Womanizer W500: review of a suction vibrator with pulsations

The Womanizer W500 is a new suction vibrator, the successor to the W100.

Thanks to the unprecedented sensations it delivers, the Womanizer W100 has gained quite a few converts. That said, it has a number of flaws that everyone agrees on. It’s ugly, damn ugly. And kitsch. And expensive.

The Womanizer W500 does nothing to fix that last point. In fact, instead of costing an arm, it costs about two, with a record-breaking price coming in just under €200. But it’s much prettier.

And that’s not the only improvement this new version promises, which we’ve tested.

Here’s our review of the Womanizer W500.

Buy it from Espace Libido 

Sex toy packaging

The box containing the Womanizer W500, made of thick cardboard and decorated with visuals of the sex toy, looks quite smart.

However, once you open it, oh disappointment. There’s no nice rigid case like the one that comes with the W100, just a simple satin storage pouch. That’s enough to keep the vibrator safe from dust and scratches, but it’s decidedly less classy, less original, and less protective in the event of a knock. Given the exorbitant price of the sex toy, the brand could have avoided skimping on the accessories…

How the Womanizer W500 works

The general principle of the sex toy remains the same. Its head is fitted with a tip that, when applied against the clitoris, surrounds it and delivers “pulsations”. In practice, these feel a lot like vibrations. They spread in a targeted way without direct contact, while also producing a slight suction.

Look of the Womanizer W500

No doubt about it, the Womanizer W500 is markedly prettier than its predecessor. A number of variants are available. Some, like the black version with its leopard print, or the Tatoo version adorned with skull heads, retain a touch of cheesiness, while others are much more understated and presentable.

The white model, which we tested, is more understated, almost devoid of frills… Right, okay, it does have a rhinestone as a power button, but it’s far more discreet than the W100’s gigantic bling-bling diamond. It’s actually a Swarovski crystal. Now, on a Rosebud, I can see the aesthetic appeal, but on the Womanizer W500, I wouldn’t have noticed it if I hadn’t read about it in the official description.

 

The Womanizer W500 has a shorter shape, more rounded than the W100. It’s prettier, and it reduces its resemblance to an ear thermometer.

The tip fitted on the vibrator is identical to the one on the W100, but a larger replacement tip (“XL”) is included. That’s a very good point, and a major improvement, because the original tip, too small to fully enclose any clitoris, wasn’t suited to all anatomies (it’s essential that the Womanizer fully encloses the clit for it to work).

Texture and materials

No changes on that front: the body of the sex toy is made of rigid plastic, while the removable tip is made of soft silicone, a body-safe material.

Power

Like the Womanizer W100, the W500 is rechargeable, via a micro-USB cable. The charger is also included. The charging port is located on the body of the sex toy, hidden behind a cover.

The charging time is 70 minutes, for an advertised usage time of 4 hours. I didn’t verify with a stopwatch. To do so, you’d need to add up the durations of each session, which generally aren’t all that long, orgasm usually being reached extremely quickly. But you can certainly use it a good number of times before the battery runs out.

The Womanizer W500 is still not waterproof; it only resists splashes, like its predecessor. From a vibrator this expensive, that’s a bit of a rip-off.

Only the tip can be rinsed under the tap. To clean the body of the sex toy, which is often covered in lubricants or bodily fluids, you’ll need to be careful.

Controls and modes

The controls have been significantly improved. You can finally decrease the vibration intensity!

That seems like the bare minimum, but the “-” button, so ordinary as it is, wasn’t present on the W100, whose single button served to switch the thing on and increase the power… Once the pulsations were at full blast, there was no way to bring them back down without turning everything off. On the Womanizer W500, this problem is resolved, and you can adjust the intensity variations at will.

The buttons total three:

• The rhinestone serves as the power button, and also allows you to switch the sex toy off. Note that to switch it on, a long press is required, which, when you’re not thinking about it, gives the impression that the button is a bit stiff to press, or even that the toy has run out of battery.
• The “+” and “-“ buttons allow you to navigate between the 8 intensity levels.

Noise level of the Womanizer W500

The Womanizer W500 is quieter than its predecessor.

However, the 42 decibels announced in the official product presentation probably correspond to the noise level produced by the device when it’s properly applied against a clit. 42 dB really isn’t much: a forty-odd decibels corresponds to the noise level perceived in a quiet office, but if you try to use your Womanizer discreetly at the office, I’m warning you, you’ll be found out in a heartbeat.

When the sex toy is running idle, you can hear it more, and, although the sound remains moderate, it’s still a nasty fart noise.

Effectiveness of the Womanizer W500

My clit is one of the rare holdouts when it comes to the Womanizer W100. If, using it while standing up, for example, the sensations are delicious and orgasm is sneaky, quick and lightning-fast, in certain positions – for instance, lying down – I can’t manage to experience its devastating effect: excitement climbs, climbs, climbs, but leads nowhere, except to the frustration of being within an inch of coming.

With the Womanizer W500, which is more powerful, that frustrating incident barely happened at all. I say “barely”, because, in a lying-down position, there were still rare occasions when the device refused to do its job. But it’s become anecdotal, whereas with the W100, it was much more frequent.

Apart from their increased effectiveness, the nature of the sensations differs little from those provided by the W100. Being a proper lazybones, I’m giving you a copy-paste:

The sensations provided by a Womanizer

A rather “passive” use

Like the W100, the Womanizer W500 is a sex toy that lends itself more to a stationary and somewhat “passive” use.

When there’s movement (with a partner, during penetration, or, solo, when using a dildo at the same time), you can quickly lose the positioning of the tip right on the clit, which is essential for the device to work.

Conclusion on the Womanizer W500

The good points:

• It delivers intense, unprecedented sensations, which come close to those experienced during cunnilingus.
• It works better than the W100, in more positions.

The bad points:

• Its price: €189, that’s enough to make you think twice before buying.
• It’s not waterproof.

The Womanizer W500 is a very good sex toy… at a considerable price.

So the question that arises is: should you break open your piggy bank to get it?

First case: you already own a Womanizer W100:

If the W100 works well on you: no need, unless you’re rich. Your W100 is admittedly ugly, but the sensations don’t differ enough between the two models for you to spend that much.

If the W100 doesn’t work on you: the W500 manages to make me come more often, in more positions, than its predecessor. There’s a good chance it’ll be the same for you, but it’s a €200 gamble.

Second case: you don’t (yet) own a Womanizer.

Assuming you have a sufficient sex toy budget: it is indeed an effective toy. The pleasure and quality are there. You won’t regret your purchase.

If you own other vibrators, you’ll be surprised – and probably delighted – to discover, thanks to the Womanizer W500, unprecedented sensations that the other inhabitants of your toy box have never given you. So yes, go for it!

If you don’t own any, ask yourself the question again: do you really, absolutely, want a Womanizer W500? For the same budget, or even less, you can get an ultra-powerful clitoral vibrator and a “G-spot” dildo of formidable effectiveness (for example, a Smart Wand Medium by Lelo and an Orchidée by Idée du Désir) of excellent quality, and that might be a better, more complete kit for discovering the world of sex toys, with just as many, if not more, orgasms to be had.

 

Thanks to Espace Libido  for providing us with the Womanizer W500 for this review