Welcome to OnlyVibes, the vibrator review series where we recommend a single sex toy that is really freaking great. Maybe you’ve never used a sex toy in your entire life, or maybe you’re a veteran with a nightstand drawer that practically buzzes on its own. No matter your level of masturbatory mastery, there’s a good chance you’ve had questions about what’s worth your money, especially since everything everywhere is more expensive these days, and vibrators are no exception.
Considering Cosmo’s almost 60-year history of putting your pleasure (and wallet) first, we’re firmly committed to ensuring you know just as much as we do about the pros and cons of every vibrator that comes across our desks. That’s why you can count on us to only recommend products we’ve personally tested and genuinely love. Ready to buzz in? Read on.
When deciding what toy should kick off our new OnlyVibes series, the choice was clear: It had to be Aer from Dame, a suction toy that both vibrator newbies and connoisseurs can appreciate. Using the Aer is very intuitive, so it’s a solid starter-toy choice, but your orgasms certainly won’t feel like they’re level one, know what I mean? In fact, the Aer will make whatever you choose to stick it on—whether it’s a nipple or a clitoris—feel like it’s receiving actual oral heaven. (And you can trust me. I’m Cosmo’s sex and relationships editor, which means I get a ton of free vibrators, and I tested the Aer every day for a week straight. 😇)
The TL;DR: Why Dame’s Aer Is OnlyVibes-Approved
- It’s great for beginners.
- The speeds and intensities vary enough to get you off, even at the lowest setting.
- It charges in under two hours and lasts for over 90 minutes of play on the highest settings.
If you’ve never tried a suction toy, allow me to explain how they work. They’re usually small enough to be held with one hand and feature a hole for you to place against and/or around your clitoris (or nipple, or body part of choice). With the press of a button, a good suction toy will use airflow and pressure to create little pulsing/sucking sensations that replicate the feeling of oral sex around your clit.
“Some people really love the pulling sensation,” says sexologist Marla Renee Stewart, MA. “In my experience and based on my research, people who have medium to large clitorises tend to love a lot of suction more than folks who have small to medium.”
Now, can a suction vibrator do exactly what a human mouth can do? No—sex toys obviously don’t have tongues or saliva or lips that can replicate the same sensation you get from a person who knows their way around a vulva. But if the suction is powerful and you use a good amount of lube, you can get pretty damn close to the feeling of clitoral suction from an IRL partner.
It goes without saying that everyone is different and what works for one person might not work for another. “There are suction toys with low suction that might be easier for people who are a little bit more sensitive,” says Stewart. There’s this and more to consider when evaluating whether or not a toy is the right fit—literally, in some cases. I paid attention to a few factors before deciding that, IMHO, the Dame Aer 100 percent passes the vibe check (heh, see what I did there?), and I’ve laid out my criteria for you below.
Dame Aer Suction Toy
Pros
- Speeds and intensities vary
- Waterproof
- Charges quickly and lasts long
Cons
- Not whisper-quiet
- A little too big for partnered sex
Dame Aer Pros
The Aer comes in discreet packaging.
You know how sometimes you order something online and the package arrives in the product’s original box, so all your neighbors know your preferred brand of mouthwash and that you bought yet another pair of fuzzy slippers?
Okay, Dame doesn’t do that. I received the Aer in a nondescript brown box that didn’t even say “Dame” in the sender section of the label. The box was sealed—a thing you definitely want to ensure hygiene, obvi—and in addition to the toy, it comes with a USB charging cable, a blue drawstring storage bag, and crucially, some info packets.
The Aer’s battery charge lasts for-freaking-ever.
The instructions recommend charging your Aer to full capacity before you use it for the first time, so I immediately unfurled the USB charging cable, plugged it into my iPhone charger, and left it alone until the light on the front turned green—the sign that it was ready to go. Dame’s website says the charge time is two hours, but mine was fully juiced up after about 90 minutes (it came slightly pre-charged). Dame also promises that the Aer can run for an hour and a half on the highest settings before you need to charge it again—emphasis on *highest*. The lower settings on this toy are so good, you probably won’t even need to go there (more on that below), so your charge could last way longer. I used mine every day for a week for about 10 to 15 minutes each sesh, on various settings, and haven’t had to recharge it yet.
It’s super compatible with water-based lube.
The Aer is made from soft, medical-grade silicone that feels almost velvety to the touch. As a rule of thumb, the best type of lube to use with silicone toys is always going to be water-based. Silicone-based lubes can break down silicone toys over time, and oil-based lubes can be hard to wipe off and generally shouldn’t go inside you, lest they mess with your pH. (You can learn more about this when you check out Cosmo’s first-ever Lube Awards. #ShamelessPlug)
Again, it is this editor’s opinion that no vibrator can ever feel exactly like a human partner, but if you want to get close, use lube. Not only will it make the experience way more comfortable (because suction vibes can feel a little intense at first especially if you’re not accustomed to them) but lube can also mimic the wetness you feel from an actual mouth and just generally help things glide a little better down there. When I was ready to test Aer for the first time, I rubbed a small dollop of Playground’s Love Sesh on the toy’s mouth before going to town.
Playground Love Sesh
Even the Aer’s lowest speed and vibration patterns get the job done.
The Aer has five different speed levels and five different vibration patterns, and you can mix and match as you please. You click the power button to change patterns, and the arrow buttons to change speeds. (It’s super intuitive.) As someone who usually needs a fair level of clit intensity to orgasm, I was apprehensive at first—five speeds doesn’t seem like a lot—but I was quickly and pleasantly surprised at how effectively even the lowest speed got me to the finish line. Over time, I’ve learned that regular, consistent drumming works best for me, so that was the pattern I mostly stuck with, but for the sake of this review, I tried them all (tough job, IK) and found they vary significantly and flow really smoothly. None of them feel too abrupt or stuttery.
As for the speeds: Your selection should depend on what your goal is. The slowest speed is great for edging or if you want to start off slow and increase as you go. All the speeds were, ahem, ~effective~, although I won’t lie: The fastest was my fave. But, like, did I *need* it? No. And I can’t say that is true for other suction vibrators I’ve tried, which is why this toy is good for beginners. It can be intense if you want, but it can also be gentle and start you off nice and slow.
Dame Aer Cons
It’s not the quietest.
While far from the loudest vibrator I’ve ever used, the Aer isn’t whisper-quiet, especially at the fastest speed. But it’s not disruptively loud. If there is a wall with a door between your room and say, your roommate, you’re good. (Unless you love it so much and you, ahem, vocalize that passion—which, hi, we encourage!)
It wasn’t my fave for partnered sex.
The Aer is big—like, way bigger than I expected (approximately 4.66 inches long and 1.46 inches wide) and almost the size of my hand—a quality that makes it great for solo play but less ideal for partnered sex. Ofc, how you use your vibe during intercourse depends on what positions you’re in, but I prefer something more compact, like a bullet vibe.
Friends who are apprehensive about suction toys have told me that they’re intimidating and confusing. How can you fit your entire clit inside a tiny little hole? But trust: It’s less about fitting it in perfectly and more about moving the hole around your vulva until you find the spot where it feels best. Really, your clit doesn’t need to fit inside the hole, but it should press against it firmly enough that you can feel all the delicious benefits of the suction technology.
Because of the toy’s size, it took me a minute to place it properly against my own body, which wouldn’t be ideal for partnered sex because there’s already a lot going on in terms of positioning.
And you might want to skip it for travel.
There’s no setting to lock this toy’s buttons, so I would avoid packing it in your carry-on lest the power button presses against the bottom of your heels and rattles an unsuspecting TSA agent.
Overall conclusion: Get it.
If you’re looking for a beginner-friendly suction vibrator that’s strong as hell but straightforward to use, you need the Aer. I swear it’ll convert even the most suction-vibe-agnostic among us.
Looking for similar options? We’ve got you.
Satisfyer Pro 2 Air-Pulse Clitoris Stimulator
Pros
- 11 vibration intensities
- Waterproof
- Whisper-quiet motor
Cons
- A little big for partnered play
Pros
- Eight vibration settings
- Waterproof
- Lelo’s patented “Cruise Control” technology makes it vibrate harder when you press it against your skin
Cons
- One reviewer wrote there was “learning curve” with placement—a common caveat with suction vibes
Unbound Puff Compact Suction Vibe
Pros
- Waterproof
- Tiny and great for travel
- Five intense speed settings
Cons
- Suction hole is on the smaller side but offers targeted stimulation
Meet the Experts
- Veronica Lopez is Cosmopolitan’s sex and relationships editor and has six years of experience writing, reporting, and researching all things sex, sexual health and wellness, pleasure, identity, gender, relationships, and more.
- Marla Renee Stewart is a sexologist, intimacy/relationships/sex coach, educator, speaker, and author.
