2021 Update: The new Satisfyer “Dual” stimulators (Dual Pleasure & Dual Love) are IMO much better for first-time Satisfyer buyers than Pro 2. Why? Because if the air pulsation confuses your clit, or takes a while to adapt to, you always have the vibrating “handle” end to fall back on. Full review on these true upgrades to the Pro 2 here.

Air Pulsation / Pleasure Air Tech Explained

First, what are these toys? The genre is called by so many names: “pressure wave,” “Pleasure Air,” “air pulsation” clitoral stimulators; or, sometimes, “clit suckers.”

Womanizers, the more affordable Satisfyers, and Lelo Sonas are NOT vibrators. (Though Satisfyer does make a few pulsation + vibration models now too.) All feature a silicone head that surrounds the clitoris and (theoretically) creates a seal, while pulsing air out directly onto the clit. It’s a new kind of sensation: touch-free but still very focused. Read about Womanizer vs. Satisfyer vs. We-Vibe Melt vs. Lelo Sona’s different sensations here.

It’s not sucking, exactly, though you may experience a suction-like effect if you get a good seal in place. Sounds great, right? So what went wrong for me & Satisfyer Pro 2 Next Gen.?

Will You Enjoy Air Pulsation Tech? A Survey

Let’s assume you’re looking for a good, new clit toy; maybe you’ve never even owned any vibrator before. Satisfyers and Womanizers are very focused stimulation. How do you know whether you’ll love it or hate it? The big question is:

Do you easily get oversensitive from direct clitoral contact?

Have you frequently wanted to slap a lover for going too hard on your clit during oral or while they were fingering you? Yes??? If so, you probably won’t be able to take advantage of any air pulsation toy’s full range of settings. These Womanizer-style toys offer very focused, pinpoint stimulation, vs. the broader stimulation of a G-spot vibe (used clitorally) or a wand vibrator.

It’s true that almost all air pulsation toys offer a range of speeds: the Satisfyer Pro 2’s first couple speeds do start very gentle: tiny puffs of air, barely impacting the head of the clit, on speed #1 out of 11. Meanwhile, the new Womanizer clit stimulators offer 6, 8, and 12 pulsation intensity levels depending on the toy’s price. But. If you want truly indirect stimulation, you’re simply out of luck with air pulsation toys. They may claim to be touch-free, but the blowing air does things. Especially on higher speeds, it’s a real force.

For me, being extra sensitive goes together with preferring broader stimulation, but that may not be the case for everyone. I know there are (Hitachi) Magic Wand fans who’ve become air pulsation converts, so liking both broad and focused sensation is 100% possible.

Also hugely important is: FIT.

My personal experience is that the Satisfyer Pro 2’s mouth is (1) too big and (2)  too hard to conform to my clit. Individual anatomy does vary. My clit is (apparently) smaller and hooded; it doesn’t pop out when aroused. I believe that Womanizer’s decision to move to oval openings was a smart move given that, statistically, clits are longer than they are wide.

If you’re not sure about the fit you need, I would recommend:

• A clit stimulator with multiple mouth sizes: Womanizer Liberty, Womanizer Classic and Womanizer Premium offer a small and large size, included with purchase. Premium is a larger version of Classic that only pulses when it’s right next to any object (like your clit) and that has an “Autopilot” increasing-intensity function that’s a clit rollercoaster. Liberty is smaller than both and just slightly less powerful: still quite strong and “thuddy” (a good thing).
• I enjoy the We-Vibe Melt approximately 100 times more than the Satisfyer Pro 2 because: the silicone opening is (1) thinner and (2) more flexible than Satisfyer Pro 2’s big, firm silicone circle. It bends inward for more comfort—like how the squish of dual-density silicone dildos delights me more than firm silicone. For me, Melt creates a much better seal and a more suck-y effect than even the small head of the Womanizer Classic and Premium.

My Satisfyer Pro 2 Testing Diary

Test #1: I turned the toy on and was fascinated by the pulsing sensation that came out of it. This wasn’t the first time I’d held a Satisfyer Pro 2 Next Generation, but it was the first time I’d held one that belonged to me and that I was free to apply to my clit.

When I took the toy out of its packaging, I’d spent a while wondering if my clit was especially small, because I could tell that the nozzle would dwarf it.

Oh well, I thought, here goes nothing. So I put a bit of lube around the nozzle, as suggested, and jumped right in. I bent my neck and spread my legs, trying to see the area well enough to get it situated properly.

Before this, I’d been reluctant to get a pressure wave toy for one anatomical reason. I knew these devices were supposed to create a seal around the clit—but my clit is always hooded, so would the toy even work on my bits?

Eventually I spent almost half an hour googling phrases like “Satisfyer Womanizer clitoral hood” and “Womanizer buried clit” to try to get some perspective. But I never came up with a definite answer. Now, finally, I’d finally see how this whole “seal” thing was supposed to work with the Satisfyer’s silicone nozzle.

I put the nozzle on top of my clit, with its hood over it. And the toy was pulsing out air just fine, and I could feel it strongly even on the lowest settings—so it seemed like my assumptions had been wrong. Later I pulled back my hood with my left hand while holding the toy with my right, to see if it was more effective. This felt strange, plus keeping the hood retracted required a lot more effort, so I stopped.

That first night I must’ve spent an hour with the toy, exploring different speeds and locations. After 45 minutes I decided that putting it right on top of my clit wasn’t getting me off, so moved the silicone ring down a quarter inch toward my vag; that way it pulsed more underneath my clit, where I enjoy being stimulated the most. And finally I came, hard, for maybe 8 seconds—and then I was done.

For me the best orgasms are ones that go on and on—a common occurrence for me—so I shrugged and decided I might as well go to sleep and try again another time.

Test #2: I pressed the toy against my clit for a long time, while talking to my lover on the phone. At one point I wondered aloud, “Are these things supposed to make people come faster?” After over an hour I decided I was tired, and I gave up and went to sleep, orgasm-less. (Something I never do normally, but I was under a penetration ban!)

Test #3: I decided I was going to focus hard. I concentrated on the sensation of air pulsing on my clit. When I start using the Satisfyer Pro 2, it always feels like I need to come almost right away, but then I get used to the feeling…and I don’t. I realized that the stronger speeds didn’t do any more for me than the first four—plus they’re louder. Finally I decided I needed to move the nozzle up and down my vulva, in a rubbing motion. Covering more territory felt great; it felt more natural to me.

I came faster than I ever had with the Satisfyer before—and than I ever would again.

Test #4: I used the toy after getting off on a the BMS Essential Bullet, hoping that coming on the Satisfyer would be easier now that I was so warmed up. (This was all after my G-spot-vibe testing plans went awry!!!)

After the Essential Bullet’s rumbly power, the Satisfyer’s first and second settings seemed like a walk in the park. Based on my past experiences, the five minutes it took me to come was a sprint. It did work because I was SO ready (plus I was using the toy underneath my clit, not flat on top of it). I came once and was done, versus my multiple orgasms with the bullet.

I resolved to try the Satisfyer with a dildo next, to see how dual stimulation with an air pulsation toy might feel.

Test #5: The dildo was average-sized—smaller than most of my favorites—to not interfere with me trying to figure out where the eff to position the Satisfyer nozzle.

I let the dildo rest in place, because I was still confused about this whole “seal” concept; instead I’d realized I liked pressing the nozzle down, hard, angled backward to not just hit my clit’s head.

By this point I probably shouldn’t have been surprised that the dual stimulation didn’t do a ton for me. I rarely use clit vibes together with dildos because it’s too much sensation at once, so air pulsation + dildo was even stranger. After a while I took the small Splendid out, ditched the Satisfyer too out of frustration, and went back to the Essential Bullet.

Test #6: I felt a great need to bring my Satisfyer on a business trip; it seemed like a smart idea, since I was PMS-y and wanted more clitoral stimulation than usual, plus there was the whole part where I could turn up the toy as loud as I wanted and not worry about the noise bothering my family. (It is a bit raucous on the higher speeds, like #5 and above, of 11 total speeds.) Maybe I needed to give the toy another chance, free from the worries of being at home!

So into the luggage it went. But then I suddenly wanted to use it the night before I left, so I took it out anyway. And then something interesting happened: The Satisfyer started doing this thing, seemingly at random, where it was pulsing steadily away but then it started making this GLUG-GLUG-GLUG sound that felt almost like sucking instead of the usual air pulsing? It was great! But in the moment I couldn’t get it to keep doing that: tugging on the bottom of my hood and glug-glug-glugging.

So I moved it up and down my vulva a bit, back toward my urethra like I’m prone to do with vibrators, and then I managed to come hard enough with it in place. I finished off with the BMS Essential Bullet again, though, because I wanted some vibes to travel deep into my CUV complex—something the Satisfyer Pro 2 doesn’t really do, I realized.

Test #7: In the hotel room after a day of dull conference, I kinda wanted to use the Satisfyer, but maybe not—I wasn’t sure. My uterus seemed to be having decision-making disorder about whether I was on my period or not, so everything felt a bit wonky.

I tried the Satisfyer for a few minutes, and then I was ready to come. It was strange! Before this, reaching orgasm with the Satisfyer had been…an adventure, like I was wandering through the woods and I thought I’d found a trail that would lead out, but then it turned out I’d actually made a wrong turn. But then, wait, no, there it was! And then, oops, no, I’d lost the path again. Anyway, the orgasm was fast, and kinda muted. I moved on to a dildo; maybe this all was my hormones being weird.

Test #8: The next night, I was still in the hotel room, and I had plans for the Pillow Talk Sassy (because that vibe is phenomenal). Naturally, two minutes in, the vibe died, so I had to go pull out the charger.

I figured I’d give the Satisfyer another whirl since I wasn’t feeling very dildo-ey for once. So I sat there, and I hung out, and I talked to my lover on the phone with it pressed against my clit. Finally I started feeling like I was a little closer, and I pushed down harder and decided I didn’t really like the toy’s shape; I felt like it wasn’t meant to be used the way I was using it. I was trying to mash it in, to go deeper, which is uncomfortable with the L-shape body.

Eventually I got bored and decided Sassy should be charged enough to use for a bit. And it was so much better.

Test #9: They say you should try a sex toy at least five times to see if you like it, because our bodies change from day to day. (And sexual response in particular changes if you’re subject to a hormonal cycle.) After the Satisfyer didn’t really do a lot for me—especially compared to the amount of time I spent using it—I mostly gave up on it, for almost a month. But I figured I’d round out the number of tests to 10, to make really really sure this wasn’t the thing for me.

Plus, a couple weeks before this, the Magic Wand Plus came into my possession—and I took to it right away. I was an instant believer. I turned it up to level 3 and came immediately, and then over and over, like so many folks say they can do with their Satisfyer/Womanizer/Sona.

This time, I tried pulling back my hood more, just to give it another shot. It felt good for a minute, on speed #3, but it didn’t stay that way. So I pressed harder, and harder, until my hand was tired. Finally I dawned on me: I was pressing so hard because I was trying to push the rumbling by-products of the pressure waves further into my internal clit. And it wasn’t working.

I then figured that I’d give dual stimulation one more try. That was also a massive failure. I almost wanted to write a tribute poem to anyone who can manage a dildo and an air pulsation toy at the same time. To me it seems like an impossible juggling act.

So I took out the dildo and tried the Satisfyer alone one more time. Suddenly, the nozzle switched positions, and for two seconds it felt fucking amazing.

THIS IS IT, I thought. MAYBE I’VE FOUND THE WAY.

But alas, the quick awesomeness of that feeling passed. I gave up on orgasming on the Satisfyer ever again and wondered if I was some kind of alien, to not enjoy pressure wave toys.¹

Test #10: I’d decided I would test the Satisfyer ten times, and here I was. One more go, and after that I’d consider myself done with this toy—it’d be relegated to the “unloved dildos” suitcase. And to collection pics, because sometimes you post a pic like this on Twitter and 2 weeks later you end up not one but two gold-pigmented dildos:

Anyway, I sat on the edge of the tub and spread my legs wide for a better view. I put the toy on my clit and turned it up to speed #5—but I immediately felt overstimulated. I kind of half-orgasmed before I got the speed down.

To get a better view of how the large-for-me nozzle (YMMV) fit between my labia, I pulled out my phone and took a couple pics. This didn’t enlighten me, since the Satisfyer’s head blocked most everything near my clit. But I did figure I should put the pulsing nozzle over my urethra just to see if that brought me pleasure. The answer was a resounding no.

I tried angling the Satisfyer all which ways. Nope, nothing there either. I tried moving up and down the speeds quickly, and again it was too much. So I went to function #2.

About 10 seconds later, I felt like an orgasm was being torn from me, almost against my will. I came, and the feeling bordered on painful. It was an orgasm that was less pleasurable than eating a fast-food salad.

Meanwhile, my vagina throbbed and almost cried out for attention. Testing goal accomplished, I ignored my vag and set out to finish this Satisfyer diary.

So that’s it: I get alternately bored and overstimulated from the Satisfyer Pro 2 Next Generation. I have since found other air pulsation toys that fit my clit better. Satisfyer Pro 2 is super-stimulating for the price: but it is, essentially, a cheaper Womanizer. I can only give it a 3/5 stars.

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Notes

1. I think used my sex-toy-reviewer critical thinking skills and reassured myself that there are no right or wrong preferences (assuming there’s consent), and it’s 100% fine to not like something, no matter how popular it is.