We-Vibe Rave 2 review: All twist, very little shout
Amy Norton
We-Vibe has been one of the biggest players in the app-controlled sex toys space for as long as app-controlled toys have been around. Since rising to prominence with its wearable clitoral vibrators for penetrative sex, We-Vibe has released an array of products to great acclaim including the Tango and Tango X, Touch and Touch X, Sync, Chorus, and Jive.
Today we’re looking at the Rave 2, an app-controlled G-spot vibrator for people with vulvas, and one that claims something most vibrators cannot: a hinge that allows the toy to be twisted into a more comfortable shape.
We-Vibe Rave 2: Design & Details
The Rave 2 is the second generation iteration of We-Vibe’s popular Rave vibrator. This G-spot stimulator measures 8.5-inches in length, of which 5-inches are insertable, and just under 1.5-inches in diameter at the widest insertable point. Its shaft has an asymmetric “twist” design.
The Rave 2 is fully waterproof and rechargeable via the included cable (you’ll get around 2 hours of runtime from a 2-hour charge.) It is coated in silky smooth body-safe silicone and available in two colors, pink or blue. In the box, you’ll also find instruction manuals and a drawstring cloth storage bag.
The Rave 2 has a number of notable upgrades from its predecessor. These include the addition of a second motor (we’ll get into that more in a minute), a hinge in the middle, a slightly redesigned shaft, and going from splashproof to IPX7 waterproof.
We-Vibe Rave 2: In Use
There are two main ways to use your We-Vibe Rave 2: manually or with the app.
Shape and Structure
One of the unique selling points of the Rave (and Rave 2) is its unique twist-style design. Supposedly, you can insert the toy and then keep it in constant contact with the G-spot with a twisting motion. Quite how this is different from any other G-spot vibrator is a little unclear, though. The G-spot doesn’t move. You can just hold a toy against it if you want continuous contact.
Despite the confusing claim, I do like the Rave 2’s twist design. I thought the ridges might be uncomfortable when the toy was inserted, but they’re gentle enough that it’s not a problem at all. The Rave 2’s shape and pronounced curve make it ideal for targeted G-spot stimulation.
The Rave 2 is a rigid toy with no flex at all to the insertable portion. This means that it offers quite an intense feeling–one that, personally, I need to warm up for. Just inserting it cold is more likely to be painful than pleasurable. If rigid toys are uncomfortable for you, the Rave 2 is unlikely to be a good fit for your body.
Though I like the G-spot pressure it provides, I would have preferred it to have at least a little flex. You’ll also need plenty of lubrication. Water-based lube is best with a silicone toy.
What the Rave 2 does have, however—and I absolutely love this—is a single hinge in the center of the toy. This means you can bend it in the middle to make insertion, positioning, and operation more comfortable. Given the position of the buttons towards the base of the shaft, I find it easier to hold and manipulate the toy and to change the settings with it more curved.
Vibrations and Controls
One of the big changes to this new iteration of the Rave is that it now has two motors instead of one. The first motor is located towards the tip, the second lower down. The idea is that one stimulates the G-spot, while the other hits the sensitive area around the vaginal entrance.
We-Vibe is one of the very few toy retailers on the market that promises strong, rumbly vibrations and actually consistently delivers them. The Rave 2 is no exception. Its motors are genuinely powerful and don’t have any of that numbing buzziness that is far too common.
The Rave 2’s manual controls are a bit confusing to get your head around. You use the plus and minus buttons to turn the toy on and off and to increase or decrease the intensity, the wave button to switch between which motor(s) you’re using, and the arrow buttons to change patterns. Supposedly there are 10 preset patterns, but a few of them are so similar that it’s really more like five or six. It’s also actually quite hard to tell when both motors are switched on as opposed to just one due to the way that the silicone transmits the vibrations.
One major plus side of the We-Vibe Rave 2? It’s quiet. Even on the highest setting, the noise is at a very acceptable and non-intrusive level.
Blended? Not Really.
One review declares that this vibrator “practically guarantees a blended orgasm” which is just hilariously untrue. First of all, there’s no such thing as a sex toy that guarantees anything, because bodies are different. Secondly, I’m not entirely convinced that a “blended orgasm” is a quantifiable thing that exists separately from other types of orgasms for everyone. Finally, even if we take the concept of the blended orgasm at face value, it would require direct clitoral stimulation to achieve. Which, this toy, used in the way it was intended, does not provide.
The marketing copy also claims that the Rave 2 offers “dual stimulation targets both G-spot & clitoris.” Again, this is just completely untrue. Yes, it’s true that the clitoris is a large structure that extends deep into the body, well beyond the bit you can see towards the top of the vulva (that’s the glans clitoris if you were wondering.)
However, when we talk about clitoral stimulation, we’re typically talking about stimulation of the glans. There is absolutely no way in which this toy does that while also stimulating the G-spot, which is what “dual stimulation” means. Even fully bent at the hinge, it will not reach both areas on the overwhelming majority of bodies.
Obviously, you can use the We-Vibe Rave 2 as a clitoral stimulator, which is what I did very quickly since I’m not a huge fan of internal vibrations. But both simultaneously? No, not happening.
App Functionality
One of the key selling points of the We-Vibe Rave 2 is its app connectivity. This means that it can be controlled from your smartphone and that you can give control to a partner from anywhere in the world as long as they have an internet connection. The We-Vibe app is free from both the Android and iOS app stores.
Connecting via Bluetooth takes seconds and you don’t need to set up an account or give any personal details. Once you’re connected, you can either select “Play” or connect a partner to give them long-distance control.
In the “Play” screen, you have a few different options to control your toy at close range.
- “Single Vibe” allows you to control your toy at the swipe of a finger using a single vibration pattern. You can separate the two motors to control them individually or use them together. This just depends on whether you prefer both vibes at the same intensity, or more power in one area than another.
- “Multi Vibe” allows you to add multiple settings or patterns and switch between them quickly. Again, you can separate the two motors and control them independently, using different settings. This is where the two motors and the app really come into their own.
- “Touch Mode” supposedly translates the movement of your finger on the screen to vibrations, speeding up the faster you move. However, this did not work for me at all. Instead, no matter how I moved my finger, the toy did the same slow pulses and nothing else.
- Under “More”, you can sync your vibrator to music, create a playlist of your favorite settings, or vibe along with the ambient noise around you. This last feature is particularly fun in noisy environments, though this toy isn’t one you can easily use discreetly in public so this function probably has fairly limited applications. If you attend sex clubs or BDSM parties, though, it’s got some fun potential!
In terms of responsiveness in solo play mode, the We-Vibe Rave 2 is impressive. It maintained a solid connection and responded near-instantly to my input from the app.
I also attempted to try out the long-distance capabilities with my girlfriend. I had to enter her name (you can use a nickname if you prefer) and then send her an invite link, which allowed me to add her as a contact once she’d downloaded the app. This mechanism is more secure than adding a partner through an email address, so I appreciate We-Vibe’s commitment to privacy.
There’s also a really cool app feature I’ve never seen before: you can add more than one partner without removing the existing partner(s) first! This is fantastic for those of us who are consensually non-monogamous (such as polyamorous people and swingers), as well as for sex workers who may wish to give control over their toy to a client during a session.
…Or it would be, if the app worked in the slightest.
Unfortunately, the long-distance functionality of the app is completely non-functional. We spent almost an hour trying to get connected and it simply did not work. No matter what we did, the app was either freezing up or showing us as offline to each other when we were definitely online.
On looking into other reviews, I can see that this is a known issue with the We-Vibe app. This is a huge, huge problem for a range of toys that is primarily marketed as offering long-distance play possibilities. If I’d paid for this product, I would be sending it back for a refund as it does not deliver one of the main things that it offers.
To quote my girlfriend: “I’m just horny and angry now!”
We-Vibe Rave 2: Verdict
So after all that, is the We-Vibe Rave 2 worth the price (a hefty £129.99/$139.00)?
I was going to say “maybe,” but my experience with the app has pushed this into a “no.”
If all you’re after is a functional G-spot vibrator, you can get a good one for half the price. Hell, you can probably get a passable one for a quarter of the price! If you’re going to use the additional features offered by the app for solo play, though, then it is more likely to be worth it. They’re really what elevates this toy to something that’s worth such a price tag. However, the total failure of the long-distance functionality is such an egregious problem that I can’t overlook it.
The Rave 2 makes a couple of claims that don’t really stack up against testing, its manual controls are super annoying, and one of its main selling points is totally useless. The vibrator itself is a quality product that offers powerful and rumbly vibrations and a thoughtful design, but the flaws are too great for me to recommend this one.
