Review: YY Horse Mini Banana

Every week I spend hours sorting through press releases and trade magazines to find the best and most exciting new sex toys to bring you reviews of. It’s how I end up finding gems like the Hot Octopuss KURVE and Lovehoney X Love Not War Amore despite them being barely off the manufacturing line, alongside warnings for products that didn’t quite work out before you risk spending your hard earned money on them. So that’s why when a retailer like Honeysx comes along and says I can choose anything from their store to review, I can’t help but want to put my feet up a little and review something purely for fun instead. And that is exactly what the YY Horse Mini Banana is all about. Going full form over function, YY Horse (which is the brand name, and no, I don’t know why) have created what looks to be a terrible sex toy. But with one of the most adorable designs ever, the Mini Banana has truly won my heart.

The Brand & Sender

Since it’s my first time working with both Honeysx and YY Horse for a review, let me take a moment to introduce them. Currently one of my blog sponsors, Honeysx are a retailer based in China who sell a huge range of toys, from white-label style products to big brand names such as Satisfyer, ZALO, and Womanizer. With a desire to provide high quality sex toys alongside great customer service, ensuring their customers are satisfied (in more ways than one!) is their biggest priority. While not all of what they stock is body-safe, however, the vast majority is, and in addition to their toys, they also have a wide range of bondage gear too. Orders are open worldwide, you can also enjoy discreet shipping alongside their one year warranty and 7-day return period. Similarly, manufacturer YY Horse is also based in China, although with both of their websites seemingly down right now, I don’t really know much more, nor had I heard of them prior to seeing them on Honeysx’s store. Based off of their social media though, they seem to have been around for about a year and specialise in designing discreet and adorable vibrators, with the aim of reducing the stigma around toys by changing them from “erotic” products to “daily necessities”.

Product Description

More than anything, the YY Horse Mini Banana lives up to its name, with its small size not just being unusual for an sex toy, but for an actual banana as well. Sized at just 13cm / 5.1 inches in length (with only 7cm / 2.7 inches of that actually being insertable), this is by far the smallest internal vibrator I own. Which, in a sense, does go a long way to throwing anyone who may be curious about its phallic shape off the scent, since most would expect a sex toy to be a fair bit bigger than this. In fact, nothing about the Mini Banana really suggests it’s anything more than just some strange piece of decor until you actually turn it on and realise that it’s vibrating. But while it may look like not much thought has gone into this toy other than “hey, why don’t we make a banana?”, it’s actually quite a bit more than that. In addition to the yellow peel acting as a barrier, so that the handle (and thus your hands and the controls) don’t become an absolute mess, it also means that you can’t accidentally insert it too far, both of which could be major issues if it wasn’t present. Plus, with the toy’s vibrations being powerful enough to effect the peel as well, it allows this to stimulate the clitoris, effectively turning the toy into a dual-stimulator. With a firm body made entirely out of body-safe silicone (which is “food-safe”, rather than “edible” like the Honeysx website says, do not eat this!), the Mini Banana has just one button, and after this its only other feature is its charging hole, which is located at its stem (although this is not really “hidden”, as Honeysx suggest). The white banana portion is then curved especially for G-Spot stimulation, whilst the peel is a bright shade of yellow, and while this is the only colour option on Honeysx’s store, it does that seem YY Horse make it in other colours too, such as blue. Finally, as with all good sex toys, the Mini Banana is fully waterproof and USB rechargeable, and its peel also allows it to be safe for anal play.

Packaging

The YY Horse Mini Banana was sent to me from Honeysx on the 29th of July and I received it on the 13th of August. The package was then fully discreet, with no mention of the sender or contents, and you can view my full unboxing here. The box for the toy itself was then very much on point, being bright yellow and featuring nothing but a picture of the Mini Banana. Some small text can be found on the back in Chinese, English, and Korean describing the product’s features, and a safety sticker featuring the YY Horse logo can then be removed to open it up. Inside you’ll find the toy, alongside its charging cord and a small instruction manual. In addition, there are also instructions on the inside of the box itself, so you could alternatively just use this for reference and throw away the manual. Overall though I really loved all of this and thought it was more than appropriate for a toy of its price, and I really feel that the box (or at least the lid) could easily be reused, as nothing about the picture looks like a sex toy, but rather just a stylised banana. Finally, the YY Horse Mini Banana also comes with a 6 month warranty.

Charging

Since the YY Horse Mini Banana is USB rechargeable, charging it is easy. Simply plug one end of the charging cord into the hole at the end of the toy, and the other end into a USB port. Charging should then take 1 hour (it says 30 minutes on the Honeysx website, but the instructions say 60, which not only do I trust more but seems more accurate in my experience with charging it) which will give you 1 hour of playtime, and the toy’s light will flash until it has completed its charge.

Controls

With only one button, controlling the Mini Banana is also extremely straight-forward. Simply press it for three seconds, which will place the Mini Banana into stand-by mode as indicated by its light turning on. After that you can press it again to cycle through the toy’s 10 vibration modes, with 3 being steady speeds and 7 being patterns. Finally, at the end of the modes the toy will return to stand-by mode, and at any point you can hold the button down again to turn the toy off. Overall this all works well, but as usual I find the use of the stand-by mode unnecessary, as the only purpose it seems to serve is to drain the battery when left on accidentally. Plus, since the toy’s light is located under the button, it can be difficult to tell when it has actually turned on since your finger covers it (not to mention when it’s under the bed-sheets).

First Impressions

With such an unusual shape, alongside the goal of offering clitoral stimulation through its residual vibrations, the motor of the YY Horse Mini Banana was of the utmost importance. Unfortunately though it is somewhat buzzy, especially at higher speeds. Despite this, the vibrations really do travel well through the peel flaps, and remind me of toys that use similar thin pieces of vibrating silicone to offer clit pleasure, such as the SVAKOM Siren and ZALO Amorette. As for the noise level, this is unfortunately quite loud, and so I’m not sure this would be the most suitable toy if you had a reason to be discreet (which is, ironically, a big part of its identity).

My Experience

At just 3.2cm / 1.3 inches in diameter, the YY Horse Mini Banana is not just short, but thin too, and so insertion is very easy. Going into this I wasn’t sure if it would manage to stimulate my G-Spot or not, as despite its length it does have the ideal curvature and firmness for my body. Unfortunately though it quickly became clear that this was not meant to be, with its curve instead hitting my pubic bone whenever I tried to angle it correctly. Although it’s important to note that I do have a G-Spot that is further back than most, with the majority of G-Spot Vibrators that I have tried not working out for me, and so I don’t really feel this is the toy’s fault, nor is it a problem others would be sure to encounter. Sadly though, without G-Spot stimulation, insertion of the toy is quite uninteresting, with not enough length to really thrust it and the vibrations not offering a lot either. Plus, while the peel does feel somewhat stimulating on my clitoris, the fact that it is fully up against me, as opposed to similar toys that require just the tip to be used, means that it cannot vibrate with enough intensity to bring me to orgasm. Because of all this, my favourite way to use the Mini Banana has been for warming up prior to taking larger toys, and I find that using it inserted makes for some great foreplay before finally taking it out and directing it over my clitoris to finish myself off. On that note, I do think the Mini Banana works quite well as a clit vibe, and while it’s not the best I’ve ever tried, it’s certainly enough to have some enjoyable orgasms with.

Cleaning & Care

Cleaning the YY Horse Mini Banana is easy as it is waterproof. Just wipe it down with some warm soapy water, rinse and dry. You may also want to scrub around the base of the insertable portion to ensure no bacteria is hiding there, although if you do be careful, as the silicone here has begun to rip on mine, which may not only be a safety issue but makes me question if it will remain waterproof. After this you can return it to the box it came in, or alternatively a zip-lock bag to keep it sanitary. Make sure to also not use silicone-based lubricant with this product, as it may react badly to the silicone it is made with, but if you do then first perform a spot test.

Final Thoughts

It was clear from the get-go that the YY Horse Mini Banana was intended as more of a fun novelty than an amazing sex toy, but even with that in mind, I can’t deny that I have thoroughly enjoyed testing this toy. One of the biggest things I feel that YY Horse have done right here is keeping the product simple, as easy-to-use controls and quick charging go a long way to making a vibrator enjoyable to use. Plus, the adorable packaging gave a great first impression, and makes it ideal for gifting. As for actually using it though, I don’t feel that YY Horse have quite achieved what they set out to do, with the Mini Banana failing to stimulate both my G-Spot and clitoris, but as with all rabbit toys this is just due to my anatomy, and doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t work for others. Luckily, I was still able to enjoy the toy despite this, as I found it was perfect for warming up and foreplay internally, and with the vibrations and shape being ideal for use as a clit vibe. Overall, considering the low price tag and fun appearance, I would definitely recommend the YY Horse Mini Banana to those looking for a casual yet versatile toy.

You can get the YY Horse Mini Banana from Honeysx for just $48 AUD / $34.99 USD!

This post was sponsored by Honeysx, but as always, all opinions are my own.