If it’s true that you tend to get what you pay for with sex toys, you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised by the Athena. Considering how small it is, and the fact that it runs on just one AA battery, it packs quite a punch. In fact, I’d say it’s more powerful than some of the traditional vibes I’ve tried that run on two C’s. There are obviously more powerful vibrators out there, but for the price, it’s hard to beat; most women should have no trouble getting off with it. And while it’s designed for clitoral stimulation, it feels great elsewhere. Try using it on your nipples, or even as a massager to work out localized aches and pains. In fact, men can enjoy this toy as well - the size makes it easy to use during partner sex, and you can also use it against his perineum or the base of his penis for very deep, intense vibrations. I would not recommend using this toy internally unless you cover it with something - the way the base locks into the body of the toy leaves plenty of nooks and crannies for bodily fluids to work themselves into. And PLEASE don’t use it as an anal toy; not only does it not have a flared base, it’s tiny and easy to lose hold of.

The Athena is made of hard, clear plastic, which isn’t my favorite material, but is hypoallergenic and phthalate-free. Regular plastic is also not the most forgiving material to have pressed against your clit, so you’ll probably want to use some sort of lube. In terms of aesthetics, the Athena is just okay; like all Berman products, it only comes in purple, which is kind of a drag.

I was initially really excited about the four caps — made of TPR — that come with the toy, thinking that they might make the toy a bit less rigid. Although three of these caps have nubs of various shapes and sizes, I was most drawn to the dome-shaped cap; I’m not a big fan of textured toys, and the Athena, like most pocket rockets, has three little metal bumps on its head. Unfortunately, the caps dampened the strength too much for me to really enjoy them, but those who prefer lighter vibrations will probably like them.

Like other pocket rockets, the Athena is small. It’s only 4” long - roughly the size of a tube of lipstick, and only a little bit heavier. It’s certainly small enough to fit in your purse, and the fact that it’s also fairly discreet makes it a good toy to travel with. The size of the Athena also means that you can move this toy around a lot while you use it: you can, for example, rub it in circles over your clit without worrying about your hand getting tired.

The Athena couldn’t be simpler to use: just pop in the battery and twist the base of the toy into the “on” position. There’s only one setting, but you can always change the sensation by using one of the caps. The only thing that’s really lacking is patterned vibrations, but I’m not too big on those anyway so it didn’t bother me.

A lot of people describe pocket rockets as buzzy, but I actually think the vibrations on this one are fairly deep. And, as I said above, they’re definitely powerful; in fact, the entire toy shakes with them. That said, the toy is so small that the vibrations in the body don’t detract from the vibrations in the head, and they’re not so strong that you have to worry about your fingers going numb. It is, however, extremely loud for its size. To me it seems noisier than the Mystic Wand at full power, but perhaps it’s simply a more noticeable pitch. Whatever the case may be, you probably can’t get away with hiding this under the covers, unless you burrow under a couple layers of quilts.

For reasons I do not understand, some websites list this toy as waterproof. It’s not, and you can tell that it’s not just by looking at it, since the base doesn’t even screw on - you sort of slide it into place, and it’s a pretty loose fit. Not so loose that you have to worry about the base coming off during use, but nowhere near airtight.

I’ve found this toy a bit of a pain to clean, but then again, I’m a pretty impatient person. Both plastic and TPR can be cleaned with soap and water, but the plastic does have some seams, and I’m paranoid about water leaking inside the toy and ruining it. Since I don’t care much about the metal nubs anyway, I usually cover my Athena, which basically eliminates cleanup entirely. Bear in mind that plastic, while non-porous, can’t really be sterilized, so definitely plan on covering the Athena if you’ll be sharing it.

Figuring out what kind of lubricant to use with the Athena is something of a headache. Even though most people will tell you plastic can be used with silicone-based lubes, the instructions for the Athena advise you to stick to water or oil-based ones. The TPR caps, meanwhile, can only be used with water or silicone. The moral is, use a water-based lube to be on the safe side.

I got the Athena before I really understood what I wanted in a toy, which, as it turns out, is more diffuse vibration. While it’s an enjoyable vibe, it’s not quite the earth-moving experience that something like the Magic Wand is; my orgasms with the Athena are shorter and shallower. But, hey, an orgasm is an orgasm, and the Athena has its advantages—mostly, as I’ve already mentioned, because of its size. And if targeted clitoral stimulation is your thing, you’ll probably like the Athena even more than I do.