Dr. Laura Berman Pomona - clitoral vibrator discontinued by Cal Exotics - review by Lucifer the Cat

The Pomona by Dr. Laura Berman is an external vibe that's great for beginners. This handheld vibe fits nicely into the palm of the hand and can be used to stimulate the clitoris and surrounding areas. The Pomona is not insertable, and its shape and material make it difficult to (comfortably) use on most other places on the body. However, it does fit nicely over the shoulder for a little shoulder massage! It is best used with the beak-like part stimulating the clit and the flat, round part resting on the mons pubis. This way, the button is convenient and you have more control over the toy. I enjoyed closing my legs around it and gyrating into it while lying on my stomach. I also liked lying on my back and rocking the toy side to side, slightly. The TPR tip and bottom, however, make the Pomona difficult to move around, even with lube, because of the drag of the matte material.

I used the Pomona by myself, but I imagine it would be a wonderful addition to sexy time with partners of any gender. The weak vibrations make the toy ideal for beginners - advanced users may be left desiring more.

The Pomona is made from plastic and has two TPR pads on the bottom, presumably so that you're not digging hard plastic into your clitoris, and to add extra padding to whatever areas of the body you use it on.



However, this feature makes the toy very hard to move around, even with added lubricant. The pads are smooth but feel rubbery and have a lot of drag. Their material is slightly porous, unlike the plastic body of the toy. The plastic is matte and even a bit grainy feeling. Both materials can be cleaned with warm water and antibacterial soap.
I'm glad the pads are there because I wouldn't like the hard plastic digging into my sensitive areas, but I wish they moved around more easily.

The plastic part of the toy has no smell, and the TPR has a very, very light smell (sort of rubbery). The TPR also picks up a bit of lint. The toy is hypoallergenic and phthalates and latex free.

The Pomona looks like a smaller version of my mom's electric can opener!





I like the shape for how nicely it fits the palm of the hand and how it allows you to control how much pressure you're putting on your clit, but my appreciation for the shape stops there. Overall, the shape limits what you can do with the toy a great deal. I like the size of the Pomona because, like I've stated before, it fits nicely in the palm of my hand. The curve makes it ideal for resting on the mons pubis and the tip met my clit very easily.






The narrow middle part is about an inch across, and the widest is 2.5 inches. The thickest part measures 6 inches around. The curves of the toy are attractive, even though it looks like an electric can opener to me. The size and rigidness may not suit every body. When I imagine the toy in my head, I can see how the curves of the toy are meant to contour to the curves of my body. However, the purpose of the design is a bit unclear when I'm actually using the toy. If the beak-like part is supposed to stimulate the clitoris, then does the flat, round part just sit on the mons pubis and vibrate? Is the flat part supposed to go on the clit, and the beak in the vaginal opening or perineum?

The shape of the Pomona is somewhat discreet, but it wouldn't take someone very long to figure out what it is. You can tell that it is a massager, but it doesn't scream "SEX!" At best, a naive onlooker may see it as nothing more than a muscle massager (which it very well may be, to some).

This toy can easily fit into a purse or carry on bag.

This is where the Pomona let me down. I first became skeptical of the quality of the craftsmanship of the toy when I put the batteries in and could not get the battery cover back on. A friend and I both spent a good amount of time attempting to reattach it, but to no avail. I ended up having to use tape to hold the battery cover on. Needless to say, I was disappointed.



Once I got the batteries in, I turned the toy on. One click of the button brings the Pomona to low speed, and another click brings it to high. I could not tell the different between low and high at first. I assured myself that ones I was using it in more sensitive places, I'd be sure to see a difference. Unfortunately, this was only slightly the case.
Because of the button's convenient location on the top of the toy, it is easy to control during use. There is little risk of bumping the button and accidentally switching settings (not that it would make much of a difference anyway). Unfortunately, you have to cycle through all of the settings to turn the toy off. But because the only settings are low, high, and off, it doesn't take very long.



Both the low and high vibrations felt pretty moderate, even a bit weak, to me. The vibrations are on the low side, sort of like a cell phone. I kept the toy on for at least 20 minutes and the battery lasted just fine. After an hour and a half, switching between the high and low settings, the batteries started to die and the vibrations became lower and rumbly. The toy didn't overheat, which is something I've seen with other plastic toys. It did get warm, but only after a longish period of use. The vibration sounded a little loud to me in my empty house, but was easily muffled when I squeezed my legs shut or covered myself with a blanket. I left the room for the "closed door" test, I could not hear it through the door.

Cleanup is very simple. I take the batteries out, soap up my hands with mild antibacterial soap and water and run them along the toy. I rinse in warm water, and pat dry with a paper towel. I've been storing it in its original packaging, but the toy would do well in a soft bag made from material that doesn't produce any (or much) lint. Water and silicone-based lubes are safe to use with it, but the water-based lubricant I used was ineffective.
And remember, the toy is not waterproof, so do not submerge!

Dr. Laura Berman's Pomona comes in a clear, flimsy, plastic package. It is very easy to open - simply pull apart the two pieces of plastic. It comes with vague instructions for use and care, and the instructions for inserting the batteries consist of a step-by-step illustration. It wasn't helpful at all for the battery issue that I had.
I have been storing the toy in the original packaging and inside of a cosmetics. I plan on taking it out of the plastic though, and just leaving it in the cosmetics bag. The plastic packaging is unfortunately nonrecyclable.

I'm hoping that as I continue to use the Pomona I'll pick up some creative ways to enjoy it.