Lovers thong - butterfly strap-on vibrator discontinued by Cal Exotics - review by chicmichiw

The California Exotics Lovers' Thong is a truly unique toy. You could think of it two ways -- a couples' vibrator and/or as a different kind of cock ring.

The wearer must first position the thong over themselves -- it's just like a thong with adjustable straps for each of the leg straps and t-back. There is a bullet portion (removable!) that acts much like the strap-on or lay-on butterflies you may have seen -- the bullet should be positioned right over the woman's clitoris to stimulate her via vibration while she is penetrated through the toy's ring of silicone beads.


Don't look at the stock photo! It's being pulled up so that you can see the toy. The Lovers' Thong should be worn lower, more between the legs.

Who is it for?
I think that the Lovers' Thong is primarily for heterosexual couples, but with some creativity, here's the full list of people who might enjoy this toy:
1. Heterosexual couples, for clit stimulation and PIV sex.
2. Anal penetration for any combination of people, bullet stimulating either the perineum or labia.
3. Cock decoration/addition when worn over a man -- not a ring, since it's not meant to restrict blood flow.

My main caveat is that the ring of beads will limit some men based on size. The ring is designed for smaller to average sized men and definitely no larger. Granted, you could simply move it aside and the partner wearing the thong could still enjoy the bullet, but you could get that from a lot of toys. Know the measurements before you buy,

The entire harness area of the Lovers' Thong is made of silicone, which is both heartening and a bit strange. Certainly, it makes the toy very cleanable. The adjustable plastic bits cannot be boiled like the rest of the silicone material, however.


The entire toy had no smell or taste. Certainly, being close to one's mouth is not really a priority for this toy, as it's primarily a penetrative sex aid. The beads would certainly impair oral sex on the person who's wearing them.

The harness is totally smooth, flexible and pliable without any texture. The bullet is slightly tipped and the tapering point has a slight ridge. It can barely be felt during use, but it actually does serve to focus the vibration stimulation if you remove it from its harness. When kept in the harness, the tube of silicone that covers the bullet is completely smooth.

The Lovers' Thong is as capacious as you need it to be as tightened -- I consider myself smaller than average, with 34" hips and an upper thigh circumference of 21". Yet, you can see from the pictures that I was able to adjust this wearable bullet to a size that fit me. I felt more or less free to move and wasn't concerned about the harness pinching.




The silicone straps are fairly comfortable and each clip has a way for you to completely take out the top strap for large adjustments, then feed it back into the main clip.


My only warning is that adjusting the harness is definitely a two-person job. I could adjust the thigh straps myself but the thong in the back was much trickier -- I had to enlist my partner, who isn't as dextrous with straps. It took about 5 - 10 minutes, which certainly makes this toy travel into 'novelty' territory, rather than ease of use.

Ouch!
During sex, I was keenly aware of the plasticky feel of the silicone straps -- sweating on them made them a little sticky. His comments were that the sight of the thong was distracting, though "I wouldn't lose a boner over it", to quote him. However, the ring was so keenly uncomfortable that I could see the ring making indents along his shaft. "The ring is too tight, it feels like it's counter productive when combined with lube, too. It feels like it scrapes lube away." Even though we tried for a few more minutes, he noted that the beads simply didn't add anything to his experience and they certainly weren't adding anything to mine.

Since the beaded ring was so tight around him, it actually dragged the bullet away from my clit, which was incredibly disappointing. Loosening the harness made the bullet unable to sit on clit reliably. The bullet is easily the best part of this toy, but it certainly doesn't make up for the flaws in design of the rest of the toy.

The bullet is the best part of this toy, like I said. So I'll take a moment to explain it:

The bullet is small and hard plastic, with a slightly molded surface. It's 3" in length and 0.75" in diameter, making it just about the size of my finger. The back unscrews to reveal the battery compartment. Be warned that the bullet takes 3 watch batteries, which I consider a pain in the butt.




Functions and Patterns:
The bullet has
1. Low, steady (3 vrooms, 1 bee)
2. Medium, steady (4 vrooms, 2 bees)
3. High, steady (not a big jump, only 4.5 vrooms)
4. Stutter
5. Pulse
6. Fast pules
7. Short, short, short, long.

To turn on the toy, simply click the back button once and then you must cycle through all the functions (no going back). To turn off, you must click and hold for 3 seconds. I love that this bullet is actually fairly strong -- it definitely gets up to about 4 vrooms and doesn't lose power with pressure. I would note, like all couples' vibes that place a bullet-shaped vibrator over a woman's clit lengthwise, these are not where the bulk of the vibrations are. The vibrations are in the tip. Laying the bullet flat, along its length, takes off 1 vroom easily.



The bullet has an o-ring around the battery compartment to keep it waterproof and easy to clean.




At least 4 watch batteries were included with the toy -- the bullet only takes three, just for your information, so you get one extra. Nice!

The harness is not discreet, or at least, rather strange to look at. Anyone who found it would know it's somehow sex-related. However, since it is essentially just enough material to be a thong, it's easy to ball it up and toss it in a small bag.

The entire harness is silicone, making it easy to clean by soaking in warm soap and water. Good luck beyond that, however, as you should probably take care to wash all surfaces carefully due to sweat, fluid and lubes getting on it. The clips are potential bacteria harbors as well as the removable bullet tube, and the nook between every single bead. How annoying.

The bullet, at least, is easy -- the battery compartment seam is flush and entire surface is smooth. Some attention should be paid to the button area.

Packaging:
The box is just like most CalEx boxes -- indiscreet, cardboard boxes that meant mostly for candid display rather than storage. There isn't even an insert or seal-able bag to keep the thong in.