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

I remember purchasing a vibrator very similar to this one for my first sex toy, and I remember that I loved it and used it until the motor burned out. However, like many memories tend to be, it was nothing more than nostalgia. The motor is loud, the vibrations are weak and buzzy, and the battery does not enable the toy to maintain its highest setting for long; I ended up having to grab one of my other toys to finish myself off after several frustrating minutes. This is definitely a toy that I would recommend to someone who has never used a vibrator before or has little to no experience using sex toys. Someone who prefers less stimulation may also find a good use for this toy.

This toy is made of hard plastic and the leopard design appears to be screen-printed on, which is good in that there is probably no worries of it chipping off. The package claims that the toy is waterproof, however I am not sure how confident I would feel submerging it in water. I chose to clean it with a spray-on toy cleaner, however careful rinsing with soap and water would probably also suffice. While plastic provides a hard and nonporous surface it is also not possible to completely sterilize it like with silicone toys, so keep that in mind and use protection when sharing it with a partner.

I have to say that the design of this toy is very cute; I found the pink leopard print very appealing. The battery case, too, is well designed and easier to screw on and off than some of my partner and mine's existing bullet vibes. The toy takes one AA battery that is easy to insert and remove and the cap to the battery case screws back on smoothly. It is definitely obvious that this is a bright pink leopard print vibrator, so while the design is not necessarily discreet it does have a certain appeal to it.

I enjoy the fact that this toy has a dial to control the speed of the vibrations, which is not a feature that is always seen in less expensive vibrators. The motor appears to be located towards the top of the toy, which I assume was intended to deliver more of its power to the user, however all the vibrations seem to be getting lost in the plastic shell of the toy. This toy is also loud, as plastic vibrators tend to be; I set it under the blankets at the highest setting and closed the door, and I could hear it from the next room in my apartment. I suppose you could just say you're brushing your teeth with an electric toothbrush, since that's what the sound reminds me of.

This toy claims to be waterproof, however I am not confident enough to test those claims. Removing the battery when not in use and cleaning with sex toy wipes or cleaner, or carefully washing it with soap and water, seem like good options for maintaining its cleanliness. It is also a bit of a battery guzzler so you may find the need to change its batteries after each session; one saving grace of this is that it does only use one AA, so it's not too terribly expensive. This vibrator is also small, so it is simple to store inside a pouch in a drawer or a shoebox or wherever you keep your toy collection.

The packaging for this toy was very non-discreet and pictures a woman in a bikini over a leopard print background with the name of the toy, "Houston's Pink Leopard" emblazoned in large pink font over the front. It is a simple snap open and shut blister pack that could be used to store the toy in if no other options were available. The included instructions were very minimal and only included a diagram on how to insert the battery; most of the explanation for the toy was located on the outside packaging.