Charmer - dildo discontinued by Tantus - review by pasdechat

The use of the Charmer is pretty self-explanatory. It’s a non-vibrating, insertable toy, and you use it pretty much like you would the average dildo; although it does feature a few ridges, its texture is not so overwhelming as to make thrusting uncomfortable. That said, there are a few things that it’s especially good for.

First of all, this would be a good choice for women new to G-spot exploration; it has prominent texture and a slight angle, but it’s thin enough that women new to penetration should find it comfortable. Of course, anyone with more experience who simply prefers a slimmer toy would probably enjoy it as well.

The shape of the Charmer would also seem to lend itself to prostate stimulation, and the fact that it has a flared base means that you can use it anally without worrying about it getting lost. On a related note, it is harness-compatible, although the small base may not work with every O-ring out there.

Like all of Tantus’s silicone dildos, the Charmer is odorless, hypoallergenic, non-porous, sterilizable, and phthalate and latex free—in other words, exceptionally safe. It’s also very comfortable. There’s a reason (besides safety) that so many people prefer insertables made of silicone, and that’s its texture, which is firm enough to stimulate but soft enough to make bruising unlikely.

This is certainly true of the Charmer. It’s fairly bendy—I can bend the head of the toy to touch the base without exerting much effort—so it moves with the contours of your body. At the same time, it’s rigid enough to provide a decent amount of pressure against the G-spot, if not quite so much as toys made out of something like glass or steel. I would say the Charmer is on the firm side, as silicone goes—something that I generally appreciate, since I crave pressure. Combined with the length of the toy, though, it does mean that you need to be a little bit careful while thrusting—at least if you’re a woman. The Charmer has enough give that accidentally hitting your cervix shouldn’t cause any serious pain, but it can be a little uncomfortable (and I speak, regrettably, from experience).

One last thing about the material: Before I got the Charmer, the only Tantus dildo I had used was the Acute, which is made out of very shiny silicone. The silicone that the Charmer is made of has a much more matte texture. Aesthetically speaking, I prefer this; it still has a lovely iridescence (blue, in the case of mine), but it’s a little more subdued. It does, however, have a lot more drag. I haven’t noticed any problems while actually using the Charmer, but I have found that it pulls a bit when I finally get around to removing it after a few moments spent drifting post-orgasm. It’s not a huge problem, but it is something to be aware of; you may want to use more lubricant than you usually would.

The Charmer is a very visually appealing toy. Its pronounced ridges and slight angle do tend to give away its real purpose, but it’s not overtly phallic, so it shouldn’t turn off those who prefer their toys to be more abstract. It comes in three lovely, pearly colors, all of which are similarly non-realistic—mine is pale purple, but dark purple and baby pink are also available.

As far as shape goes, the Charmer was obviously designed with G-spot/P-spot stimulation in mind. To begin with, it’s tilted ever so slightly towards the front. And while the head itself is not particularly bulbous, the Charmer is equipped with a series of four fairly prominent ridges meant to stroke over the G-spot/prostate when the toy is thrust; presumably this design, like that of the Echo, is meant to mimic the sensation of being penetrated over and over again. However, the fact that the opposite side of the dildo is smooth makes the Charmer less overwhelming than more highly textured toys.

I also find the Charmer to be a very pleasant size, but then again, I tend to prefer slim to average-sized insertable toys—size queens will probably want to look elsewhere. The Charmer is only about 1 1/8” in diameter (3 1/2” in circumference). It’s longer than the average penis—it measures 7”, of which about 6 1/2” are insertable—but isn’t so long that you’ll be hitting your cervix constantly, though this obviously depends in part on individual anatomy.

Although I can’t speak from experience, I imagine the Charmer would be more of a challenge if you’re planning on using it anally. 1 1/8” is fairly slim, but the Charmer is textured, so it seems like it might be too much for a beginner.

Tantus Charmer (top) compared to Tantus Acute (bottom).


From a different angle.

I adore my Tantus Acute, so the Tantus Charmer had been on my wishlist for a while; its ridges reminded me a lot of the shape of the Acute’s head, except that there were four of them instead of just one. In my head, this translated to an experience four times better. I was therefore a little disappointed when I used it for the first time and found that, well, it felt a whole lot like the Acute.

Don’t get me wrong; I really like this dildo (I’m giving it five stars after all!). Like the Acute, it is a very good choice if you’re looking for a G-spot (or, I would assume, prostate) toy; depending on your personal preferences, it might even be a bit better, because while both toys have an angled shaft and pronounced head, the silicone that the Charmer is made of feels EVER so slightly firmer—I think. I thought I noticed a difference while using it, so I decided to conduct the oh-so-scientific test of squeezing a dildo in each hand, and the Charmer seemed to have a bit less give. The Charmer is also just a tad slimmer than the Acute, so the head doesn’t “catch” the same way on my pubic bone when I first insert it—even with the texture, I’m inclined to say the Charmer might be better for those new to penetration.

Unfortunately, this is partly because—to me at least—the texture is not terribly noticeable. I feel one of the ridges (the second from the top, I believe) very well while thrusting, but the others—not so much. This kind of baffles me, because the ridges look identical—there’s no reason why one should feel more pronounced than the others, but for some reason the first one just doesn’t seem to register. The other, related problem is that the ridges are fairly widely spaced. When I thrust, the second ridge rubs back and forth over my G-spot, but I can’t feel the third ridge because I run out of room; if I work at it, I can insert the Charmer up to somewhere around the middle of the fourth ridge, but at this point the head of the toy hits my cervix, and any G-spot stimulation from the third ridge is drowned out by discomfort. Maybe next time I’ll go with the Echo, since its ridges look a bit more closely spaced.

Cleaning the Charmer is a breeze. It’s made of silicone, so if you want to share it you can sterilize it by either boiling it or throwing it in the dishwasher. For everyday cleanup, soap and water or an antibacterial wipe should suffice. Like other silicone toys, the Charmer does attract lint and fuzz, although not quite so much as my Acute does—the more matte surface of the Charmer also seems to be less tacky.

As I mentioned above, the Charmer is not particularly discreet, but it’s also not absolutely huge, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to store. Be sure to keep it away from other silicone toys, though, since the material could degrade. Similarly, when using the Charmer, use only water-based (not silicone-based) lubricants.