The Opus Waterproof Symphony Edition|Symphony Opus comes in an attractive, bright-red tin box, with a window on the front for better viewing. Evolved Novelties, a new company, is clearly designing toys with women in mind -- nice package, fun shapes, bright colors. My sweetie was immediately drawn to the colorful box (she's into marketing), so opened it up as soon as I pulled it from my bag.

First impressions - nice weight, solid without being too heavy, pretty, smooth to the touch. The Opus was advertised as being firm yet flexible, and this is definitely true. It is made of the silicone-composite TPR, which is a phthalate-free material. Like pure silicone, it is odorless and tasteless, and should be used only with water-based lube. Unlike silicone, though, TPR is somewhat porous, so should be used with a condom if you are sharing (and you'll want to share!). The base is not wider than the toy itself, so is not safe for anal play.

We discovered immediately that the directions for putting in the batteries are not clear. If the batteries are not in place correctly, the vibe has only a very disappointing single-speed hum. I knew that couldn't be right, so pried the batteries out and tried again. Ah -- in place correctly, the vibe had its advertised three speeds, buzzy, buzzier, and "Ah, Mama!" You'll know the battery pack (with 2 AA batteries) is in place correctly if it slides into place easily.
Which is also true of the Opus itself. The shape, length, and girth are very well-proportioned for play, especially if this is your first vibe. It's easy to use, and you'll feel "full" with your new pink friend. The speed control is a small button at the very bottom of the vibe, which is easy to use with one finger while holding the toy's base. At the third (highest) speed, the toy does vibrate so much that we each felt our hands to be a little overwhelmed by the time we were finished (note this in particular if you have carpal tunnel or other nerve damage). But even at that speed, the Opus is as quiet as the promo materials promise, and is definitely a toy you could take when visiting parents or friends with thin-walled apartments.

Intrigued by the vibe in the tip instead of the base, I used it first on my clit. The flexibility let me try several different angles and various pressures; the vibe on the end gave strong, direct stimulation to my clit while the buzz down the body of the toy felt great all along my labia. My sweetie, in fact, preferred the toy used externally only, for she found the vibrating tip a strange sensation when she used the toy internally and the tip tried to say a buzzy "good afternoon" to her cervix. Whether the toy is used for clit stimulation or for penetration will be a matter of personal preference; even though she was unsure about the vibe as a internal toy, she was very clear that the Opus would be staying at her house for further exploration.

I've not yet used the toy in a tub or shower, but did submerge it when cleaning up. It buzzed away happily under water, and continued to work after being submerged. Make sure to screw the base on tightly to close the seal before using the toy in water.

I firmly believe that good sex is and should be good for the world, so recommend buying a wall charger unit with a good supply of rechargeable batteries for all your toys. And as with any battery-powered device, the batteries should be removed if you'll be storing the toy unused. Although why you'd store this toy instead of using it escapes me....

We did discover that if you:

1)have pubic hair and

2)aren't turned on by having that pubic hair pulled,

you'll probably want to put a little lube on the body of the vibe. We found that the pubes stuck to the material of the toy, and pulled in an unpleasant way. A small amount of water-based lube resolved that problem quickly, although handling a buzzing vibe with lube on it and on you does present another problem entirely. But a good belly laugh opens up the energy and body, so was just another part of the fun.

I will confess to being a bit confused when I first opened the toy. The package hyped the toy as "Opus Symphony Edition, music for your body, carefully orchestrated to help heighten your senses. Tune into a whole new sound of satisfaction," so I went looking for the audio connection, assuming it was vibe that worked with MP3 players. Wrong, but such is the power of marketing. But I'll definitely look for more Evolved products in the future. Their web site shows a double-headed model with a vibe on each tip that I suspect will find its way to me sometime soon.

Several months later, this is still a favorite toy! Because it is easy to clean, and waterproof, it still looks new, and the buzz is just as strong. I've used several other vibrators since, all of which make me appreciate these qualities of the Opus even more:

1. The buzz is on the business end, making it particularly great for clitoral stimulation

2. The shaft is flexible, making it very labia/clit friendly. I've tried similar moves with a rigid, plastic model from the same company, and the Opus is much better.

3. The push-button control on the bottom is much easier to use than the twist control on many vibrators. The push button allows you to be firmly grasping the vibrator while moving only one finger to change the vibration. I appreciate this design function more every time I use it.


I only wish they'd make this in 100% silicone so it would be even more body-friendly and safer for sharing.