California Exotics seemed very proud to announce that "Your best friend just got the ultimate upgrade", but it feels like a fairly half-assed upgrade to me. The reality is that these days the sex toy industry, as you'll no doubt be aware, is absolutely massive. Competition has never been this fierce and companies really need to step up their game if they want to compete with the best.

So when I heard that California Exotics had brought out an all new, improved version of the Jack Rabbit vibrator, I was intrigued and keen to give it a go. They have made the sensible switch to body-safe silicone, although their claim that it is unscented did not seem accurate when I pulled the toy out of the packaging and had a sniff. Of course, it could be that they store the toy in cheap plastic, but none of my other silicone toys have had that chemical scent to them, and I'm a little curious about just how superior this silicone really is (I'm guessing it's not top of the line medical grade, at any rate). The next thing I notice is that the 'seam' lines on the toy have been poorly machine-cut. The seams are visible and touchable, and there is a fair amount of excess around the bunny head clit stimulator. Not enough to be an annoyance when using the toy, but certainly giving it a cheaper look than it would otherwise have.

Where the silicone sleeve meets the control panel is another big let down - poor gluing means that already, after just a couple of uses, my toy is separating from the plastic, which will allow fluids to get into the toy under the silicone and not allow for a thorough cleaning - if I want to use this toy I'm going to have to pop a condom over it, which is slightly awkward to do with the rabbit clit stimulator section.

The Silicone Jack Rabbit is powered by three AA batteries, which are easily inserted into the 'EZ Load Battery Pack' in the ABS plastic control panel. Which brings me to one feature I do really like about this toy - the control panel is easy to use and allows for some level of customization with strength and patterns. The clit stimulator has three standard vibration and four pulsation functions that can be cycled through by hitting the soft button, and the small LED heart-shaped lights that indicate the vibrating/pulsating pattern you have selected is a cute touch. Up top, there are on/up and off/down buttons to control the speed of the shaft rotation, and a fourth, middle button allows you to change the direction the shaft rotates in (another very cute, although slightly baffling, feature).

The vibrations of the clit stimulator are relatively strong, and stand up well against other battery operated rabbit style vibrators, as does the rotation of the shaft, which features 6x3 'non-jamming' stainless steel beads, which feel quite pleasant in the shallow section of the vagina. The problem I found with using the Silicone Jack Rabbit, was that for all it's cute LED lights and non-jamming beads and so on, it was too noisy to really get into it. I've been spoiled with an array of whisper-quiet toys, and loud buzzing and whirring is quite the turn off these days. In fact, when I turned the toy on and left the room, it still sounded like my neighbor was mowing the lawn.

California Exotics claim the toy is totally waterproof, but with the peeling silicone sleeve and questionable water-proof seal of the battery compartment, I wouldn't be taking this toy in the bath with me, although it would probably go okay in a shower.

The rabbit clit stimulator prevents this toy from getting lost, so it's okay to use the shaft anally. The texture is quite 'grippy', so use a good water-based lubricant with it for less friction, and to clean just use some warm, soapy water and dry off with a towel. Remove the batteries after use to prevent corrosion, especially if you relegate it to your toy box and don't pull it out again for quite a while!

According to the small print, this toy is for external use only, which I find disconcerting, given that we all know where this toy is actually intended to be placed.. Overall, it's a small step up from the previous design, but I believe California Exotics are still missing the mark with their Silicone Jack Rabbit.