The Lelo Iris is a firm, lightly textured vibrator designed for internal vaginal use by female-bodied people. Its slight curve is designed to stimulate the g-spot. It can also be used to stimulate the clitoris or any other external body part, but it should not be used anally due to its lack of a flared base. It would be no fun to sacrifice such a lovely toy to your local emergency room's infamous butt box.

As the Iris is a firm, rigid toy with some heft to it, it's probably not the best choice as a first toy, but it's not a dauntingly large toy suitable only for self proclaimed size queens. It should please a variety of vagina owners.

The insertable portion of the Lelo Iris is made of a gorgeous silky silicone that's irresistible to the touch. A dab of lube provides a frictionless glide. It does have some slight drag to it against dry skin, but less so than that on my Lelo Ina, for some reason.

Beneath the silicone, two motors are housed in the same rigid ABS plastic as is visible on the handle. The Iris is not flexible, and the silky exterior provides no give. Those who strongly prefer plush, squishy toys might want to look elsewhere.

The Iris's texture is mild yet noticeable, so it's probably ill advised to sneak up on an unsuspecting vagina with this toy, yet an extensive warmup isn't required either. While some textured toys require exactly the right timing to feel good, and can be unpleasant at other times, the Iris suits a wider range of moods.

Silicone is odorless, non-porous, phthalates free and body safe.

The Iris, as the name may suggest, is styled to represent a flower bud preparing to bloom. This makes for an attractive design that's not at all realistic, although it is still recognizable as a sex toy. It's gentle curve strikes a balance between making it easy to rock against the g-spot, and allowing it to also work as a thrusting toy.

While larger than all other Lelo toys, the Iris is still only a moderately sized toy. The dimensions given on the product page are correct, with the toy's widest diameter falling short of an inch and a half. That's comparable to popular starter toys like the Blueberry Bliss -- on the large side for a beginner, but hardly noteworthy for its heft. For a better idea of size, hold one of your own toys, or any other familiar object, up to the 'view actual size' page.

For purposes of discretion, you'll be forced to fall back on the paper thin old shoulder massager cover story, although it's easier to hide and less embarrassing to explain away than a big flashy rabbit or a large rubbery penis. As for travel, it does have a locking mechanism -- check the instruction booklet -- to avoid humiliating buzzing luggage incidents, but TSA will know it's a vibrator.

The Iris's claim to fame is its dual motor design. Both deliver moderately strong vibrations at a nice deep pitch, and they can run separately or together, although it's necessary to scroll through the pattern choices to find the desired effect. The pattern choices are somewhat limited -- the tip vibrating independently, the base vibrating independently, both together, and two pulse patterns that pass the vibration between the two to simulate movement. Personally, I thought I'd miss an escalating pattern, but once I used the Iris, I realized I'd likely never use anything but the pulse patterns regardless.

The simulated movement of the pulse patterns, together with the moderately filling toy, made for a unique sensation that can even be enjoyed hands free. This is where the Iris shines. It does a fine job as a thrusting toy, an adequate job as a clit vibe, and a pretty darn good job at applying various types of pressure to the g-spot, but many toys can do those things, and in each case I can name at least one toy that does that particular job better than the Iris. But nothing else I've tried has done hands free internal vibration better than the Iris, so if it's a lazy erotica reading kind of night, the Iris wins hands down.

I performed a noise test with the Iris, and I could definitely not hear it through a closed door, even with all ambient noise silenced, at any setting. Turned to maximum and held out in open air, it was audible at arm's length. The noise virtually disappeared beneath a blanket.

As for recharging, the instructions warned it might take near forever the first time, but it charged fully in about an hour. It then proceeded to hold that charge for in excess of eight hours of use over nearly three weeks time. Definitely impressive. Sadly, though, this does bring me to my least favorite Lelo feature -- the blindingly bright flashing light that screams, "Hey, I'm charging over here! Do you see me charging? Look at me charging! Everybody look at meeee!" The Gigi and the Ina drove me to drill a hole in my nightstand drawer to put an end to the problem, leading to a new problem -- forgetting to notice when they stopped charging. Setting an alarm for my vibrator is a step I refuse to take.

While most irises are tropical flowers, the Lelo Iris is a variety of flower which clearly prefers a desert climate, as it is not waterproof.

Silicone toys should only be used with water based lubricants. The chemicals in silicone based lubes exist for the sole purpose of keeping the silicone in those lubes in a liquid state. Toys are a lot less fun when liquefied, so prevent heartbreak, and stick to water based lubes.

Cleaning is pretty straightforward with the Iris. Wipe it down after use with a toy wipe, or take it to the sink and carefully wash it with hot water and antibacterial soap. Keep water away from the charging port, as the Iris is not waterproof. You can also use toy cleaner -- Lelo makes an excellent one -- but do not use alcohol based cleaners (this is Lelo's recommendation, possibly more for your skin's sake than the toy's), and never boil a toy with a motor.

The Iris comes with its own satin separator bag, which will protect it from any silicone composites in your toy collection, or hide it from prying eyes in your sock drawer. Never store a silicone toy loose with any toys made of silicone composites, TPR, or jelly rubber. The chemicals in those toys can melt each other, and they an melt your pure silicone as well. Two toys of confirmed pure silicone can rest together harmlessly, although given silicone's love of lint, it's easier to just give them all separator bags anyway. As far as lint goes, however, Lelo's particular finish seems to collect less of it than other high quality silicone toys.

Lelo packaging is renowned for its elegance and giftability. It's packaged like jewelry, rather than a sex toy, in a sleek black cardboard box within a sleeve colored to match the toy. Inside you'll find instructions in a variety of languages, the warranty, the charger, and the storage bag. And, of course, the toy.

It's a nice presentation, and the box can be used for storage. It's also perfectly recyclable, although I fear retribution from Lelo fans for that blasphemous suggestion.

My apologies for a lack of photographs. I do not own a digital camera.