Recommendation: Honi from PicoBong

I recently discovered that those fabulous folk at LELO have launched a new mid-range brand of sex toys. The rather playfully-named PicoBong has an initial offering of six waterproof, travel-ready vibrators. With an online marketing campaign which includes flash games, iPhone/Android apps and blogs, PicoBong say they are hoping to "open a global forum to communicate the value of safe sexual experimentation with the help of sex toys, rather than catering to the traditional less-refined standards often found in the industry." An interesting concept, but one that will only work if the products are up to scratch.

PicoBong kindly offered to send me one of their launch products and I have to admit that I was rather excited about this. After all, many of us know just how great LELO's products are but not everyone has the budget for them. This new brand is promising a step up from ugly cheap sex toys but without the giant leap in price. If the quality is there, these would definitely be big sellers. I decided to test the Honi - the mini toy with mega vibrations - which is available on the PicoBong website for a mere £26.95 and is delivered in very discreet packaging. The website gives you all the information you need to select the toy that's right for you, and this little baby seemed like my idea of fun!

I'm happy to report that, not only is the Honi delightfully simple in its design, it is also amazingly straightforward to use. Seriously, the instruction manual is barely longer than a couple of tweets, because that's really all you need to know to work the thing. Brilliant stuff! It has plenty more going for it too. It's waterproof, so you can use it in in more than one place (use your imagination!), and it also has a rather quiet motor, which means that it's only you who has to keep the noise down. Another thing I liked was that, although it is a silicone toy, it is firm to the touch. This is great for applying just the amount of pressure you like when using the Honi externally.

Although it promises "mega vibrations", the Honi does have more subtle speeds for those who like it softer or prefer a slow build up. The multiple speeds and vibration patterns are easily controlled with a mere two buttons. Yes, the interface really is that simple! You only need to remember that the one nearest the string is the down/off button and it becomes easy to control the Honi without looking. The design geeks amongst you will also love the fact that these buttons are built into the P and B of the logo on the surface of the toy. Basically, all you need to do to get started with this pretty little thing is to make sure that you have an AAA battery at the ready. Once you've popped that in the Honi and felt the buzz, I very much doubt you'll be disappointed. I found it was perfect for delivering the vibrations I wanted, exactly where they were needed. A truly great product for a great price.