Sex Toy Review: LELO MIA 2

The Product: LELO MIA 2

The Verdict: (out of five)

I’ve reviewed enough sex toys at this point that the arrival of one at our house signals not a sexy gift, but the beginning of a serious experiment. Every sex toy that crosses the threshold isn't a thing to be played with so much as a thing to be examined and scrutinized. In this house, sex toy motors are measured rather than enjoyed, and toys are tested rather than tried. Or, at least that's what I tell myself (I'm a professional!)

So, when the MIA 2 from LELO arrived recently, my partner took the sleek black box out of my hands and began to examine it. He tore it open, pulled the little, lipstick-shaped vibe out and turned it over in his hands.

“How do you charge this thing?” he asked. He was looking for the typical charging port found on most vibes these days.

I unscrewed MIA’s lipstick-like cap to reveal a USB port.

“Wow, cool,” he said, duly impressed, and promptly plugged it into our smartphone charging station in the kitchen, where it remained for a few days.

The MIA 2 is, essentially, a USB stick attached to a vibrator. As a result, it has very little in the way of features, at least compared to other vibrators I've tried. It consists of a USB port concealed beneath a screw cap, a simple, smooth ABS plastic body, and two simple buttons: a + button to turn the toy on and increase vibration, and a - button to decrease it and turn the toy off. That’s it.

But the simplicity of this toy isn’t such a bad thing, especially since my collection so far mostly consists of a bunch of larger, higher end vibes and the tangle of charge cords that goes with them. Plus, MIA 2 delivers where it counts. It’s powerful (for its size – this isn’t a Smart Wand!), it’s body-safe, it’s waterproof and it’s easy to charge any time, anywhere.

It’s also really discreet. It’s supposed to look like a lipstick which … it doesn’t, really - it’s about 50% too big for that. But it doesn’t look like a sex toy either, so I felt fine just leaving it in the charging port in our kitchen and then on the mantle behind my bed. As a result, I also found myself reaching for it rather a lot.

I reached for it during sex, where its sleek shape fit nicely between my partner and I and the pointy tip allowed me to get the pinpoint stimulation I like. The buttons are also raised, so it’s easy to figure out how to turn the vibrations up or down without looking. MIA 2 has 8 vibration levels and five pattern settings.

I also reached for the MIA 2 when I traveled recently, because it’s small, simple and I can charge it using my laptop’s USB port. It’s also super-quiet in use, which is always a bonus. And its smooth plastic case cleans up really easily with soap and water. It’s also discreet enough that it’s unlikely to raise an eyebrow if it falls out of your bag or is held aloft by airport security.

And, while I didn’t think I’d be that into this vibe, I kept reaching for it over time because – unlike most of my other vibes, which I often forget to charge – it was always at the ready. It also seems to hold a charge really well – at least so far – and will go for up to 1.5 hours per charge.

That said, I do have a few minor criticisms for the MIA 2. One thing that I found a bit strange about this vibe right away is that the end that houses the USB port doesn’t vibrate, even though it seems like the better-shaped end to play with. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t rotate this thing around and try different angles. Also of note is that MIA 2's 5 patterns come after the highest vibration setting (remember, this little vibe only has two buttons!) For those who dislike patterns (like me) or don't want highest-setting vibrations before getting to them if they do, this setup will prove frustrating. Finally, this vibe is waterproof but you do have to take care not to get water on the USB port so make sure you put it together before washing!

Despite these minor issues, I’m still finding myself using he MIA 2, despite having many other toys that have more power or more features. MIA 2 does the trick. And sometimes, simple is good.

Want to try the MIA 2 for yourself? You can get one here.