We-Vibe is a luxury brand founded in Canada in 2003, which has won a slew of awards since the launch of its first sex toy in 2008.
This review focuses on what is not only my first ever We-Vibe product, but my first ever app-controlled kegel device; Bloom, a product designed for vaginal use to strengthen kegel muscles through vibration.
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We-Vibe Bloom: Design and Packaging
I’m drawn to We-Vibe’s branding and packaging, it’s modern and sleek while being colourful and fun. Bloom’s box could be smaller to reduce packaging, but it’s sturdy, with a luxurious feel to it. The box has product information printed on it in nine languages. Upon lifting the lid off the lower shell, you’re presented with Bloom, plus 2 additional heads, nestled in a thick, white foam rectangle.
Underneath this is a folded cardboard insert creating a recess in which lies the USB charger, a 2 ml sample of water-based lubricant made for We-Vibe by Pjur, a white satin drawstring storage bag and a small folded guide illustrated with simple imagery. The full guide can be downloaded from We-Vibe’s site.
Bloom resembles nothing as much as a coral-colored, stylized, wasp-waisted mouse, with its gold-beaded tail/retrieval cord. It quite appealing, clean looking from a design perspective, and is fairly petite at just 179.25mm in total length, (55.5mm of that is insertable). It has a diameter of 33mm.
The silicone is soft, but my initial impression was that it might have a tendency to drag a little. The silicone is body-safe, free from pthalates, BPAs and latex.
As mentioned, Bloom has three interchangeable heads, these are of differing weights but look almost identical except for the numbers 1, 2 and 3 delicately embossed on each respectively. 1 Is the lightest at 10g, 2 weighs 30g and 3 is 45g. The vibrating base weighs 35g itself, so this allows for kegel training within the ranges of 40g to 80g. The Bloom guide suggests beginning with the lightest and working your way up.
We-Vibe Bloom: Charging and App
Bloom requires charging before the first use, taking 90 minutes and for that you get around 90 minutes of use. Charging is simple, Bloom is unscrewed from the center and the USB charger is connected to the now exposed port in the vibrating base (the half with the retrieval cord).
An LED will then blink slowly until Bloom is charged, at which point the light will remain static. Bloom also has a low-power alert so users can ensure a full charge for convenience…and no mid-session disappointments.
Bloom can be used alone or with a partner remotely. It can be switched on manually with the indented button on the vibrating base, set to the desired pattern by repeated pressing of said button and then inserted, or inserted and controlled via Bluetooth with a smartphone/device, which can then be connected through the app to another smartphone/device located anywhere in the world.
Connecting Bloom is very easy, once the app is downloaded to your device: set the phone to Bluetooth and open the app. The on-screen instructions are very clear, and the phone and Bloom are paired quickly. It’s nice to look at, very vibrant and intuitive, which is what really counts.
There are buttons at the bottom of the screen to adjust the vibration intensity from 1-10 (although this can also be done by dragging a finger on the screen) and changing the 10 vibration patterns is done by swiping left or right.
There is a really diverse range here to suit most tastes, plain vibrations, pulses, oscillations and surging tempos. If none of these are to your taste then fear not, you can configure a new one simply within the app and save it with a name of your choice. It will then appear as an option to scroll during future use.
I can’t stress enough what a joy the app is to operate. It can be set to any of 12 languages, it’s possible to set a PIN for security, it has a sleep/timeout setting, and users can opt to share app usage data or not, in fact this was set to off as default for me.
To allow a partner to control Bloom, the Connect Lover function in the app is used, once the other party has downloaded the app, they can connect to and control Bloom from anywhere as long as the connection between Bloom and the paired device is maintained. To ensure this I would suggest that the user keeps the smartphone fairly close by while Bloom is in use.
We-Vibe Bloom: In Use
I think the only downside I found with Bloom is that on any intensity level above three, it emits a faintly audible buzz, so I wouldn’t recommend this item for discreet public use. As Bloom is silicone, I used only ½ of the 2ml water-based Pjur sample that accompanied it and it worked very well for me. My early misgivings about the potential drag in the silicone were entirely unfounded.
In fact, Bloom suits my anatomy very well in every way, and felt really comfortable. It surpassed my expectations in most ways actually, as I didn’t anticipate the vibrations to feel as pleasurable as they did. This, coupled with the ease of use of the app, has made Bloom a regular-use product for me. It’s so customizable and so simple to use it would make a great gift for even the biggest technophobe. All that’s needed is a smartphone.
Bloom doesn’t just function as a kegel trainer, if external stimulation is applied while in use, it makes a very good sex toy. The vibrations are pretty rumbly for such a petite device.
In fact, some users may enjoy Bloom if applied externally to the genitals or nipples, for example. I know that the sturdiness of retrieval cords can be a concern for some, but in the case of Bloom I wasn’t worried.
Bloom is waterproof and easily cleaned in warm running water, with a soap or toy cleaner of your choice.
We-Vibe Bloom: Worth It?
I would definitely recommend Bloom, and not just for sextech lovers, but for any vagina owner. Retailing at around $119, it’s not cheap by any means but the quality and functionality is fantastic and after three weeks of use I have felt some difference in tone.
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