Black magic ribbed vibe - traditional vibrator by Doc Johnson - review by Ayumi

The Black Magic Ribbed Vibe is best for beginners and newly advanced users. It can stimulate the whole vagina for more sensitive users since vibrations can be felt throughout, and in general can be used for anal and vaginal play. If you are looking for g-spot or p-spot stimulation, this toy is just not it. Although it indicates g-spot stimulation, the design really isn't conducive to that especially due to its non-pliable nature. If you are an advanced user looking for complete vaginal stimulation, the magic is missing. The Black Magic Ribbed Vibe will need a new spell for users like me who need something way more lively or equal to the power of our favorite bullets.

With that said, this Vibe is great for low-key partner play. My partner and I tried it out and we had a lot of fun combining it with bondage play, where he used the Rouge Cuffs from a previous review I did and combined using the Black Magic Ribbed Vibe along with one of my favorite bullets for extra stimulation. As an advanced user, I needed the extra stimulation to get to the orgasm I was looking for. It just was not strong enough, which is why I deem this toy best for beginners. However, some people are more sensitive than others, so please take my Vroom Rating with caution.

The Bee's are quiet so, although it's not at the top of my list, I won't make the Vibe disappear just yet. It's a nice way to respect my roommate and great for our thin walls.

THE PRODUCT: The Black Magic Ribbed Vibe is made of plastic, earning a safety rating of 8. The plastic is
made of Food-grade material, it is Hypo-allergenic, Latex free and Phthalates free. At EF the plastic is normally described as a synthetic or semi synthetic polymerization product, that is non-porous with both smooth and firm textures. The BMRV is definitely smooth and firm. More about that below.

THE BREAKDOWN
1) THE SENSES
Smell: When I took the vibe out of the package there was no noticeable smell. Neither was there a smell when I held it to my nose. I had expected one with plastic, but I was extremely pleased to find none at all. Strong smelling products are a huge turn off for me.
Touch: The feel of this vibe is AMAZING in your hands. The manufacturers did not lie about the velvety smooth finish. If it was not non-pliable plastic, I would think it was velvet masquerading as a stiff substance. It had only a very tiny drag when I ran my fingers across it, which makes it great for non-lubricated vaginal insertion. I did use a lubricated condom over the toy when I tried it anally. Although it non-porous, I still don't like to mix. It feels easy and smooth going in both ways and as an advanced user, I had no trouble getting this all the way down to the 5th rib on either end. Beginner's might have to work a little longer, but the feel is so nice that it is non-intimidating for beginners who want to move on to ribs.
Taste: Although I am not a big fan of toy-tasting, people want to know...so there is no noticeable taste to this toy.

2) TEXTURE: Again,the velvety smooth texture is great for insertion, but leaves much to be desired in terms of stimulation. When the vibration was turned on, it felt like my vagina has swallowed the vibe and I could not really tell it was there. The ribs are supposed to add to stimulation, but it did not feel like anything different was occurring. The texture and ribs work better for anal stimulation since it is a tighter squeeze. Overall, beginners will definitely appreciate the texture of this toy.

1) Design: The design of this vibe is simple and aesthetically pleasing. It is deep black, which in general I prefer darker colors for my toys. Nothing flashy going on and nothing too futuristic looking about it. I was very excited when I took the toy out of the packaging. It is pleasing to anyone looking for something that does not look complicated.

2) Craftsmanship/Material: The vibe is very sturdy in craftsmanship and as the name suggests, has 5 perfect ribs from base to head equidistant along the shaft. It is a very rigid and non-pliable plastic, which may be disappointing for people who like flexibility in their toys. If you are not careful, the rigid design could be painful if not used properly or if used with a partner who is not familiar with angles you might need in solo play for rigid toys like this one. Even so, I think this toy is most suited for beginners, simply on the way it is crafted since you can start out slowly and work your way up, both anally and vaginally. I got this toy specifically with anal use in mind.

3) Size and Fit: The toy is not very large (see measurements below), so it was very easy for me to store in my larger handbag or overnight duffel when I was traveling. Because it is black, it is definitely a plus, because it can easily hide away at the bottom of a bag. My overnight duffel sometimes doubles as my work out bag and I accidentally forgot this toy in my bag and it had been in there the whole time I attended my pole-dancing fitness class. Yikes!! I almost felt embarrassed, but I realized because it is so dark, with other things in the bag it is really difficult to see. Even though there are ribs on the vibe, the toy is in no way bulky. There are 5 ribs on the vibe. The first is 3 inches in diameter, the second 3.5, third is 4 inches, the fourth is 4.5 inches, and the fifth is 5 inches in diameter. Perfect for storage in a bag or in your body.

4) Measurements
Color: Black
Length: 7 1/4"
Insertable length: 6 1/4" (I was fine with the insertable length, but may be too long for some)
Circumference: 5"
Diameter: 2"
Weight: 0.3 lb (this product is extremely light)

5) Special Features
Waterproof (I have yet to use this toy in the shower, but I have tendency to get extremely wet. That did not seem to affect the functioning of the toy at all when I had it all the way inside, but, I promise I will examine this in more detail for my follow-up review.)
Good to use on either partner.

1) Functions: The vibe is waterproof and has multi-speed, vibrating functions. There are 7 vibrating functions that progress from light vibrations to higher vibrations. The highest vibration does not even compete with your strongest bullet and left a lot to be desired during vaginal play. Even though this was nicer for anal play, I still found myself needing to do a lot extra to get the desired orgasm. A plus is that for those who are sensitive, you do feel the vibrations throughout the entire toy (it isn't located in any one place) and the highest vibrating function is not too strong at all. You do not have to worry about numb fingers or numb clits. No intense assaults here, the magic is missing.

2) Controls: The control type is a dial base, which is also where the 1-AA battery required is inserted. The way the dial-base is designed, it seemed I had off first and turn it the other way before I could get to the higher functions. Also, this posed problems when I became frustrated with the shifting dialing patterns and the whole bottom cap of the base seemed to loosen so that the connection with the base and the battery seemed to wane or fizzle out at times unless I pressed firmly against the base. My partner was concerned he might shock me as well and I ended up giving up on using this toy with him and switched back to my trust bullet.

3) Performance: The toy is very quiet and even with the highest vibration on I could barely hear it. The sound was almost non-existent upon insertion. As noted above, the toy is waterproof and seemed to be unaffected by normally drenched state. Even so, as I mention later, I will try more water play with this for follow-up. Because of the way the controls have to be used, I think that switching the functions for this toy might be very tricky during water-play and users should proceed with caution.

1) CARE: The Black Magic Ribbed Vibe is easy to care for. The ribs are not so deep you have to worry about getting down into crevices either. Because it is plastic, it can easily be cleaned with antibacterial soap and hot water or by wiping down with isopropyl alcohol. I use a toy cleaner that I bought from another manufacturer called "Come clean," which you spray on the toy, let it sit for a few minutes and then rinse off with hot or warm water.

2) STORAGE: I currently store my toys in a dark chest and put toys that cannot be stored next to each other in bags within the chest. As is my recommendation with all toys, store in a cool, dark place. The chest is really nice for that and dust rarely collects on my toys stored inside. If you don't want to spend an arm and a leg on a chest, department stores like Ross, TJMaxx, and Marshalls have great low priced chests, which usually include options for smaller chests to fit inside bigger ones for your more precious items.

3) COMPATIBILITY: This toy can be used with water-based, oil, and silicone lubricants which is a huge plus in terms of variety. Because it is non-porous, it can easily be stored with other toys that are similar in make (usually safety rating toys 8 or above).

As usual, Eden's general shipping packaging is very discreet.

As far as the toy goes, the package is not discreet at all. As you can see from the picture below, the front has a window prominently displaying the 7" vibe in a window with a little ornate purplish border around the window. The sides of the box highlight the features, but there were no instructions specific to the dial functions (hence my major confusion). Because of the nice design on the box, it is great for a gift and the box highlights the safety feature of the toy as being phthalates free.


Because of the way the toy was stored in a plastic encasement inside the box, it is really not the greatest to use for storage, especially for frequent users.

I am generally the type to prefer a build up to my orgasm, but I know that the build has to start from a nice strong vibration that becomes even more intense. This toy just did not provide that for me and with seven vibrating functions and 5 ribs I had high hopes for more.