This was one of my first toys that I really invested a lot of research and money in. I couldn't quite afford the Hitachi and I was worried about the buzz noise that most other reviewers were reporting in but I wanted to add the notorious power house to my collection. I was attracted to the toy for a couple of reasons that you're probably attracted to it. It has reputable strong vibrations, it's rechargeable, the handle looks oddly ergonomic and intuitively designed, and there are a number of attachments out there that can give a variety of experiences.

All of the above are generally true but I can't say that this toy would be a favorite of mine by any means. As expensive as batteries are, I found the recharging factor to be more annoying than anything else. I know it's a slightly more green method to get those vibrations and my conscience happens to like that. But it seems that every single time I decide it's time for a date with me and my Ideal other, I sit back in bed under the covers, put on some morbidly delicious anime (my personal strategy to drown out the noise it tends to make), flip the switch on the Ideal only to find that it has lost its charge. I don't feel particularly inclined to wait the five hours that it takes to charge and so I usually throw it back into the toy chest in a huff and just go to sleep or reach for one of my much cheaper toys. For those of you who have a habit of keeping your toys charged in an effort to go green, I'm sure you will have no problem with this. But this toy has made me realize how much I prefer batteries on account of the very long time it takes to charge.

Even on those nights that this baby is charged up and ready to go, it doesn't seem to last very long. When it's fully charged, it's supposed to run for about an hour but I've noticed that it warms up very quickly and the buzz seems to change after about ten minutes with it. Another point on actual vibrations is that there are only two settings on this thing and there seems to be five notches that the switch will slide into. If you slide it all the way to the left where it says Low, the toy oddly stays immobile. If you put it halfway to the left where it says Low, the toy gives off "low" arguably moderate vibrations. In the center is the actual off switch, to the right of that is the high switch where it will be high. But again going all the way to the right, the toy turns off again. It usually stays on whatever setting you set it at but remains a little inconsistent.

Now this oddly shaped handle is something that the toy has right. I don't know that it's the picture of ergonomic ingenuity but it does offer up some various ways you can hold the toy and occasionally I can position or twist my legs around it right to keep it in place which gives me my hands back. I generally find myself holding it near the base of blue ball anyway though, since that seems to conduct vibrations best.

The toy is made of smooth plastic and so you don't have to worry about phtalates and it's ridiculously easy to clean.

Now this toy is a powerhouse and is probably a suitable substitute to the Hitachi. But as I'm learning what works for my anatomy versus what doesn't, I've realized that even for those of us who feel like we need a power house, these powerhouse massagers might not be for everyone. I'm coming to find that my clitoris generally needs very focused direct stimulation which the Ideal isn't really in a position to give. I probably would have been better off putting my money towards something like the Eroscillator. Personally, while this doesn't work great for my very shy clit externally I like to use this toy with theG-Pod attachment. My other favorite use for this massager is...well, as a massager for knots in my legs or neck.

A lot of what I have said here might be a pro for one person while it is a con for another person. This toy might not be suited for all but there are plenty of people out there who will find a fantastic home for it, I'm sure.

I'm not entirely sure what I was smoking when I wrote my first review. I took my friend to buy a Hitachi recently, and she was comparing all the massagers. It made me take this out of storage where it has been sitting, neglected, for a very long time now---probably since my original review.

I have fallen in love with this toy. And if I could, I would bump it up to five stars.

I really feel kind of absurd about this. Using a massager isn't necessarily rocket science. It seems absolutely ridiculous to me to say that I was simply using it wrong. But I think the reason I never felt anything with it before was because (a) I was pressing down too hard with it, thus negating a lot of the vibrations, and I was probably doing this subconsciously in reaction to the fact that (b) I squirt with this vibrator, without fail, every time. I probably had some psychological fear whenever it was actually hitting a potent spot, causing me to move it and rendering it ineffective.

But I've fixed those things. I'm squirting left and right with this baby. I fell in love with this, and then I had to go buy the Posh Throe, which I also love.

I initially had a lot of complaints about the battery, and I've learned to keep it charging out on the nightstand once a week or so. I was actually very happy that it was cordless when I took it out for a very special picnic.

The vroom should really be five in retrospect. I often use the lower setting because high will get me off in probably less than thirty seconds. I'm honestly amazed at this toy, and I'm so glad I gave it a second chance.