The Aneros Helix has a bit of a reputation in the sex toy community, and with good reason. It can deliver powerful, hands-free orgasms to its users through stimulation of the prostate. The Helix was the first iteration of the Aneros line, and is a bit wider than the SGX, Eupho, and MGX. That being said, with sufficient lubrication it should fit comfortably even inside a beginner.

Some initial missteps left this toy sitting on our shelf for a long time, but my partner finally got up the courage to try it again recently and he's glad he did. This toy does have a learning curve, but the work to overcome that curve is well worth it.

The Helix is made of a very rigid, smooth plastic. This is not ideal for all users, but its firm stimulation of the P-spot made my partner a fan.

The one major drawback of this material has to do with the "arms". They are thin and feel incredibly flimsy, as though they could easily snap. Care should be taken when moving around with the Aneros in, as it seems as though accidentally applying pressure to the arms could end with a broken toy.

One other problem is the pronounced seam, particularly on the arm that stimulates the perineum. These have caused my partner pain during use, and at first were one of the reasons he was so reluctant to try this toy. This may have just been a manufacturing error, but for the price I expected better quality.

Out of the package there were no discernible odors or tastes.

The Helix has a very unusual shape. The toy is widest at the head with a 1 1/4" diameter, which tapers down to about a half inch near the base. There are three pronounced ridges along the body of the toy, designed for stimulating the anus. The two arms stimulate other areas of the body, including the perineum, with a small flat bit of plastic. The arms are very thin, so take care with them. The arms are essential to ensure the Helix does not get stuck in the anus.

While larger than many of the toys in the Aneros line, the Helix could potentially be used by anyone with various levels of experience with anal play. However, beginners should take things a little slowly. This was my partner's first anal toy and he had some difficulties using it the first time.

The toy has a bit of weight to it. If you like a weighty anal toy you'll likely enjoy the Helix.

I would be careful traveling with the Helix because the arms teem as though they could potentially break if just left unprotected in a bag. Also, despite its unusual shape, it looks very much like a sex toy, which could cause some potential embarrassment.

The first few times my partner used this, it was way more confusing than stimulating. This toy takes some getting used to, particularly as far as using it hands-free.

While the Helix does, with some practice, deliver some earth shattering orgasms, there are probably better, cheaper prostate stimulators. If the arms are not adjusted to just the right spot, they can be more annoying than stimulating, especially if you get one with a sharp, poking seam like we did.

While my partner enjoys the firmness, he does wish there was a little more give to the material. As it is now, the material is so unforgiving that attempting to manually stimulate yourself may be painful. Right now we are very interested in the Helix Syn because of this.

With all that being said, now that we've figured out how to get it to work, this toy works pretty well. I don't think it quite lives up to the hype, but maybe we were expecting so much from this toy when we bought it that a let down was a inevitable.

The all-over plastic design makes this very easy to clean. This toy can be washed under warm water with anti-bacterial soap, then either cleaned with a clean towel or left to air dry. This toy should not be shared between partners. It is compatible with all types of lubricants.

I recommend storing the Helix in the included plastic shell. Parts of it seem a little fragile. On the plus side, it is not a hair or lint magnet, so after an initial rinse it's usually ready to play with.

The toy comes in a standard plastic shell. Unfortunately this means it is not discreet in the least. It comes with a very thorough product description and instructions, which is good because you're going to need them.

The Aneros is not just good for solo play. We sometimes use it during intercourse. Though this can sometimes be kind of overwhelming for him, with it in we've noticed his erections are a lot stiffer, which makes us both pretty happy.