The Amber Wave is a playful toy of exploration and discovery, suitable for a female-bodied person's alone time or -- with caution, due to the hard material -- an intimate occasion between lovers. It's meant for vaginal insertion, but capable of plenty of external stimulation as well. Its small circumference makes it quite suitable for beginners, while its varied texture makes it a fun and useful addition to even larger collections.

Being glass, it's ideal for temperature play.

I personally do not find it appealing for any sort of backdoor fun, as it lacks a flared base (although the head is somewhat larger than the tail, the increase in size there is too gradual for my tastes), too small in circumference to interest most advanced users, while simultaneously too textured, hard, and awkwardly-shaped for beginners to play in that region.

Pyrex glass is non-porous, odorless, and rigid.

If dropped, Pyrex glass will not shatter, and should it experience an accident which does cut its life tragically short, it will break into chunks, rather than shards. While it's always a good idea to examine glass toys for stress fractures before playtime, there is very little chance of it breaking while in use.

The Amber Wave is textured with raised bumps, which vary in stimulation depending on the angle of use, making it a great way to experiment with texture. It's also really pretty.

The Amber Wave is shaped like a snake, a whimsical design that will have it mistaken for art if it's left out on a tabletop. The waves of the slithering body make for a variety of sensation in use, making a slender toy feel quite filling with the twist of a wrist. The texture can feel intense at one angle, and fade to nothing at another.

Genius.

The angle of the head makes it useful for g-spotting, yet not foolproof in that department. If your g-spot is hard to find or reach, this toy won't make it any easier. However, it will provide firm pressure once you locate the right angle.

The texture on the tail end, and the temperature play option provided by the glass, also makes this toy useful externally, adding to its versatility.

The slender body and unique shape of the Amber Wave combine to make it a phenomenal warmup toy that's also capable of finishing the job. Gentle teasing and shallow thrusting are excellent for mood-building, and with two available ends, as well as different surfaces on either side of the body of the toy, the Amber Wave excels in that department. The angle of the head, combined with the firmness, mean it's quite useful for g-spotting.

Externally, I found the texture on the tail end to be exactly what I wanted from this toy. Doubly so when chilled in a glass of ice water.

Overall, I found the Amber Wave to be the ideal warm-up toy, specifically for the more intense Pure Wand, while also satisfying on its own.

Glass can be cleaned with hot water and mild soap; sterilized in boiling water; run through the dishwasher (without soap, for the sake of your body); wiped down with bleach solution; or cleaned with a bedside wipe or toy cleaner and set aside for a better cleaning in the morning.

Anything goes in the lube department -- water, silicone, or oil-based lubes are just fine. Glass will tolerate them all, and due to the smooth, non-porous texture, you'll find that a little lube will go a long way.

Storage is a snap, thanks to the included storage bag. Or thanks to the discreet appearance, you could leave it on the coffee table. Just clean it before use to keep household dust from causing trouble.

The packaging is perfect. The Amber Wave comes nestled securely in its own cloth bag. The satin lining will not leave lint on the toy, while the plush outer layer makes it feel padded, even though closer inspection reveals only two layers of cloth.

In addition to the storage bag, there's just a single plastic bag to recycle or press into service elsewhere. No waste. Nothing to fret about sneaking into the recycling bin. Safe toy. Perfect packaging.

Edit: As of 11/23/10, the packaging for SSA Glass toys has changed. My recent order arrived not with the purple faux suede bag described above, but rather in truly gorgeous, but thinner, smaller, red velvet separator bags. Without the additional layers of fabric to serve as protection, these toys came wrapped in bubble wrap. I checked with the order department, and they confirmed that this is a long term change.

The con to this is slightly more waste upon arrival, and less padding for your toy in storage. However, the pro is that these new bags take up less room in your storage container, as the bags fit the toys better. If your heart is set on the purple bag, it can still be ordered separately.

I selected this toy specifically as a companion to the Pure Wand, and it performed exactly as expected in that regard. It also earned a place among my favorites on its own merits. The Amber Wave is an excellent toy with exceptional versatility, all without batteries.