Reviewed by A. Marquardt
These two little (5.5 inch) vibrators, both from Topco’s Climax line, are similar enough that they can be reviewed together, but different enough to warrant two very different ratings. I’ll start with the good.
The Climax Gems Ocean Ripples vibrator, a sinuously shaped royal blue toy with ripples all along its body, is a fairly basic but functional toy. Made of flexible phthalate-free material, it tapers in a couple inches down from the tip and then back out again for a variable sensation—definitely a plus for this little guy. The ridges provide just enough friction to be interesting, but not so much that you’ll be uncomfortable, a great feature for someone new to the world of insertable vibrators. Controlled by a variable-speed dial (with a super-easy grip!) at the base, the toy doesn’t provide a terribly intense vibration at even the highest speed, probably because it’s powered by only one AA battery (not included) but it is fairly quiet when it’s on, so if you’re looking for discreet and gentle, this might be just what you’re looking for. It’s also waterproof for use in the tub or shower. Overall, it’s a fine basic flexible toy for someone who needs a bread-and-butter vibrator—with ridges.
Its purple cousin, the Climax Jewels Glimmering Amethyst, shares a name and an approximate size, but lacks many of the features of the Ocean Ripple version. First of all: it uses a C battery, which if you’re like me, you don’t have just lying around in your house (as opposed to the much more common AA). This wouldn’t be an issue if the Glimmering Amethyst made good use of the C battery, but I had to replace mine after only three or four uses. Sadly, the problems don’t stop there. One of the great features on the Ocean Ripples, the variable dial at the base of the toy, was also a part of the Glimmering Amethyst version…unfortunately, every time I turned the dial to turn down the intensity or turn the toy off, the entire base twisted off and the battery fell out! Serious mood killer. The toy wasn’t all bad, I suppose. It’s made of sturdy hard plastic, and the vibrations are a little stronger than the Ocean Ripples, but the shenanigans I encountered in trying to get the thing to work in the first place weren’t worth the final result.
The bottom line: The Climax Gems Ocean Ripples is well worth the price for a flexible, small insertable vibrator (and is attractive to boot), but the Climax Jewels Glimmering Amethyst requires too much finagling and too little payoff to make even its bargain-basement price a good investment. There are plenty of other small, hard plastic vibes that work better for only a few dollars more.
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