Review: ZALO HERO

Confidence is sexy. So when I received a press release from ZALO a few weeks ago that introduced themselves as “the leading luxury sex toy manufacturer” I was both surprised and intrigued. For a company who only branched out to the western market a few years ago, they are still considered by many the new kid on the block, that is if you even know who they are. ZALO’s products are beautiful and their packaging is exquisite, and even though I’ve only tried one of their toys, the Queen, I loved it. But “the leading luxury sex toy manufacturer”? That’s a bold claim. It is one, however, I expected them to at least be able to back up, and that is what got me first interested in the toy that the press release featured. It was HERO, their “newest and most advanced” toy yet, and as the second toy in their Legend series it was also the follow-up to the success of the Queen. Of course, with this I knew I had to get my hands on the HERO, and I was lucky enough to have ZALO and JOUJOU team up to send it my way.

PulseWave?

So, what is the ZALO HERO, and what can it actually do? Well, as this is a new type of product that ZALO have created, similar to the ZALO Queen, that’s a pretty good question. In fact, even though I had a pretty good idea of what it was supposed to do when I asked for it, I still had to put in way more research than I usually do when it actually arrived. In its product descriptions, ZALO talk about how the HERO uses their “proprietary PulseWave™ technology”, which is the same tech that the Queen used. However, for the Queen that term referred to its suction abilities, and this is not something the HERO can do. In fact, nothing about the two toys is very similar besides the way they look. For the HERO, the PulseWave technology actually refers to the fact that the silicone tip of the toy can swing back and forth quickly, which is supposed to evoke “unique sensations designed to imitate a memorable oral sex session.” This is a style of sex toy that is relatively new, but has been popping up lately in different forms (most notably with the Zumio) and is just another step in sex toy manufacturers continuing quest to create a oral-sex imitation toy (which as far as I’m concerned all have failed at doing so far).

Product Description

Like the Queen, the ZALO HERO has been designed with the utmost consideration to elegance and luxury. It uses the same Egyptian design cues as its sister toy, including the signature sleek ridges and gold band inlaid with a SWAROVSKI crystal. The same silky soft silicone is also used, and the toy comes in the same three colours, Wine Red, Twilight Purple, and Jewel Green. I chose the Jewel Green for my HERO, and it is a beautiful emerald colour that I’ve never had a sex toy in before (and photos really don’t do it justice. Instead it always seems to be blue in them. It’s green, I swear!). Similar still to the Queen is that the HERO is USB rechargeable, although while the Queen had a multitude of different features, from heating to having its own phone application, the HERO keeps things a bit more simple and only has two functions: the PulseWave and vibrations. Unfortunately, the aspect I hated most about the Queen is still present with the HERO, and that’s the fact that it’s not waterproof, only splash-proof. Although I do think this is a little more forgivable than with the Queen, as it is not designed as an internal use toy. There are then two buttons on the toy, one on the front and another on the back, and the charging connection point is also on the back. Lastly, while the toy is very visually stunning, there are two points that let it down slightly in this regard, and that is the prominent seam running along the centre of its tip, and the lighter shade band that is at the base of the tip (this is presumably caused by the fact that this area is hollow to allow the tip to move freely).

Packaging

ZALO sent the HERO out to me on the 24th of July, and I promptly received it on the 30th. Unfortunately the box was not very discreet, as it had “Handheld massager” listed as the contents, and “Zalo Health Care” listed as the sender. Inside this was the packaging for the ZALO HERO, along with a beautifully designed booklet on their Legend series. The box for the HERO is pretty much the same as the Queen, so I wasn’t surprised by it, but that in no way made it any less amazing. ZALO are known for their beautiful packaging, and they’ve gone all out for their Legend series. Full of ancient Egyptian imagery, this box really is a work of art. I won’t go into the full details as I already did that in my Queen review, so if you’re interested I’d definitely recommend checking that out as I also included close-up images and videos of the box and its contents. Speaking of contents, the HERO comes with the same stuff that the Queen did, which includes a luxury storage bag, detailed instruction manual, charging cable, credit-card like warranty card (which comes with a 1 year warranty and a 10 year commitment), and two sample packets of ZALO’s water-based lubricant (these contain glycerin so I wouldn’t recommend their use).

Charging

Charging the toy is super easy, although it can occasionally be a bit finicky. One end of the charger fits into a USB port while the other magnetically connects to the metal prongs on the back of the toy. This generally works fine, but make sure to leave the toy somewhere it won’t get moved or knocked as the magnets can disconnect fairly easily. One thing I like in particular about the charger is that it features the ZALO logo, making it easy to identify. Once everything is connected, a LED light should flash to indicate charging, and this light will then become solid when charging is complete. Charging should take 1 hour, and this is supposed to give you 2-3 hours of playtime. However, I have had some issues where I have gone to use what should have been a charged toy, only to find it flat. So it seems that the battery does not last very long or has trouble holding its charge, which is a huge shame, or that perhaps I have a faulty model, which isn’t great news either.

Controls

Controlling the ZALO HERO can be a little confusing, particularly as one of the buttons is on the back, and the first time I used it I didn’t even realise it was a button! Basically, to start you need to put the toy into stand-by mode, and this can be done by pressing either button. I very much dislike stand-by modes as it can waste the battery if you forget it’s on, and as the only indication of the toy being in this mode is two very small and hard-to-see flashing lights under both buttons, this feature could definitely cause issues. Next, you can either press the front button to activate the PulseWave mode or the back button to activate vibrations, or press both to use them simultaneously! In PulseWave mode there is four different steady speeds to cycle through, and in vibration mode there is also four speeds, with two being steady and two being patterns. I actually thought there was only one steady speed at first, until I read another review and found out that the vibration modes alternate between steady speeds and patterns, meaning that the toy’s cycle of vibrations is: low steady speed, pattern 1, high steady speed, pattern 2. I’ve literally never had a vibrator that does this before and I hate it, I’d much rather just be able to flick between the low and high steady speeds and avoid the patterns entirely. Another issue I have with the controls is that once you reach the end of either the PulseWave or vibration cycles, the HERO just turns them off and puts itself back into stand-by mode, which can be a real mood killer if you forget you’re on the highest setting, start orgasming and try to raise the speed, only for the toy to completely stop! To turn the toy off, you can then hold down either button for 3 seconds, and to travel lock the toy you can hold them down simultaneously for 3 seconds.

First Impressions

Turning this toy on for the very first time I was excited to see the PulseWave function in action. It’s essentially just what I imagined, which is the silicone tip moving back and forth extremely fast, so fast my eyes can’t even keep up! You can see a video I filmed here to get an idea of what it’s like. The vibrations also make the tip move and they do travel through it, but this is not as extreme as on the PulseWave mode. I found the vibrations that came with the ZALO Queen, which also only had two steady speeds, too buzzy and weak for my tastes, and sadly it seems that the same motor has been used in the HERO. This didn’t affect my opinion on the Queen much as it’s an internal vibrator, but I generally require stronger vibrations for my clitoris. Thankfully though the addition of the PulseWave makes up for this. In regards to noise, this toy is fairly loud and this is mostly due to the PulseWave function, so it’s not the best toy if discretion is important to you.

My Experience

First impressions can be deceiving with sex toys, especially with new designs, and this was very much true for the ZALO HERO. The first time I tried it was after already testing some other clitoral vibrators, and when I put it on my clit I hated it. I found the flicking silicone end that slapped me repeatedly both painful and annoying, and even when I did get it into a position where it didn’t hurt I still couldn’t find it pleasurable. After that experience I took a few days to properly research how to use it and hear from other bloggers on their thoughts of it, before trying again. Since then I have been loving it, and every time I use it I seem to like it more (which is common when trying new toy designs like this, as my body grows accustomed). I think the biggest problem with my first test was that I used it after my clit was already worn out from other vibes, and as this toy is so intense it’s the sort of thing you want to be using solo. In regards to its vibrations, I don’t find that they make a massive difference, but I thoroughly enjoy the PulseWave function as it gives me fast and hard orgasms.

Of all the toys I own, I was expecting the ZALO HERO to feel most like my Zumio. But I actually find them quite different, and I relate the feeling of the HERO more to a traditional clitoral vibrator. While the Zumio is long and made of hard plastic, which is unlike anything else, the soft silicone of the HERO automatically makes my mind think of clitoral vibes. Then, while the Zumio is incredibly intense all the time, you can at least place it right up against your clitoris to ensure it can’t touch you in a painful and sudden way. With the HERO however, it isn’t as intense (which is mainly due to the soft silicone), and you can only have the tip touching you as otherwise the PulseWave can’t make its flicking motions, but in doing so it is easier to get flicked in the wrong spot. So in this regard, the HERO feels to me most like placing the very tip of a silicone clitoral vibrator to myself, but in an almost teasing way as if you bring it any closer to you it won’t function correctly. In regards to its oral sex imitation abilities, I unfortunately don’t think it feels much like this, although I do think it does a better job of capturing the feeling than suction style toys.

During my research of the ZALO HERO that I performed after my failure of a first test, I found one video by ZALO that suggested the end of the toy can be used internally (even though it also says on their website that it’s for “External Use Only”). So being the good reviewer I am, I tested it out this way as well. Unfortunately though I can only put so much of the toy inside of me before it starts getting too wide, and the small amount that does fit doesn’t do anything for me, even with the vibrations turned on.

Cleaning & Care

Cleaning the toy is pretty easy, although you do have to be a little bit careful to not get the product too wet as it is only splash proof, and thus cannot be immersed in water. I usually just wipe it down with some warm soapy water and then give it a little rinse, before leaving it to air dry, and then placing it in its storage bag. 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.

Final Thoughts

Overall I have really enjoyed testing the ZALO HERO. I think ZALO still have a way to go before they can start calling themselves “the leading luxury sex toy manufacturer”, but if their innovative Legend series is anything to go by then they are well on their way. In the series, they have presented two beautifully designed new toy styles that I’ve never seen before, and originality isn’t something that is easy to come by in this industry. While the HERO is far more simplified in design than the Queen, it unfortunately did carry over some of the same faults, such as weak vibrations, confusing buttons and not being fully waterproof, as well as its own struggle with not holding its charge. But what it does succeed in is pleasuring me, which is really the most important thing. While I’m not sure the HERO is worth its high price tag right now, if ZALO continue to hone this technology and make improvements to the areas I have suggested then I think they are really going to be in with a winner.

You can get the ZALO HERO from JOUJOU for just $179.99 AUD / $118 USD!

Last updated: 19/4/24

Price at the time of writing: $179.99 AUD / $122 USD

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