We’re not going to argue with you, pleasure products are often expensive, and with the rising cost of living they might fall last on your list of things to splash out on.
But if you find yourself wanting (and able) to invest in your pleasure, we’re here to make the case for splashing out that extra cash for a sex toy that’s good quality and versatile.
Although it can be tempting to go for some of the more affordable options (and there’s nothing wrong with that, just make sure you shop from legit retailers like Lovehoney, Sextoys.co.uk, Ann Summers, or Bondara), luxury vibrators often come with a hefty price tag for a reason — they’re simply... better quality.
Time and time again, LELO proves us right. The Swedish brand knows how to make a gal feel special, with its gold details, buttery-soft silicone, and constant technological innovations that take our pleasure from zero to 100 in no time.
So when we heard about its latest release, the Switch, we knew we were going to have to give it a go. But boy oh boy, we had no idea just how many surprises LELO had up its sleeve for us.
EYNTK about LELO Switch
| Type | Dual-ended vibrator |
|---|---|
| Features | 10 vibration settings, and an extra two on the app |
| In the box | Switch, charging cable, satin storage pouch, warranty registration card, instruction manual |
| Material | Silicone, ABS plastic |
| Length | 8.5 inches |
| Insertable length | 3.3 inches |
| Weight | 167g |
| Power | USB rechargeable |
| Charging time | Less than 2 hours |
| Battery length | Up to 2 hours |
| Waterproof | Ya |
Known for creating toys such as the SONA 2 Cruise, and DOT, LELO regularly debuts one piece of innovative tech after the other, like Sensonic (sound) waves instead of regular suction, or Infinite Loop, to make the vibrations move in an elliptical movement.
But the Switch is just straight vibes, and we’re not mad about it. While it might look like a one trick pony, it’s actually two toys in one. On one end, it has a bulbous head that acts as a magic wand, for kneading out knots in your shoulders, providing powerful stimulation straight to your C-spot, or to your partner’s shaft. Meanwhile, the other end acts as a G-spot vibrator that’s covered in plenty of ridges, for double the fun.
Both ends are loaded with 16 vibration intensity settings (okay, generous!), increased and decreased using the (+) and (-) buttons. Plus, the toy comes with 10 vibration patterns — controlled with the middle button — although eight of these only work on one end of the toy at a time.
Those of you who already have big plans to use this with your own switch (or should we say ‘partner’, sorry) will be pleased to hear that the other two patterns buzz at both ends simultaneously.
Sound confusing? Don’t worry, syncing your toy up with the LELO app makes it much clearer, as you can see the names of all the modes, which motor they’re coming from, as well as unlock three extra ways of moving between the vibration settings — we’re talking screwing, shaking, and swiping.
You’ll even be granted the gift of two advanced modes: ‘finish me off’ (kinda self explanatory) and ‘out of control’. Hot.
How to use the LELO Switch
We’re not in the market to tell you exactly how to use a sex toy, but in case you need a helping hand (and can’t be bothered to read the instruction manual), here are some tips from us to you.
1. Charge and wash
Before you do anything, you’ll need to clean and charge your new toy for up to two hours (snore). The order you do that in is totes up to you — but we’d recommend using Smile Makers’ pear-scented Vibe Wash to wash your sex toy.
2. Connect before you play
You’ll also want to connect your Switch to the LELO app to avoid any frustration once you get going (you know how tech can be). Although you can control its many settings with the buttons on the toy, if you’re anything like me it will make a lot more sense if you can see all of the modes laid out on the app interface.
You’ll even get two bonus modes if you connect it to the app, and who doesn’t want that? It’ll also be less fiddly to mix it up mid-sesh if you’re bringing in a third (AKA a real person), when we assume your hands will be busy elsewhere.
To connect your toy, turn it on by pressing the (+) or ( ) button. Once all the lights are lit, open your LELO app, switch to the toy tab, select ‘Switch’ from the drop down menu and push the middle button ( ) on the toy again until the two connect.
You’ll be able to control it by tilting your phone to increase the vibrations, shaking your phone, swiping on the screen to create your own patterns, or using buttons on the screen instead of on the toy. I’d highly recommend having a play around with the settings before you get going, just so you know what you’re in for.
3. Lube
Now it’s time to get it on! And don’t even think about doing anything without a trusty bottle of water-based lube at your side — my fave is HOWL’s CBD-infused formula, FYI — which you can slather over your toy or the erogenous zone you’ll be using it on.
We don’t know you, so it’s totally your call how you’re going to turn yourself on — maybe you want to listen to some audio erotica or read the latest fantasy novel you saw on TikTok? Or maybe you’re looking for a quicky. You do you, boo!
4. Start slow
Whenever you’re good to go, start using the bulbous magic wand head on a light setting by dragging it over your erogenous zones (think inner thigh, nipples, behind the ear — whatever floats your boat) before heading south.
5. Experiment
This is where you can get really creative, slowly ramp up the power towards a higher setting, or mix it up between the different patterns. All this to say: experiment! This is your world, the Switch is just living in it.
You can even use the toy with your partner, with each of you using one end. Don’t think the magic wand end is only for you: it can also be used on a shaft or balls, if your lover’s up for it.
Once you find yourself approaching climax, switch (geddit?) to the insertable side and use it to thrust your way towards the big O using the ‘Finish me off’ mode on the app.
How I tested the LELO Switch
Yeah… that previous section kinda gave away some of my best tips. Joking, I take an extremely serious approach to testing all my sex toys, which definitely involves lying down on the job — or backing it up, depending on my mood.
While trying out any new toy, there’s a set of criteria I’m looking for, including high-quality, body-safe materials, the number and type of vibration modes, power type and battery length, app connectivity (where relevant), whether it’s waterproof or not, ergonomic, and if it comes with any extras like a storage bag or stickers.
Then I’ll try the toy out in a ton of different positions and locations, sometimes with a partner, and read as many reviews as I can stomach to find out exactly what people with different body types to me think about the toy — just to make sure I’m giving you the most relevant and accessible information possible.
Who I am: I’m a cisgender, queer woman in her mid-20s, who’s proud to say she’s tested hundreds of sex toys — most of these in my job as Senior Sex and Relationships E-commerce Writer at Cosmopolitan. But I’ve been writing and podcasting about sex for over five years, so I can pretty much tell when a toy is going to give me pleasure by looking at it (I love a good surprise, though!).
Our honest review of the LELO Switch
Pros:
- Beginner-friendly
- It’s basically two toys in one
- Comes in three pretty pastel colours
- Silicone feels seriously luxe
- App is very easy to control
- Ribs add a nice textural element
- So many vibration combinations to choose from
- Can use solo or with a partner
Cons
- Takes two hours to charge
- Not the most innovative technology LELO has come up with
- Vibrations are quite gentle compared with other magic wands, even on the highest setting
- It’s confusing that some of the modes only work on one end of the toy at a time
- Sensor controls on the app seem pointless
First impressions
We’re not going to sugarcoat it, first impressions matter! Call us shallow, but just like a partner, you want a sex toy that you like to look at.
LELO toys always pull through on this front, and so the second my Switch arrived, I knew it would be something special. The toy comes in three pastel colours: blue, lilac, and pink, but mine came in blue.
Everything about the LELO experience gets your senses going, from the matte black box, to the shiny gold details on the toy, and I was immediately wooed by the ribs on either end of the Switch when I picked it up.
Obviously, I had to live my best YouTube unboxing fantasy, so I took all the bits and bobs out of the box to take inventory. These included: a charging cable, instruction manual, the brand’s signature satin storage pouch, and a warranty registration card.
Desperate to get going, I rushed to charge my toy; I appreciate that the brand has stuck to chargers that aren’t magnetic, as these can be a little temperamental. Then it was time for me to practice my restraint and patience as I waited for the two hours to pass.
I stuck on a bit of Bloom audio erotica to keep my mind occupied, and when the lights stopped blinking, I knew it was action time. Once I’d slathered the magic wand end in lube, I was gagging to give it a test drive.
Getting started
When it comes to app-controlled toys, I’m always curious as to whether the toy is as easy to use on your phone as it is manually. And I’m not going to lie, I struggled with the manual modes on this toy.
Turning it on using the plus (+) button, I couldn’t understand why the vibrations kept switching from one end to the other every time I pressed the middle button ( ) to change the pattern.
But when I opened my phone (do not forget to put it on DND, you’ll instantly regret it) to use the app, all became clear. While I got the hang of it, I decided to use the ‘manual’ tab to test the intensities.
Personally, I like my vibrations medium to strong, and I could instantly tell that the lower settings of this toy were going to be way too gentle for me. Starting with the ‘steady’ mode, I ramped the intensity up to ‘8’, dragging it over my nipples and inner thigh.
As I started to feel the temperature rise, I experimented with dragging the sides of the bulbous head against right to left over my vulva to see if the texture added anything to the experience — which it did.
Power
Then it was time to put the Switch’s power to the test. Working my way up through the modes chronologically, I was disappointed to realise that, while the brand claims there are 10 ‘different’ modes, in reality the toy comes with only four patterns.
Each mode is doubled up, but with a different name for each motor — for example, mode one, ‘steady’, and two, ‘relaxed’, are the same pattern — but one powers the magic wand end, and two powers the G-spot end.
That alternates continuously from mode one through to mode eight (handily, the ‘manual’ tab on the app shows you which end will vibrate according to the pattern you’ve selected).
Modes nine and 10 work on both ends simultaneously; nine is a flat vibration (the same as modes one and two), while 10 is a steady oscillation (the same as modes five and six). While I was excited to find out whether I could use one end on myself and the other end on my partner with these two modes, admittedly, I felt a little cheated by the claim that it had more options than it did.
But I wasn’t going to let that get me down, I persisted (as one can only do in these situations), and carried on working my way up through the 16 intensities. Unfortunately, I found even the highest settings to be quite weak, relative to other magic wand vibrators I’ve had. Maybe it’s the fact that the toy is coated in a luxurious layer of silky silicone, but it took me longer than usual to feel anywhere near to orgasm.
Patience, as I’ve mentioned, is a sex tech virtue, and eventually I could feel the familiar signs that I was approaching O town. Before anything drastic happened, I turned the toy over to use the insertable end, and switched to the ‘Finish me off’ mode.
Though finish me off, it did not. I’ll admit: I’m not a vibration pattern lover. There, I said it! Often, I find them quite distracting and inconsistent, especially when you’re trying to climax. And that mode was all over the place, but I was surprised by the second bonus mode, ‘out of control’.
After a good five minutes using that mode, I was cajoled to orgasm. But, reader, I was somewhat defeated.
App connectivity and couple potential
Not one to call it quits after a first try, I tested the Switch on two other occasions to make sure I was giving it a fair chance. Being brave, I decided to try the sensor controls (screwing and shaking) on the LELO app. Unsurprisingly, they didn’t hit — I feel like we’re really overcomplicating things by trying to overrule humanity’s bread and butter of simply pushing a button.
I had more success with the swiping mode, though, which was fun to hand over to my partner when we gave this a whirl. We’re a WLW couple, and so I’m always pretty much constantly looking for toys that can be used on two vulvas at once. Bellesa’s Thump has passed the sapphic test, and I had high hopes for the Switch.
Holding the magic wand end against her C-spot, we used the sumptuously curved G-spot end of the toy like a strap on to penetrate me with, and I have to give LELO props for this — it worked a charm. As with any couples sex toy, we had to try out a few positions to get it right, but when we landed on doggy it was game over, for both of us (if you catch my drift).
Final verdict
Either my expectations of LELO were unrealistic, or this toy needs a little work done to it. But, LELO if you’re reading, I think these are all tweaks that can mostly be made in the app.
Naturally, the toy itself feels supremely high quality, thanks to the silicone the brand has used. I also always appreciate that it uses gold ABS plastic details for added grip, which works even with the slipperiest, lube-covered hands.
The app itself works incredibly well; I had no problems with connectivity, and the interface is easy to navigate. However, I do feel let down by the false claim of 10 vibration patterns. For pattern-lovers’ sake, I wish there were more, and I’d love to see the option to have all four patterns work on both ends simultaneously.
The range between the lowest of the vibration intensities and the highest is noticeable, but I don’t see myself using this wand to knead out any shoulder knots in the near future.
But it’s not all complaints with me (promise!) — there are lots of things to love about this toy. Namely: it’s two toys in one. If you’re going to splash out on a piece of sex tech, you want to know it’s going to be versatile. This also makes it beginner-friendly, and it’s a great option for those who aren’t into super jackhammer-strength vibrations. What I enjoyed most was being able to use the Switch with my partner, and the two bonus modes really surprised me.
Overall, Switch would make an excellent bedmate — not least because it is great value for money. Just don’t look to it for power or technology that will blow your socks off, and instead see it as a high-quality vibrator that can be used for C-spot or G-spot orgasms, depending on your mood. Oh, and an excuse to switch it up.
Honey is the Senior Sex and Relationships E-commerce Writer for Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health and Men’s Health. She covers shopping guides and reviews of the best sex toys; deals events — including Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday; and sex, dating, and LGBTQ+ trends.
Her journalism career started in 2020 when she started Sextras, a podcast and digital magazine about sex and relationships. Find Sextras on Spotify or Substack, where she writes and chats about everything from positive masculinity and how to practise sex magic, to why the latest kink or porn category is blowing up.
She has an MA in Magazine Journalism from City, University of London, and previously reported for HR magazine. Her features also appear in Glamour, Refinery29, The Independent, and more.
When she's not asking everyone she meets invasive questions about their sex and dating lives, you'll find Honey singing around her flat, teaching herself a new craft, or working her way through a new '90s/'00s box set with her flatmate.
