Desire Luxury App Controlled Rechargeable Knicker Vibrator

I was really lucky to be selected to test item for an honest review, thank you so much Lovehoney. xx

Wow, words really won't cut it for this clever and amazing thing.

The design is really good, although I think it would have been slightly better if there was a kind of clip to keep it attached to your undies, but I've got lots of underwear that has a pouch to slip it inside. Also a tight fitted pair work well too. You have have to adjust it slightly time to time. But for me I find the shape and size of this toy perfect for me. Sits really nice against my clit and opening.

So we had a bit of trouble with the app at first, but these were slight teething problems with the app and were soon sorted. Now this is our first app-compatible toy and I couldn't believe how easy and simple it is to use. It's just faultless. You pick your pattern setting, but swiping tight or left then the power is up or down on touch screen, so easy anyone could use. We have this on my and hubby's phones. Connection is spot on and never had any trouble while using it. Just push the on button on the toy and select who has control solo or partner and off you go.

There is truly a setting for everyone and the power this little thing kicks out is mind blowing. We used it a lot round the house to get to grips with it and almost every time I cum in no time.

Now it's not silent, but it's not overly loud, although if out somewhere quiet would get a few looks it's like a phone buzzing on speed. But we used out shopping with no looks. Out for a meal and just out and about. The feeling is amazing while no one but you and hubby know what's happening. Has definitely spiced up our outings more, and after 19 years together, giving us a new exciting experience

There really isn't anything I could fault with this. Even hubby has popped it in his boxers and enjoyed having it used on him. Although it never made him cum, was good fun, giving him many boners at a touch of a button.

Charging is simple. Just plug the charger into the bottom of the toy. Takes a few hours to fully charge, and we have used it for a good five-ish hours on and off. Holds full power until it dies. And having the zip up case is handy to take it out and about too. Cleaning is simple too - just rinse in warm water with toy cleaner and store back in the zip up case.

Love this so much has become my favourite toy of all time. Even using on my own having hands-free orgasm is amazing.

The Vibrator:

The vibrator itself is very similar to the Desire knicker vibrator with the handheld remote: it’s got a great battery run-time (2 hour charge for 2 hours play), 8 modes with 12 intensities, it’s waterproof, really easy to clean, and has similar power and patterns to a lot of the other Desire toys. It also comes with a soft storage pouch which is lockable (though doesn't come with a padlock). It didn't come with knickers, but using your own is much better as you'll definitely know they'll fit.

It's an attractive-looking toy that’s shaped bit like a bike saddle with a raised contour underneath, which is good for directing the power to the right places. It's very smooth and sleek, and comes in the signature Desire purple, which we find very desirable. It's also discreet and lightweight and very comfortable to wear. It's easily held in place with a tight-ish pair of knickers, or a pair of jeans, and is good sitting or standing.

It can actually be used without the app if you’re desperate. You can click through the modes using the single button on the top of the toy, but there's no way to adjust the intensity of each mode this way. They’re all set to ‘max’ though, so you can get by in a pinch.

Personally we didn't find it 'whisper-quiet'. At home or in the bedroom it's absolutely fine and can easily be muffled by a duvet and a closed door, but if we were going to take it out and about I'd want a decent bit of background noise (more 'busy pub' than 'quiet restaurant'). I could definitely hear Mrs Chimp’s crotch buzzing from a few feet away when we tested it out with the tv on.

The App:

Easy to download and set up. It's functional and quite intuitive. It’s also got quite a low-key app icon which doesn't blare out 'sex toy app' from your phone screen - and there’s nothing more innocuous than swiping on a smartphone, so controlling it in public would be super discreet. There are two main settings: Solo (local control using bluetooth) and Partner (distance control using the internet). And adding a partner is easy; simply type their Desire user name into the 'Add Partner' box and it'll send them an invite to accept. And it's also designed to have multiple partners if you're lucky enough to have more than one person to play with.

Once you're both buddied up you then gain access to the chat function, with video call, audio call, and gallery options - plus the ability to 'control partner'. I immediately clicked on it and demanded a cup of tea be brought to me, but it turns out it's to control the toy not the actual partner, so bear that in mind. There's also a disconnect button, so you can regain control any time you want.

The control screen is the same for both solo and partner. It's a simple screen with a representation of the current pattern in graph form, with arrows left and right to scroll through the modes, and you swipe up and down to increase/decrease the intensity. The modes aren't looped so you have to swipe back through them once you reach the end (but the intensity stays the same while flipping between modes). I would have preferred the pattern names or numbers on there somewhere to make it easier to describe which one to select over the chat function (describing, 'um, the jagged one. With slanted triangles. No. The other one. No. The other other one' was a bit tricky).

We had no issue with it dropping connection from either local or distance control. It did seem to auto-disconnect if I left my phone on the side for a bit and let the screen go to sleep, but I changed my screen settings and that seemed to sort it out. It also connected fine while in place too, the jeans didn’t seem to affect it at all, which was really convenient.

I’d have like to be able to programme a few patterns and speeds into a sort of playlist, but failing that you can use the Favourites feature as a bit of a workaround. It only seems to allow saving a particular mode at a certain intensity, but if you save a few you can use them as a sort of 'jump to' function and mix it up a bit rather than having to skip through the other patterns while scrolling.

In Use:

Vibration-wise it fits in well with the rest of the Desire range. Mrs Chimp wouldn't mind the vibes to be a little stronger, but she is more of a fan of the Mantric frequencies. It's a great teasing and warm up toy, which is perfect if she's in the bedroom and I'm downstairs with the intention of joining her before she's finished.

Personally I think its main strength is the distance/partner control, which we both thought was a huge amount of fun and are currently thinking about all the new situations we’d like to try it out in.

If you’re looking for a long-distance toy with the quality and reliability of a Desire toy then I’d certainly recommend this.

The toy feels silky smooth and really good to hold it has premium toy feel. The shape fits to the contour of the body well and feels lightweight. This toy is both designed for solo control via the app and for long-distance couples fun. It comes with a great little purse to store the toy in that's very discreet.

When used solo my wife found that it would often shift so unless wearing tighter underwear and clothing it has a tendency to move about and not deliver vibrations to the target area. It's best used when sitting down. Obviously when used long distance and at home, this is not an issue and can be controlled to target the areas you want.

The device is controlled via the app which is easy to navigate. Perhaps maybe the app could have a more discreet mode, a simple slider when you exit the app that stays on the main screen of your phone so no one could see you were controlling a toy? As the main part says knickers vibrator I wonder if in a restaurant or somewhere overlooked a discreet/stealth mode control would be a great addition. That aside it makes perfect sense to have a phone control as we all have one. The connectivity was solid and never dropped the connection once. The range was also fantastic and worked several rooms away.

The device can also be controlled without the app a press of the button on the device allowed easy control and to cycle through the modes. And a big selling point as solo play without the app is great when needed. Top marks for this.

I did think that an option to choose a series of patterns and then save your own created pattern so that you could tease your partner then set a created one and allow it to work its magic when things heated up. Like a playlist and set it for different moods. You could then label them 'warm-up' or 'final hurdle'. I realise this detracts from having some control but feel you would both reach a point when used together that you would want the toy to take over. Presently you can save a setting on its intensity but not record the manipulation or switch between intensities. This would give the controller some pre-planned modes to add to the fun.

The light on the vibrator was visible through knickers and two outfits. My wife thinks this could put people off and ruin the mood before you start. My partner said you would worry others could see the glow even more so if used on an evening out.

The vibrations were also a little loud at times so maybe not always discreet depending on the setting.

It's not always whisper-quiet. When tested at home with a TV on fairly average volume, it was still audible to me. I would be unsure when using in a quieter setting out for a meal. A pub or somewhere louder would work. Again, at home with your partner controlling from across the world would not be an issue. I think you also have to be mindful if it moves - the sound can resonate on the material you're sat on, say a wooden chair. This would be a giveaway for others something was going on.

I bought this as a birthday treat to myself so I could play with myself hands-free so to speak and so I could involve someone else easily when they weren't here. Or even be a bit naughty out and about!

I figured I'd spend a bit more and get this over a few others and was super excited to get my hands on this! It turned up, well presented, cute storage pouch, cute knickers, nice little handy charger.

Plus points first! The knickers are tie sides and I was originally anxious the panties wouldn't fit me so the tie sides are perfect! Love that and they are cute lacy little things too. Love them! The storage pouch is a sleek sexy black to make sure you don't lose things, which is great because if you lose this charger you are definitely out of luck! It's not a standard charger so keep it safe.

The app is so easy to install and use and follow. Straight down to business! I'd have loved it a bit more if there was a function to following a finger drawing on the screen though. The vibrator itself is a nice feeling material, has a curved and bump for your clit, however because of the wider end if you have chunkier thighs then it does feel a bit awkward against them.

Negatives. The vibe is not very powerful, even on full power it's very underwhelming and it definitely doesn't do it for me. Just feel like I'm wandering around or laying there waiting for something to hit the spot. I do have slight buyers regret and wish if got the We-Vibe or something else as my 30th birthday treat is now very lacklustre!

Your phone has to be pretty close by of it loses signal, not great if you're getting close and it just turns off. The functions are a little dull and you're stuck with set functions and no ability to make your own pattern or have anything follow a new pattern being written on the app by you or a partner.

I think if you're quite sensitive then this would easily be a winner for you! Otherwise, I would recommend investing in another app-controlled vibrator.

I am writing this review for others who may have had the same question that I did. That is, how does this vibrator compare to the similar one made by Vibease?

First some background… I bought the Vibease for my wife about 12 months ago, and whilst it is pretty good, it constantly drops connection with your phone when you are out and about in built up areas. I have read many reviews of people having this issue and offering possible solutions and even Vibease themselves have offered some suggestions to alleviate this problem. However, none of these have addressed the core issue, causing the drop outs which is Bluetooth interference and/or frequency saturation that increasingly happens in large cities (especially now that everyone has the courage to use bluetooth headphones… thanks Apple). Unfortunately there is not a lot that can be done in these situations, although some manufacturers have been working on better signal strength technologies recently. Thus I thought I would try the Desire and see if it was any better.

So was it better? Well I can’t really answer that question due to the fact that this vibrator is much louder than the Vibease. Subsequently, we haven’t taken this thing out in public. The noise probably wouldn’t be an issue if you are out at a club, but if you are in an intimate restaurant you are definitely going to have the person at the next table lean over and ask you if you are going to answer your phone!

The ‘on’ light is also quite bright, so if you do wear it out and about, it might be a good idea to be wearing thick clothing. As it is currently summer, we are not likely to be wearing thick clothing for a while. Also, like the Vibease, it did take a while for the vibrator to connect to the phone the first time we used it. Although after the first time it connecting to the phone was fairly quick. We did notice some drop outs when the host phone went to sleep but this could have been an issue with the app or interference/frequency saturation or possibly just a coincidence.

However, not all is bad, because with noise comes vibration. This vibrator is much more powerful than the Vibease and according to my wife it is awesome. So if I am out and she is at home and would like me to remote control a vibrator, she will reach for the Desire over the Vibease any day. This vibrator can also be used without the app.

Which brings me to the app that controls the vibrator. The app is simple and easy to use and is uncluttered so you can get straight down to business. However, it does have some quirks that I hope Lovehoney will fix in the next update. Some quirks include: The app is not discreet. Anyone looking at your phone from a few metres away can see what you are doing, unlike the Vibease app which looks similar to WhatsApp, the Desire app has large text to make sure the entire world knows which app you have opened on your phone. So using it in a crowded room may not be an option.

Also it is not clear on how to stop the vibrations. This can be confusing because when you are remote controlling the app and you turn up the vibration, if you tap on ‘End’ in the bottom of the screen, the remote connection will disconnect but the vibrator continues to vibrate. If this happens then the only way to stop the vibration is for the host phone to go into ‘Solo’ mode and tap on ‘End’ in that menu. To stop the vibrator whilst remotely using it you need to slide the vibration pattern image to the bottom of the screen so that it is in the lowest position. This is fine once you get used to it, but it is not very intuitive the first few times.

It is good that any messages in the app disappear after 48hrs, although they are probably still sitting on a server somewhere, and I have no idea about the app’s encryption. It would also be good to have an icon or some other indication in every screen to let the host phone know if the vibrator is connected.

But these are software problems and can easily be fixed with an update.

In conclusion, if you want a remote controlled vibrator that provides great sensations to use at home or in noisy environments, then I can highly recommend this product. However, if you want to be naughty in that posh restaurant then maybe get the Vibease, just keep in mind the bluetooth signal is weak.

I hope Lovehoney keep developing this vibrator because it has great potential. The first thing that needs to be done is to update the app so that it looks more like any other standard messaging app. If Lovehoney fixes the noise and light in version 2 then I will be the first to buy it! In fact, Lovehoney feel free to send me a prototype sample and my wife and I will gladly test it for you :)