An interesting bit of trivia: ilo means “tool” in Esperanto and “pleasure” in Finnish. The Ilo genuinely is an extraordinary tool for creating some amazingly pleasurable sensations, but key to this is understanding how to take advantage of the Ilo’s unique design.

If you use the Ilo as you would most other vibrators – vaginal penetration with a straightforward thrusting motion – it will feel like most other vibrators. If you combine penetration with a twisting motion, the Ilo opens up the door to a set of sensations that few, if any, other vibrators currently on the market can provide.

SinFive recommends that you begin by using the Ilo for external stimulation. The head is flat and shaped like a clover leaf to maximize surface contact. You can use the vibrator to stimulate erogenous zones on your neck or breasts or you can rest the head against your urethra while pressing the shaft against your clitoris.

I didn’t find the erogenous zone stimulation particularly erotic, but the flat head definitely felt good against my clitoris. In both cases, my response has everything to do with my personal taste and nothing to do with the vibrator. The vibrations are strong and consistent. The design hits all the right places. How you react to that is completely subjective.

That flat head and the shaft’s long grooves also lend themselves to getting off the man (or men) in your life. The flat head can be used to stimulate the taint/perineum and it’s also possible to rest the penis in the shaft’s grooves.

While all this external stimulation is well and good, the Ilo’s big guns come out when using the toy internally. If you are already wet and aching for a good orgasm, and even if you’re not, the Ilo’s wide, ribbed shaft can easily push you over the edge.

It’s intense.

There are two ways to go about using the Ilo – keep the vibrator stationary and twist it once it’s inside you, or insert and withdraw the SinFive Ilo while twisting it. Either way, the stimulation you feel against your vaginal opening is unlike any other. On one hand, it’s surprisingly rough – almost like a citrus juicer demanding every last drop from you. On the other hand, the sensations are controlled entirely by whoever is holding the vibrator. The more you twist, the more you feel and vice versa.

Like the other toys I've tried in the SinFive line, the Ilo produces sensations I've never before experienced. Its width and the depth of the grooves means it grips your vaginal opening. You only need to insert it an inch or so and when you give it a twist, it sets your nerve endings on fire.

The only thing I can compare it to is f***ing a man with a very large cock. The Ilo wasn't too wide for me, but I did feel sore after I had used it - that same soreness that one feels from having a large cock move in and out of you very quickly. The friction that the twisting generates can certainly be too intense for some. For me, it was perfect.

A perfectly reasonable question is whether or not the Ilo is worth the money. It’s not cheap and, at the end of the day, it is a relatively straightforward vibrator - on button, off button, a range of vibration settings, good materials.

Yes. The Ilo is very much worth the price, but I say that with a few caveats. This is not a vibrator for beginners, nor is it something that should be considered a staple in every toy chest. Do you have the basics - the Hitachi Magic Wand, a dildo, one rabbit and one plain vibrator, a set of anal beads, and a butt plug? If so, the Ilo can be a transformative addition. If not, I would suggest that you concentrate on first developing a solid collection of sex toys you can use in every situation.

As with all products in the SinFive line, the Ilo is waterproof and compatible with all lubricants. The material is non-porous, odorless, and meets strict European product safety standards. Even though the Ilo is non-porous, be sure to use a condom when sharing. It’s cleaned easily with anti-bacterial soap and/or toy cleaner.