So, I wrote this out for my students a while back when I was mentoring, and since then, have had quite a few requests for it from people who were not my students. I give this information out freely to anybody who asks, and decided that I might as well post it. It is by no means complete, and is probably missing some info (especially on the male toy end of the spectrum), but I hope that it helps some of you anyway!



Advice on writing

Probably the best advice I could give about writing reviews is to start with the easy parts.
For me this means I start with the Pros and Cons and move next, to the packaging, and then to the cleaning and maintenance, material then to the design and function. The last things I write are the use, experience and summary. This helps me organize my thoughts for what I consider to be the most important areas of the review, the areas which take the most thought and careful consideration. They are the areas of the review that are usually the most engaging and the least technical.


What to include

Pros and Cons are usually easy they are the top two or three things that you like and dislike about the product.

Packaging: What does the packaging look like? Is it attractive, does it have much information about the product on it (material specs, what lube to use, how to clean it etc)?
Is it discreet or obvious? Are there naked people on the front? Does it have a picture of the product on the front? Does it say what the product is? What type of packaging is it? Platic, cardboard, a baggie? Was there a booklet with info included? Is it reycleable, or can it be reused for something like storage?

Cleaning and maintenance: What do you use to clean this? Soap and water? Toy cleaner? Does it need to be antibacterial, or mild? Is there any area of the product that is more difficult to clean or might be missed? Can it be sterilized? Can it be submerged during cleaning?

What is the easiest and best way to store the product? Will it pick up lint and dirt if left in a drawer? Will the smell transfer onto other things on contact? Is it safe to store with other products and lubes or will the materials damage each other? (This is a problem with silicone and silicone composite products)

What lubes are compatible with the product material. If incompatible with some lubes, what is the danger in using them?

Material: (material information can be found on EdenFantasys, there are usually links to the material information on the product page) What are the benefits of the material? Is it free of harmful or unwanted chemicals? Is it porous? Can it be sterilized?

How does the material feel in your hands? Is it soft, hard, sticky, smooth, tacky, rough? Does it have a bit of grab/drag to it? Does it require more or less lube because of the texture? Is the material rigid or flexible? Is it heavy or light? Are there multiple materials in the product? What effect does this have? How does it feel on the surface of the genitals, or when inserted? Does it add or take away from the pleasure?

Design: Is the product shaped to target specific areas? Does it actually hit the intended areas? Are there different textures/shapes designed to provide added stimulation? If so, did you find them pleasurable or annoying/uncomfortable ? If there are vibrations where are they located? Does the location of vibrations add or take away from the effectiveness of the product? How is the product powered? Where do you insert the batteries if there are any? Is it easy to open and close the battery compartment? If the product says it is waterproof, is it ACTUALLY waterproof? What makes it waterproof? Is it discreet and easy to pawn off as a non sex related item, or is it totally obvious? Is it easy to travel with?

Are there design flaws?

What is the quality of craftsmanship? Are there areas that don't connect smoothly, and does this effect the overall quality of the product? Are the closures tightly fitted? Is the product sturdy, or are there areas you are concerned will break or wear easily? Are there any visible seams? If so can you feel them during use?

Function/Controls: What are the functions of this product? Does it have multiple uses? Multiple settings? What are the settings? Are they effective? Is it more effective used one way than another? How is the noise level on different settings? Are there any design flaws that cause problems with the intended functions? How are the controls designed? Are they easy to use or complicated? Are they easily accessable during play? Is there an instant shutoff in case you need to turn it off quickly? Have you had any difficulty or problems with the controls?

Experience: How did the produt work for you? How was the fit? If it vibrates, were the vibrations strong enough to satisfy you? Were you able to climax or did it only serve to tease you into arousal? Was there anything about the toy that you especially liked or disliked? Is it comparable to other toys you own? If so did you like it better or was it worse?

Personal comments: Is there anything you can suggest, or advise against for those interested in this product?

Use: Who is this product geared towards? Who do you think it will work best for? Is it large or intimidating and therefore probably better suited towards Advanced users? Is it easy to use and would make a great toy for beginners? Is it best if used solo or with a partner? What is the product meant to do? Can it do anything else? Will it work anally? (It may not be designed for anal use, but some people will still be interested in it for this purpose. Toys that work anally traditionally have large or flared bases, providing an area that will stop the product from being consumed by a persons body requiring a trip to the ER. If you are not sure check some of the other anal toys and see if they have similar bases. Also toys used anally should either be completely non porous or covered with a condom to prevent bacterial growth and prolong the life of the toy.) Is the toy discreet and good for those who don't want people to find out what they are doing? Is it loud enough to be heard by people not in the same room?

Summary: Sum up your overall opinion of the product, what you like and dont, and why it is or isn't worth investing in.


What to watch out for: Run on sentances and misplaced or improper puntuation. (These can confuse the reader.) Grammatical errors in word selection such as then and than, its and it's, or discreet and discrete. Incorrect use of descriptive words, this can cause the reader to expect something other than what you mean. Too much repetition will make your review seem totally redundant. It is also good to keep assumptions about how produts will work with other peoples bodies to a minimum, people are shaped differently and will have different experiences based on that. You can add something like (if you are or have "blank" then you might experience "blank". Comments like this are probably best added to the personal comments or design sections, sometimes even the use section. You can choose the area you think would be most appropriate. Also text acronyms and emoticons are a review no-no, they make reviews appear unprofessional and editors are asked to remove them from reviews.