Review: PlayfulSexToy Sam IV

I don’t know about you, but lately I’ve been seeing this kind of sex toy everywhere. A whole new breed of G-Spot vibrator, where the internal arm features a hollow area containing a flapping finger for additional stimulation whilst inside of you, my initial impression was to dismiss the whole thing as a novelty gag. But with it coming up again and again, and Honey Play Box just now receiving the patent for it (dubbing it “Kinky Finger” flapping technology), I knew I had to start taking it a bit more seriously. One of the biggest sellers of these “flappers”, my preferred term, is PlayfulSexToy, so when they recently came on board as one of my blog advertisers, I saw about reviewing one. Their signature line, Sam, combines this technology with an external arm to allow it work for dual-stimulation, and with four different generations available it was hard to know which one to pick. Ultimately though I had to go with PlayfulSexToy’s most recent release, the Sam IV.

The Brand

Before we jump in, I wanted to first introduce the brand, since it’s my first time reviewing for them. Based in Hong Kong, PlayfulSexToy is a relatively new sex toy retailer, launching in 2022. They have a wide array of white-label products available, including some brand names such as Satisfyer and Magic Wand, ensuring they always have something to suit you, no matter your taste. Committed to providing the best possible online shopping experience, they also offer discreet packaging, free returns, email and chat support, shipment tracking, and provide expert advice upon request. Part of that is their blog, where they cover all sorts of helpful topics regarding sex toys and their use. Plus, whilst PlayfulSexToy’s flat-rate shipping is already a reasonable $6.90 USD, they’ll also upgrade all orders over $49 USD to free shipping and take 20% OFF with my personal code GRACE20!

Product Description

Essentially a suction rabbit with a twist, the PlayfulSexToy Sam IV applies what the brand learnt from the previous three generations and refines it for their fourth iteration. Out of the other two, the Sam IV is definitely closest to the original though, with the core change being that this version has a more phallic head than its predecessor. An unusually long toy, even for a rabbit vibrator, the product is then 9.85″ / 25cm in length, with an insertable length of 5.5″ / 14cm and a maximum diameter of 1.65″ / 4.2cm, making it a little on the girthier side too. This thickness is focused around the start of the toy though, with that realistic head, and then as you travel down the shaft things start to get a bit weird, as this is where they have hollowed it out. It’s here you’ll find the flapping finger, and this is just a solid piece of flexible silicone, with a few small raised bumps at the top of the side facing the suction arm (these are quite subtle though, not at all as prominent as some of the photos on PlayfulSexToy’s website make it seem). While this internal arm is then totally firm, with the exception of the head which has a small amount of flex, the external one has some flexibility to it, with the suction nozzle being rimmed by some reflective gold plastic. More of this gold plating features at the back of the toy’s handle, whilst on the front you’ll find three buttons for which to control the Sam IV and two metal plates for the USB charging cord to connect to below. And at first glance, the only initial downsides are that very prominent and seemingly unnecessary seam connecting the shaft and head, and the area where the finger meets the toy, as this is not sealed in at all despite being an portion of the toy that is intended to be covered in bodily fluids, raising safety concerns. Finally, whilst my copy of the PlayfulSexToy Sam IV is made of purple silicone, it also comes in red.

Packaging

My order for the Sam IV was placed with PlayfulSexToy on the 18th of July and I received it on the 1st of August. The mailing bag was then 100% discreet, with no mention of who sent it or what was inside. The packaging for the toy itself is super basic, which is what I typically expect from white-label retailers, but considering there is a picture of the packaging on the PlayfulSexToy website which features a branded black box and the toy laying in a velvet-like material, that’s kinda what I thought I would get. Instead, this is an unbranded purple box made of cheap card, with some generic icons on the side and a sticker that seems to indicate this is the Sam III, even though it is definitely the IV. No text does mean this gets points for being discreet though, with the icon showing something vibrating (which honestly could refer to a lot of things) being the only indication it contains something NSFW. Opening this up, you’ll then find the toy resting in plastic, alongside its charging cord and instruction manual.

Unexpected Issues

Upon receiving the PlayfulSexToy Sam IV, I obviously had immediate concerns relating to the open hole where the flapping arm sticks out of. Yet the website prominently and repeatedly assured me that it was “100% waterproof and submersible”. So, I didn’t think too much of it when I briefly submerged the toy for cleaning before and after my first use. Sadly, as I soon learned from it constantly leaking for weeks afterwards and then no longer working, it seems the Sam IV is not waterproof. In fact, if you look closely at the fine print on their website and in the instruction manual, it is indeed listed as IPX6, which refers to a water-resistant item that can be splashed or placed under running water, but cannot be submerged.

As for what became of my Sam IV, it feels like water has become trapped in almost every area of the toy, particularly the gold plate on the handle and at the base of the flapper. I can even hear water within the head when I squeeze it! The bigger problem though, is that it also stopped working, no doubt due to the water damage. At first, the flapper began to malfunction, frequently not turning on or being difficult to control once activated. I thought I could manage initially, but then the suction arm also stopped working (it would make a noise, but the plate within would not actually move). Ultimately, I had to ask PlayfulSexToy for a replacement Sam IV, which they quickly organised on the 8th of October. Arriving on the 18th, once again the mailing box was discreet. As for the packaging, this was identical (I thought I might finally get the one they advertise on their website), whilst the toy itself has a few small visual differences, for instance the metal charging prongs are more prominent (making them more likely to scratch you) and the flapping arm’s hole is sealed a bit better.

Charging

Charging the PlayfulSexToy Sam IV should be easy since it is USB rechargeable. You just need to plug one end into a USB port and the other end will connect magnetically to the plates on the bottom of the toy. Unfortunately though these magnets are very weak and are prone to disconnecting on their own. Additionally, a problem I’ve been encountering in my replacement Sam IV, that did not occur in the previous model, is that the charging frequently doesn’t turn on even when connected properly, requiring me to keep reconnecting it till it works. Once successfully on charge, a light on the toy will then flash, becoming solid upon completion, and charging should take around 90 minutes to provide 60 minutes of use.

Controls

With three motors and three buttons on the PlayfulSexToy Sam IV, controlling it is relatively straightforward. Turning it off and on can be done by holding down the middle button with the power symbol on it for two seconds, with the toy initially going into a stand-by mode. After this, the toy’s motors are controlled independently, with the middle button controlling the G-spot vibrations, the top button controlling the flapper, and the bottom button controlling the suction. I do feel the suction and vibrations buttons could have been switched though, or perhaps had originally intended to be, as it is the suction button that features the traditional vibrations symbol, making this a bit confusing. All three motors can then be used together or separately, and all of them feature the same seven modes, three being steady speeds and four being patterns. Holding down the suction or flapper buttons, you can then turn these off without affecting the rest of the toy, but you won’t be able to turn off the vibrations without turning off the Sam IV entirely.

First Impressions

I’ve been around for plenty of new sex toy developments, from the Zumio to the Womanizer, and all of them I initially laughed at. But no new style of toy has looked more ridiculous to me than the flapper. Mostly because I was quite certain that whilst it looks good on the outside, inside you won’t be able to feel a thing. Still, I was ready to once again be proven wrong, and turning on the flapper for the first time I was pleased to see just how much force is behind it, being genuinely a bit painful if I wrap my hand around it, kind of like a tiny whip hitting me repeatedly. Unfortunately though it seems the included vibrations and suction aren’t helping the Sam IV’s prospects, with the former being buzzy and fairly weak, and the latter actually being a knock-off version I tend to call tap suction (since it uses a vibrating plate within the nozzle rather than the technology brands like Womanizer and Satisfyer use. It can still feel good, but it is also dangerous if the plate hits your clitoris). As for the noise level, this isn’t actually too bad despite everything that’s going on here, with the flapping arm actually being the loudest element, which works nicely considering this is greatly reduced once inserted.

My Experience

With such low expectations, they could really only go up. Yet even I wasn’t prepared for how much I would love the PlayfulSexToy Sam IV in use. Being fairly thick for a rabbit vibrator, insertion is initially a little slow, and I sometimes find it even helps to first warm up with a smaller dildo, such as the Funkit Toys NoFrillDo R. But once inside, I find that the large and subtly curved head hits all the right notes, as it glides past my G-Spot towards my A-Spot. Of course, it was the flapper that I was most interested in, and you’ll be surprised to learn (I certainly was) that not only can this little piece of silicone be felt within me, but that it’s very stimulating. Effectively working to slap my G-Spot again and again, it may not be anywhere near amazing as manually thrusting a G-Spot vibrator or dildo against it, but for a hands-free version it absolutely works, perhaps even more so than the toys with an in-built “come hither” arm, since these are usually quite slow. Plus, in order to place the suction arm over my clitoris I need to keep the Sam IV relatively still, and so if it wasn’t for the flapper I wouldn’t be getting any G-Spot stimulation anyway. On that note, the suction arm is a little difficult to position, but once you manage to create a seal, keeping it there is fairly easy, and can even be used hands-free if you close your legs around the toy. It’s not the best clitoral stimulation ever, and I would certainly prefer more than three steady speeds, but it’s not bad either and with all of the other sensations going on I don’t really notice. Then, whilst the internal vibrations are the least stimulating element, they still add another dimension during play, and using all three modes together results in some very fast, strong and satisfying orgasms that make me want to just keep coming back for more. Which makes it extra disappointing that I cannot…

Cleaning & Care

The open seal around the flapping arm and its ability to trap water and bodily fluids is easily the worst part of the PlayfulSexToy Sam IV. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it presents such a big problem that I don’t feel this toy is safe for use, or at the very least it cannot be cleaned adequately enough after use in order to return it to a body-safe condition. This would be true even if it were waterproof, but removing the ability to submerge it definitely complicates matters even further. Plus, even though I’ve been very careful with my replacement Sam IV, making sure to only rinse it under a running stream of water, it too has begun leaking fluids, meaning this toy may not even be water-resistant, which is the bare minimum for an insertable toy. If one had to use it, the only option would be to not insert it past the open seal, yet even this is not an option for me since I must fully insert it for the suction arm to reach my clitoris.

Final Thoughts

Lately I’ve received quite a few messages asking about G-Spot vibrators with the ability to move back and forth in the classic “come hither” fashion. But whilst I have reviewed one a long time ago, my answer is that unfortunately LELO now holds the patent for it with their Wave range, and not only are their toys very overpriced in my opinion, but they are also not a company I support morally. It kind of sucks, especially when I want to be able to help people find their dream toy. Well, now I know why I’ve been seeing these flappers everywhere, and why it was such a big deal when Honey Play Box patented them. Because they do practically the same thing as the “come hither” toys, but better. And once again I’ve laughed at a new innovation in sex toy technology that could change this industry. That is, of course, if someone manages to actually offer it in a way that is safe, and that doesn’t break almost immediately. This was sadly what let the PlayfulSexToy Sam IV down, because whilst I thoroughly enjoyed testing it out, with it easily being one of the better suction rabbits I have tried, I just don’t feel safe using it again. And it is for this reason that I obviously cannot recommend it.

You can get the Sam IV directly from PlayfulSexToy for just $117 AUD / $75.9 USD, plus use my code GRACE20 to get 20% OFF your total order!

Last updated: 25/10/24

Price at the time of writing: $117 AUD / $75.9 USD

This post was sponsored by PlayfulSexToy, but as always, all opinions are my own. Affiliate links have been used in this post.