red and will then turn off when your toy is through charging. The battery has no memory, so you need not wait for it to be completely exhausted before charging. You can plug in and charge at any time, but be careful to only charge with the provided adapter. Do not charge near water, do not use the adapter if it appears damaged, and do not use the product while it is charging. It has held up well thus far when immersed in water for cleaning.

The battery life seems to be quite good. On its highest speed, it's said to last 60 minutes, while at the lowest speed it lasts 1 hour and 40 minutes. I have only used the toy a few times so far and this seems to be accurate.

All products in the Leaf line come with a canvas drawstring bag to store the toy in. It has enough room to also fit the charger if you so desire. The construction seems to be sturdy.

Cleaning the Touch is very simple. Wash it before and after each use to preserve its quality. You can use a toy cleaner, a 10% bleach solution, or antibacterial soap and water. There are no nooks and crannies to speak of, though I am still a little concerned about the small opening where you insert the charger. The instructions say to always let the product dry thoroughly before recharging. I wish it had a description of how the charging opening resists water! That would make me feel so much better.

Do not use any type of solvent, such as alcohol or benzene, which may damage the finish and the internal components. Use only water-based lubricants and try to avoid letting the toy come in contact with other toys, especially ones made of jelly. Do not use your toy if the silicone skin appears damaged in any way. Never boil your Leaf product or put it in the dishwasher or microwave. Doing so will damage your toy and void your warranty.

Aesthetically, the packaging for the Leaf line is quite lovely. The sturdy cardboard box has a magnetized closure. With simple brown cardboard and darker brown lettering, the green Leaf emblem really pops from the backdrop.



The front of the box reads "Touch" in the upper right corner and, on the bottom, "Leaf by Swan", "100% silicone finish, rechargeable, natural pleasure", "www.leafvibes.com". One side says "Leaf" "Touch", with a little image of the Touch in the corner, while the other lists information about the toy in six languages. It says:

-Powered by PowerBullet, powerful and intense vibration
-100% premium silicone-covered body, fully usable surface
-Press and hold technology, simple incremental speed control and instant on/off function
-Hygienic, virtually seamless, safe and easy to clean
-Waterproof, bath-friendly exterior
-Rechargeable, long-lasting lithium polymer battery, environmentally friendly
-Warranty, 1 year limited warranty, ten year limited guarantee

The back repeats much of that information in a more concise way, with a little silhouette emblem of the Touch and a line of symbols to denote the various qualities listed above.



Opening the box reveals a pile of stuff beneath the instruction booklet, much of it excessively packaged. An instruction manual is included, with a large amount of information in English, French, German, Dutch, Russian, Spanish, and Chinese. It also holds the 1-year warranty information, which covers defects in materials and workmanship, but does not cover damage caused by physical or natural destruction, misuse, or other external causes. You are responsible for shipping costs in the case of a return/repair and the company reserves the right to return the item to you if they don't find that the issue falls within the required areas. If they do replace the item, that does not extend the life of the warranty. You must hold onto your receipt so that you have proof of purchase.

I am significantly bothered by the fact that Leaf claims to be so environmentally friendly, with their natural canvas storage bag and their body-safe silicone and their rechargeable batteries, yet they still packaged everything in unnecessary layers of plastic wrap! The entire cardboard box was wrapped in plastic. The toy itself was wrapped in a plastic bag that was excessively large for its size. And even the charger was wrapped in a plastic bag! Even if these items were recyclable, which I presume they are not, as they are without any kind of recycling symbol on them, the act of recycling them will consume resources as well.



Furthermore, the instruction booklet comes in an oversized pocket folder, complete with a Velcro closure. Really? We really do not need a fancy folder for the instruction manual. So wasteful!



Come on, Leaf. If you're going to claim to be environmentally friendly, cut down on your packaging!

Says the product description: "The desire to touch is as basic as breathing. The touch has been elegantly handcrafted to act as an extension of your body, which is why it fits perfectly within the grasp of your hand. Feel the soft silicone contoured curve as you harness the powerful vibrations and let the touch deliver an amazing experience like you have never felt before. With its eco-friendly rechargeable battery and natural canvas tote, you can have full confidence that you are helping the environment as much as you are helping yourself."

Really, if you think about it, the most environmentally friendly way of masturbating is with your fingers and the natural lubrication of your body. Sooo...you're still technically not helping the environment with your consumerism. Nice try, though, Leaf!

I feel very cynical about my experience with the Touch. I had hoped that it would really wow me, but it didn't. It's not nearly as pretty as I'd imagined, with its visible seam, nor is it as powerful! I will keep it in my collection because I like rechargeable toys best, but it certainly did not become a new favorite, as I'd hoped it would