Billy, from the luxury toy manufacturer Lelo, is advertised as a prostate massager, and so is intended for use by people with prostates (men). I wouldn't call it a "massager" myself, though, as I think of massagers as intended to, uhh, massage the prostate -- that is, to apply pressure to it, and stroke back and forth over it. Billy is a prostate vibrator, most effectively used by inserting it, putting it against the prostate, and leaving it there to do its work.

Billy is essentially the same device as Lelo's Liv, which is advertised as a G-spot vibrator. The only differences would seem to be the color choices (blue and burgundy here; hot pink, lime green, and navy blue for Liv) and a ridge near the bottom of the silicone portion of Billy, functioning as a flare to keep it from disappearing into the rectum. In any event, Billy could also be used as a G-spot vibrator, but if people are going to share the toy, they will obviously want to make sure it is properly cleaned. Since the business parts of Billy are silicone, this can easily be done. You can also use it with a condom.

As with all of Lelo's toys, Billy does not come cheap. Is it worth over a hundred dollars? Let's see.

The business portion of Billy, the probe, is made from silicone. It feels fairly firm, though it does have a little bit of give to it. The silicone is actually fairly thin, maybe just 1/8", and is laid over an interior structure that is made from hard plastic, like the control portion.

The silicone has a soft feel to it and is smooth. There are seams on the top and the bottom, but on my Billy these are barely noticeable, even to the fingertips, and I have never noticed them when using the device.

Billy consists of two pieces: The probe, and the controls.

The probe, as I have said, has a silicone exterior. It's also 4" long, from the tip to the flare. It's basically 1" wide, with a gentle curve, though it gets a bit wider along the inside of the curve, peaking at 1 1/8". So, it is pretty thin as far as these things go, and should be easy enough even for a beginner to use. Insertion is also made easier by the fact that Billy has a nice, yet very softly, pointed end.

The flare is only abut 1/4" high, and is only one one side of the device. This is definitely enough to stop Billy from inserting too far into your rectum. However, it probably is worth saying that it is not big enough to prevent Billy from disappearing into the rectum if it were pushed with some degree of force. So, this toy is probably best not used for thrusting.

The vibrator is contained in the probe itself, and, importantly, seems to be located almost right at the tip, so that none of the vibration is lost but goes right to where it is needed. The vibrator is very strong -- as strong as I've seen in a prostate toy, anyway. It has seven speed settings, from a very low rumble to a good strong buzz, so you can adjust it to what you like. Also, given how powerful it is, the vibrator is fairly quiet. On full speed, just held in your hand, it could be heard through a door, but inserted it probably would not be audible.

The control portion is made from hard plastic and is about 2 1/2" long. The control is a small circular pad that works a bit like a joystick. Pun intended! Pressing the right side increases the speed, whereas the left decreases it. Pressing the top or bottom of the button cycles you through the five patterns of stimulation. The first, of course, is a simple buzz. The next three give you pulses of different speeds. The last pattern is a surging, slow to fast to slow, sort of experience.

One nice feature here is that Billy can be "locked", so that it can't accidentally be turned on (say, in your hand luggage). You do this by holding the control button down for five seconds. You unlock it the same way, or by charging it.

You'll notice that I've not yet said anything about batteries, and that is because Billy is rechargeable. It comes with a simple wall wart that plugs into the base of the control section. The electrical connection is protected by a small, rubber cover that is connected to the toy, to make it harder to lose.

I have never had a problem with battery life. I tend to charge mine fairly frequently, to be on the safe side, but I've used it for three or four sessions at a time without running out of power.

Is Billy the Ultimate Prostate Vibrator? Is it worth the money?

I can't answer the latter question for you. No doubt, $116.99 (the current price) is a lot of money, though if you buy at the right time you can of course get a discount. Right now, the answer to the former question is an enthusiastic: Yes! If the test of a prostate stimulator is the number and quality of orgasms it produces, then Billy is the best prostate stimulator I have ever used, and I have used a lot of them.

I honestly do not know why this thing is so good, but I have a few ideas.

First of all, Billy has an excellent shape. The curve is just right, and it is very easy to get it into the right position. You insert it, and then apply just a bit of downward pressure (assuming you are on your back) to the control panel, to force the probe up against the prostate.

Second, Billy is nice and rigid. If you push it against your prostate, it pushes on your prostate. It doesn't slink away from it as some less rigid toys do, as if it is afraid it is going to hurt you.

Third, the vibrations are very strong, and they are right where they need to be. Even the slower speeds feel strong.

Fourth, the different patterns are all useful. None of the patterns are very unusual, though. I've enjoyed pulsating patterns with several other toys, and surging patterns with a few. Sometimes, though, these patterns don't work so well, usually because the toy is not powerful enough. There is no such problem here.

Finally, I have found that there are really two different ways to use Billy. It is obviously intended to be inserted so that the curve is towards the prostate, however it can also be used the other way, and the sensation is very different in both positions. Inserted the usual way, the toy tends to "cup" the prostate, with the far end of the probe usually touching the deepest part of the prostate, which is also one of the most sensitive parts. Inserted the other way, the toy tends to lie along the prostate, and actually to make contact with more of it. Used the first way, the orgasms are a bit more intense, but the ones I get from using it the second way are deeper somehow, and maybe more satisfying, ultimately.

Unfortunately, however, Billy is not perfect. As other reviewers have mentioned, the controls are not terribly easy to use when the toy is inserted. If it's not inserted, you get visual feedback from the keypad when you have activated it: A little ring around it lights up. However, you can't see that when the toy is inserted, and it can be maddeningly difficult to get the toy to speed up just a little bit, rather than a lot.

What's worse, as with many such toys, you really do have to hold onto it while using it if you want it to make firm contact with the prostate. Since there is not much of it to hold, it's way too easy accidentally to hit the keypad and change the speed or pattern without meaning to do so. For the money, I guess I'd expect better design.

So, when I say that Billy is the Ultimate Prostate Vibrator, I mean: among the current offerings, and of course there are new ones all the time. It could be easier to use. It's as good as I've found, right now.

Of course, as with all anal toys, you will want to use plenty of lube with Billy, and your lube here should be water-based, since silicone lubes melt silicone toys.

Since Billy is made from silicone, it is easy to keep clean. You can wash it with soap and hot water, or one of the many toy cleaners that are available. Unfortunately, however, the silicone sleeve does not seem to be removable, so it cannot be sterilized in the usual ways. I would not recommend dunking the toy in overly hot water, as the vibrating mechanism is in the portion covered by the silicone.

Billy comes with a very nice satin bag, in which it can be stored.