It is finally here, this Arcwave Ion masturbator ™! Indeed, I’ve been aware of its release since November 2019! Might as well tell you that it was about time this one was finally available! But what is the Arcwave Ion masturbator ™ by the way? It’s simply the first masturbator from the WOW TECH group that uses the “Pleasure Air™” technology from Womanizer! Finally, a contactless stimulator for the penis!
Womanizer was a revolution when it came out! The W100 model was the first to see the light, then the W500, before seeing a whole series coming out, finishing recently with the Womanizer Duo or the Starlet 2 and Womanizer Premium. It is under the brand Arcwave that we discover a first model, because yes, it is certain that this Arcwave Ion ™ will not be the first, nor the last to be released!
To be honest, I’m as excited and eager to try this one as I am worried, because it may be a revolution but it may also be a disappointment! In order to find out, I tested this Arcwave Ion masturbator ™ several times and here is my report!
Arcwave Ion packaging
Table of Contents
If there’s one thing you can’t say much about, it’s packaging! WOW TECH clearly places its product in the rather luxurious range! We discover the Arcwave Ion ™ masturbator in a big rigid cardboard box. This one is white, rectangular and presents a sleeve on which we can see the masturbator on the front and information about the product on the back. The box is quite classy, but it is imposing.
The box and its composition
Once you remove the sleeve, you discover a more refined box, with only the Arcwave logo. When we open it from the top, we realize that only one side rises to make room, inside, for a small tutorial in 3 steps. Inside, we discover a foam mold, with three parts. The first one stores the masturbator, another one stores the case and the third one stores a small black cardboard pouch. This one contains two manuals and a small leaflet. The first manual is an instruction manual, while the other deals with safety measures.
The Pjur range and its sample offered
The leaflet is a presentation of the Arcwave range by Pjur, with a sextoy cleaner and a long-lasting water-based lubricant. This is the sample we have inside, in 10ml format. For information, the ingredients of the lubricant are water, glycerin, xanthan gum, benzyl alcohol, sodium benzoate, citric acid and potassium sorbate.
Remaining content
Then, back to the contents of the box, we have the case which, once opened, hides a drying rod and a small rectangular black box. This box contains the lubricant sample offered, the charging cable of the box and an anti-humidity stick. The box has the same storage concept as a We-Vibe Sync for example. On the case, there is a small plastic film to protect the slightly shinier part and it is the same for the silicone present on the Ion. Last point on the box, in the manual, which is written in English, you have a QRCode that you can use to retrieve the manual in your favorite language.
Arcwave Ion physical details
Honestly, I don’t really know what to think of its design! To tell the truth, I’m quite divided! As much as I find the exterior of the product, that is to say, its case, design and elegance, as much as I find the masturbator, a bit rude and makes me think of a big pencil sharpener! But let’s have a look at the two distinct parts of the Arcwave Ion ™!
The appearance of the case
I start with my favorite element, the case. It’s the part I find the prettiest! It’s a grey case, with a slightly chrome effect. On it you can see several things, like the fact that you can see three small LEDs on the front. But also, a double button system to close or open it and access its contents.
Above the case, we have small vents while under the case, we discover the location that will be used to power it. We also have a small Arcwave logo just above the case. It almost looks like some kind of luxury coffee machine or something! In any case, it passes quite unnoticed! Inside the case you have a place to slide the Arcwave Ion masturbator ™ and a place to attach the drying stick.
The aspect of the masturbator
You’ve understood it, this is the part I find the least pretty! When I first saw it, I really thought it was a big pencil sharpener! Luckily, it’s not, although, to get a blowjob, it seems like a pretty good choice! So we find ourselves in front of a rather strange masturbator, with a tunnel and a motor part that also contains the control buttons.
The button interface seems intuitive, with the presence of three different buttons. You have a “+” button, a “-” button, and a speaker cut button. You also notice that the “+” button is domed while the “-” button is concave, which makes me think that you can find your way around even without looking at them.
On this Arcwave Ion ™, we notice two ends, one flat, the other rounded. It is on the flat side, where you have the Arcwave logo in the shape of the letter “A” present, that you will have to insert your penis. Inside this tunnel, you can see several striations that make up the inner walls, which will provide additional stimulation during the back and forth of the penis. And finally, of course, you have a stimulating head that is present at 3/4 of the length, with a beak that is quite similar to that of a Womanizer Classic or Premium, but not to the first Womanizer models.
Dimensions of the masturbator
I didn’t know what to expect, so I didn’t know what he would look like or what he would propose in terms of stimulation when I heard about it at the end of 2019. And I have to say I wasn’t really expecting that. In fact, it’s a pretty compact masturbator!
The Arcwave Ion ™ measures 15 cm (5.90 inches) in total length for a height of 8.3 cm (3.26 inches) and a width of 5.2 cm (2.04 inches). The insertable length is 8.7 cm (3.42 inches), with an internal diameter of 3.3 cm (1.29 inch). It seems small to me to make a product with a diameter of 3.3 cm (1.29 inch), but we will see a little later if these dimensions are inconvenient or not in use.
Other details of the masturbator
Two pieces of information to give you before moving on! On the one hand, the choice of colors! There are none! That’s it, it’s settled! So you will have an Arcwave Ion ™ masturbator in black and a black and gray case a little chrome. And concerning the weight, I didn’t find the information at the time of writing the review, but the masturbator itself is not very heavy, with a good weight distribution.
Arcwave Ion materials
Is it made of steel? No, it would still be quite surprising! The Arcwave Ion ™ is made of ABS plastic! It is a material often used for the external part of a masturbator. This is notably the case with Fleshlight. ABS plastic is a rigid material, healthy for the body, so there is nothing to worry about. And on the other hand, it uses CleanTech silicone! Well, another novelty on the market? Well yes, since it is a patented material exclusive to the Arcwave brand!
It is a silicone that has a very high resistance while remaining soft. It is a hypoallergenic, UV resistant material, which guarantees a longer life of the materials than simple silicone. I will tell you a little more about it in this test when I discuss the effectiveness part of the product! On the other hand, silicone does stick a bit, it will take dust quite easily! Take care to pass it with water before using it!
Arcwave Ion use
Now that we’ve seen that, we’re still going to move on to using this masturbator! Once again, I remind you that this is a masturbator that uses the Pleasure Air™ technology from the Womanizer range, but this time, oriented for the penis by coming to stimulate the brake of the penis.
It should therefore not be very complicated to get started, but we will nevertheless take a closer look at how it works in order to know the best practices for it. It’s not really the same thing as a Man.Wand or the Fun Factory Manta that works with vibrations!
How to charge the masturbator?
To load your Arcwave Ion ™, don’t look for a hole on it. It has two contact points to be recharged by magnetic induction, in the case, discreetly. The first step is to connect the USB cable under the case. You have a small tab to lift up and plug in the cable. Once it is well plugged in, I found it was not easy to remove. So, I advise you to leave the cable plugged on the box and to unplug the USB part of the port where the case is recharging.
Induction charging
Then, the Ion must be placed in the case and in the right direction. You have two contact points in the case and two on the masturbator, I let you do the tutorial in your head. When it is well in place and charging, the box uses three LEDs to indicate its charging status. When it is on the first phase of charging, the three LEDs blink alternately. Then in the second phase, the first one remains static and the other two blink. For the third stage, the same with the first two fixed and the third one flashing. When it is fully charged, all three LEDs remain fixed.
Charging time and battery life
On the majority of the websites, I could read that the indicated autonomy was 70 minutes for two hours of charging time. However, in the manual, it is indicated that the charging time is 85 minutes for a 60 minute autonomy with the intensity level at maximum. Finally, when the Arcwave Ion ™ runs out of battery power, the A logo of the Ion will flash. At this point, you only have three minutes before it will turn off to be recharged.
How to use Arcwave Ion?
To use it, there are two things to know. How to use the buttons and how to position it. So we will see both parts to get off to a good start with the Arcwave Ion ™! It would be a pity not to understand how to use it.
The masturbator buttons
On a technical level, you have three buttons. One button in the shape of a loudspeaker cut, another in the shape of a “+” and a last one with the symbol “-“. In practice, you have to press the “+” button for 1 second to turn on the Ion which will emit a small buzz.
You will then be in smart silence mode. This is the mode that allows the Arcwave Ion ™ to activate only when the Pleasure Air™ part will be in contact with the penis brake or your finger. I’ll tell you more about this finger thing later. Moreover, when it is activated, you can see that the logo consisting of the letter “A” starts to shine.
Smart silent mode or not?
If you press the “-” button for 1 second, the masturbator will turn off. The logo in question will stop shining. When it is on, pressing the “+” button will increase the intensity and pressing the “-” button will decrease the intensity. If you want to disable the smart silence mode ™ and you will surely want to do so, press the button for 1 second with the speaker off.
At that moment, the Arcwave Ion ™ will pulse in continuous mode, whether it is in contact with your penis or not. When the smart silence mode is activated, the speaker button will be illuminated to tell you if it is active or not. With the smart silence mode, you have the stand-by mode unlocked, since if you don’t use the masturbator for three minutes, it will stop by itself as well as all the active LEDs.
How to place the Arcwave Ion?
There is a specific way to use the Ion. You have to insert the glans of the penis through the flat end in order to take out the penis on the other side, without the glans being visible. The goal of the game is to make sure that the head of the Pleasure part Air™ is directly under the brake of your penis. This is the most important part to take advantage of this technology. Then, the silicone part can be pressed to put pressure on the penis or to replace it a little bit.
What modes or intensities are present?
Here, we go back to the sources, since this is a first model! We are not with only 5 levels of intensity as on the W100 model, the first model of contactless stimulator, but with 8 levels of intensity! For my part, I have the impression to find the 8 levels of intensity of the W500 model! So there are no modes strictly speaking, they are only intensities in continuous mode. Level 1 is quite soft, then you go up in stages to reach level 8, quite powerful I think.
What lubricant to use with this masturbator?
If you want to use lubricant on the brake of your penis, it’s possible! However, you will have to choose a water-based lubricant! Even though we have CleanTech silicone here, the compatibility with lubricants has not changed! Therefore, you have to be careful not to damage the silicone of the masturbator. There is not really any lubricant to recommend here, although I like to talk about the Sliquid range in general.
Here, the lubricant is really optional, so take the one you want, as long as it’s a water-based lubricant! I remind you that you have a 10 ml sample of a good lubricant, it’s also made for that! But you’ll see, the lubricant really helps with the masturbator tunnel.
How to clean the masturbator?
Beware, there are a number of things to know about this! First of all, know that the Arcwave Ion is waterproof to IPX 7 standard! This means two things! The first one is that you will be able to use it in your shower and bath, even if that’s not where I’ll be using it. Nevertheless, the waves propagate better under water, they will also be more intense, which is not to displease us. And the second is that we will be able to clean it without breaking our head too much.
Beware, you can’t remove the stimulating head like on a Womanizer! It is a stimulating head grafted into the material, a kind of hole with an external shape that takes the shape of a Womanizer head.
The Twist to open function
The Arcwave Ion has a very practical opening system! It is the “Twist to Open” function! In fact, you just have to rotate one of the parts of the masturbator lengthwise. There is a screw thread system that allows you to rotate it and open it in two. It’s really practical, because otherwise we don’t have much access to the stimulating part that delivers waves to clean it.
The stages of cleaning and drying
Here’s how this step works in practice! First, we open the box, put the anti-humidity stick in place that you have in the box. Then, the drying rod in place. Then, we clean the masturbator properly and dry it as much as possible. Then place it on its rod, next to the anti-humidity stick and close the box. This removes all moisture from the inside.
In addition, it is possible to subsequently put this anti-humidity stick in a microwave at 300W for a short time or 10 minutes in defrost mode. Avoid wetting the anti-humidity stick, I don’t need to explain why. On the other hand, remove the plastic film that surrounds the stick, otherwise it doesn’t work as well.
Arcwave Ion efficiency
Here is finally the moment when I will be able to put my penis inside this masturbator and check what it’s worth! Having the Pleasure Air technology of a womanizer on the brake of my penis sounds great! But, I’m a bit skeptical, because I’ve already tested putting a Womanizer on the brake of my penis and the result wasn’t really there! So, once again, I’m very curious to try it, but also doubtful! Come on, I’m getting into the adventure, hoping that the trip will be unforgettable! Here is what I think of this Arcwave Ion!
Getting to know the buttons
This is the first point I wish to address. I advise you to read the manual carefully, or at least the way I use it. This is only my personal opinion, but through playing with it, I have noticed several things. First of all, you have to be familiar with the controls! Between pressing a button or holding the button for 1 second, there is little difference! And that alone, I think it’s a small problem, certainly, which can be solved by getting used to it.
Indeed, it sometimes happens that a pressure is understood as holding the button (if you stay a bit too long) which can lead to cut the Arcwave Ion for example. I press the “-” button to go down one level and it’s off!
Don’t worry, you get used to it afterwards, but I think that a pressure of 2 seconds rather than one to turn the masturbator on or off would not have been a luxury to avoid any kind of inconvenience. Good news, the “+” button is a bit bulging compared to the “-” button which is concave, so you can easily find your way around without looking at them before pressing them.
The installation, essential!
If there’s one thing to be careful of as well, it’s the position of your penis in the masturbator. Already, in terms of size, I had a doubt that my penis could enter. My cock is around 4 cm to 4.5 cm in diameter (1.57 to 1.77 inch) depending on where I calculate it, and despite this, my penis goes through.
On the other hand, you must have some lubricant to make it slide inside, otherwise the silicone is too rough, not to mention the rather small but stretchy diameter and the streaks present inside. So you have to insert your glans on the flat end side, where the Arcwave logo is present. Then place it before the exit. There is a diagram that explains this well in the user manual.
Indeed, on the masturbator, you have an open part (on the other side of the end where you enter). Normally, the glans does not protrude! This means that this area is freely accessible, especially to hold the Arcwave Ion in place and to access the buttons on the back. Logically, your brake will be at the level of the stimulating head that delivers waves. Do not hesitate to take a little time so that the head fits the brake area of your penis.
The global handling
There, once you get used to using it, understanding its placement and knowing how to hold it, its overall use remains quite good. Again, the open part allows you to hold the Arcwave Ion in place with two fingers. The thumb on the inner open part, the index finger behind, in the shape of a hook, to activate the buttons needed to change the intensity.
Then you can move your thumb down to press the glans under the silicone part. You can then press the glans with a finger to increase the power of the stimulation, but not only that!
Pressure in Smart mode or nothing at all
When using the “Smart Silence” mode, expect strange things! Indeed, with this mode activated, I noticed that it was almost mandatory to press the silicone part to squeeze the glans so that the glans is well in contact with the internal stimulating head. Otherwise, the waves will not be triggered.
It’s not like with a Womanizer that has this technology, because you can see right away where the head is and how to place it so that the clitoris is inside. Here, it is the brake of the penis that is in contact! So there is no external part that goes inside. So it must be well plated for the waves to start!
Long live the deactivation of the “Smart Silence”!
Yes, fortunately you can disable the “Smart Silence” function! Indeed, this function is convenient to be a little more discreet in its use. This prevents it from running idle and will only activate when the penis brake or an element is in close contact or even very close together. Why is this good news? Because it is easier to enjoy two types of stimulation possible! Let me explain!
When pressure is applied to the glans of the penis, through the silicone sleeve, the brake can be forced into contact with the inner tip and activate the waves. However, here the waves offer a stronger, deeper, more targeted stimulation. But if you deactivate the “Smart Silence” mode, you can avoid putting pressure on the glans and still obtain a stimulation by the waves on the glans. Here, the stimulation will be softer, wider, over a larger area and more tickling. This is only possible by switching off the “Smart Silence” mode on my side, otherwise the glans does not press the tip enough and therefore does not trigger the waves.
The Arcwave Ion noise
Here, it’s still a shame to find the noise of the lawnmower of the first model, the W100! Certainly, when the ‘Smart Silence’ mode is active, the noise it generates is muffled, but you understood it, it is a mode that will be regularly deactivated to take full advantage of the Arcwave Ion. As a result, you will clearly hear it! For discretion, we will come back! For me, it’s really a black point, because it feels like we’re going backwards. Womanizer and WOW TECH should really improve this point on a future model.
What can be said about Arcwave Ion stimulation?
This is the complicated part of the review! Not that the rest is simple, but I have to say that it’s a point that I had to work on more than usual, because it’s a rather innovative concept, at least for penises! Already, I might as well tell you, we are far from a Womanizer! At the time and even today, a womanizer can trigger an orgasm quite simply and above all quickly! Getting an orgasm with a Womanizer doesn’t take more than a minute depending on the situation and the user. But on the whole, it is a sextoy that quickly brings an orgasm and even several.
Here, the Arcwave Ion is not at this level. In any case, I don’t get an orgasm with it in less than a minute. But I will come back to this point to tell you if I can come with it or not. Stimulation is more unusual, it is both intense and gentle and requires listening to your body. Indeed, the waves of the Arcwave Ion are not as brutal as with a wand like the Europe Magic Wand or the Smart Wand 2 Large by Lelo. Because it is well known that a wand on the brake of the penis is quite formidable! Here, I found a little bit the same thing, but in a softer, less intense, but in a really pleasant way.
A machine to make the penis flow!
Yes, that’s how I see it and that’s how I feel it! It’s not a form of Edging either, but it’s not far off. Indeed, the waves stimulate in such a way as to take care mainly of the glans and its brake. But at the same time, you can also go back and forth over part of the length of the sleeve. And this is where the difference comes in, between a Womanizer that we will use on the brake of the penis, a wand that vibrates on it and the Arcwave Ion! Indeed, we can alternate the two and I’ll even say more, play with them! As I said, the stimulation is very pleasant, but softer than a wand that can make me come with less than 5 minutes!
Here, when the waves have well excited my brake, when I feel that I am close enough to orgasm without triggering it, I can go back and forth a few times to increase the pleasure, then go directly back to the stimulation of the brake only to make my penis flow with pre-seminal fluid. When I go back to this way of doing it, the orgasm doesn’t happen, but I find myself on the verge of pleasure, on the verge of an orgasm that doesn’t happen, which allows me to play several times with this state of intense pleasure, without being able to come.
A penis brake stimulator that requires a little practice
Yes, for me, it takes a bit of practice to be well aware of your body, to get used to the stimulation of the brake and to know how to play with your pleasure! This is a bit anti-conceptual. In the sense that usually the contact should not be lost between the stimulating head and the clitoris on a Womanizer, whereas here, I found that it was an important element to take into account, but it was also necessary to know how to play between the stimulation of the back and forth and the stimulation of the brake, whether with pressure or not on the glans.
It is by trying it several times that I learned to tame it! So, do I manage to come with it? The answer is yes! If I keep only the stimulation of the glans and therefore the brake, I find it difficult to come like this. Once again, I find myself on a very stimulating level of arousal, quite high, but not from there to reach orgasm.
On the other hand, if I play with the back and forth, the stimulation of the brake, with or without smart silence and pressure from the glans, I manage to reach orgasm and I must say that this one is really pleasant, intense all the same and a little longer than normal. In fact, you can let the waves (without pressure) with the glans (and therefore without Smart Silence) continue to stimulate the glans to increase the number of sperm “spurts” that you can make. It’s a bit like keeping a wand pressed against the brake of the penis during ejaculation.
My little advice for the “beak head”
To finish, here are a few tips from my experience. Sometimes I found, with the “smart silence” mode activated, that the waves were not working. This is often because the penis is not well placed and therefore the brake or I don’t put enough pressure on the silicone that surrounds my glans. Do not hesitate to put your finger inside the tip to check that it is triggering the waves. This is also the case if you have too much lubricant inside. I call this the “finger in the hole” technique! And for the funny side, the manual also says that, when the tip does not trigger the waves, even though I had not read the manual before trying it. Like what!
Arcwave Ion final thoughts
In conclusion, I was a little undecided when I received the Arcwave Ion. I wasn’t sure what to think about it and if it would be up to a Womanizer! The answer is clear! No, the Arwave Ion masturbator is not the revolution that the Womanizer created when it arrived on the market! On the other hand, it is a product that I will watch out for! This first model is both destabilizing and not necessarily easy to handle. But it can become a very good sextoy! What I like is the idea of having a product that delivers waves on the brake, while allowing to go back and forth in the sleeve, which are striated. Yes sometimes, to trigger orgasm, a few little back and forth can make a difference!
For me, the Arcwave Ion is not there to bring a quick orgasm like a Womanizer can! And that’s a good thing. Because for a penis, getting an orgasm is more accessible or in any case, simpler, more basic than the clitoral or vaginal orgasm. Therefore, I’m rather positive, even if I needed to do a lot of trial and error to tame the Arcwave Ion. Especially to understand how it works, its small flaws or a little bit bigger and to know how to take advantage of it all the same to give me pleasure!
It’s a sextoy that I will continue to use because I find it interesting and different in the way it brings me pleasure! However, I find that it is not cheap. But you have to remember that it is a product of WOW TECH, those behind Womanizer, We-Vibe, Pjur (but also Romp), the first three being rather high-end brands. We’ll see in the future, if other models from Arcwave will see the light of day! It is a good bet that this first model will be fed by user feedback!
Pros
- The look of the case design, fits everywhere
- The complete and classy packaging
- Waterproof IPX7
- The combo “Waves + back and forth” with streaks
- A slow rise in pleasure, but you can stay on the plateau before ejaculation.
- The Twist to Open system
Cons
- Cable not easy to remove once plugged into the case
- The lawnmower noise of the W100!
- Mixed Smart-Silent mode, but can be deactivated
- The big pencil sharpener look
- 1 second of pressure on a button, maybe too short?
- Needs to be well handled