The Fun Factory Smart Balls are a cute set of vaginal muscle exercisers intended to tone and strengthen your PC (pubococcygeus) muscles. Think of them as pilates for your pussy. The weighted balls work your muscles, potentially leading to stronger orgasms, or for those with incontinence issues, greater control. There seems to be some confusion about whether or not these are meant to be used for anal play, so let's clear that up right now. The Smart Balls are intended for VAGINAL use only. DO NOT put these balls up your ass, or up anyone else's ass. The muscles will suck them in, making retrieval difficult. The instructions provided with the Smart Balls also says specifically to keep the balls out of your tushie. So, keep them in your snatch.

One more thing. Those women with shorter vaginal canals or a tilted uterus may want to look at the Smartballs Teneo Uno as an option. This is what the included Fun Factory instructions recommend, and it's something I may invest in myself. I had problems with these beauties and after reading so many positive reviews, I wouldn't want another woman to waste money buying these and have the same problems I encountered.

The Smart Balls are made of elastomed, a sort of plasticized elastomer that is phthalate-free and hypoallergenic. The texture is smooth and velvety, but the Balls themselves are rigid and well-built. The colored grooves that accent the main color of the Balls are of a harder elastomed. The retrieval cord is also covered in elastomed. There is absolutely no smell or taste to these things. It's a wonderful material and excellent design.

The Smart Balls look like a cat toy, or some sort of circus dumbbell. The balls are somewhat oval, connected by a thinner sheath of elastomed (this sheath is quite flexible which allows for greater manipulation when you insert them). Each ball is about 1 3/8" in diameter. I'm on the tighter side and felt no discomfort inititally inserting the balls.The balls together as a set are about 4" long, and the cord adds another couple of inches. The only design flaw that bothers me with these is the nub where the cord connects to the top ball. It's a bit like a nipple, a green nipple in my case (I got the magenta/pistachio set). The cord is fused to this nub with no visible seams, so it won't be a dirt trap. The way these balls are designed, I would see no problem leaving them anywhere out in the open, as long as you keep them away from small children and pets. They look like something you might hang from your rear view mirror in your car.

These Smart Balls are perfectly designed (sans nipple) and wonderful to handle and look at, but when it comes to my vagina, they cannot be tolerated. Over the past few years I have had many reproductive issues including endometriosis and fibroids. I have a tilted uterus, and found out literally the day AFTER I ordered these that it would be better for me to choose another vaginal exerciser (like the aforementioned Teneo Uno). The balls are easy enough to insert into the body. Get in a position you find comfortable. Some women find that inserting them in the same position you would insert a tampon, maybe with one leg propped on the toilet, helps. I tried them that way, and found that laying down and inserting them like a NuvaRing is much easier.

Lube is a must, and luckily these balls are compatible with both water-based and silicone lubes, and the package comes with a sample of luxe Fun Factory Bodyfluid, a silky silicone lube. Relax, take a breath, and grip the sheath that connects the balls, and nudge the first ball in. Your muscles should kind of take over and suck the ball in. Now you're left with the second ball, and you can just kind of nudge it up with a finger. The balls should normally fall right into place comfortably. I've read in reviews that the nub that connects to the cord can poke inside your vagina, but it's super easy to move it around.

Ideally, these can be worn comfortably inside while you go about your daily activities. Many women report becoming extremely aroused and wet while wearing the Smart Balls. For me, I couldn't keep them inside my body. I can get the first ball in perfectly, but the second ball will not stay inside. If I lie on my back completely still, then yes, I can wear these. But if I sneeze or move my leg, the second ball inevitably pops out. I can't stand up or walk with both balls inserted. I've tried several methods and tips and received great advice from many women on this website and nothing works for me.

Also, be warned if you use NuvaRing: when you remove these balls, the ring may come out with them. That's no problem; just rinse the ring back off and reinsert it. When I tried to keep both balls inside me, they were uncomfortable and the nub poked at me incessantly. It was downright painful and frustrating to no end.

Needless to say, I never felt any vibrating from the weighted balls inside the whimsical Smart Balls. I never got that far in my adventure with the balls.

To remove the balls, hold onto the cord and gently pull the balls out by bearing down a little bit. They are super easy to remove. Once you get the first ball out, just gently tug and get the second one out.

A quick washing with mild soap and lukewarm water is all you need to keep these clean. They don't attract fuzz or lint, so storing them is easy. Honestly, mine are hanging on my closet doorknob since I'm not getting any good use out of them.

The Fun Factory packaging is ADORABLE. The tan box has a flap with a magnetic closure that you open to read a little bit about the product inside. Inside the tan box there is a plastic casing that the balls are nestled in but they aren't much for storing the balls in. There are instructions that come in 6 languages and are quite informative. The only confusing part about the instructions is that they also include instructions and details about the Smart Balls Teneo Duo and Uno. Sometimes I would get mixed up. Fun Factory is a German company and so the English translation is kind of amusing sometimes. It comes with a sample of amazing silicone lube that I just love.

My personal experience with the Smart Balls left something to be desired. I would still recommend them to any woman who wants to strengthen her PC muscles, but if you have female plumbing issues like me, please research and do your homework before making your decision. I'll try these again one day and maybe they'll work, because they're such a quality product that I'm glad I own. Though if I keep having issues, I'm tossing them to the cats.

I am giving these three stars because even though I've gotten nothing but grief from these things, they're well made and gorgeous.