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So… I Tried This Vibrator Shaped Like a Duck’s Face (and It Rocks)

duck shaped vb

This is the first sex toy that’s ever truly stumped me. I’ve seen a lot of dildos, plugs, and sex swings in my day, and even if they’re not in my wheelhouse, I usually have an inkling as to how they work. Then I got a pop-up ad for the Fun Factory Volta that haunted my dreams for a week. Was it for peens? Vagines? In lieu of a bulbous tip, the vibrator flared out into what looked like the bill of a robotic duck. It reminded me of one of those tongue fluttering cunnilingus toys, but on steroids. Obviously, I needed it.

I noticed that the Volta is also marketed as an all-gender vibe across various sex toy sites (the penis plot thickens), but I wanted to uncover all the juicy user deets once I had that duck face in my own hand. “Without getting too graphic or inappropriate,” one Amazon reviewer writes, “I’ll just say my body reacted to it in a way it never has before.” Another one of the 500-plus reviews praises the range of the toy’s vibrational intensities; “This thing distributes the vibrations [evenly], and can be used in several different ways without overstimulating.”

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Eager to let the Volta sweep me off my [redacted], I rolled-up my sleeves, and lined-up my finest lubes to discover what the fuss was all about with this enigmatic, all-encompassing sex toy.

First impressions

Fun Factory’s sex toys tickle a very sacred part of my Y2K-nostalgic brain. They’re unabashedly colorful, and equipped with the kinds of glowing bulbous buttons/product casings that thrived in 2000s tech aesthetics. I always wanted a version of the iMac G3 that I could hump, which is why I had instant chemistry with my Volta and its three light-up buttons. It also has a ring at the base, which is handy to loop your fingers through during use for easier maneuvering. I also have dreams of hooking it on a belt or wallet chain. Can you imagine a Western-style tool belt of whippersnapper sex toys? Someone make the Pixar movie already.

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Photo by Author

Volta is an external toy, meaning it’s not designed to be inserted vaginally or anally. It’s also fully rechargeable by USB, which is better for the planet (and my lazy ass, which can’t be bothered to hunt down tiny batteries) and includes a travel-lock feature so that you can travel with it without worrying about it buzzing around in your suitcase.

“AWESOME FOR FOCUSED CLIT VIBRATION OR EVEN BJS,” the pamphlet’s cover read, followed by “Made in Germany” with a picture of a beautiful waterfront building (the vibrator’s family estate, I guess) and a few ideas for foreplay that included asking your partner(s) questions such as, “Which celebrity would you want to join us in a threesome?” or “What sexy movie scene would be better with the Volta?” (Michael Shannon, and every yearning hobbit scene in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, respectively).

Ready to rumble with its six speeds and rhythms, I plugged in my Volta and waited impatiently for it to charge.

What was rad

The Volta’s beak was way softer than I expected—gummy, almost. I was skeptical about how well it would stimulate my clit, and then I remembered I still didn’t exactly know where to begin, as excited as I was to blast off; Volta’s extensive pamphlet, for all of its beautiful German scenery and kinky games, doesn’t have much specific how-to info.

Instead, I watched this short YouTube video. “My favorite way to use the Volta is to let it flicker alongside the side of my clit,” the video’s creator says, “You could also lay the flat part of the toy against it instead for more of a broad, muted stimulation.” Alternatively, they suggested flattening one of the tips against the clit and letting the other one vibrate on the labia, which sounded tight to me, and felt even better than I imagined. Once Volta vibrates, it moves fast. Like, the highest-speed-on-your-KitchenAid mixer fast, but imagine that paired with the sentient technology of a NASA rocket. For being such a powerful toy, it also vibrates at a whisper-quiet volume so that you can spank the bank without bothering your roommates.

I’m pretty sure I made an audible “What the fuck!” exclamation as I started to stroke it up and down my clitoris and labia, because I didn’t expect to get so much stimulation from the latter area; most of my masturbation methods include going for either the crow’s nest of my clit, or my G-spot. This felt like I had unlocked a new level of Mario Kart, and gave me one of my favorite kinds of orgasms: one that you can edge with easily, and experience in an extended release that makes you feel like you smoked a cigarette.

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Photo by the Author

Pleased, horny, and a little confused, I cracked open my copy of Becoming Clitorate to understand a bit more about what was going on down there. Apparently, clits have more in common with scrotums than I realized. The outer lips of the labia are made from the same tissue as a scrotum, the book’s author, Dr. Laurie Mintz, explains, “[and] in male fetuses, what starts as the outer lips are then fused to make the sac that encases their balls.” This all means that both types of parts are blessed with hella nerve endings to stimulate. Internally, the clitoris’ glans also extend out like a wingspan on either side of the body, which is why a toy like Volta feels so damn good. It uses that combo of a lightning-fast vibrational speed and soft silicone material to edge you to orgasm like a pro. I even went in for a second round—this time, with the tip completely flattened over my clitoral hood areas—and would have given it a standing ovation if it hadn’t made me so weak in the knees.

Finally, while I’m not someone with a penis, I clocked a lot of the online reviews that explain how fun the squishy beak is for giving handjobs. As the creator of the instructional video above explains, “I’ve also heard very positive things from a few trans guys about this toy, because it can do a sort of surrounding sensation that feels like a vibrating stroker. My partner also [enjoys] this on his penis because you can sort of surround the shaft with the tips and glide it up and down.”

All of this makes Volta a multi-tasker, a money-saver, and my newest nightstand sex toy (or key fob, depending on if I buy that belt chain).

What was tricky

I had to do my homework and watch various YouTube videos, in addition to reading the instructions provided by Fun Factory, before I fully understood all of this toy’s bells and whistles.

TL; DR

This gentle beast is a pro at stimulating penises and vaginas alike with a whisper-quiet engine and powerful, fluttering vibrations that feel like getting real head.

It’s embarrassing to admit, but prior to using Volta, I only thought about targeting my G-spot and clitoral hood while masturbating. I always thought of my lips and outer clitoris as the icing on the cake, or the ruffles on a pirate blouse: cool to look at, but not necessarily the driving factor of pleasure. In reality, it feels really nice to give them some attention. And while I don’t have a penis, reviewers online can’t stop talking about how bomb it is to use as a stroker for an extra titilating handjob.

Not only has Volta given me a newfound appreciation for my labia, but it’s invited me to daydream about edging myself, my penis-equipped partners, and everyone in-between like a pro.

The Fun Factory Volta vibrator is available for purchase at Fun Factory, Amazon, and Lovehoney.


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