The Viva XS comes in a little, unassuming white box. It's made of soft black silicone and is roughly the length of my hand with a small head (this is considered a pro for me - I'll get to that!) It is neatly packaged with its charger, which easily plugs into any USB port. Leave it charging for an hour, and you'll be ready to rumble. It features three blue lights that indicate which of the three intensity levels you are on AND combine in patterns to show which patterned mode the toy is in. This is FANTASTIC for me since I hate being unsure which mode/intensity I'm on. The Viva XS also features separate buttons for power vs. mode, so you won't accidentally turn your toy off while trying to up the intensity. (Side note: the power button does have to be held down for a couple of seconds before turning on or off.)

Now. What exactly happens when you turn this thing on? To explain that, I'm going to have to explain a few other things first. I haven't been a fan of wands in the past; they tend to be too strong and, more importantly, too wide for me to use comfortably, so they tend to skip over "orgasm" and go straight into "overstimulation" territory. One that I have enjoyed, however, is the Wanderlove, which is a great wand with a head only a bit over 1.5" - still bigger than I'd like, but it's a supremely high-quality toy and has an excellent range of vibrations.

But of course, this isn't a review for the Wanderlove, so why am I talking about it? Well, I'd hoped that the Viva XS would essentially be an even smaller version of the Wanderlove, which is exactly what I wanted in a wand. Dear readers, it is not. Where the Wanderlove has a nice range of power that starts at medium level and increases in smooth gradations, the Viva XS has a sports car engine that races straight to blow-your-socks-off. It has the mind- and pussy-numbing intensity of a wand literally twice its size (for wand lovers' reference, this thing is easily comparable to the Magic Force or a similar high-power wand), and it only ramps up from there. The super-powered vibrations of this innocuous little wand will have even the most experienced toy user screaming; they certainly took me for a ride. I've never reviewed a toy so fast! You could say this review, heh, *came* to me. It's made an impression that far exceeds any other wand I've tried.

The silk-smooth silicone is easily washed with soap and water or toy cleaner. Remember to always use water-based lubricant with silicone toys, as silicone lubes can destroy them! The biggest downside I've found to this toy so far is the noise level: definitely loud enough to be heard through covers and softer but still audible from behind a closed door. This is to be expected with a toy this powerful, though. While it is definitely small enough to drop in a purse for date night, you'll want to be somewhere private to use it.

Alright, now we've covered the basics. Based on my past toy preferences, you might assume that the Viva XS would be a hard no for me. What brings this Batmobile-level engine of orgasms into favor for someone who has disliked ultra-strong wands before?

I think the winning combination is the size (which is small enough to deliver those mind-blowing vibrations to individual moan-inducing arousal points, like the clitoris) and the fantastic vibration engineering (which keeps the Viva XS's vibrations at the ideal sweet spot between buzzy and rumbly). It will take me a while to get to the highest intensity, but I love knowing that I have a toy in my collection that can reach those levels if I ever need it. In the meantime, I have a date with the Viva XS's lowest setting. A lot of dates, probably. We'd like to get to know each other *intimately.*

Ordinarily, rechargeable vibes aren't my favorite (nobody likes interrupting their sexy time to wait for a toy to recharge). In this case, though, I'd say the Viva XS can easily get the job done - several times over, in fact - before it needs to go back on the charger.

All said and done, I won't be reaching for the Viva XS immediately or during every play session, but when I'm not getting enough power from my typical vibes and need a toy that can do me to the moon and back, this will absolutely be my first choice. (It would also be oh so fun to use on a partner, regardless of their anatomy.)

While I haven't tried the full-sized Viva wand (and probably won't, given my dislike of wide wand heads), it's definitely worth checking out if my review of this toy piques your interest, but you'd prefer a larger size. Anyone who can design a mini that packs this much punch is definitely qualified to make a full-sized O-inducing vibrator.