The Tingletip is an accessory that lets you turn your toothbrush into a vibrator.
Indeed, thanks to its vibrations, or rather the oscillations of its head, the electric toothbrush is a classic among improvised sex toys. And the aim of the Tingletip is to finish turning this everyday accessory into an object of pleasure suited to clitoral stimulation.
I have to admit, I wasn’t really convinced by the concept. But some time ago, I came across a surprising review by American blogger Epiphora of the Celebrator, a competitor to the Tingletip. Far from perfect, the thing nevertheless seemed to have something going for it in terms of sensation. Then I read a rather positive review of the Tingletip by Ève de Candaulie, our favourite polyamorous novelist. Intrigued, and seeing that the Lovehoney shop stocked the Tingletip, I asked if I could try it.
So here’s my review of the Tingletip, the attachment that turns your toothbrush into a sex toy!
Masturbating with an electric toothbrush?
I’ve never tried masturbating with an electric toothbrush.
For starters, I’m not really into DIY sex toys. I’d quite like to try making a dildo one day, and I admire the work of people who do it. But I have more than enough sex toys not to have to improvise one in a hurry with whatever I’ve got to hand. And I really have no desire to give my toothbrush a taste of pussy. Just as mixing sex and food doesn’t do much for me, the sex-and-toothpaste combo is very much not my thing.
But for around fifteen euros, the Tingletip replaces your toothbrush head with an attachment designed for clitoral stimulation, turning the thing into a proper vibrator.
How the Tingletip works
The Tingletip simply attaches to your electric toothbrush, in place of its usual head. The toothbrush motor makes it oscillate. These aren’t vibrations, or rotations exactly, but rather oscillations.
Tingletip packaging
The Tingletip’s packaging is very basic. To be honest, it looks like packaging for a regular toothbrush head. A bit of cardboard, a bit of clear plastic, and that’s it. This no-frills approach does have one advantage: it doesn’t take up much space.
The Tingletip’s look and material
The Tingletip looks just as minimalist. It looks like a toothbrush head, except that the bristles have been replaced by a smooth, fuchsia surface.
The Tingletip is made of rigid plastic.
How effective is the Tingletip?
The rather high-pitched sound of a toothbrush had given me some preconceptions about how powerful its motor’s vibrations could be. So you can imagine my surprise when I realised that my humble electric toothbrush, once fitted with this attachment, was producing vibrations quite capable of rivaling those of my favourite super-powerful vibrators!
That said, the sensations are closer to those produced by the Zumio X or the Zumio E. It’s quite different from the effect of a Magic Wand or a Doxy Die Cast, for example, but just as intense.
They’re actually oscillations. Although it’s hard to make out its movement just by looking at it, the pink part of the attachment rotates slightly on itself, tracing a tiny arc, first one way and then the other without changing direction.
The vibrations are therefore surprisingly effective. They let you come without any effort, and give you really enjoyable orgasms.
The Tingletip’s limitations
But is the Tingletip an ideal way to get a super-powerful little vibrator for less than fifteen euros? Er, not really. The thing also has quite a few drawbacks, and some pretty major ones at that. Overall, they all come down to the fact that you’re still masturbating with a toothbrush, a device that wasn’t designed for that in the first place.
For starters, there’s the look of the thing. If you care even a little about the appearance of what’s around you when you’re enjoying some solo pleasure, or getting down with one or more other people, well, this isn’t going to work. You’re fiddling with your clit using a toothbrush, an accessory that’s neither beautiful nor classy. Unless that’s a specific fantasy of yours, it’s not exactly an erotic mood-setter. And if you’re not alone, you might feel a bit silly in the moment.
Most of all, there’s… the toothbrush’s features. Fair enough, it’s a toothbrush, you might say. Indeed, some toothbrushes switch themselves off after a few minutes to stop you brushing for too long. Handy when you’re cleaning your teeth, but a bit of a pain for a vibrator. Luckily, mine just gives two pulses in a row after three minutes to let me know I’ve brushed for long enough. Poor thing, if only it knew what I was using it for! But those two pulses, which interrupt the steady stream of vibrations, are already a very annoying distraction; it completely kills the momentum. If my toothbrush had actually paused, I don’t think I could have come with it.
Finally, the Tingletip + toothbrush combination is a non-waterproof sex toy, unless your toothbrush is waterproof. As for me, after my second use of the Tingletip I struggled a bit to remove it from my toothbrush, and was afraid I’d break it. And even though I obviously couldn’t find any statistics on the subject, I assume that using it for masturbation often could shorten the life of your toothbrush motor somewhat. Also, don’t be surprised if it keeps running out of battery!
Conclusion on the Tingletip
The good points:
- The vibrations are powerful, and give you some pretty nice orgasms. My toothbrush had been hiding its talents well.
The bad points:
- It’s still a toothbrush, so there are all sorts of drawbacks directly related to the fact that the thing wasn’t originally designed for masturbation.
- In particular, the vibrations may stop or be interrupted after a few minutes to let you know that’s enough, you’ve been brushing your teeth for too long.
- A risk of shortening the life of your toothbrush?
Review score
Pros
- The vibrations are powerful, and capable of providing pleasurable orgasms.
Cons
- The brush's 'hey, you've finished brushing your teeth, haven't you!' feature disrupts use.
- Risk of shortening the lifespan of your toothbrush?
- You might not have enough battery left to brush your teeth afterwards.
The Tingletip isn’t really a sex toy; it’s more of a gadget for repurposing your toothbrush for more fun uses. If you’re looking for a proper sex toy, I suggest taking a look at our sex toy reviews to find the erotic accessory that suits you best.
Still, it’s fun, fairly cheap for a sex toy, and effective. So it could be just what you’re looking for in two cases. First, if you have a fantasy involving using a toothbrush to masturbate. It’s original, and there could be an interesting role-play side to explore. But also, if you’re on a small budget and want to discover the sensations a very powerful vibrator focused right on the clit can provide.
Thanks to Lovehoney for providing us with the Tingletip for this review
