thelesbianlifestyle.com

When I saw the Alumination one of the first things I thought of, as I realized the Alumination was not solid metal, was that it reminded me strongly of jimmyjane‘s Little Chroma line of vibrators. I got the Birds and Bees one, which, adorably enough, has birds and bees on it. It’s covered in bees! The Little Chroma has a number of unique features, one being that it is solid anondized aluminum, completely waterproof, and everlasting. If the motor ever dies, you can buy another and swap it out. It looks just like a AA battery, same shape and size. Very cool!

Features:

• 5.25″ long, and 0.67″ in diameter.
• The vibrator’s frequency is tuned to provide a deep, resonant sensation. Because it is made of a shaped piece of aluminum, the vibration will be strongest at the tip, and travel down the base for different sensations.
• Virtually silent.
• All materials are medical quality, body safe and dishwasher safe. Little Chroma is lightweight, and made of high quality anodized aluminum.
• Waterproof to a depth of up to 5 times your bathtub.
• Everlasting. Because jimmyjane has patented the only replacable motor, it is the only vibrator on the market that you can have forever. This is awesome. You only ever potentially need to drop $20 into it for a new motor sometime down the road.
• One year warranty.
• Little Chroma can run for 16 +  hours on a single double AA battery.

Let me break some of this down. I’m going to do a comparison review of the Little Chroma, and the Alumination, which I also recently reviewed. The Little Chroma is pink with birds and bees, while the Alumination is solid gold.

One Speed

The Little Chroma is only one speed, but they say that it’s the right speed. They explain this better in the instructions than I can, so read on.

“The vibrator has only one speed… but it’s the right speed. Our research shows that most people want to vary the intensity of the vibration, not the frequency. Little Chroma is designed to offer a quiet, low-frequency vibration that varies in intensity along its length – most intense at the tip, and gradually milder toward the cap end. By simply repositioning the vibrator, you can receive a wide range of stimulation. Strong and penetrating, it’s tuned to the resonant frequency of the human body.”

I find this to be quite true. In trying a number of different vibrators, I’ve discovered I don’t want to change the frequency of my vibrators. This refers to how it vibrates, whether it’s a high and fast frequency or a low and rumbly one. I like low and rumbly. It almost thrums against your body, it’s what gets you the deep stimulation that resonates through your body. I find the high/fast vibrations tend to stop feeling like much of anything after a while because they are so fast, while the low rumbly ones continue to stimulate because they stimulate more deeply. You already know about this if you have a favorite multi-speed vibrator and have a favorite speed. Let’s say we’re talking about the Hitachi. You like using it on low. Depending on whether you press it against yourself hard or just brush it along your clit changes how it feels. Moving it around, changing how you use it, changes the whole experience. This is very similar to using the Little Chroma. By positioning the tip on your clit, or pressing the length of it to your clit, or stroking it between your labia, you can vary the intensity while enjoying the same frequency.

Comparison: While the Alumination has three speeds, I only ever use “high.” Little Chroma does have less oomph, but only marginally less oomph. I want to note that there is another difference. The Alumination vibrates at a slightly higher frequency, which “does it” less for me. I prefer low frequency, rumbly vibes, and the Little Chroma wins on that count. Verdict? One speed on a good frequency trumps three speeds on a lesser frequency.

Virtually Silent

I was dubious. Every time someone says their vibrator is virtually silent, it sounds like a tiny hacksaw or mini motor boat. I got the Little Chroma, tore into it like a kid with a sugar-high on Christmas morning (it comes packaged in tissue paper inside the packing box) and immediately set to testing the silence of the motor. It comes with a battery already inside – an industrial strength AA battery, like we sell at the porn store I work in – so you just screw the lid on to close the connections and fire it up. One twist technically turns it on, but it is not all the way screwed tight. With just one turn, it’s loud. However, when you screw it on all the way, it becomes freaking silent. I’m talking stealth vibrator, here, people.

Comparison: I took the Little Chroma and the Alumination in hand, turned them both on, and held them out at arms length on either side of my body. I could not hear Little Chroma, but I could hear Alumination chopping away at invisible weeds. I think I know why the difference is so drastic. Folks, ever buy a vibrator and open the battery compartment and find that inside there’s curled plastic or paper, or an actual plastic battery cage insert to take up space between the batteries and vibrator? That’s because a lot of this style of vibrator (slimline) are loud because of battery rattle. They’re poorly designed, so they find something to help the batteries fit better. The batteries don’t fit well in the Alumination. They wiggle in there loudly even with their curled paper bumper. With the Little Chroma on the other hand, when you slide the motor or the battery in you hear a little shoop sound as the air sneaks past because it is constructed to hug the battery size. This is why the Little Chroma is more slender than the Alumination, and yet takes AA batteries. The larger Alumination has useless bulk, stuffs up that space with a plastic insert, and then uses AAA batteries. The Little Chroma wastes no space, and is precision made. Verdict? Little Chroma is the Batmobile of vibrators. It is the Stealth Bomber of vibrators. It is the perfect thing to masturbate with if someone might be listening in. They won’t hear it, but they may hear you. Just sayin’.

Materials/Safety

Little Chroma is made of high quality anodized aluminum. It’s ALL aluminum, unlike the Alumination in the other review. Additionally, the Little Chroma is dishwasher safe. No one ever says this about vibrators. Dildos, yes, but vibrators? No. Take the battery out, and the motor, and screw the cap on tight. When it’s all the way screwed on, it’s waterproof to a depth of 5 bathtubs (however many feet that is). So, pop it in the dishwasher! I haven’t yet, because I don’t have one.

Comparison: The Little Chroma is dishwasher safe. I doubt the Alumination is. The Little Chroma is aluminum, body safe, and sterilizable. The Alumination is partly ABS, a rubber/plastic composite, which is a semi-porous material, and should not be shared without a condom. Verdict? You’re safe with the Little Chroma.

Everlasting

Some dude came into the porn shop I live in work at and picked out the cheapest vibrator, a $5 plastic pink thing that doesn’t have an on-switch and asked if he kept changing the battery if it would last forever. I was sort of aghast at his cheap-skateness. This dude dropped $15 bucks on male stimulant for himself, and then just $5 on a vibrator and wanted it to last forever for his girlfriend. That just doesn’t happen, and I told him so. There are plenty of decent mid-priced vibrators that you can get that’ll last a little while with regular use, but everything breaks. This is what usually keeps people from buying expensive vibrators. They think, “Well, if this breaks next month, then I’m out the money for it, so I’ll just spend $10 and get this plastic thing.”

Comparison: This is my favorite part of the Little Chroma. Once you’ve gotten yourself one, if it ever happens to die on you, you just buy another $20 motor. Now, you could just buy a $25 Alumination vibrator and then keep replacing the whole unit whenever it breaks, that’s very true. However, doing that, you’re not going to get the same quality as you will with Little Chroma. Your cheap toy isn’t going to be as body safe or quiet. And it sure as heck won’t be safe for the dishwasher. Verdict? Your choice. Shell out every so often for a new toy when your cheap-find breaks, or invest once and replace the motor if it breaks.

One Year Warranty / 16 Hours on a Single AA

One year warranty! Very few toys can boast this, and it’s a freaking fantastic thing. If there’s a malfunction in a unit, you’ll find out within one year. It’s great that some companies offer this, because a vibrator is another consumer electronic and as their quality and price points increase, it makes sense that their customer service does as well. Now, as far as it lasting 16 hours on one battery… I haven’t gotten there yet. But I’ll keep you guys posted.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

This isn’t an instant orgasm in a can. It takes me a while to get there, but it’s an extremely awesome way to get there. I’ve actually started using this vibe as an accompaniment to watching porn. I have an upcoming porn review for a new queer title (it rocked) and the thing I liked most using the Little Chroma while watching was that it wasn’t so crazy strong that I got off too fast and couldn’t enjoy the rest of the film, and it wasn’t loud enough that it interrupted the audio. In fact, it was completely inaudible, which meant I wasn’t focused on how loud the vibrator was, and was able to totally focus on the action.

Something I really love is that when it’s screwed tight, it’s rounded and smooth on both ends, and it doesn’t have a button so you don’t need to worry about accidentally turning it off when you’re getting close and your hands get fumbly. This makes me forget about it as a vibrator and just think of it as an object… it doesn’t have a particular right or wrong way to use. I think it really makes it more versatile. Do what feels good, and don’t worry that you’re harming it, or going to turn it off. And when you’re done (for the moment)? Simply move it away. I find myself turning vibrators off as soon as I get off to keep the volume down and save battery life. You don’t need to worry about turning it off fast, because moving it away from your body doesn’t mean it’s gonna be super audible like with some vibrators. And since it goes 16 hours on a battery, you don’t need to worry about that either.

The Little Chroma is available in solid Black, Magenta and Red. There are also some other varieties that are engraved with designs, including one that is Inked and red colored, another called Vanitas in black with skulls, and the Birds and Bees in pink. There are other variations on the theme, with Special Editions and Little Somethings. Each comes packaged in a nice quality, giftable box with instructions and a little pack of business sized cards that are called “hint” cards, with other products featuring on each, to leave for your loved one to clue them in to what you might like to receive under the tree this holiday season. Head on over to jimmyjane and take a look around!