A nice idea, but it falls short

As the name might imply, the FixSation Couples Vibe is intended to be used by couples. This is basically a garter belt without garters. The wearer wears the belt around their waist, with the little vibrator attached to the straps. The vibrator rests against the wearers pubic mound -- applying some clitoral stimulation. The straps are positioned in a way that leave the user free for both vaginal anal intercourse. So, this vibrator can be used during sex.

While this hands free vibrator does provide some stimulation to the wearer, it just doesn't apply a lot of pressure unless you use it in certain positions. To get it to provide a good amount of pressure, you need to use it in positions that are going to have your clitoris pushed right up against your male partner -- so, you're limited to missionary, the lotus position, and cowgirl. Even in those positions, my partner and I had an issue of the vibrator slipping out of place, which was a bit frustrating.

You can certainly use it in other positions, too, but you're not going to get pressure from other positions unless you hold it in place -- and that kind of defeats the purpose of a hands free vibrator, doesn't it?

Now, you don't need to have a partner to use this, despite the name of the product. You could use this as a hands free vibrator if you want a light tease; you'll just probably need to use something else when you wish to reach orgasm. You could also use this as a clitoral vibrator, simply holding it on your clitoris without using the belt. If you like, you could even use the belt separately, as the belts basically just a very unique pair of strappy, crotchless panties.

The "panty" part of this set is basically just a strip of black floral lace, with two little elastic-y straps attached. The tag on the panty states that it it's made out of 80% Polyester and 20% Nylon. As you can see, there is no spandex in the panty, which means that the amount of stretch is really limited. The panty is comfortable to wear, with no part of the material causing any irritation to my sensitive skin.

The vibrator itself is made out of PU coated plastic, which earns a rating of 7 on Eden's safety scale. The material is hypoallergenic, latex free, phthalates free, and non-porous, so it's pretty safe.

The plastic on the vibrator feels very, very firm, with absolutely no give to it at all. For the most part, the plastic is smooth, but there are little ridges on both sides of the vibrator. There are 13 ridges on the part of the vibrator that goes against the male partner, and there are three ridges that rest against the female wearer. My male partner was unable to feel the ridges when I pushed against him wearing this, but I was able to feel them on my clitoris when he pushed hard against me. It wasn't a terrible feeling, but the ridges didn't really add anything to the experience. They were just kind of... strange.

There is no odor or taste to this product.

Let's start here with the panties. I have 40" hips, so I selected the large. The large fit me well, and it may fit someone with slightly larger hips.

The panties have little straps that are supposed to run through the little holes on the sides of the vibrator -- the purpose of this is to hold the vibrator in place, of course. The straps detach from the panty, and weaving them through the holes seems like it should be easy -- but it's kind of time consuming. Once you get the straps through the holes, congrats! Now, you need to simply reattach the straps to the belt, which is fairly easy to do; it's just a little hook, so no big deal here.

The actual vibrator has a curve to it, which enables it to rest nicely against the wearers public mound. The outside of the vibrator is meant to rest against the male partner, and it seems to do so nicely. I was worried at first that my male partner would cause the toy to turn off, due to the fact that the button is resting against him. We didn't have that problem during use, however -- the toy stayed on until we wanted it off!

The size of this toy is nice. It's small enough that it won't really get in the way, but it's big enough that it provides enough stimulation (if you can get the right amount of pressure). It's fairly discreet, as it doesn't look like a body part. It's certainly travel friendly due to the small size, but there's no way to "lock" it so that it doesn't turn on during travel.

The great thing about the FixSation couples vibe is that it is rechargeable. According to the FixSation website, this vibrator should be charged for at least 8 hours before you use it the first time. You should then charge the vibrator for four hours in between each use. Doing this should allow you with about 2 hours of playtime, which is plenty. My partner and I have never required more than 2 hours with this vibrator at a time.

The light on the toy will light up while the toy is charging, and it will shut off when the toy is done charging. You should unplug the toy once it's done charging, as apparently overcharging can cause problems with the toy.

The toy is operated with a single push button. To turn the toy on, you simply hold the on button for a few seconds. Then, to cycle through the settings, you simply press the button again. When you want to turn the toy off, hold the button down for another few seconds, and you're done. All of the vibration levels are steady, rumbly vibrations. At the highest level, they're probably about 3.5 vrooms, and 3 bees. The vibration level should be enough for most users (if you can get the vibrator to provide enough pressure to your clitoris), but it's not going to be enough for users seeking powerhouses.

As this toy is made out of plastic, it's safe to use both silicone and water-based lubricants with it. You could also use oil based lubes if you choose, but I personally try to stay away from oil based lubricants. My partner and I used this product with water-based lube, and we have had no problems.

Cleaning this toy isn't really a challenge, but you will want to remember that the vibrator is not waterproof. For this reason, I prefer to wipe the vibrator down with a toy cleaner wipe, or a toy cleaner spray, but you could also wash it with soap and water -- just be careful of the charging port! The toy is splash proof though, so it should be okay during cleaning.

As for the panty? You should hand wash the panty in cold water. Do not bleach, and iron on warm if needed.

For storage, I store the product in the satiny pouch that it came with.

I actually really like the packaging, though I didn't keep it. The box that it came in is beautiful, though it's not the most discreet. The front of the packaging doesn't scream "sex toy!" when you see it, which is nice. The back, however, gives away the contents of the box, by displaying little drawings of what's inside, and descriptions of how the toy is meant to work.

Inside of the box, there are little compartments which hold all of the pieces in place nicely. If you don't need to be ultra discreet, it'd be nice for storage. I'd wrap it up though, if you were going to give it as a gift.

This item came to be mine after I had won it in a giveaway. It's not an item that I would purchase again, though it is pretty cool. It's expensive, and based on looks alone, it just doesn't appeal to me. The vibrations that this toy provide feel fantastic, but it just doesn't provide enough pressure when it's worn like it's supposed to. I can't get off with this toy unless I really push it against my clitoris -- and honestly, if I'm going to have to hold a toy there? I've got plenty of others that can get that job done for a lot less.

If you don't need a lot of pressure though, this might be a good hands free option.