Review: Womanizer Starlet 3

I’ve been on a hunt lately to find good quality suction on a budget. It saw me review the viral Sohimi ROSE, try out the infamous OSUGA Cuddly Bird (also known as the Biird Obii), and even take a second look at the toy that started it all, the Satisfyer Pro 2. But I would be remiss if I didn’t bother trying the beginner’s option from my favourite suction brand, WOW Tech’s Womanizer. Now, I must warn you, while the Womanizer Starlet is the cheapest option in the luxury German brand’s current catalogue, at $120 AUD it is still quite a hefty sum. Plus, with a favourite like the Womanizer Liberty coming in at only $30 more, it had me a little unsure of where this product could possibly fit in with the rest of my toys. But, with a recent rerelease taking it from the Starlet 2 to the Starlet 3, alongside the updated Premium 2 and Classic 2, I just couldn’t resist giving it a go when Lovehoney reached out about a review.

Product Description

Out of Womanizer’s five core products, the only one I hadn’t tried until now was the Starlet. Essentially a stripped back version of their beloved suction stimulators, I’m not surprised its small and simple design is often overlooked when it has powerhouses like the Premium 2 and DUO as its siblings. But while fancy features like WOW Tech’s Autopilot and Smart Silence are nice, the ability to make me orgasm is the only thing that really matters at the end of the day. Coming in at a length of just 12cm / 5″, the Starlet is a lot smaller than most of my other suction toys, although slightly bigger than the travel-friendly Liberty, which is the next step up in the Womanizer range. Also somewhat similar to the Liberty is its overall feel, as it uses glossy ABS plastic for its body rather than silicone or matte plastic. This, while technically fine, does make the toy come off quite cheap, and its unexpectedly light weight also contributes. Despite this though, the simplistic design works well, and it has a clear family resemblance to the other products in Womanizer’s line. Two buttons, a logo, and charging prongs then rest on one side, whilst a white removal silicone nozzle is on the other. Changes between this version and the last include five completely new colourways (Turquoise, Violet, Pink, Gray, and my pick, Indigo), which I love the diversity and brightness of, updated packaging, and two more intensity levels. As with all other Womanizer toys, the Starlet 3 is also then USB rechargeable, body-safe, and fully waterproof.

Packaging

My order with Lovehoney for the Womanizer Starlet 3 was placed on the 10th of March and I received it promptly on the 16th. As usual the box was 100% discreet, with no mention of the sender or what was inside. Even though I’ve reviewed quite a few Womanizer products at this point, the packaging for the Starlet is then quite different, even compared to the Liberty. Clearly a point where they felt they could cut costs, the toy arrives in a very simple cardboard box featuring Womanizer’s usual branding, a picture of the toy, and some information about what it can do. Once the safety seals are cut, this outer layer then slides off to reveal the toy resting in some card inside. Some quick-start instructions can then be found on the back of this inner box, which I quite like, and Womanizer’s iconic #IMasturbate business card is included, which is good since it was missing from my Premium 2. Also included are two manuals, one being a more generic safety guide, and a charging cord, although notably absent (on purpose this time) are Womanizer’s usual storage bag and additional suction nozzle. Overall, while this is all nice and I understand Womanizer trying to reduce the price, I do still feel that it could have been a little more refined considering it’s not exactly cheap. Finally, the Starlet 3 also comes with Womanizer’s generous five year warranty. 

Charging

Charging the Womanizer Starlet 3 is easy since it is USB rechargeable. Simply plug one end of the cord into a USB port, and then the other end can be connected magnetically to the toy. While charging a light inside the suction nozzle will flash, and when complete this will remain solid. Plus, when the Starlet is almost out of battery, it will let you know by flashing its light whilst on. Charging should then take 30 minutes, which will give you around 30 minutes of play time. Now, 30 minutes might honestly be the worst battery life of any toy I’ve ever tried, and a massive change from the Liberty’s 120 and Premium 2’s 240. It is, however, made slightly better by the fact that it also takes 30 minutes to charge, which is exceptionally fast. Still, if you are the sort of person who forgets to charge things after use (since 30 minutes will surely only last 3 or so sessions max), this is definitely worth considering. In addition, Womanizer recommend charging the toy before first use, and it’s also worth noting that the charging cord features the brand’s logo, which I love as it makes it easy to identify.

Controls

The Womanizer Starlet 3 only has two buttons, making it extremely easy to control. Plus, with clear labels, there isn’t even any need to refer to the instructions. Simply hold the plus button down for two seconds to turn the toy on, which will place it on the lowest level. You can then continue clicking the plus button to increase the power through its six intensity levels, or use the minus button to decrease it again. Finally, to turn the toy off you can hold down the minus button for two seconds. This is all very similar to the Womanizer Liberty, which also has two buttons, with one key improvement which I think makes a world of difference. My biggest complaint with that toy was that its plus button also turned it off, so I would always hold it down when raising the speed and accidentally cut the power instead. I mentioned then that “I would prefer it if the minus button turned it off”. Well lo and behold, that is exactly what they’ve done with the Starlet 3, and I couldn’t be happier!

First Impressions

While six speeds is not much for a suction toy (my favourite, the Womanizer Premium 2, has 14), it is the same amount as the Liberty, and since I enjoyed that toy so much I was hopeful for the Starlet 3. Plus, the previous iteration of this toy only had four, so considering that six sounds pretty good. Turning it on for the first time, I definitely got the sense of Womanizer’s usual deep and powerful stimulation, feeling quite a pull on my finger. As for its noise level, this is fairly similar to the Womanizer Liberty, marking it on the quieter end of my suction toy noise scale. Still, as they are naturally noisy products, you will still need to be careful if you have reason to be discreet with the Starlet, as it can be heard from other rooms. As for the nozzle, this is quite large despite only coming in one size, and should work for a wide range of people due to its deep chamber. For those who do want further options though, more sizes can be purchased directly through Womanizer.

My Experience

As with the Womanizer Liberty, the Starlet’s nozzle-based LED light makes placing it over my clitoris so much easier than with other suction toys. There is then a good variety between the six levels, with the final speed feeling satisfying thuddy and deep, just like all of Womanizer’s toys, and orgasm comes easy. But I can’t help but want more. You see, I was hoping that the $30 AUD difference in price between the Liberty and Starlet was because of everything that separates them aside from their suction. After all, the Liberty has a nicer, travel-friendly design, comes with better packaging, accessories, superior charging times and more. So it wouldn’t have been a leap to think they might share the same motor. But yet, despite having the same number of levels as the Liberty, the Starlet 3 simply falls short in terms of power, and it is all too obvious in use. What’s more, while this would usually be acceptable for a budget toy, I also prefer the Satisfyer Pro 2 to it, as although the suction between the two is very different (and I could see fans of thuddy stimulation preferring the Starlet), the stronger intensity of the Pro 2 wins me over. Which is a problem when you realise that the Pro 2, which is more widely available, also costs $40 less.

Cleaning & Care

Cleaning the Womanizer Starlet 3 is easy. Simply remove the silicone head, wash it in warm soapy water, and rinse. If the body of the toy is dirty too then the whole thing can be placed and washed in the water as well since it is waterproof. Then leave these to air dry and reassemble, before storing however you wish. Additionally, make sure to not use silicone-based lubricants with the toy, as it may affect the silicone nozzle.

Final Thoughts

The Womanizer Starlet 3 is a good toy. It works smoothly, looks good doing it, and has a deep suction that brings me to orgasm without too much delay. I have no complaints… except for its price. For all intents and purposes this comes off as a very cheap product, from its basic packaging, lack of accessories, old school battery life and plastic body, and I’d probably price it around $50 AUD if I was unaware of the brand. Which is totally fine, and I would recommend it as a brilliant budget option. But at $120, the Starlet could almost be considered a luxury product, a label that does not fit it at all. The bigger issue with this, though, is that there are plenty of better toys out there for significantly less, such as the $80 Satisfyer Pro 2, and if you really have your heart set on a Womanizer then you only need to fork out another $30 to get the far superior Liberty. With this in mind, it saddens me to say that this is the first Womanizer I cannot in good faith recommend, whose talents seem to remain with their luxury products, even if their prices aren’t always accessible for the rest of us.

You can get the Womanizer Starlet 3 for just $119.95 AUD at Lovehoney Australia or $79.99 USD at Lovehoney US, plus use my code HONEYX10 to get 10% OFF your total order!

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