Review: Touch by Swan Solo

I felt like a real life sex blogger when I saw the email from Betty’s Toy Box saying they were sending me the Solo. I couldn’t tell if I wanted to love it or hate it, so I compromised by spending a few days obsessively checking the mail and hovering in a perpetual state of anxious anticipation. When the package finally came, I grabbed it and practically ran upstairs with absolutely no explanation. I HAD TO KNOW.

Look at that flex! I used my Screaming O Vooom to show off how flexible the Touch Solo is.

The name of this vibe puzzled me for ages– why name it ‘Solo’ when it’s clearly a dual stimulator? Finally, when I took out the manual, I realized that the name refers to the number of ears on the clitoral stimulator, for some unholy reason known only to the marketing department. The Trio has three ‘ears’ that are meant to surround the clit, the Duo has two traditional rabbit ears, and the Solo has…zero, unless you count the insertable part’s end or the clitoral stimulator as an ear (absolutely not, if you ask me). The Solo’s body also differs in shape from the other two. It has a skinny upward curve (which is made of pure flexible silicone rather than having a hard core of plastic and electronics) that tapers down from the wider body of the toy (where the internal motor is). It’s a real weird shape, to the point where I dubbed it ‘the weird one’ in my toybox.

The box is a little doofy, but it’s a sturdy box with a nice storage bag, so I’m willing to ignore the Classy Cursive thing.

All right, as much as I rolled my eyes , this is a damn powerful vibrator. I’ve used it as a dual stimulator and as an external vibe, and it gets me off reliably and quickly. It’s replaced my Mona 2 in its position by my bedside. The ability to adjust the motors independently is incredibly useful as a dual vibrator– I can finally make the clitoral arm STRONGER THAN THE INTERNAL ARM, LIKE IT SHOULD BE. The shape isn’t especially G-spotty, but I don’t really thrust with this toy, even despite the flexible clitoral arm. I tend to just angle it so that the external arm hits my clit, lie back, and wait to orgasm. What can I say? I’m lazy. The vibrations are strong, rumbly, and travel well, even through the flexible silicone extension on the internal arm. It doesn’t hurt that it’s covered in soft, smooth, gorgeous teal silicone either. The color is darker than in the photos, but for once, I like the difference.

Because I wanted to be as thorough as possible, I tested this against my Mona 2 and the Satisfyer Mr. Rabbit (quite possibly the worst name for a sex toy). It is, hands down, better than the Mr. Rabbit. I have a deep and violent hatred for that toy. The motors in the Solo are independently adjustable, and they are both strong, rumbly, orgasm-inducing not-here-to-fuck-around perfection. The fucking Mr. Rabbit, on the other hand, has a clitoral motor that is so weak it’s IMPOSSIBLE TO FEEL with the power of the internal motor, which makes my vagina itch. And then you just have a useless protrusion blocking any hope of pleasure as it valiantly tries to overcome the actual motor present in the internal arm. With the (much more expensive) Solo, I can make the clitoral arm stronger and leave the internal motor either entirely off or on a low rumble. If you’ve got a clitoris, you probably need to stimulate it to get off, folks. Do yourself a favor and buy a vibrator that will give you orgasms instead of an urge to scratch your vagina. As far as the Mona 2, I still like the Mona better for internal stimulation and thrusting until I squirt, but I can’t really detect a significant difference between their motors. I guess my clitoris isn’t all that nuanced. The Solo does have more flexible silicone on the internal arm, so when I really want pressure, I’ll go to Mona or use the external arm of the Solo. I made a point of using the Mona after the Satisfyer, just to remind myself that yes, I do make good decisions sometimes.

The Solo isn’t perfect, mind you. Its biggest downfall is its namesake– the fucking touch controls. The touch-sensitive area is tiny. I tend to jack off in my bed, under a blanket, and I can’t find the little sensor with just my fingers. I find myself missing traditional clicky buttons with raised symbols as I kick my blanket off in frustration and swipe at the sensor. It occasionally doesn’t read my finger, and I have to try again– this is especially true when I try to adjust it with small, gradual motions rather than big swipes. Also, turning it on and off requires holding the single button down until it buzzes twice, and THEN swiping the sensor to turn on the motors. This got on my nerves a lot during comparative testing, where I kept switching between toys. And the charging situation (stabby pin jack that requires A LOT of pressure to stab with) is terrible. Give me magnets or give me death. On the bright side, it holds its charge well, and in all my time using it, I haven’t had to recharge it. Also, the cable is tagged with the Swan logo, making it stand out from my ten other USB charging cables. Those are all minor grumbles at best, though– in the end it gives me quick, reliable, lazy orgasms. Plus, it’s $85! That’s pretty boss for a rechargeable insertable vibrator that doesn’t suck, and I’m happy that I can wholeheartedly recommend it. Especially if you don’t masturbate under a blanket.

Want your own? Betty’s Toy Box ($90) sent this to me for review, buy it from them! Don’t have the money for a new vibe right now? I have a Patreon!