Svakom, like many other manufacturers, makes bold claims about its products. Founded in 2012 in the US, the company’s largely known for offering high-quality, elegant and safe toys. It has also won numerous industry awards. All of this is to say, my expectations for the Svakom Ella review were high.
At $119/£99, the Ella comes in at the mid price range of many hi-tech, app-controlled sex toys, but then it also comes with a couple of potential drawbacks. How will it perform in our full Svakom Ella review? Read on to find out.
Svakom Ella: Specs & Hardware
The Svakom Ella is an insertable vibrator, shaped somewhere between an egg and a bullet, with a long tail.
It arrived packaged in a simple black box with the company name embossed on the top in silver. In the box you’ll find your vibrator, a USB charging cable, an instruction leaflet, warranty card, and a velvety grey storage pouch.
So far, so classy. The inclusion of the storage pouch is a nice touch.
The main body of the Ella is 3-inches long, and the tail a further 5-inches. The diameter of the bullet is 1.3-inches at the widest point. The Ella has a firm, inflexible body and the surface has gentle ridges for extra stimulation.
Handily, the Svakom Ella is fully waterproof, so you can use it in the bath or shower with confidence if that’s how you like to play. A full charge with the USB charging cable takes about an hour, and gives approximately two hours of use.
While the Ella is a vibrator that can be used either internally or externally, it’s clearly designed to be used for G-spot stimulation, but it works just as well as a clitoral toy. Due to how thin the tail is, we wouldn’t recommend inserting it anally.
Svakom Ella: Materials & Safety
The Ella is made entirely of smooth and soft silicone in bright red, except for the gold accent at the base of the bullet which is made of ABS plastic. Both of these are body-safe materials, meaning you can use your Ella with no safety worries.
You should always use water-based lube with silicone toys.
Svakom Ella: Settings and Functions
The Ella has 11 vibration settings: one constant vibration and ten different patterns.
Interestingly, it has two buttons (one at the base of the bullet and one set into the tail) on the toy itself, which both do the same thing: cycle through the pattern settings.
However, you cannot turn the vibration speed up or down, nor can you go back a step if you want to return to the previous pattern. This means it’s rather fiddly if you accidentally skip over the setting you like.
The button set into the end of the tail is much easier to use than the button on the main body of the toy. It’s larger, easier to press, and more intuitively placed. I’m amazed this is the first egg-style toy that I’ve seen where the button is on the end of the tail. It makes so much more sense (you can’t press a button on the main body of the toy when it’s inside you) that it’s surprising no other designers seem to have thought of this yet.
Where this toy will really fall down for some people is in how much functionality you lose without the app. This is so often the case with app-controlled toys, and in this case, you can’t even increase or decrease the level of power without it. Instead, your toy remains on the same low speed regardless of which buttons you press.
Svakom Ella: App Functionality
The Svakom app has the fastest and easiest connection process of any sex toy app I’ve tried. Once downloaded in (available in the Android or iOS app stores) I was up and running in literally seconds. All it takes is hitting “Connect,” ensuring your Bluetooth is on, and pressing the ‘on’ button on your Ella.
Once you’re in, the app is cleanly designed, intuitive to use, and reliably responsive. Particularly impressive is the “Free Touch” mode, where you control your toy’s level of power by running your finger over the touchscreen. This essentially means you can create your own vibration pattern, increasing or decreasing intensity with no button pushing – literally just a swipe of your finger. You do have to keep your finger on the screen the whole time (the vibrations stop if your finger comes off the screen) but for most people, holding the toy in one hand and your phone in the other will be completely comfortable.
The other option is “Set Modes.” This is where you can switch between the 11 vibration pattern settings as you wish, increasing or decreasing the intensity with a simple slide mechanism.
Thankfully, for a toy that relies so heavily on the app, it’s reliable and has genuinely useful features. The toy has extremely limited functionality without it though, so if you won’t be happy controlling it via the app, you should look elsewhere.
Using Ella with a Partner
The Ella is not a long-distance toy. The app functionality does not work over an internet connection, meaning that you cannot – alas – hook up your Ella to your long-distance lover’s phone. The Bluetooth connectivity only works as long as you’re within range. In practice, this generally means in the same room or, if you’re outside, only a few metres from each other.
As noted already, the app turns your phone into a glorified remote control for the toy. Handing over the controls to your partner can be super fun, but you can only do this if you’re in the same physical location.
If you’re looking for a toy that your partner can easily take control of during a play session, or discreetly tease you with in public, the Ella is a great choice. But it’s not intended to work over long distances.
Svakom Ella: Power & Noise
The Ella is best described as middling in terms of power. When on its highest setting, I was quite pleasantly surprised at the enjoyable rumbling coming from it. It’s not knock-your-socks-off strong, but it’s better than many, many products in this category – including many which are more expensive.
Serious power queens will want to give this one a miss, but if you prefer mid-intensity, rumbly vibrations, you’ll enjoy the Ella. Personally, I enjoy using it as a toy to warm-up at the start of a session, before moving on to something with a bit more power behind it.
One major selling point is that the Ella is one of the few sex toys I’ve found that claims to be quiet that actually achieves this. Even at full power, the noise is just a gentle buzz which cannot be heard from the next room unless your walls are made of paper.
This also means that if you want to use your Ella to discreetly tease yourself or your partner while you’re out and about, you can most likely without arousing any suspicion. (Not that any of us should be going to crowded places right now!)
Svakom Ella: Final Thoughts
Overall, the Ella is a compelling package. The level of power is decent, the app is user-friendly and intuitive, and I’m a fan of the shape and size, and that button-on-the-tail feature is just so clever. If you enjoy the convenience and versatility of an app-controlled toy but do not need the long-distance function that other models offer, I am happy to recommend the Ella.
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