Review: Lovehoney Gyr8tor

If I had to name one initiative in the sex toy industry that I really love, I think I would have to say Lovehoney’s Design a Sex Toy competition. Launched in 2009, the contest is essentially just a way for Lovehoney to come up with new sex toy ideas, except unlike other companies who may just take a customer’s idea and run with it, Lovehoney definitely make it worth your while. Aside from a $5K cash prize upon your idea being chosen, you will also receive royalties from the product if Lovehoney decide to actually make it. In fact, you’ve probably heard of the Sqweel, which, aside from being the first product to win the contest, went on to become so popular that it ended up making its creator over $600K AUD in royalties. So yeah, the Lovehoney Design a Sex Toy competition is a pretty big deal, and if you ever have an idea worth entering I’d highly advise it. Anyway, the reason I’m talking about all of this is because today I will be reviewing the latest winner of the contest, which is a toy so different that Lovehoney have even gone so far as to include the word “revolutionary” in its tagline. Introducing… the Lovehoney Gyr8tor.

The Lovehoney Gyr8tor is definitely one of the most different and unique toys I have seen for quite some time. Its release reminds me of other major events in the sex toy industry, like when Fun Factory released pulsators or when Womanizer released suction toys. Of course, only time will tell if this becomes as big of a phenomenon as those products, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Essentially, whilst this toy has a lot of similarities to a vibrator (and yes, it does vibrate), it is actually a gyrator, as you might have guessed from the name. This means that the toy can seemingly move on its own, similar to a pulsator or thruster toy, except rather than moving backwards and forwards in a thrusting motion, it moves left to right in what is more akin to a spinning or stirring motion. Aside from that it is also fairly long and thick (3.5cm / 1.4 inches in diameter) for an internal toy, especially considering its hard silicone coating, and features an almost perfectly straight shaft, with only the slightest of curves being at the very end of the product, where it also increases in size slightly. At the other end of the toy is then a large bulb-like area, which probably has something to do with allowing the toy to perform its gyrating motions, and just above this you can find the hole for the USB charger, as well as the product’s logo and three buttons to control it with. The silicone on the Gyr8tor is then silky smooth, but like most this does attract some dust, and, in what is perhaps the biggest immediate downside to the toy, it unfortunately only comes in purple. Another thing that may be an issue for some people however, although thankfully not me, is its weight, which at 307g is quite a lot for a insertable sex toy. Finally, this toy is also fully waterproof, and while I do think it would be suitable for anal use I would be careful since it is not intended for this.

My order with Lovehoney for the Gyr8tor was placed on the 23rd of March and I promptly received it on the 31st, which was particularly great considering the current postal delays. There was then no mention of the sender or contents on the box, which was fantastic as it meant the package was completely discreet. I have reviewed many Lovehoney products in the past so I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from the packaging, and while the box for the Gyr8tor isn’t completely different from what I am use to with the brand, it is easily my favourite packaging I have seen from them so far. Almost all of my other Lovehoney products come in a thin and glossy cardboard box that features some information about the toy and a picture of it, alongside whatever colour scheme that matches the collection it is part of (white and pink for general Lovehoney products, black and purple for their Desire range, etc). But with the Gyr8tor, whilst the cardboard box and what’s included on it is the same as usual, they have used what seems to be a thicker matte card-stock, which makes a big difference in providing a luxury feel in my opinion. The colour scheme of the box is then also absolutely gorgeous, with a 70s-style coral and navy match-up that makes the design student in me very happy (see here for a more accurate representation of those colours and further images of the box). Opening the box you can then find the toy alongside its instruction manual (which is also beautifully designed) and charging cord. I do have to admit though for a toy of this price I did also expect it to come with a storage bag, but oh well.

Charging the Lovehoney Gyr8tor is easy since it is USB rechargeable. To do so you must first connect the USB end of the cord to a USB port, and then you can use the other end to pierce the silicone where the hole is on the back of the product (this won’t affect the product’s use or its waterproof capabilities). A pulsating light should then appear to indicate charging, and this will become solid once complete. Charging should then take around 150 minutes, which should give you about 60 minutes of use. Additionally, when the toy has only five minutes of charge left it will alert you by flashing its light.

Controlling the Lovehoney Gyr8tor is not very intuitive, especially since its three buttons have no indication about what they do, so I would definitely recommend going over the instructions before using it for the first time. Essentially though they each control a different aspect of the toy, with the top button (when the shaft is facing towards the sky) controlling the vibrations, middle button controlling the gyrating speed, and bottom button controlling the gyrating patterns. Considering this I find it very odd that Lovehoney didn’t choose to place symbols on the buttons that would represent those things, instead of arrows and a power symbol, but alas. So, with that in mind, to turn on the gyrating function you can hold down the middle button, which, after about five seconds for it to warm up, will put you on its lowest speed. You can then continue to press this button to cycle through the five speeds that the toy offers, and at any point you can turn this function off again by holding down the button. Whilst the gyrating function is on, you can press the bottom button to turn on the product’s pattern mode (this is basically just a more jerky version of the gyrating), which can also be increased or decreased via the gyration speeds, and you can then press this button again to get back to the normal mode. As for the vibrations, these can be controlled completely independently, and are activated by holding down the top button, which will put you on the lowest steady speed. You can then continue clicking this button to cycle through the five speeds, two of which are steady speeds (which isn’t enough in my opinion) and three of which are patterns, and hold the button down again to turn them off. Finally, to turn on the toy’s travel lock you can press and hold both arrow buttons down for four seconds, and success will be indicated by the toy flashing its light and buzzing twice. Deactivating this can then be achieved by either doing the same motion or charging it, and when any button is pressed whilst the travel lock is activated the motor will buzz twice.

Even though I had seen videos of this toy in action before receiving it, I don’t think anything could have prepared me for what it is actually like to hold whilst it’s turned on. It almost feels as if the product is alive or has a mind of its own, as it magically jumps back and forth, and just generally moves all over the place without any indication of how it is doing it. These movements then get more powerful as you flick through the Gyr8tor’s five speeds, starting with a speed where you can kind of just hold it in place despite what it wants to do, and ending with a speed where it has a complete disregard for anything you want and seems like it could just fly away at a moments notice. Regardless of what it is going to feel like in my vagina, the gyrating functions in this product are immensely powerful and no joke, and for a better understanding of them I’d recommend watching this video. As for the vibrations, there is sadly only two speeds to check out, and while there is a big jump between them in terms of strength, they are both so buzzy that I can’t imagine getting much stimulation from them. Lastly, in terms of noise, this is easily one of the loudest toys I’ve ever tried, but I am not surprised considering the new technology (remember how loud suction toys use to be?). Even with this though the gyrating has a different kind of sound from what I am use to, and it is kind of like a toy race-car / washing machine / springs on the bed during sex kind of noise, that also occasionally has a grinding or rattly sound thrown in. The motor then takes a few seconds to turn off, similar to how it has to warm up before use, which may be an issue if you need to stop the noise quickly. Plus, just to make things worse, the top speed of the vibrations is also ridiculously loud, so this combined with the gyrating is a match made in hell. Somehow all of this hasn’t bothered me too much during use, but it is definitely not a toy to use if you have any reason to be discreet.

Initially, due to the size of the Lovehoney Gyr8tor, I thought I would need to warm up prior to being able to insert it, but I was happy to find that I was wrong about this due to the silky silicone and large taper around the tip. Still, if I do want it to go in even more comfortably I can warm up with a toy that is smaller in diameter, such as the Funkit Toys NoFrillDo or Godemiche Ambit. Once inside the size and firmness combine to give off a very pleasurable feeling of fullness, however the straight shaft means it is completely unable to stimulate my G-Spot. Then, as for my A-Spot, while it can reach it I find the feeling overwhelming and unpleasant due to the firmness of the toy. Thrusting with the toy does feel good though, and turning the vibrations on helps to heighten this feeling slightly. Then, turning on the gyrating function of the toy is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. I was concerned at first that my vaginal muscles would make the Gyr8tor unable to move freely, but this is not the case at all. Instead, it quickly moves in a stirring motion (as if someone was making a cake inside of me), massaging the walls of my insides in a way that is very unnatural, but still pleasurable. The one thing that does seem to dampen it though is when I am holding it inside of me, so I quickly found that the best way to use this toy is hands-free. This can be a little tricky as the weighty bulb at the end can result in the toy falling out, but as long as you put your pelvis at an angle (a sex pillow may help with this) then you shouldn’t have any issues (which is particularly great if you’re worried about the product’s weight on your wrists during use). Finally, the only real downside to the product in use is the location of the buttons in my opinion, as they are so close to the insertable end that I am not only unable to see them during use (thankfully they are raised though so I can still find them), but they also get very messy, and I feel that if they were just slightly closer to the bulb then it would make all the difference. Plus, although this can’t really be helped, leaving the toy to do its own thing hands-free does mean that it will spin, so every time I want to adjust the controls I have to find where the buttons have moved to.

So, I’ve spoken about using the Lovehoney Gyr8tor, but did I actually enjoy it? Well, yes and no. While the toy certainly does everything it is supposed to, and does it well, it is just so different from what I am use to. The idea of using an internal toy with a stirring motion is something I have never thought of or done before. Instead, I usually just thrust toys in and out, and so as with most sexual pleasure I feel this is going to take some getting use to. Despite this though, I have been enjoying placing it inside of myself for some easy hands-free pleasure whilst I use a good clitoral vibrator like the Dame Kip or Hot Octopuss AMO, and this is a sure-fire way to experience some brilliant orgasms. Plus, I do feel that each time I use it I enjoy it more, and so I am pretty excited by potential that the Gyr8tor offers.

Cleaning the Lovehoney Gyr8tor is easy as it is waterproof. Just wipe it down with some warm soapy water, rinse, and then leave to dry. Storing it in a reusable bag, such as a zip-lock bag, is then recommended as the silicone will attract dust otherwise. Make sure to not use silicone-based lubricant with this product, as it may react badly to the silicone it is made of, but if you do then first perform a spot test.

[EDIT 10/4/20] Unfortunately, after finishing this review but prior to publishing it, I found that the Gyr8tor was no longer working when I went to film some videos of it in action. While the light still comes on when charging and I can toggle the travel lock on and off, I am sadly unable to access the gyrating or vibrating modes, despite the toy being fully charged. This is pretty disappointing, especially since I was looking forward to showing off how the product works and what it sounds like to aid my review, but at least I got to fully test it first. In regards to why this happened I am not sure, however at the same time I noticed that it wasn’t working there was also water slowly leaking out of the seams between the silicone and ABS plastic, so I assume that probably has something to do with it. Thankfully though if you do experience something similar I wouldn’t worry, as this is the sort of situation where Lovehoney are happy to send out replacement. [EDIT 11/4/20] Shortly after publishing my review I was contacted by Rebecca from Lippenbekenntnisse who also just posted her review of the toy. It turns out she had the exact same issue as me, and she even described the exact process that my toy went through whilst dying, even though I haven’t mentioned that online. So it seems perhaps that I didn’t just have bad luck, but instead this toy might not actually be as waterproof as Lovehoney claim. [EDIT 7/5/20] I have now received a replacement of this toy from Lovehoney, and so have updated this review with some video content of it in action!

Not only did the Lovehoney Gyr8tor surprise me as one of the most unique and innovative sex toys that I have tried in a long time, but I am also incredibly impressed with just how flawlessly they have managed to execute their vision for this product. Yes, it is loud, and yes, I do have some issues with its design, but the actual gyrating motion was perfect, and that is no easy feat when working with new technology. Even though I marvelled at its design, my vagina was unfortunately more than a little confused by it however. I know from my previous reviews of innovative products that the more I use it the more I will enjoy it though, and I am looking forward to that, but for now I must admit that this toy is certainly best suited to people who already know that they enjoy a rotating or stirring motion when they use internal toys. Despite this though, an important point to consider with the Gyr8tor is its price, which, while expensive, is not as much as I initially thought it would be. In fact, compared to thruster style toys, which are the closest thing to it, it is actually far cheaper, which means if you just want a hands-free product that will do all the work for you then this may be your best option. Overall though I have enjoyed testing this product for review, even if it wasn’t really for me, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the world thinks of it.

Sadly, the Lovehoney Gyr8tor has now been discontinued.

I received this product in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Affiliate links have been used in this post.