The Arcwave Ion is the first penis sex toy to incorporate air pressure technology. My partner, Eve, has long enjoyed toys such as the Womanizer Pro40, so I was very excited to review the Arcwave Ion.
Lovehoney sent me the Arcwave Ion for free in return for an honest review. This page contains affiliate links and it really helps me out when you use them (that’s how I get paid)!
Table Of Contents
First Impressions of Arcwave Ion
This Arcwave Ion review is the first sex toy article I’ve ever had to sign a non disclosure agreement for. A top secret toy, I was really excited about testing it. The Arcwave is a smart masturbator that uses the same Pleasure Air technology that Womanizer toys use.
The Arcwave Ion came in a box that was a little bigger than I was expecting. It is a really nicely designed unit. The outside of the toy (particularly its case) doesn’t look like a sex toy at all. More like one of those bluetooth speakers. It’s a sleek metalic grey case that lights up with a couple of LED lights when you plug it in to charge.
Not even the inside of the case looks like a sex toy. It really is a modern and elegant design.
Being a penis sex toy, it also functions well as a masturbator. The masturbation sleeve on the device is made from super soft silicone. I love that the Arcwave Ion is made of silicone because that means it isn’t porous. Most masturbators are made from cyber-skin or TPE which are porous and eventually need to be thrown away. Silicone doesn’t degrade in the same way, so that’s awesome.
The battery of the Arcwave Ion lasts about 1h10 and takes around 2 hours to fully charge. It comes with a USB charger that connects to the case I already mentioned above. It’s a unique way to store and charge a sex toy. Honestly I love it. I think it’s great that this sex toy can be out charging in plain sight. Nobody would suspect it. Even if they did, who cares?? It looks so classy that it doesn’t matter.
The Arcwave Ion has 8 intensity modes for the air pressure stimulation. It also has a smart silent mode, which means it only runs when it comes into contact with your penis. As soon as you pull your penis away, it will go silent again. The Arcwave is also completely waterproof, so you can use it pretty much anywhere.
Video of Arcwave Ion
What does the silicone feel like?
Before we get to the experience part of my Arcwave Ion review, I want to talk about the silicone that makes up the masturbator. This is the silkiest and softest silicone that I have ever laid my skin upon. Seriously, I wouldn’t have guessed that it was silicone, that’s how soft and nice it feels.
I really have to compliment Arcwave for this use of silicone, it feels great. It’s about time a company started making such nice silicone masturbators. I’d like to see more companies going down this path in future. Arcwave proves that good masturbators can be made from silicone too.
Experience with Arcwave Ion
I was SO excited about using Arcwave Ion. So excited that used it immediately after the photo shoot I did with it.
The Arcwave Ion is a very intuitive toy to use. It operates like a simple masturbator and has an Air Pressure vent at the back. Unlike simple masturbators however, I wanted to keep the Arcwave Ion in place so that I could enjoy the air pressure on the tip of my penis. The ability to use it as a masturbator is nevertheless very useful for increasing the intensity of sessions.
To use the toy, I applied a generous amount of water-based lubricant to the silicone sleeve and my penis. Then I slid my penis in easily. The sleeve of the Arcwave Ion isn’t super tight however I can’t get my penis inside it without lube. In my opinion, the size of the masturbator is well thought out because it will accomodate most penis sizes. The silicone is very soft and stretchy, so I can’t see it posing much (if any) problem for more girthy penises.
With the way that Pleasure Air technology works, I found it better to put pressure on the air vent by pressing the side of my penis into it with my thumb. It is extremely easy to control the toy with the buttons too. There are three buttons in all. One silent mode button (self-explanatory). Then a plus and minus button. Very easy. The plus button also functions as the power-on and the minus button as the power-off.
It didn’t take long at all for the Arcwave Ion to make me climax for the first time. And oh god was it delicious. I came while my penis was pressed against the air vent inside the toy and my cum filled the top of the inside of the toy.
To my surprise, the continued stimulation didn’t bother me. With other penis vibrators, I usually need to turn them off straight away. The air pressure in the Arcwave felt so much like a massage when I lowered the intensity that I just kept it there.
It wasn’t long before I felt another orgasm coming, so I increased the intensity and began stroking with the silicone sleeve. I came again and this time the orgasm was supernova level strong.
The only downside to this session with the toy was that I had to change all of my bedsheets after using it 😉
I’ve since used the toy solo in many locations. It is comfortable whether I lie down on bed, stand or sit down. The actual masturbation unit of the Arcwave Ion is very light and ergonomic. Very well designed and easy to use one handed. I almost can’t fault it.
What does the Pleasure Air stimulation feel like?
Air pressure stimulation feels like a more subtle form of vibration to me. It does have a unique quality about it and isn’t exactly the same. Yet if you enjoy vibration on your penis then you will very likely enjoy this too.
The Air Pleasure technology inside the Arcwave Ion does a great job of stimulation. It has 8 intensities though to be honest, I always run it at the highest intensity. The lower intensities of the Arcwave Ion are a little too subtle for me. Keep in mind that I regularly test extremely strong vibrators though, so you may enjoy the lower settings more than me.
Air pressure technology has the ability to stimulate the Pacinian pleasure receptors inside your skin. Pacinian Corpuscles/Receptors are sensitive to both vibration and pressure. So that’s why air pressure stimulation feels a little like vibration to us. By using air pressure technology, you can stimulate the Pacinian receptors in a new way. Arcwave says that using Air Pressure technology stimulates these receptors in a more profound way.
It’s worth noting that the Pacinian pleasure receptors cannot be fully activated by manual stroking, sex or oral sex alone. This applies to the penis as well as the clitoris. They respond most to air pressure and vibration.
So yeah! It’s something you really have to try yourself but air pressure technology feels a little like a more focussed and subtle form of vibration.
Vibration vs Air Pressure Tech
Okay, okay… I knew you’d probably want to know why you should buy something with air pressure rather than with vibration. Honestly, it is down to personal preference. If you already own a penis vibrator or two, I’d say go for it. If you haven’t used a penis vibrator before though, here is what to keep in mind.
One thing I noticed about air pressure stimulation is that it affects the local area of stimulation more. With a vibrator I can feel the effects over a larger area of my body tissue. With air pressure the stimulation feels more focused.
Vibrators can range from medium stimulation to extreme intensities. Air pressure stimulation tends to be more subtle (however it can still get pretty intense). The difference to me is that I can leave the Arcwave Ion switched on after I come, whereas with a vibrator I usually need to turn it straight off to avoid over-stimulating my penis and causing discomfort.
Penis vibrators can vary in strength. Depending on the frequency of the vibrations, you will get a different experience. Therefore vibration technology can be inconsistent, even if two vibrators have the same power levels.
Example… many people like lower frequency vibrations because they feel rumbly and penetrate your body tissue without making it go numb. Higher frequency vibrations however can feel intense but make your skin or body tissue feel numb after prolonged use.
The Arcwave Ion uses air pressure to stimulate. It is impossible for this particular toy to make me numb. I tested it for a long time and it never did make me lose sensation. The air pressure hitting my penis doesn’t work in the same way as vibration does. So while it feels similar to a vibration, I can tell that it isn’t coming from a vibrator. I hope that makes sense.
Air pressure tech can vary too. If we change the power between toys or the frequency of the air bursts. Yet if two air pressure toys have the same power, there won’t be as much inconsistency between them as there is between two vibrators.
Partner Play with Arcwave Ion
This review of the Arcwave Ion wouldn’t be complete without an account of its use in partner play! It’s well designed for oral sex. The Arcwave Ion is an open ended masturbation sleeve, so your partner will be able to play with the tip of your penis as they use the toy on you.
My girlfriend Eve was quite eager to use this new toy on me. She already loves air pressure technology herself so she looked forward to sharing that with me.
She slipped the toy over my penis and found it easy to use the toy’s controls. I did have to tell her about applying pressure between my penis and the air vent of the toy. As soon as she knew that, I could lie back and let my hands wander over her body.
Eve was able to give me a blowjob and play with the tip of my penis with her fingers while using the toy on me. When my climax came, it was amazing. Again, the main disadvantage to the toy was the amount of cleanup afterwards, particularly cleanup of Eve’s breasts 😉
The location of the air vent isn’t ideal for oral sex
One point I didn’t appreciate about the Arcwave Ion in partner play was the location of the air vent. The air vent is located midway up the toy. I believe it is placed there to ensure that even small penises can be stimulated by it. That’s great because it’s very important that everyone can use it.
However having the air vent midway in the toy also has a drawback, namely when using the toy for oral sex. To use the toy for oral sex, your penis needs to be stuck all the way through the masturbator. That means that the air pressure vent is then located midway down my penis instead of near the head of my penis.
I already mentioned that the sensation of the air stimulation affects more a local area. So while I enjoy the fact that I can enjoy a blowjob while using the toy, I would have preferred it if the air stimulation happened nearer the head of my penis.
How to clean the Arcwave Ion
The Arcwave Ion is completely waterproof, so it is fairly easy to clean. You twist it to separate the silicone masturbator from the control unit. Then you rinse each part under water, cleaning out all of the lube etc before applying sex toy cleaning spray.
You should leave both parts of the toy out to dry before putting it back together and inside the charging case. The charging case does have a drying technology (using drying crystals that are similar to those found in packaging of electronics etc). However the drying technology will last longer if you dry the toy outside first.
The toy is completely black and can collect dust if you leave it outside its case for too long. It’s an easy toy to maintain overall though, so I can’t fault it too much at all.
Conclusion on Arcwave Ion
Well, I really enjoyed reviewing the Arcwave Ion. It really impressed me. It’s definitely part of my top 5 penis sex toys. I don’t really have a favourite toy but the Arcwave is up there with my other top toys. Its silky soft silicone amazed me and the device is just so easy to use. I really appreciate the new form of air stimulation available with this toy.
I love using the Arcwave, it is subtle enough to use on a regular basis and flexible enough to be used in many situations. Despite the fact that my partner can give me oral sex with this open ended sex toy, I did often wonder what it would be like to have a closed version. For example, I think it would be very interesting to have a similar toy that had the air pressure vent located at the tip of the penis.
Indeed the only criticism I have of the toy is that the air pressure vent isn’t always where I want it. It is very easy to manually move my penis tip next to the vent. Yet sometimes I wanted to place the vent at the very tip of my penis and obviously due to the design, I couldn’t. I noticed a few times that my penis can’t be slid all the way through the toy without losing some of the sensation from the head of my penis.
My criticism of the air vent location is minor though. Every orgasm I’ve had with the Arcwave has been immense! The subtle nature of the air pressure technology means that I can use the toy twice in a row without stopping.
If I had one wish from Arcwave for an even more premium version of the toy it would be… more air vents!! One at the top and one in the middle. That’s very greedy of me but what the hell. This is a great way to stimulate the penis, so who can blame me 😉
Arcwave Ion
Score: 9 / 10
Reviewer: Adam Rouge
Performance Scoring
Intensity
8 / 10
Pleasure
10 / 10
Design
9 / 10
Desire to use again in future
10 / 10
Prices
These prices may be very slightly different by the time you visit the shop. This is just to give you an idea of the cost 😉
The button above and below the price table will send you to the correct shop for your country!
Prices last updated on: 01/12/2020
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United States | $199.99 |
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United Kingdom | £169.99 |
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Europe | €189.95 |
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Canada | $219.95 |
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Australia | $299.99 |
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New Zealand | $324.95 |
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France | 189,95€ |
Thank you again to Lovehoney for supporting this review of the Arcwave Ion! This page contains affiliate links.
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