Marital Aid Test Kitchen reviews the SaSi vibrator (Verdict: Obviates thumbs up)

Our go-to sex toy reviewer Lux Alptraum checks out the "SaSi", a fancy new vibrator that has a motion nub that more or less simulates cunnilingus:

The first time I heard that the SaSi could learn how to get me off, I got a little freaked out, thinking that this toy was powered by some kind of A.I. voodoo that would sense when and how often and how hard the toy made me came. Not so much, though: turns out "learns what you like" is actually just code for "fancy system of programmable stimulation settings."

In other words, the SaSi has two different modes: "learning mode" and "favorites mode". (You select which mode you'd like to enter after you turn the toy on.) In learning mode, the SaSi works its way through every stimulation setting and pauses for twenty seconds at each movement pattern. If you like the way a pattern feels, you can hit the "don't stop" button. When you shut the toy off, favorites mode updates with your last five "don't stop" settings, turning the mode mode into your own customized orgasm session. It may not be as impressive as some A.I. voodoo, but it's still pretty cool.

In case you might miss the implication, the site linked below is NSFW — or at least not safe for some workplaces. Around here I demand that we all check out porn at least twice a day, whether we need it or not.

Also, watching the nubbing move around under the silicone sheath in the video Lux has posted on Fleshbot is sort of frightening. It looks like a little pink ghost.

It's $185.

Getting Down With The SaSi: Does The "Most Technologically Advanced Vibe Ever" Live Up To The Hype? [Fleshbot]

[#1 posted by mujadaddy , August 14, 2008 9:49 AM]

$185, for those of you at work.

[#2 posted by pork musket , August 14, 2008 9:57 AM]

Vaginas get all the fun toys

[#3 posted by mdhatter , August 14, 2008 10:06 AM]

'little pink ghost'?

Tee hee hee.

[#4 posted by Joel Johnson , August 14, 2008 10:08 AM]

Oh, thanks, Mujadaddy. I'll add the price into the post.

[#5 posted by zuzu , August 14, 2008 11:27 AM]

$185, for those of you at work.

Proving once again that vibrators are still kinda too damned expensive.

(Not that you should ever ever use a cheap "novelty" item either.)

[#6 posted by Girl With A One Track Mind , August 14, 2008 11:38 AM]

WANT.

[#7 posted by Halloween Jack , August 14, 2008 11:48 AM]

I seem to remember Regina Lynn at Wired reviewing something that looked different, but had the same remember-that-custom-routine function.

[#8 posted by Gloria , August 14, 2008 12:29 PM]

@5: Fun Factory has a great little number for $50-60.

[#9 posted by lux , August 14, 2008 12:54 PM]

@Zuzu: I gotta question the assumption that it's too expensive. Here's some of what makes the SaSi worth the price:

- silicone cover. This means it's easy to clean, can be sterilized, and (though it's not recommended) can be shared.
- rechargeable. No batteries! Ever! That's already a cost savings!
- hugely customizable, completely unlike any other vibe.
- easy to use.

As a vibe tester, I've used a lot of different vibes, from cheap to the high end, and you usually get what you pay for.

[#10 posted by zuzu , August 14, 2008 1:28 PM]

As a vibe tester, I've used a lot of different vibes, from cheap to the high end, and you usually get what you pay for.

Agreed, hence the qualifier "kinda". (Particularly w/r/t the silocone cover.) It just always feels like the scenario where a bucket of paint costs $40 while a DVD player costs $20. I'd guess it's economy of scale more than anything, but there's the nagging feeling that an unbalanced motor and a few ICs can't possibly cost $185.

rechargeable. No batteries! Ever! That's already a cost savings!

Just as long as you remember to charge it.

Nothing's more disappointing than dead batteries. ;)

[#11 posted by SamF , August 14, 2008 2:26 PM]

"Around here I demand that we all check out porn at least twice a day, whether we need it or not."

Where do I send my resmue?

[#12 posted by nehpetsE , August 14, 2008 4:07 PM]

while we are all talking about sex toys, has any one noticed that "Wartenberg Pinwheel" is an awesome band name?

[#13 posted by Downpressor , August 14, 2008 7:37 PM]

In the name of fairness, where is the Tenga review?

[#14 posted by Lonin , August 14, 2008 7:52 PM]

This demands a video review... Not by Joel.

[#15 posted by nabru , August 15, 2008 4:29 AM]

This demands a video review... BY JOEL.

[#16 posted by claud9999 , August 15, 2008 9:13 AM]

Jhesus H. Christ, the off-color fancy terminology in other posts was bad enough, this is sure to trigger my unnamed government agency's porn scanner...How about labeling all posts of this nature so I can filter them out of my RSS reader? (Sorry, I'm no prude, but I'm sure my employer wouldn't mind wrapping the total sum of "questionable" bb posts around my neck and dragging me away.)

[#17 posted by OM , August 15, 2008 9:43 AM]

...My ex-before-last just read this article, and e-mailed me the following:

"Does it know how to do the A-B-C's?"

...I told her to a) buy one and find out, and b) post her *own* query on Boing Boing so I don't embarass myself for nothing.

[#18 posted by Anonymous , April 1, 2009 3:47 PM]

I am not sure about everyone else, but I had an awful experience.

I received the Sasi as a Christmas present and was super excited to enjoy it.

When we got it home and charged it there was still barely any power. I played with settings. Next thing I knew it smelled like burnt rubber.

So on the off chance it was a faulty product (as there seemed to be so many good reviews), I sent it to the manufacturer for a refund or replacement product. We are coming on April with as of yet...no response.

Well that was a waste of ~200 bucks and I would most certainly not recommend this product to anyone I know.