"Why would anyone pay ninety quid or more for a luxury vibe? After all, I've gotten some great Lovehoney products that were around a tenner. Sure, the expensive ones are pretty, but they can't be worth that much more."
That's what I used to think whenever I looked at the luxury vibe section of the Lovehoney site. But then I received a Lelo Ina in a grab bag and have been converted!
Packaging
The Ina comes packaged beautifully and tastefully. The outer box is white with a photo of the product and no naked bodies to be seen. The inner box is a black presentation box made of heavy card, and meant to be reused. Mine came with one corner a little crushed, which may be why it made it into a grab bag - if so, I'm very grateful to whatever crushed the box! Inside, the product is displayed in a plastic and cardboard presentation sleeve that you can see on the video. Behind that is the charger, a lined satin storage bag, the instruction manual, and details of Lelo's one year and ten year warranties.
Warranties
If you spend a lot of money on a luxury vibrator, you want to feel sure that you aren't going to regret it. The Lelo range actually has three warranties!
First of all, there is the Lovehoney 365 day returns policy, for any reason. This would be applicable to anyone who purchased the product directly, though since I got it from a grab bag, I'm not eligible. I have used Lovehoney's returns policy in the past with other purchases, and can attest that it is extremely easy and quick. You can see a link at the bottom of the page for more information. Basically, you can try out the product and if it doesn't suit you, you can get a full refund, no matter what the reason.
Secondly, Lelo has a one year warranty that will replace your product at any time during that year if there is any fault in it. This is not as good as the Lovehoney warranty, since they will not replace it just because you didn't care for it. But if the product is faulty, and for whatever reason you prefer to deal directly with the manufacturer, you can use this warranty instead.
Thirdly, Lelo has a ten year warranty that says if the product fails during that time, you can return it and get 50% off a replacement Lelo product. This product is expected to last for ten years - that's just amazing! Now, remember those great £10 vibes I was talking about above? How many of those have I gone through in the past ten years? Dozens, I imagine. Now you can start to see why I think this vibe is worth the price!
To register your Lelo product and become eligible for the warranty, you simply go to their website, click on 'log in' then 'new customer'. They ask for your name and email address, and then you select a password. Then there's an option to register your product. You select the product from a drop down list, then enter the serial number, which is on the back of the one year warranty booklet. After this, any time you go back to the Lelo website and log in, you can see your product. Or if you're lucky enough to own several, your list of Lelo products. Next to each product is the link to click to claim on the warranty. I can't actually review the warranty process without having a faulty product, but it looks quite simple. Best of all, you don't have to give them a lot of personal information. You don't even have to give them your address unless you need to make a claim.
Design
If I had chosen this for myself, I would have gone for the orange or green. I love the idea of having some toys that aren't pink and purple! However, even the purple one is lovely. The coloured end is silicone, with a velvet-touch finish. The white end is shiny plastic. The silicon end is completely smooth with no seams or edges. The white end does have a noticeable seam where the front and back meet. It's not on the insertable bit, and it's such a minor thing that I'd never comment on it if it weren't for the high design standards of the rest of the product. The four buttons are a soft touch - probably silicone again. The charger bit at the bottom is also covered by a little silicone plug, making this splashproof, but not submersible.
My favourite thing about the design is the sophistication - no animal shapes or penis heads or smiley faces. I do not want my toys looking back at me! The Lelo Ina is beautiful and sexy without being cutesy.
Shape
I need to give special attention to this. As Queen Mab's review mentions, the shape is just not going to fit everyone. The clitoral stimulator and the main shaft don't have much gap between them. There is some flexibility there at the base of the clitoral stem, but not enough to really make it work if you're the wrong shape. Given the cost, I wouldn't recommend this as a first vibe. Try out some cheap and cheerful rabbit style vibes and learn a bit about how you're put together, and you should get an idea whether this style is likely to suit you.
For me, I have never had much luck with rabbit style vibes, and this one is no exception. I was only able to insert it by pulling the clitoral stem back as far as it would go, and then when I released it, it didn't reach my clit at all and sort of pinched. Since Imalia's review mentions that it loosens up a bit over time, I wedged something between the two bits to try and see if it that will speed up the process.
Performance
Since the shape doesn't work for me as an internal vibe, I used it externally too much satisfaction. The pulse pattern is controlled separately from the intensity, which multiplies the options available. And the strongest setting is very strong!
I didn't realize how much difference it would make being rechargeable. It means never having to think about batteries. It goes for four hours on a charge, so I can take my time and have a nice long session. It also means the vibrations are much stronger. I can actually use this for relieving sore muscles, which is something a battery powered vibe just can't manage.
Despite being strong, the vibrations are very quiet. I don't know how that's managed. I guess it's just the superior build quality that you get from a high end toy.
The only real quibble I have quality wise is the controls. If you have a setting you really like, it's easy to hit one of the buttons and move it to something different. Though there is a setting to lock it and prevent it being turned on by accident, I don't believe there's a setting for 'lock this setting in place and vibrate here until I tell you to stop.'
Why would anyone spend £90 on a vibrator?
I always wondered that before, but no longer. This product is far superior to the 'cheap and cheerful' variety of vibrators. When you look at how long this vibe is guaranteed to last, you can easily see that you'll spend more than £90 in replacement vibes and replacement batteries for them in that time period. And the luxury quality and designer build provides such a great experience. You might spend that for a romantic night at a hotel or dinner for two at a high-end restaurant. Is it really so profligate to spend this much on something that will bring you pleasure again and again for years?
Despite this toy not being quite right for me, I am now a luxury toy convert, and intend to save up for another Lelo vibe.
Final Thoughts
Unless you feel confident about the shape working for you, I can't give an unqualified recommendation of the Ina, but the Lelo brand I can recommend without reservations. Lovehoney's product videos and customer reviews mean that you'll have plenty of information before you buy, and the returns policy means you can't lose. If you are hesitating about whether a luxury toy is worth it, take the plunge. They really are worth the price.
Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars
