First time power vibe - traditional vibrator by Cal Exotics - review by Noira

The New Intimacy

Traditional vibrator discontinued
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Powering Up My Ennui Cherry?

While I can see why the slimline vibrator has stood the test of time, the First time power vibe is ultimately a decent but unexciting vibrator. The strength of the vibrations, combined with the pleasant velvety plastic make it a good choice for a vibrator in the low price price range, but don't expect anything groundbreaking.
Published:
Pros
Reasonably powerful vibrations, waterproof, cheap
Cons
Boring, fairly loud, bad dial design
Rating by reviewer:
3
extremely useful review

Use

The thing about the archetypal vibrator is that it can be used for basically anything you feel like, and First time power vibe is no exception to this rule. While you're probably going to be getting it with clitoral stimulation in mind, it can be used internally as a slim dildo, and tilted to hit the g-spot if you have a shallow g-spot. Please note that I make no guarantees as to the likelihood of a straight vibrator being able to access your g-spot. Everyone's body is different. It can also, of course, be used anywhere else on your body: neck, back, shoulders, nipples. Wherever you want a bit of vibration, this style of vibrator can probably deliver it.

Because it's non-threatening, it can be popped out during partnered situations. Where something like a rabbit renders a partner less necessary, the traditional slimline vibrator can be slid between two bodies, used in foreplay as a tease and perhaps even as the main event, depending on how you swing.

As it does not have a flared base, First time power vibe is not a very anal-friendly toy. While it can be used internally, there are some places where non-flared vibrators probably should not be put. Please keep this in mind. Do not put it in your butt.

First time power vibe is waterproof, and to test this, I promptly took it and tossed it in the shower for a half an hour while in use. No water made it past the o-ring protecting the battery compartment, so I'd say it's at least splash-proof. Feel free to take it on adventures in the wonderful world of H2O or just toss it in the sink to clean it up post-adventure. There will be no problems.
  • Who / How / What
    [ ? ]
    Who might this product be best for? How is it best used? What are the best circumstances or situations for using this product?
    • Couples
    • Group situations
    • Everyone
  • Where
    [ ? ]
    Where / what types of places can this product be used?
    • Tub/shower/pool
  • Features
    [ ? ]
    What kind of features does this product offer?
    • Waterproof
  • Body / part areas
    [ ? ]
    What areas on the body can this product be used / what areas does it stimulate best?
    • All over body
    • Clitoris
    • Nipples

Material / Texture

First time power vibe is a plastic material vibrator, meaning it is hard and unyielding. Any bending will likely result in breaking. It is coated in a nice velvety plastic that isn't too grippy, but feels very nice to the touch. Certainly it's a step up from ordinary hard plastic.

It had no taste or smell. Texture lovers take note: you will be bored. Newbies take note: it won't hurt you or burn you. Vibrators shouldn't burn you anyway. Always do the "would I put this in my mouth?" test before sticking something in your vagina. If something tastes weird and smells weird, it probably is weird. Weird sex is great. Weird vibrator materials are not great. And plastic is about as boring of a material as you can get, but it won't hurt you either, even if it's not a full 10 on the safety-o-meter.

Plastic is compatible with both water-based and silicone lubricants, and can be cleaned with simple soap and water. However, plastic is more porous than other safer materials, and as a vibrator cannot be boiled, you may wish to toss a condom over this vibrator before sharing, or at least wipe it down, depending on your level of germ paranoia.

It is phthalates free, hypoallergenic (unless of course you happen to be allergic to plastic), and latex free. That's as quality as you're going to get from a cheap vibrator.
    • Rigid
    • Smooth

Design / Shape / Size

The design of First time power vibe is where I think it went wrong. Though there's nothing intimately wrong with the straight up and up design, there are better ways to manage it.

First time power vibe is an inch in diameter with six inches of insertable length. This is an ideal size for penetration beginners to get a feel for what they might like. For anyone else, it's probably going to be a non-exciting design. For those who really do find the design titillating, though, there are a few more things this toy could have done better.

The biggest thing I think should have been considered in conception was the dial. The dial has a raised knobby texture to make it easier to grip. It's very difficult to turn, though. The reason for the difficulty is that the dial is right above the battery compartment and it's hard to get a grip on just the dial. I found myself accidentally removing the battery compartment cap more than once, and I initially thought the toy only had one speed and you accessed it by turning the battery compartment. This I consider to be a design flaw.

It's not very ergonomic. I have to use two hands to change the speed because the dial is fairly stiff and difficult to turn.

There is no way to lock for travel. Pop the batteries out before traveling, and possibly even before storing First time power vibe, or risk accidentally turning it on in a drawer or suitcase.

Because this is the archetypal vibrator, there is no way you can disguise it as anything but what it is: a vibrator for very personal areas. Even if you were using it for your back and shoulders (and you could!), it still looks like a sex toy.
    • Beginner

Functions / Performance / Controls

And now for the interesting bit: the performance.

First time power vibe is an idiot-proof toy. Unscrew the cap, put in two AA batteries (there's a sticker on the inside showing which way they go), put the cap back on, and then turn the dial on top to access the multiple speeds. In theory, this should be the simplest design ever, and impossible to screw up.

I have already mentioned the issue with the dial being difficult to grip, turn, and how easy it is to mix it up with the battery cap. The only time I can foresee this being a bit problem is if you primarily masturbate in the tub. Something to keep in mind if you're really looking for in-water use. Accidents might happen in the heat of the moment. If the dial were longer it might be easier to get a solid grip on.

The controls are otherwise easy to figure out. Turn the dial for higher speeds, turn the other way for lower speeds and off. There are no patterns, just speeds varying between around three to maybe almost a four bee buzzy vibration. The vibration frequency is not painfully buzzy, but it's certainly not the coveted deep vibration. It get surprisingly strong, considering the price and the style of the toy. I was impressed by the power of its top speed.

It is a bit noisy, certainly you'll hear it in the same room and even through a door without any ambient cover noise, such as the shower or music. If you have no concern about the noise factor, this is a great first toy choice.

First time power vibe is waterproof. Testing in the water revealed this to be an accurate judgment. It ran in the shower more than once and did not get wet in the interior or fail to run.
    • Battery guzzler
    • Easy to use
    • Not discreet at all

Care and Maintenance

First time power vibe is a plastic vibrator coated with a nice velvet-type plastic. It's very nice to touch, and not a lint magnet at all, unlike many silicone toys.

Since there's a motor, you cannot boil this toy. Cleanup is a snap with soap and water or toy cleaning wipes, but for the more anal, you could wipe it with rubbing alcohol. As it is not heavily textured or very porous, soap and water will likely be sufficient.

Because there is no way to lock it for travel, removing the batteries before storing it will prevent it from accidentally turning on while in a drawer or suitcase. Besides popping out the batteries, there are no special storage requirements. Plastic can be chucked into a drawer with other toys with no problems.

Plastic is compatible with both silicone and water-based lubricants, but as I do not own any silicone lubricants, I could not do a patch test. If you're concerned about lubricants damaging your toys, do a patch test on a non-essential area of the toy before use. Any bonding will occur immediately; you may have to leave the lubricant on for some time to check for discoloration. Plastic should be compatible with any lubricant you want to use.
    • Easy to clean
    • Easy to store

Packaging

Cal Exotic's packaging seems to trend towards store-friendly packaging. Everything you need to know can be found on the package, which is more like a miniature advertisement for the toy than anything else. While it's informative (certainly there will be no surprises), it's no good for storage and anything but discreet. Do not expect to hang this plastic clam-shell on your shelf. It went straight to my garbage and I expect that's where it will go for most users: it looks like you bought it at the local vibrator store.

The only thing it has going for it is the information. Otherwise, your friendly neighborhood half-naked vibrator mascot and marketing diatribe vomit make for enthusiastically unenthusiastic packaging.
    • Not discreet
    • Very informative

Personal comments

For my first time... I absolutely avoided this style of vibrator, taking no interest in the design or the concept. But I grew enthusiastic about the tried, tested and true concept of the slimline vibrator and decided to request this one for review.

On my first test, I believe I was able to understand the reason this design has stood the test of time.

It's practical; flexible to many situations. But very, very boring!

Experience

I waited enthusiastically to try out the traditional slimline vibrator design, determined to discover why it had stood the test of time. Once I'd popped the batteries in and turned it on, I understood. It was simply a practical design to bring a person to orgasm. Not mind-blowing, perhaps, but practical, and it was easy enough to enjoy.

I think I'll be keeping batteries in it. Sometimes practical is all you need.
Follow-up commentary
So, last night, another battery powered item of mine ran out of batteries mid-use. My thought process went something like this: "Aw, damn, what do I have that's got batteries in it... I KNOW!" I promptly went to scavenge First time power vibe's batteries since, well, I only use it in the shower and I wasn't planning on showering any time soon. It could wait for batteries where my keyboard could not! (Bet your mind was in the gutter, wasn't it?)

The attempt to remove the batteries went something like this:

Step one: Unscrew cap.

Step two: Flip toy upside down to allow gravity to do its work.

Step three: ...

Step four: Apparently "profit" is not on the menu. Flip toy back right side up to see why the batteries are not falling out. Observe that batteries are definitely inside of toy and no, I am not hallucinating that there are batteries in there.

Step five: Flip toy back upside down. Bang it on left thigh to try dislodge batteries. Observe strange springy sound. Batteries appear to be caught on some spring inside of the toy. While this spring is probably critically important to the whole "batteries providing power to the toy" I assume, I still damn it to the depths of hell.

Step six: Cuss a lot.

Step seven: Return to the process of banging toy on leg to try dislodge batteries, while praying that younger siblings don't take this moment to barge into bedroom. This conversation could go one of two ways, and knowing my family, it will go "uh, you know that's the wrong spot for that, right?" Fortunately, my increasingly louder screams of "argh, damn you, wonk wonk wonk ahahaha why aren't you workiiiiing... sob..." are ignored. By everything. Including the battery compartment.

Step eight: Fail. There is now a crescent-shaped bruise on my leg. Poke batteries with finger instead. Wiggle them around before flipping upside down. Please, physics, why won't you just be my friend?!

Step nine: More failing. Decide this is the kind of thing that probably needs to go into a follow-up review.

Step ten: FINALLY! The batteries tumble forth and I put them into my computer keyboard where they function perfectly. I don't know what I did but I'm afraid to put batteries in it again for fear of never, ever getting them out. So be warned: this toy eats batteries, and I do mean that in the most literal of ways. I don't know if it has to do with poor internal construction and the fact that I stored it on its side or what, but since it wasn't guzzling them, I haven't had to change them since I got the toy. While I still appreciate it for what it is (see full review), I can also see this being a regular buzzkill if your batteries die mid-use.

You, cussing out the shoddy battery compartment, may just take this toy up to five bees.
This product was provided free of charge to the reviewer. This review is in compliance with the FTC guidelines.

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This review was edited by
  • married with children Contributor: married with children
  • Rank:
    6.4 / 10
  • Edited reviews: 187
Comments
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  • Contributor: Sunshineamine
    Great review. I do think this one wouold be a little boring. Not bad but probably wouldn't be my favorite toy. And I do hate a crappy dial.
  • Contributor: Noira
    I would have given it four stars if not for the dial. But it really is a pain in the arse to turn when you're using the toy! If it were a bit longer, if it stuck out a bit more... oh, I don't know. It just annoyed me. Thanks!
  • Contributor: Katelyn
    Great review. I have to say that for a first time vibrator it doesn't seem too bad but all of us reviewers here at Eden aren't easily impressed by first timer toys lol. I hate fiddling with controls when using a vibrator so thanks for the info! Super impressive review.
  • Contributor: Kendrir
    Excellent review, thanks!
  • Contributor: Noira
    @Katelyn For a first timer vibrator, considering the materials, power, and price, it's a GREAT choice. But keeping in mind that most first time toy buyers have probably had their fair share of orgasms before and might also have the money to buy something better, I would always suggest something other than a "beginner" vibrator. Why get something you'll outgrow?

    I'd recommend the Roulette brand over this line for a first time vibrator if someone has the money, but if you don't, this is the way to go. Far better than a cheapo jelly vibrator, anyway!
  • Contributor: Ryuson
    Wow, thanks for the AWESOME review! I'm off to read some more of your reviews...
  • Contributor: faust
    nice review
  • Contributor: Retro.old
    Thank you for reviewing!
  • Contributor: Dobby101
    Thanks!
  • Contributor: Undead
    thanks for the review
  • Contributor: Jon S
    ty for the review
  • Contributor: Teacookie
    thank you
  • Contributor: Kissy
    Detailed review! Great job! Thanks a BUNCH for the review!
  • Contributor: Tbanda
    Thanks!
  • Contributor: ellieprobable
    Great detailed review. Thanks!
  • Contributor: Shade
    Thanks.
  • Contributor: improbableomnicide
    Haha great review, thanks!
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