After almost a year of fascination with glass, I received this, my first glass dildo! Kira's Violet Sidekick is a Phallix release from the Vivid Vixen series, and I believe it was the PERFECT choice. All Phallix glass products are sterilizable, non-porous, body-safe and made of medical grade borosilicate glass, which is a hard glass that is specifically capable of tolerating temperature changes and physical shock. In the event that the glass does shatter, it is designed to cleave into large pieces rather than splinter into many small shards, an invaluable safety feature. The wand comes in a pewtery-violet colored pouch with a made of a faux-velvet material, tied off with a bungee drawstring. The bag does a great job of preventing the toy from incurring minor scratches while in storage, but provides no care tag. When and if cleaning is necessary your safest bet would be hand washing in cold water and air drying this bag as it is synthetic.

The Sidekick itself is a very solid, heavy feeling toy, and unlike silicone or rubber dildos is absolutely unyielding. It can feel larger than a silicone toy of the same size due to the fact that there is no give, a quality that can be both challenging and wonderfully satisfying. Fortunately this toy is wisely designed to provide plenty of size options. It is about 7 inches in length, with a gradient of widths to work with. The narrower end sports a small, elliptic bulb that just misses the inch mark in its diametric measure. Most users will find this end easy to insert, and the silky smooth texture of the glass means effortless penetration. Lube has not been necessary for myself as a result of this; my natural lubrication has been enough, although I have been considerably turned on during use. If you do choose to use lube with the Violet Sidekick, all bases are compatible with the glass (silicone, oil, water, etc.) The small end is unimposing enough that most will probably have room enough to maneuver around a bit; for this reason this end may be a good for those with stealthy hide-n-seek G-spots. However, while the smaller end of the toy is wonderful for beginners to penetrative play or simply those with smaller anatomy, some (myself included) find it leaves something to be desired. This is why this toy's broad range of size options is so handy.

The other end is much better suited to users that crave a more full feeling. The same broad rings and full, round bulb that may be used as a handle do double duty internally. Inserting the ringed end makes me feel wonderfully stuffed, and moving the shaft in and out slowly, allowing the rings to work their magic against my G-spot, has given me great orgasms. The rigidity of the material and the dramatic curves of this end makes rapid insertion/removal difficult, so this is not good for heavy thrusting. I also have difficulty quickly removing it right before squirting because of this, but it is certainly not impossible, just tricky. I was actually pleasantly surprised at how nicely this perfectly straight glass shaft toy stimulated my G-spot!

Temperature play is possible with this toy, and the Phallix Glass website claims that it can tolerate "extreme" temperature changes. However, it does not specify how hot or cold the company considers "extreme" temperatures to be and there seems to be no precise rule of thumb on the term. I have used it after plunging it into a bowl of ice water and leaving it for a few moments, and into a large bowl of water I heated in the microwave for a moment or two. I left the wand in these temperature climates for 2-3 minutes and found the wand held the heat and coolness remarkably well. I can say that my wand has stood up very well to this kind of play, however I cannot guarantee others such as freezing or boiling. Generally speaking, I would not recommend these methods even if I were sure that the toy *could* withstand them, simply because your body may not. Both extreme heat and cold can be abrasive and harmful to skin, especially sensitive mucous membranes such as vaginal walls.

Finally, on the subject of caveats, I also do not recommend this toy for anal use. The Sidekick, along with other dildos without flared bases, are not safe for anal penetration as they can slip and get lost. Spare yourself the embarrassing visit to the ER and opt for something guaranteed to stay put! The toy may be cleaned with soap and warm water, or may be gently boiled (rolling boil so it does not bump against bottom of pot!)

This is truly an outstanding dildo, and it met and even exceeding my expectations in nearly every way. It lends itself to so many new and exciting possibilities that silicone, for example, has never presented. In addition to temperature play, I've had my partner fuck me with it, manipulating it with his mouth. By gripping the exposed end of the shaft in his mouth, he is able to enter me and withdraw at an excruciatingly slow pace. Now only is this AMAZINGLY hot to watch, but this is something he never wanted to do with a silicone dildo because he hated the texture in his mouth. The ringed end of the dildo is very is to grip with pursed lips, and the bulb even functions a bit like a ball gag. Kira's Violet Sidekick is a keeper, and I'm really excited to find new ways to use it :)

This is still the only glass dildo I own, largely because I haven't yet gotten over the thrill of this one! I've mastered using the smaller end for G spotting and my partner still finds the transparent peek-a-boo aspect of this toy incredibly exciting. As we're now entering the frigid winter months here in New York they toy is sometimes a bit of a shock when we first take it out ...very cold! But even this has become rather sexy, as I have my boyfriend warm it up by licking and sucking on it. I'm still quite in love with the beauty and the function of this dildo and still recommend it very highly.