The Ammunition Just Misses the Mark

I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a blue toy for awhile now, so when I saw that the Ammunition Bullet came in a lovely cobalt shade, I was psyched. Approximately 2.5 seconds later, I realized that the exciting color options (red, black, and blue) were due to the fact that the Ammunition is intended for men. But whatever, I thought, a bullet is a bullet, and I’d give it a shot (no pun intended).

So was it worth it? On the whole, I would say yes; for what it is, it’s a decent toy. The Ammunition doesn’t pack quite as much power as it claims to, but the vibrations are certainly strong enough that holding it on your clit/penis/whatever should get you aroused. However, users who prefer a lot of power will probably find this toy most useful for teasing during foreplay; so far, I’ve found the vibrations too buzzy to be able to orgasm with the Ammunition. I have a sneaking suspicion that with a lot of time and energy, I could manage to get off from it, but to be honest, when I’m masturbating, I would rather just reach for a toy that gets me where I want to be with less effort. In any case, I would recommend it to anyone who prefers light, pinpoint vibrations. The only thing I would strongly advise against is using the Ammunition for penetration—particularly anal penetration. It’s so small that you won’t be able to reach anything worth stimulating, and you could easily lose hold of it.

I should also mention that if you have two Ammunitions, you can use them in what Evolved Novelties calls the “cross bullet system” — a cock ring that I feel like I’ve seen a picture of but cannot for the life of me find a link to now. I believe it looks something like this, though - in fact, the bullets shown here are Ammunitions.

The Ammunition says it’s made of TPR and plastic, although I have to agree with the reviewer who says it feels more like plastic only. Still, I do believe the claim that the Ammunition is phthalate-free; the toy had absolutely no smell or taste when I first opened it up, so I’m going to say it’s pretty safe to use. Hard plastic isn't my favorite in terms of sensation, but it does tend to transmit vibrations well, which is important for a toy that's only running on watch batteries.

Particularly for the price, this is a nice-looking toy. Because it’s geared towards men, the color selection is a bit more exciting than the usual pink/purple, and it’s fun to see a “bullet” vibrator that is actually shaped something like a bullet casing. It's easily the most discreet vibrator I own; I'm amazed by how much it looks like a tube of Nivea chapstick.

All in all, this is a pretty no-frills vibrator. The base screws on easily and has an on/off switch that is also used to control the vibration setting. Generally speaking, I prefer that switches and controls be on the body of the toy rather than the base, but the Ammunition is so tiny (2 1/2” long) that the location of the button doesn’t pose any difficulties.

The Ammunition comes with 3 LR44 batteries already in place, so once you remove the insulation inside the bullet, you’re good to go. To turn it on, you simply push the button on the base and then cycle through until you find a vibration setting you like. The first three settings are constant vibration (low, medium, and high), followed by four patterns (evenly spaced pulses, escalation/decline, two short intense pulses followed by a longer weaker pulse, and escalation/drop-off). I’m not usually one for patterned vibrations, so feel free to take my opinions with a grain of salt, but I was not impressed by most of the settings. I tend to like pressure on my clit, but when I pressed the Ammunition (on low) against my body the vibrations were too dampened to really feel them at all. Medium and high were much more enjoyable, but as I said above, not really enough to bring me to orgasm.

It was the patterns that really bothered me, though. The space between pulses on the fourth setting seemed abnormally long to me compared to other toys with similar patterns, although I suppose very sensitive users might enjoy this break in sensation. Both escalation patterns were okay, but I would have preferred a slightly slower increase in power. The sixth setting (short, short, long) was by far my least favorite. Again, it may just be that I’ve gotten used to a different kind of pattern with other vibrators, but something about this one seemed off to me. I liked the idea of having differing intensities of vibration, but the duration of the longer pulse relative to that of the shorter pulses felt bizarre — out of sync with what my body wanted. The fact that I had a hard time getting into the rhythm of the pattern made me edgy and I quickly switched to a different setting. One thing I did appreciate, though, was the fact that all the settings were fairly quiet.

Finally, while this is on the whole a very easy vibrator to operate, figuring out how to turn it off can be a bit of a challenge. Pressing the button will just take you to another setting; to switch the toy off, you have to press the button and hold it down. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it’s nice that you can cycle through the settings without ever having the vibrations turn off, but the time it takes to silence the toy could prove awkward if, for example, someone comes knocking on your door.

The Ammunition can be used with silicone or water-based lubes and is very easy to clean; I wash mine with soap and water — this toy is waterproof, by the way, provided you screw the base on tightly — but you could also use wipes. It can’t really be sterilized, though, so don’t share it unless you use some kind of cover. The Ammunition’s size and discreetness mean that storage is also a breeze. The only maintenance-related downside to this toy is the fact that it takes watch batteries. I usually have spare AAs and AAAs on hand, but I don’t own any other toys (or, for that matter, any other THINGS) that take LR44s, so if you plan on using this toy regularly, you should stock up.

Normally I don’t pay much attention to packaging — not so with the Ammunition. It comes in plain plastic blister packaging, but the cardboard shell is interesting, to say the least. I can’t quite decide which was stronger — my amusement or distaste. Being a huge dork, I felt like I was embarking on some sort of epic pirate adventure when I saw the skull and crossbones — a feeling I can’t say that I’ve experienced with other sex toys. On the other hand, I was somewhat put off by the bullet’s slogan: “Arm Your Manhood.” It rubbed my feminist sensibilities the wrong way — I would rather not think of a penis as a weapon of mass destruction.

There’s not much in the way of instruction, but it’s not a very complicated toy to figure out. On the other hand, there is an insulator inside the toy that has to be removed before it will run, and the sticker telling you this is nearly impossible to read against the color of the toy. It’s hardly a fatal flaw, but it would be nice if they included this in the instructions on the back of the packaging rather than reminding you of the patently obvious (don’t forget to screw the cap on!).