The most common reason for customers to bring back sex toys is that they believe their toy to be faulty. Whilst vibrators occasionally break or malfunction, most of the toys we get returned to us aren't faulty at all - they just need fresh batteries or a slightly longer press of the ON button to switch it on.
Read on for our guide on vibrator care.
Common reason for a vibrator not working
- The battery has run out of power
- The battery has been put in the wrong way
- The charger hasn't been left on for long enough
- The on/off switch hasn't been pressed for long enough
- The travel lock has been activated
- There is small paper disc under the lid
No Battery Power
Some sex toys absolutely eat battery power, especially if it is the all-singing, all-dancing version with super-strong vibrations. A rabbit vibe, for example, uses up more power than a gentle, single speed clit vibe.
The Sh! Waterproof Rabbit needs 3 x AAA batteries (two at the top of the battery compartment and one battery underneath), preferably Duracell or another similar, strong brand.
The beads need the power to spin around, the bunny ears need the power to flicker & tease, and the vibration needs the power to deliver pleasing thrills & throbs. £1-batteries from Poundland aren't going to cut it.
These types of batteries are great for the TV remote as it doesn't require much power to do its job, but for a rabbit, you'll need stronger batteries.
Also, leaving the batteries in when you store your toy will allow greedy rabbits to suck up more battery juice, so we recommend taking the batteries out when playtime is over.
The Batteries Are Upside Down
This is a common mistake and one that is very easy to make.
Here's a handy tip: the flat side of the battery (minus) usually needs to sit right against the spring inside the battery compartment. This may mean that a toy that takes two or more batteries face the same direction, or opposite direction, depending upon the design.
The toy will often have a small plus or minus to help you put the batteries in the right way.
Mixing old and new batteries isn't a good idea, your toy will work better with fresh batteries.
Recharging a Sex Toy Takes A While
We understand that you are keen to get down to business with your new vibrator, cock ring or plug, but a rechargeable toy needs time to get juiced up.
Some toys take 2 hours, some take 4 hours, and some take 8 hours for a full charge. The instructions should give you more information on this.
It is very important that the charger is fully connected to the toy and the power source. If either of these isn't plugged in properly, your toy won't get the power it needs to do its thang.
And, if you are using a pc or laptop to charge your vibe, the source needs to be switched on (not in standby mode).
Magnetic chargers must be firmly attached to the vibe, pin charges must be fully inserted and toys with a charger base must be placed on it.
Check on the toy during charging - it is possible for a magnetic charger to get knocked off if the toy falls over on its side, for example.
Beam Me Up Scotty - How to turn a sex toy on
Modern toys will require more than a quick flick to switch it on; you may need to hold down the ON button for 3 seconds, or even 5 seconds in some cases. This feature is to stop the vibrator being switch on by accident whilst being stored (another great reason for taking the batteries out).
Repeatedly clicking the button won't switch the toy on - it will only get you worked up for all the wrong reasons.
If the toy has more than one button, we recommend taking some time to read the instructions before getting hot & heavy with it - we promise it will save a lot of frustration later on!
Many vibrators require a firm 3-second press to turn on.
What To Do If Your Sex Toy Is Locked
Many sex toys come with a built-in travel lock, which is excellent for storing and travelling.
If you've spent some time pressing all the buttons to get the vibe to work, it could happen that you've managed to activate the travel lock by accident. If this happens, all you need to do is unlock it and voila - ready to play!
The Sh! Cordless Wand (picture) has a small plastic pin that works as a travel lock. You won't be able to turn on the Wand when the pin is in place. Removing the pin lets you play or recharge the Wand. Pop the pin back in for safe storage or travelling.
You should find instructions for locking and unlocking your vibrator on the packaging or inside the box.
Many Vibrators come with a paper disc inside the battery compartment.
If your toy came with the batteries already inserted, there is a good chance it has a small paper disc between the batteries and the connector on the lid.
This is to ensure your toy doesn't start vibrating unexpectedly, and it also saves the battery power for when you want to be buzzed up to orgasmic heaven.
Remove the paper disc, screw the lid back on and your vibe should be good to go.
Vibrator batteries come in different sizes, which will deliver differing amounts of power
Not only do different brand batteries offer different strengths of power, different size batteries also hold different amounts of power.
- A teeny-tiny battery holds about 25 minutes of power
- A teeny battery holds about 1 hour of power and so on....
If you love long pleasure sessions, it's well worth investing in a rechargeable sex toy.
