I recently received this vibrator for free from another sex toy site. The website didn't include a lot of information about the vibrator and it lacked customer reviews, which are usually red flags, but the price was right.

"But," I told myself, "you will be objective. You will not be influenced by this toy's free-ness."

And I wasn't.

The packaging for this toy is the stereotypical cheap plastic with a porno-chick picture in the background, which is a pet-peeve for some people, but that didn't bother me. What DID bother me was the smell. I opened the package and the scent of burnt tires smacked me in the face. NOT sexy. It's also cheaply made and poorly designed; there's a rough seam along one side of my Wave, and it's really hard to reach and turn the speed dial because of how small the dial is versus the length of the actual toy.

The ripples are supposed to be this vibe's exciting feature, and admittedly, they feel rather interesting during insertion, and rubbing the ripples against your clit is very exciting. Unfortunately, this toy is rubber, so you really should use a condom with it to keep it clean... and even my beloved Trojan ultra-thins|Trojan ultra thin take away a lot of the sensation from the ripples. What's the point of giving a toy an interesting texture if it can't be felt through the required condom?!

And since I'm on the topic of the rubber material and the ripples: this thing is a BITCH to clean. The ripples collect bodily fluids very easily, although that's to be expected with a textured design. This vibe isn't waterproof, so you can't douse it in water, and it's really hard to get toy cleaner in between all of the individual ripples.

Power-wise, the Wave leaves something to be desired. It's not weak, per se, but it's middling at best. Also, despite having a dial, there isn't a lot of speed variation. Rather than providing a variety of speeds for each quarter or half turn of the dial, this vibe only provides about 3 distinct speeds: very low, foreplay, and just-about-average. The top setting is just enough to get me off if I try, but I find the smell and the strange buzzing sound so off-putting that it takes too much work for me to even bother.

I'm glad I got the Erotic Wave|Temptress' erotic wave™ for free, because if I'd actually paid for this thing, I'd feel really ripped off. It's not that this vibe lacks good features: the ripple texture is interesting if you're willing to go condom-less, and while its girth is a bit much for me, I know some users are in to thicker toys. But you're definitely not getting your bang for your buck with this toy: it smells awful, is poorly made, lacks good speed variation, makes strange noises, and would have worked much better as a silicone toy. That's why I give the Wave 1 star instead of 2: it just isn't worth $25.

Please note that I rated this toy a 4 for the bees, not so much because it is loud, but because the noise it makes is VERY distracting. In terms of actual volume, it's probably a very loud 3 bees at the top setting. However, the noise is so, so, so off-putting and odd; it REALLY turned me off!

I have tried diligently to like this vibrator, but it just isn't doing it for me: the noise it makes is SUCH a turn-off! I tried playing with my favorite vibrators first and getting really aroused, but when I flipped on the Wave, I couldn't block out the awful sounds and the offensive smell, and it actually ruined that masturbation session. I figured it might be nice for partner play, thanks to its flexibility, but its awkward design and bulkiness really annoyed my lover, and she immediately retired the Wave for a better traditional vibrator. I will definitely be throwing this vibe away if I ever need more room for better toys.