So-called “traditional vibrators” are often touted as good introductory toys, and I can sort of see why, even though they're not my favorite. They’re fairly powerful, can be used for either pinpoint or diffuse vibrations, and let you experiment with penetration. The Pleasure Petals possesses all of these advantages, as well as a bit of extra texture in the form of raised flowers. It’s not a terribly exciting toy, but it’s good at delivering clitoral orgasms, and would also feel good against a man’s penis or perineum. I personally didn’t like the way it felt when used as an internal vibe, but other women may. I wouldn’t recommend using it anally, though. It’s long enough that you would probably be able to keep hold of it even without a flared base, but the tip is fairly pointy, and why take the risk?

Fortunately for me and my aversion to super-shiny materials, the Pleasure Petals is made of matte plastic. It’s a bit like California Exotics’ Velvet Cote, but not quite as silky to the touch. To me, it actually feels a bit like ceramic, which is sort of fun considering it’s a fraction of the price of an actual ceramic toy. It has less drag against dry skin than silicone, but it’s much more rigid. This toy has absolutely no “give,” so even though it’s relatively slim, it feels more substantial when used internally than silicone toys do. The rigidity, combined with the fact that the toy has no curve whatsoever, may make it uncomfortable for some women, and it’s not the best for G-spot stimulation unless vibration is literally all you need. It’s also not a toy that you can really thrust hard with, unless you want to end up with a bruised cervix.

This toy does have a slight plastic-y taste and scent when it first arrives, but it was mostly gone after a quick rinse (and you do rinse your toys before using them, don’t you?).

It’s been a while since I owned a “traditional vibrator,” so I was actually somewhat surprised when I saw how big the Pleasure Petals is. It’s not very wide—about 1 1/4” in diameter, or 4 1/4” in circumference—but it’s 7” in length, and most of that (6 1/2”) is insertable. Add to that the fact that it’s made of rigid material and there’s some texture from the flower patterns, and you have a vibe that I personally would have found a bit imposing as a beginner, at least where penetration is concerned. Then again, everyone is different, and I did own vibes like this a few years ago, because I was really only interested in clitoral stimulation then anyway.

Other than that, there’s not much to say about the design. It’s a pretty basic slimline vibe. There’s a screw-on base that opens to the battery compartment (it takes two C's), a dial at the bottom to control the strengths of the vibrations, and...that’s about it. Personally, I think the raised flower pattern (dandelions?) makes the Pleasure Petals more aesthetically appealing than most other traditional vibrators, but if you don’t like stereotypically “feminine” products, you’ll probably want to steer clear of this vibe, especially since the only color it comes in is pink.

Oh, and about that pink—the shade is much closer to a peachy hot pink than the soft pink you see in the photos (mine and EF’s). Hot pink is pretty much dead last on my list of color preferences, so I found this mildly disappointing, but then again, I know a lot of women who think that baby pink is way more objectionable and would be pleasantly surprised by the color.


Length compared to a pen.


Width compared to a toy I hate (iTap G-vibe).

As a clitoral vibe, the Pleasure Petals was decent, but it didn’t blow me away. The texture wasn’t as noticeable as I thought it might be, but when I lined one of the flowers up with my clit, it felt nice. This thing packs some serious power though, and the closer I got to orgasm, the more the raised flowers started to feel like too much. I ultimately could only come by repositioning the vibe so that the part pressed against me was smooth plastic. I should also note that you could use the tip of this vibrator for pinpoint stimulation, if that’s your thing. In the interest of science, I tried using it this way, but—as is usually my experience with pinpoint vibrations—I found the sensation too overwhelming to enjoy for more than a few seconds. The vibrations are definitely concentrated in the top 3 to 4 inches of the vibrator, but the whole thing shakes when it's in use.

The other issue I had with it was the dial. I do not like dial bases, and the Pleasure Petal’s was no exception. At one point while I was using it, I felt the vibrations getting weaker and was thinking, “God, is it running out of batteries already?” Turns out, I had accidentally brushed the base and dialed the power down. It’s not a fatal flaw, but it is something you have to keep in mind while using the vibe, and personally, I don’t really like having to worry about the position of my hand while I’m masturbating.

As I expected, I did not enjoy using the Pleasure Petals internally. For one thing, it was a lot more difficult to insert than I anticipated. Although the plastic has virtually no drag against dry skin, it just did not want to slip inside me. Bear in mind that by the time I got around to using it internally, I had already come twice, and was therefore pretty wet. I’ve used other matte plastic vibes without lubricant, so I honestly can’t imagine what the problem was. After a lot of uncomfortable pushing, I finally just gave in and drizzled a bunch of Astroglide on it which mostly solved the problem.

Once it was in, though, it didn’t impress me. Some of this, as I’ve already said, can be written off as a general dislike for traditionally shaped vibrators. I find pointy tips uncomfortable to insert, and the shape just doesn’t do anything for me. Without a head or noticeable changes in diameter, I never feel like traditional vibes ever really “lock” into place. They just sort of hang out in my vagina without doing much. That said, the Pleasure Petals was much stronger than most other vibrators I’ve used internally, which was nice, and if I angled it a bit I could actually feel the vibrations against my G-spot. Unfortunately, I couldn’t follow up on this feeling much. Although I couldn’t feel the texture at all internally, it felt irritating—even a bit abrasive—whenever it brushed against my labia, so I couldn’t thrust the vibe without experiencing discomfort.

One more thing, they aren’t kidding when they say this toy is noisier without the paper insert. With it, it’s loud—around four bees. Without it, it’s LOUD—like, louder-than-Hitachi loud, because it makes a really unpleasant rattling noise. So don’t lose that seemingly unimportant slip of paper!

The Pleasure Petals is fairly easy to clean. It’s plastic, so if you want to share it you’ll need to use a condom, but it’s non-porous and can be cleaned with wipes or soap and water. Note, though, that it’s not waterproof so be careful when rinsing it. However, I personally am paranoid about not getting all the gunk out from between the petals. I think you might need some sort of toothbrush-like instrument to really clean them out.

This vibrator is on the large side, and it’s also not particularly discreet, since it’s more or less the kind of thing most people think of when they think of a run-of-the-mill vibrator. On the other hand, you don’t have to worry about keeping it away from other toys like you have to with silicone, so it’s not terribly difficult to store. It’s also compatible with pretty much any type of lube you can imagine—water, silicone, or oil-based.

Because I was given my Pleasure Petals as a freebie with another purchase, it didn’t come in the normal NMC Ltd packaging, which features an overly-tanned woman irrelevantly flashing her bra at you. I can’t say that I was disappointed, although I’m a bit curious what the original packaging might have had in the way of instructions—not that this toy really requires many. But in case any of you are curious, this is what EF’s packaging looks like.



It’s not luxury packaging by any stretch of the imagination, of course, and it doesn’t tell you anything about the toy itself. But to my mind it is an astronomical improvement on the rather tacky packaging the Pleasure Petals usually comes in. Besides, curled up inside the toy is a piece of paper with some interestingly translated instructions.