Review: Maia Max Thrusting Dildo & Vibrator w/ Suction Cup

The Maia Max is nothing short of a new era in thrusting toys: it’s body-safe, it’s extremely affordable for what it does, and its motor doesn’t suck. (Plus it’s not purple!)

Ever since I discovered the (now discontinued) Velvet Thrusters, price tag $199,¹ I’ve been on the lookout for self-thrusting toys that don’t cost so much. And that also—unlike the Stronic pulsating dildos—are anal-safe. I’ve waited for a budget-friendly anal thruster, and the Maia Max and its purple twin, Monroe, are the first and best option. (It’s also great for vaginal use, as I’ll talk about a lot in this review!²)

The Maia Max looks simple, but it checks all those boxes. It also offers a lot of functions for its $100 price tag: three thrusting speeds, ten independently controllable vibration functions, a remote control, and a very functional suction cup. It’s a godsend to people who want to get screwed hands-free, IMO.

Here’s what I experienced with the Maia Max, plus a comparison of similar thrusters so you can make the best choice for your body!

A Lot Going On: Max’s Features

Thrusting

Max includes three steady thrusting speeds. The first starts out kinda fast if I’m not warmed up, about a stroke per second (but the quick start isn’t as jarring as in another thruster I’ve tried!). The second is really starting to rock, and the third is probably around 100 strokes per minute—it’s hard to count, because Max is moving! (And the stroke length isn’t too shabby either, at about 2″: a more realistic thrusting distance than the Stronic pulsators.)

The first speed gets me going, but the second speed really gets me off—especially when it’s paired with the vibrations.

Vibration

Let me be clear: Max’s vibrations are not stellar. They’re good, but not great. The first steady speed has some rumbliness, and the second is more powerful without being incredibly buzzy. Really, the vibes work for me because they go hand-in-hand with the thrusting. The second thrusting speed and the kinda-strong second steady vibration combine to give me just the right amount of stimulation. I’m sure to come within a few minutes.

Max’s shaft is very sleek, with no ridges or raised texture at all. Usually I like some texture on the toys I use vaginally, to rub against my G-spot. But with Max, the thrusting + vibration pair makes texture unnecessary.

And anally, Max’s tapered tip and slimmer, shorter shaft (right around 1.4″ diameter and 5″ insertable) make it more comfortable for me to use. I struggled to work my way up to using the anal-beaded Velvet Thruster Walter, and I’ve never found the energy to stretch myself to take the 1.75″ final bead. (What can I say, my butt likes it smaller.) When I have Max in my rectum, the vibration feels great around my sphincter and anal canal, and the smoothness is a huge advantage. I make sure to use some Simply Hybrid lube (will not hurt the thruster silicone) because Max is moving pretty fast!³

SUCTION CUP!

You know I love the hands-free insertable toys, so of course I’ve had a lot of fun with Max’s suction cup. To attach it, first you screw Max’s base down onto the screw coming out the top of the suction cup attachment. Once that’s in place, you press down the flap to create a seal with the smooth, flat surface you’re mounting it on. And it sticks! Finally, you can adjust the angle Max is penetrating you at by using this twistable part between my first and second fingers, below.

The adjustable angle has given me a lot of room to play with positioning. With cowgirl riding, especially vaginally, the angle can be kinda tricky if I lean forward too much. More than, say, 30 degrees forward, Max will start to catch on my pubic bone. If I’m close to coming, I tend to clench hard, and in this position I will cause Max to stall temporarily.

Instead, the thrusting is more consistent if I don’t lean forward too much. It’s a little bit restrictive, but I put down a few pillows to brace myself on, and then I don’t care because the thrusting feels great.

All in all, Max is super cool because I don’t need a sex toy mount like I do with the Velvet Thrusters; the height is perfect for me to just kneel and let Max thrust into me.

Remote Control

The remote control is a great add-on because it’s hard to reach the control buttons on the base while I’m using Max suction-cupped to the floor. I don’t currently live with a partner, but I can imagine a rewarding play scenario where I gave him control over my thruster, and he watched and manipulated the speeds and made me come.

Waterproof (Mostly)

The Maia Max is listed as being waterproof, which isn’t the case for many thrusters. Max does have a hole in the bottom of the base, for the suction cup to screw into, so I definitely wouldn’t submerge it.

But the largely closed nature of the toy means it’s so much easier to clean and to sanitize. I’m not so worried about dumping water into the air vents, or the circuitry, like with other thrusters. Score!

Easy to Hold

Max’s motor is housed in a cylindrical casing that’s about 4″ long and 1.5″ wide at the widest. It curves inward slightly in the middle, and it’s very rounded—a beautifully ergonomic shape that no other body-safe thrusting dildo currently has.

Indeed, the easy-to-hold motor compartment is the main reason why I’m more likely to choose Max over the Velvet Thruster Jackie maybe 75% of the time, even though I’m drawn to Jackie’s more phallic shape. More on these two lines of thrusting dildos next!

Versus Other Thrusting Dildos

My guide to thrusting & rotating toys has a full ranking, but here’s a quick point-by-point of how the Maia Max and Monroe compare to other body-safe thrusters.

Versus the new Velvet Thruster Mini “Teddy,” I recommend choosing based on whether you want your toy to look more phallic: Teddy resembles a penis, Max/Monroe doesn’t. That’s why I’m all over Teddy, especially when its suction base is put on a dildo mount! Maia Max’s one big advantage over Velvet Thruster Teddy, though, is the former’s more adjustable, slightly stronger suction cup.

Max beats the original (now discontinued) Velvet Thrusters (like Jackie original: but good news, it’s been released with upgrades as part of the Velvet Prime series!) for:

1. being so much easier to hold,
2. including a good suction cup,
3. being waterproof,
4. having a remote control, and
5. being a helluva lot cheaper.

But the Velvet Thrusters new version have their own advantages over Max/Monroe:

1. Jackie’s shaft is more flexible, and in a slightly softer silicone—so it feels a bit more lifelike.
2. Most Velvet Thruster models have more texture. (This may be good or bad, depending on the user.)
3. Velvet Thrusters’ silicone feels silkier.
4. They have a total of 10 steady thrusting speeds, so you can increase really gradually. (I do love options!)

And versus the Pipedream Fantasy for Her Love Thrust-Her, Max basically is comparable or better in almost every way:

1. Both have remote controls and suction cups.
2. Max is waterproof (with the suction cup in).
3. Max doesn’t stall as easily.
4. Max’s motor casing is narrower and more ergonomic.
5. Max’s vibes are slightly rumblier.
6. Max isn’t marketed at only one gender like the Thrust-Her, and two colors are available (because Monroe = purple Max).

Overall Thoughts

I assumed that the Maia Max (and Monroe) would disappoint me in the same way the Pipedream Thrust-Her did, but hurray! these Maia thrusters are actually orgasmic for me, plus relatively affordable. They were an obvious choice to include among my favorite sex toys because:

• the thrusting + vibrating combo is super fun,
• the base is easy to hold in my hand, and
• the suction cup attachment makes Max excellent for hands-free penetration. (No sex toy mount needed!)

Still, I would recommend the Velvet Thruster Jackie over the Maia ones to anyone who wants a wider range of speed options, or who wants their thruster’s shaft to be a bit softer, more flexible.

The Maia Max’s silicone coating isn’t the cushiest in the world—just a thin layer of firm silicone. If you like large toys like I do, then pair Maia Max/Monroe with a VixSkin soft silicone sheath (Holster or Colossus) for bigger, ultra-realistic penetration. (SO GOOD.)

I love the thrusting motion, and the vibrations aren’t too shabby, so I’m ready to recommend the Maia Max and Monroe to any thrusting fan with one caveat: be ready for the noise. Max creates a loud whirring sound that cannot be disguised. If you live with others or are sensitive to sound, then the only real self-thrusting option is the Fun Factory Stronic Pulsators, which stay quiet on all settings.

Find Max & Monroe here!

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1. Update: Though the new Velvet Thruster Mini is going for just $135. I’m using this thing every day—see it move here.
2. Quick word of warning that if you are planning to use any toy anally and then vaginally, the toy should be body-safe so you can fully sanitize before going back to vaginal.
3. Oil-based lube or extra-virgin coconut oil is also an option, but it’ll be harder to scrub off the accordion-like folds under Max’s shaft.