The Icicles No. 17 is a smooth glass dildo designed primarily for vaginal insertion and firm g-spot stimulation in female bodied people. Due to the large size and firm material, it's not ideal for beginners, and caution must be used to avoid thrusting too vigorously with unyielding materials such as glass.

Since it has a flared base, the 17 is safe to use anally, although I did not find the shape particularly conducive to that use.

Glass is one of the safest materials for sex toys. It is non-porous, and can therefore be sterilized for sharing between orifices or partners. It is odor-free, phthalates-free, safe for those with allergies to certain materials, and requires little, if any, lubrication. It's also great for temperature play, as it can be chilled, or warmed, to taste by placing it in a glass of water before playtime. The Icicles No. 17 has a smooth texture that glides over skin with minimal lubrication.

Users, especially beginners, should note that glass is a firm material, and exercise appropriate caution, particularly when using this toy on a partner. Many women choose to save glass or metal for solo sessions only, and use a softer material such as silicone with their partners.

Borosilicate glass will not shatter if broken, but is instead designed to break into chunks if tragedy should strike -- dropping it on a tiled floor might break it. The human body is not capable of producing the force necessary to fracture one of these toys in use, but for safety's sake, users are encouraged to always check for chips or stress fractures before playtime.

The 17 has a curve to it which facilitates g-spot stimulation, a long and relatively narrow body with a large round head, and a base wide enough to allow it to stand on its own. It's a toy designed with aesthetics in mind, with a deep blue color to the shaft and a beautiful orange flower embedded within the clear head.

The business end is ideal for delivering firm pressure to the g-spot, but the large size -- the diameter exceeds and inch and a half - means adequate warmup is a must. Of course, adequate warmup is always required for g-spot stimulation, so reducing the temptation to take shortcuts is probably a plus.

While this toy isn't a realistic or even particularly phallic shape, only the most naive folks will fail to recognize it as a dildo, and only the most gullible will believe your cover story about darning socks. Since TSA employees are unlikely to be either gullible or naive (one would hope) I personally would not travel with this toy, nor would I be particularly happy about entrusting any glass toy to an airline anyway.

The massage delivered by the 17 is powerful, with similarities to the famous Pure Wand, which makes it nearly impossible not to compare the two. The Icicles No. 17 can be manipulated with a firm side-to-side motion, or with a rocking action, to give firm stimulation to the g-spot without enormous physical effort.

While the Pure Wand aims itself at the g-spot with eerie accuracy, the 17 has to be guided, and therefore has a steeper learning curve. On the other hand, it's easier to use a clitoral vibrator with the 17 than with the Pure Wand, although one may not need clitoral stimulation at all while using either one. The Pure Wand also has the advantage of two usable ends, which means it can provide two different kinds of massage to the same area.

Overall, I find it very difficult to name a winner in a direct comparison, and also find the two toys different enough that it's easy to enjoy both for their own individual strengths.

Glass can be used with any lubrication, and it requires very little of it, so the user is free to choose whatever works best for their body, as well as any other toys involved in the session. For cleaning, it can be wiped down with a toy wipe or baby wipe, cleaned with toy cleaner, or washed in hot water with antibacterial soap. Should sterilization be required, glass can be run through the dishwasher on the top rack, boiled, rinsed in bleach solution, or wiped down with alcohol, although many folks prefer to keep alcohol well away from any object meant to visit their nether regions.

Whenever I wash a glass toy, I always pad the bottom of the sink with a towel, lest I drop the toy. It makes extra laundry, but that seems a small price to pay for guarding against toy loss.

For storage, I recommend a padded bag to keep it from clinking against other glass, and a storage location unlikely to tip over or fall on the floor. Also, don't drop the Pure Wand on the Icicles No. 17.

The Icicles line comes in fairly nice packaging. The box shows the toy, so it's not discreet, but it's also blissfully free of naked ladies. Not that I have anything against naked ladies, mind you, but I prefer my naked people to not be making silly faces at me on my dildo packaging.

The toy is protected by Styrofoam, which is bad for the environment but good for the toy. You could minimize that waste by wrapping the foam in piece of satin and turning into elegant and safe storage for your toy, or you could waste a little time breaking it up into tiny unrecognizable bits for use as packing material. The cardboard portion is recyclable with slightly less effort -- slice it up and hide it in a more innocent box within your recycling bin.

As for gift giving, it's my opinion that if a relationship is intimate enough to make a dildo appropriate, the packaging should suffice regardless, but some women find that elegant, jewelry-box-like packaging makes a gift more romantic, or that the aforementioned naked people give it a more tacky appearance. The Icicles boxes fall neatly in the middle of those two extremes.