I'm not a stranger to Ben Wa balls; In fact, a few years ago I actually wrote an article on the EF blog talking about them. When the chance arose for me to compare and contrast the Silver Pearls by California Exotic against my gold pair of Ben Wa Balls by Pipedream, I took it.

There is one major difference between the Silver Pearls and my Ben Wa Balls. The Silver Pearls weigh less; they're roughly 3.8 oz whereas my Ben Wa Balls weigh 5.4 oz. While to many, the variation in weight doesn't seem like a big deal, the Silver Pearls actually require less effort. Using these type of balls for strengthening your pelvic muscles can be frustrating, annoying, but overall, generally rewarding. The heavier the balls are the more they'll want to slip out, and the harder you'll have to squeeze your muscles to keep them in. The Silver Pearls were light and basically didn't seem to want to move once I inserted them - because of this, I don't really tote these as vaginal exercisers because there wasn't much of an exercise.

Once I realized the Silver Pearls weren't going to work out as a vaginal exerciser, I wore them around the house for sexual stimulation while I did my daily chores. They really didn't do much for me during these activities either. I've never been in love with Ben Wa Balls. They're too small for my taste and the fact that the Silver Pearls weighed less than my other pair, made them difficult to feel. I had expected to feel them clink together or gyrate around but as far as I could tell, they didn't really do much of anything. I've given them 4 weeks to change my opinion or to show me something special, but they've failed to be anything more than a major disappointment.

Another disappointment is the pretty silver plating of the Pearls scratches very easily if these fall on a hard surface. These did slip out in the shower once I squatted and pushed with all my strength but they didn't hit the shower floor that hard. However, when I picked them back up to visually inspect them, there were significantly noticeable scratches. My fear is that overtime, and if dropped repeatedly, the silver plating will flake off and I'd hate for that to happen while the balls are inserted.

The one thing I had been overjoyed about before these balls arrived, was the huge variation in their storage options. My Ben Wa Balls have a clear, plastic case which isn't exactly discreet. The Silver Pearls however, were pictured as having a rather attractive solid black, clam shell case. I had expected it to be a hard plastic; instead, it turned out to be nothing more than throw-away, thin plastic packaging. It fell apart the first time I opened it up and I instantly realized the clam shell was created for show and served no actual, functional purpose... like storing the balls. I had to resort to storing my Silver Pearls in a ziplock bag so I don't lose them and that isn't exactly discreet.

I'm someone that has been in love with California Exotic products for years but the Silver Pearls were nothing tremendously special, and not up to the standards I had come to expect from this sex toy manufacturer. The Silver Pearls weren't exciting and didn't help to stimulate me sexually, nor help to strengthen my PC muscles.

Ah, those one star reviews... how few and far between they seem. Yet, when I finally write one I try to give products second, third, or fourth chances. To be quite honest, the Silver Pearls haven't received any chances beyond the initial because I lost them.

They were so small I lost them while trying to play with them and down under the bed they went! I gave up looking for them after a few minutes and the next day when I tore my bedroom apart to get them back, they couldn't be found! They actually disappeared! I'll probably discover them in one of my cat's hiding places when we finally move out of our town home, but until then I'm actually saying "good riddance". I know it's unfair of me to just give up but I never had much faith in these in the first place.