Lelo and I don't have the greatest history. The Ella didn't give me the G spot stimulation I was craving. I found the Bo ring to be Bo-ring! And yet, I found true love in one of the least popular Lelo vibes! Go figure.

The thing that initially attracted me to Nea was her small size, the gorgeous, elegant design, and the pretty floral motif. She's impressively tiny- barely 3" long, and 1.5" at her widest point. My friend J showed me hers at a play party. I tested the vibrations, and knew they would probably do the trick for me. I wanted one of my own! But I read the reviews, and felt doubt. So many people dislike this vibe for a litany of reasons, which I will go over in the "experiences" section, where I will also explain why I find this vibe to be great. I think this is simply a toy that will work better for some people than others, but I find it's worked exceedingly well for me.

What I really love most about the Nea is that she's portable, rechargeable, and pocket sized. I am a fan of hard plastic bullet vibes and the Hitachi magic wand for clitoral stimulation. However, I find that larger, more diffuse silicone vibes (such as my JimmyJane 4 and Jopen VR9)cannot give me a clitoral orgasm to save my life. I prefer hard toys for clitoral and g-spot stimulation alike. Many reviewers have complained about Nea's lack of power. A Hitachi she ain't, but I don't perceive the difference in power to be that drastically different from the other toys I have mentioned, and I have had no problem having orgasms using her. The difference may be the hard texture, and the fact that the power is more concentrated into one fingertip-like point. I also love the shape, which curves nicely over the pubic mound onto the clit, or cradles the side of the clit if used sideways. I have used both sides of the Nea for masturbation. It takes me longer to have an orgasm with the Nea than with my Hitachi, but I find my orgasms are longer and more intense because I don't get overstimulated in the same way. Sometimes I want a vibrator that's less intense, which is why I've always liked my silver bullet.

I would say my Nea is slightly more powerful that my bullet that runs on one AAA battery, and slightly less powerful that the one that runs on 2 AAs. The thing that really makes Nea a nice alternative to the bullet is sheer portability. No issues with replacing batteries, or awkward battery packs and cords. Charge her up (she requires the same easy-to-use plug-in cord as my Bo), throw her in your pocket, and she's ready to go. She's tiny, pretty and discreet enough that you can pretty much take anywhere. Supposedly she's good for 7 hours of play from one 2 hour charge, but I found she died after I basically used her for 40 minutes straight (yes, sometimes I absent mindedly masturbate while watching Glee.) It's possible that this was due to the motor overheating rather than the toy running out of juice, so I will need to experiment with that more. If you're using her in short bursts, she should last quite a while.

I understand why not everyone likes the Nea, and why certain aspects are problematic for folks. However, I still think this is an incredible toy. I take her with me everywhere, always look forward to playing with her, and have had countless fun shenanigans in the mere two weeks I've owned her. Don't discount her based on the negative reviews alone- she's one of a kind, and loves to party!

Here are some hacks for getting the best possible use from the Nea:

1. Don't use lube for solo play with Nea. Nea's smooth texture means that lube can make her slippery, and I find I get better sensations using her without lube since there is very little drag. I know some folks are nervous about this toy not being waterproof, but I don't find that the minor amounts of lube or fluids that might come in contact with the buttons will short her out (as long as you don't insert her or wash her in the sink!) If you insist on using lube, she's compatible with just about any kind of lube.

2. I find the easiest way to reach a climax with my Nea is to rub her back and forth over my c-spot like a vibrating fingertip, rather than holding her in one place.

3. Memorize the buttons. Right turns her on, hold down to reach maximum force. Press again, and you cycle through four patterns- slow pulse, faster pulse, irritatingly fast pulse, and rollercoaster. I hate patterns, so I just crank her up to a strong straight buzz. If you get sick of a pattern, you can always press the button on the left to take you back to straight buzz. You can also turn off the toy or decrease intensity by holding down the left button. Sounds complicated, but really it's not. Some people dislike that the buttons are on the underside of the toy, but I use all sides of the toy, pre-set to the highest straight buzz, so it hasn't bothered me too much, except when I accidentally press a button and get kicked into the patterns. Again, hit the left button and you're home free.

4. Fun shenanigans for couples and kinksters! I haven't used the Nea for PIV intercourse, though I hear she stays in place pretty well for hands-free clitoral stimulation during missionary position (and I imagine her to be useful for cowgirl as well). My personal favorite use for her in partner play is the NEA HANDJOB! Lube her up a little, hold her in the palm of your hand and use her to stroke your partner's shaft during a handjob or blowjob. This makes my gentleman friend come in no time flat! As a creatively sadistic cocktease, I also enjoyed setting the Nea to the most annoyingly pulse-y setting, strapping her to the underside of my sub's cock with a length of bondage tape, and riding the Nea from the other side while straddling him as he begged for mercy. I've also used my Nea to stimulate (read: tease) a friend through his jeans at a kinky club night. Seriously, the potential for public play with such a tiny, relatively quiet toy (not quiet enough for the office, but definitely fine for any relatively bustling environment) is endless.

I'm still in love with this toy and use it every chance I get. I have no problem reaching orgasm with it. It's even inspired me to try the Siri as well! My only complaint is that it can get a bit slippery with lube, but skipping the lube generally solves this issue.