Clitoral suction stimulators, made famous by companies like Womanizer, come with a reputation for ripping orgasms from your body so fast and hard you enter a different time-space continuum.
The Sila, Lelo's brand new suction-style toy launching in January 2021, doesn't suck your soul out pussy-first like its other flagship air pulsation clitoral stimulator, the Sona 2. But that's intentional, with its focus on slow build-up over instant gratification rendering the Sila one of the most worthwhile, standout innovations in the suction toy category in quite a while.
In the past, I've been pretty hard on award-winning luxury toy brand Lelo. With a tendency to overblow its sextech innovations, I can't imagine its expensive experiments get much product-testing prior to being launched into the market with often mediocre to disastrous results. That's best encapsulated by the Ora. The unnecessarily bizarre-shaped (if chic) "oral sex simulator" nearly ripped my clitoris clean off when combined with Lelo's chaotic Cruise Control setting (thankfully absent from the new Sila).
But I give credit where credit is due. With the Sila, Lelo finally justifies its "disruptive" design choices, diverging from norms to actually fulfill the purpose of a unique sexual experience. By playing to the strengths of its patented "SenSonic technology" — which always promised a deeper kind of rumbly, internal pleasure than other suction-style clitoral stimulators — the Sila spotlights what distinguishes Lelo's approach from other top contenders in this category.
Every big name in suction-style clitoral massagers (Womanizer, Lelo, Satisfyer, We-Vibe) uses a unique approach to the basic concept of suction stimulation, resulting in pretty distinct sensorial profiles. There's no objective "best." Each suits different personal preferences: broad versus targeted stimulation, no vibration versus some vibration, rumbly versus buzzy sensations.
Per comparative reviews by the great folks at sex toy site Phallophile, Lelo's SenSonic tech combines no-contact "sonic wave" pulsations that stimulate your internal clitoris with an undercurrent of vibration for more surface-level external titillation. I'm actually a big fan of the results, the targeted ferocity of the Sona 2 surpassing my initial preference for the Womanizer's more "thuddy" zero vibration sensation.
Sila instead champions the slow build of deeper, mounting, more all-encompassing titillation to achieve a high quality, fuller-body orgasm.
But unlike nearly every other suction-style stimulator selling itself on powerful intensity for lightning-fast orgasms (Womanizer's over-sensationalized advertising all but guarantees climax in 60 seconds), Sila instead champions the slow build of deeper, mounting, more all-encompassing titillation to achieve a high quality, fuller-body orgasm. Valuing exploration over efficiency, it solves my main longstanding issue with the messaging around suction-style clitoral stimulators, with hype and marketing that fails to communicate how these quick orgasms — while great for getting the job done — also tend to be the most forgettable and mediocre climaxes.
But first let's cover the nitty-gritty: The Sila is waterproof, made of body-safe silicone, and comes with a rechargeable battery lasting up to 2 hours, as well as a 3-button design that includes eight intensity settings and eight patterns. Like every other Lelo toy, it's gorgeously designed, the gold-plated elegance dripping off its unique horn-like shape. As far as discretion is concerned, it's even quieter than the Sona 2, much more muted than anything offered by Satisfyer but still not beating the Womanizer's near-silence.
Before you take either my or Lelo's word as gospel, though, understand that you should never buy into any sex toy hype that guarantees you anything, especially with suction-style stimulators. An often polarizing sensation category, clit suckers work great for some while doing nothing for others.
False "guarantees" can make folks blame themselves for not achieving the mind-blowing cum advertised, not realizing that it's a failure of the toy's design to accommodate a wider array of anatomies. Or, you know, it could just be a sensation you don't jive with. Every body is unique, so finding the right clit sucker for you is about finding the toy with a mouth shape that lines up well with your equipment.
Image: lelo
That said, the Sila does offer one of the widest mouths I've ever seen, ideal for those with larger clitoral nubs who are all but excluded from suction stimulators with narrow openings like the Sona 2 (or more budget-friendly dupes like Satisfyer's Curvy). But that benefit comes at the cost of laser-focused intensity those mouths offer by creating a tighter seal around your clitoris.
The Sila's big mouth, flattened rim, and overall curved body is designed for stimulation beyond just the external clitoral nub, though. Unlike any other suction-style toy on the market, it's intended to encompass the labia, reach some of the expansive internal clitoris, and (for me at least) even titillate a bit of the vaginal opening — an underrated pleasure point the sex toy industry too often negates.
This delightful pro also comes with a con too though. The larger mouth makes positioning the toy for direct stimulation of your external clitoris more precarious. A twitch in the wrong direction was enough for me to lose it. More than once I was left wondering whether I was in the right spot at all, or if my clit had suddenly up and relocated, or if this underwhelmingly dispersed sensation was really "it."
But for the most part, this bigger learning curve comes from how unique Sila's approach really is. Even the most experienced suction toy lovers will need to fumble around a bit to find the right placement and technique to get the most out of its design.
However, the Sila's counterintuitive button design is also at least partially to blame. That's not to mention that it exacerbates one of my biggest, most basic gripes with Lelo as a whole: the total lack of any detailed instruction or guidance whatsoever on how to use their highly unusual toys.
From the Ora to the Sila, Lelo's line up is anything but self-explanatory. Yet unlike almost every other sex toy company, they only come with a tiny little safety booklet basically warning against shoving things inside yourself that aren't designed for that. While there's a helpful manual for the Sila online, it's baffling that such an expensive line of luxury toys continuously fails to equip its users with everything needed to enjoy the product straight from the box. It only makes Lelo's unaffordable toys even more inaccessible to beginners, which is bad for all parties involved.
Image: lelo
But the more time (and research) I spent acclimating to the Sila, the more I grew to love its distinctly gentle yet more full-coverage sensorial journey. Even the brief moments of frustration from losing my spot mimicked the kind of pleasure experience you get from edging with a real-life human partner. It forced me into a rhythm that alternated between explosive direct stimulation that pushed me right to the cusp of climax, before suddenly pulling away to leave me frantically readjusting to get it back.
An impatient person, I have a love-hate relationship with edging. There's no doubt that delaying orgasm through extensive teasing ultimately pays off with a more powerful climax. But lacking all self-control, it's nearly impossible for me to be disciplined enough to edge during solo play. After a few almost-there's with the Sila, I couldn't help but start longing for the more powerful intensity and quicker gratification of the Sona 2.
Boy, does the Sila reward your patience.
But boy, does the Sila reward your patience.
In the moment of orgasm, the Sila feels like the indisputably superior choice, that tingly, long-lasting afterglow of a slow and steady climb spreading throughout every inch of your body. But throughout the more frustrating lead-up, I couldn't stop craving the wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am efficiency of the Sona 2 and its like.
The experience you deem "better" ultimately comes down to what your subjective preferences and individual stimulation needs are, though.
Lelo's Sila is an imperfect but exciting advancement in the array of pleasure experiences offered by suction-style clitoral stimulators. If you're a sex toy aficionado chomping at the bit to get your hands on the latest in innovative designs, it'll probably feel worth the hefty US$169. Otherwise, I suggest waiting for the inevitable follow up iteration to address some of the Sila's kinks or to get a price drop.
The Sila is a total tease. But if you embrace the journey of finding that elusive kind of ecstasy rather than fighting against it, she'll get you there — and then some.
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