As its curved shape and bulbous head imply, Janis is mainly intended for G-spot stimulation. Fortunately, it’s good at it. It’s insertable up to about 3 3/4”, so it should be able to reach all but the deepest of G-spots, and the curved neck makes it easier to apply real pressure. As a toy that is about 1 1/2” in diameter at its widest point, it should prove comfortable to most users, the possible exceptions being the two extreme ends of the spectrum: women with no experience in penetration, and women who require a lot of girth.

I love it when vibrators can pull double duty, so I was hoping that I could use this on my clit as well. Unfortunately, I personally found the vibrations too buzzy to be enjoyable in this respect, but for those who don’t mind this kind of sensation, Janis is likely to be a great external vibrator as well.

Although I obviously can’t speak from experience, the shape of Janis looks like it might work for prostate stimulation. HOWEVER, the fact that it doesn’t have a flared base makes me think that this is not a good idea. This toy gets extremely slippery when used with any kind of lube, and it would just be too easy for it to wiggle its way out of your grasp.

Janis is made of silicone and plastic — silicone for the body, ABS plastic for the base — and has a very soft, velvety feel to it that feels great against my clit or labia. Paired with even a tiny amount of lubricant (artificial or otherwise), this toy has absolutely no drag to it; I can thrust it with perfect, slippery ease. The other thing that makes this a good toy for penetration is that while the neck is flexible enough to bend with my body, the material itself doesn’t have too much give, so I can apply a fair amount of pressure with it.

I’ve heard a few complaints from users who found the studded portion of the toy uncomfortable, but I can’t say that I’ve noticed any problems; the studs aren’t pointy at all, just slightly bumpy. In any case, for the price, this is a pretty high-quality toy: it’s food-grade material, phthalate and latex-free, hypoallergenic, and non-porous. It had the faintest of smells when I first opened it, but I had to press my nose right up to it to notice it, so it shouldn't be much of a problem for anyone.

Let me just say right off the bat that I’m in love with the way this toy looks. Toy-makers, this is how you design a toy that’s flirty and feminine without giving adult women the unsettling impression that it was designed for a five-year-old girl. Janis comes in two colors: pink and black. I loved the contrast of the silver studs against the black silicone, and thus opted for the latter, but both are unique, funky, and pretty. I can’t decide whether it’s discreet or not, though; I’m sure that anyone intimately familiar with sex toys will recognize Janis for what it is, but since the shape doesn’t scream “phallic,” the average observer might not.

Both the G-spotting head and the dial-base of the Janis are bulb-shaped, giving the toy a nice symmetry. The head is just over 1” in diameter; Janis then tapers through the neck before widening again at the base. At its widest point — roughly where the base screws on — Janis is about 1 1/2” in diameter. The entire toy, which is about 7 1/2” in length, has a gentle curve to it, so that the head of the toy tips toward your G-spot when inserted.

For the most part, Janis is a solid G-spot toy — notice, however, that I don’t say “vibe.” That is because, for me, the vibrations are just okay. I can feel them when I clench my PC muscles, and they feel nice, but they aren’t strong enough to really do much for my G-spot while thrusting, even when I run the toy at full power. If you have a very sensitive G-spot, or if you prefer toys that you can really work with your PC muscles, you’ll probably enjoy the vibrations more than I do.

I do, however, really like this toy — just as a dildo rather than a vibrator. I am not exactly a size queen, and this toy is a great fit for me. As soon as the head of the toy slips past my pubic bone, it snaps into place like a puzzle piece; I can honestly say that this is the first toy I’ve used that felt like it was molded for my vagina. I’ve experimented with different ways of using it — pressing it into my G-spot, sliding it over my G-spot, et cetera — and it all feels great and completely natural. My one wish is that the curve were a bit more extreme. Don’t get me wrong; Janis feels really good, but I usually find myself craving more pressure, and I just can’t quite get the leverage I need from this toy. All of this, though, is highly dependent on individual anatomy. I personally have to really dig into my G-spot to feel anything, but Janis’s curve will probably suit some women just fine.

My biggest quibble with Janis’s performance is the dial control, because unlike everything else I’ve talked about, I can’t imagine this working for ANY woman. Past experience has made me suspicious of dial controls. I usually find it too easy to accidentally change the vibration level — a brush of my hand against the base is often sufficient, and it’s annoying. Doc Johnson has sort of fixed this problem with Janis, but in doing so, they’ve created something far worse: a dial that is virtually impossible to turn while the toy is in use. You can’t simply flick this dial to turn it. You have to actually hold it with two fingers and rotate it. This is all fine and dandy, except that as soon as the toy gets any kind of lubrication on it, the dial becomes too slippery to grip. The only way I can sort of work the controls while using Janis is by digging my fingernail into one of the indentations on the base and pulling/pushing. It is maddeningly frustrating. Can’t we all just agree that buttons work better and move on?

I’m also going to have to take issue with the whole “whisper quiet” thing, because no, it’s not. It’s not horrendously loud — when used internally it’s actually fairly muted — but what it lacks in volume, it makes up for in annoyance. The vibrations are quite high-pitched and, at full power, bear an unfortunate resemblance to the sound of a fly buzzing. As I said, it’s no big deal if you plan on using this toy for its intended (internal) use, but it might be a nuisance if you want the option of using it on your clit.

Janis can’t be boiled because of its plastic base, and thus can’t really be sterilized — the point being, use a condom if you want to share. The fact that the shaft is made of silicone, on the other hand, means that you need to remember to use only water-based lubricant with it. Other than that, though, it’s a very easy toy to clean with just a bit of soap and water. I was a little worried that the studded portion would have a tendency to accumulate gunk, but that concern turned out to be groundless; the grooves are so shallow that a quick rinse gets everything off/out of them.

The Janis’s packaging is plain see-through plastic, but I loved it anyway because of the colorful, old-school rock designs splashed all over it. In fact, I like it so much that I haven’t been able to bring myself to throw it away, despite the fact that I’m loathe to use it to store the toy — not because it’s not sturdy, but just because plastic boxes can be a bit noisy to open. It’s not, however, the most discreet packaging; once you look past all the roses, hearts, and birds, you see that it has “vibes” written in big letters right across the center of the box. It doesn't have much in the way of instructions, but it does hit the main points: what material it's made of, what batteries it takes (2 AAAs), the fact that it's waterproof, etc.

Ever since I actually found my G-spot, I have been on a quest to find a toy that can make me orgasm from G-spot stimulation alone. So far, Janis has not done that, but it has brought me closer than anything else has — except maybe my fingers, but those get tired too quickly to be truly useful. I’m starting to think that I may need a toy with a pretty intense curve to it, but in the meantime, I plan on experimenting quite a bit with my Janis. It may not have gotten me all the way there yet, but it feels great, and coupled with a minute or two of vibration on my clit, it gives me pretty amazing orgasms.