Arcwave Ion — Pleasure Air Stroker Review

Today I am looking at a luxury penis masturbator called the Arcwave Ion Pleasure Air Stroker. Unlike traditional vibrating strokers, this one uses air pressure technology to stimulate the penis. Peepshow Toys sent the Arcwave Ion to me in exchange for an unbiased review, so let’s take a look.

I had heard mostly positive things about this masturbator before I was asked to try it, so my expectations were pretty high going into this test drive. All I really knew about the Ion was that it used some kind of air technology to arouse the sensitive nerves in the frenulum, which is that extra-sensitive spot just under the head of the penis. This sweet spot is a trigger point for many–including myself—so I was pretty eager to get my hands on this thing and see exactly what it could do.

The box arrived, and the toy was so nicely packaged. Inside was the Ion itself, a sleek black plastic-and-silicone contraption that doesn’t really look like an obvious sex toy. There are a few discreet buttons on the plastic part and a couple metal leads on the bottom that allow for easy charging. The stroker is hard smooth plastic on one side and soft, flexible silicone on the other. The two parts come together and create a round tunnel about 3.5 inches long. The interior of this tunnel is lined with some delicate ribbing and you’ll immediately note a small round opening about midway through; this is where the air is deployed. Even though only a portion of the toy is totally enclosed, the Ion itself runs just under six inches in length.

Also in the box is the case/charger, which is made of hard plastic and in two pieces which fit neatly together. Pop the longer “lid” off and you’ll see the charger, outfitted with a plastic pole, onto which the stroker can be seated. It’s pretty straightforward how to place the stroker onto this base.

The Arcwave Ion pictured in its case/charger

Attach the included charging cable to the port underneath and fully charge your unit. When the Ion is dry, you can slip the cover onto it for discreet storage, which allows you to keep the toy nearby (like on a dresser or nightstand) for quick access during your masturbation sessions. This thing looks so unlike a sex toy that you can probably pass it off for some kind of charging device or another innocuous electronic gadget.

Turning the Arcwave Ion on is pretty simple, too. Press and hold the + button on the back until you feel the motor inside softly purr to life. It will go into “standby” mode unless you force it into operation. Cool white LED lights on the controls (and the base) let you know when the Ion is powered up.

Operating the toy is pretty easy. Just click the + button to move it into air mode. The further you push it, the louder and more intense the air action gets. One of the things I read (repeatedly) while awaiting to try out the Ion for myself, was how loud this gadget can get. It’s loud. Even Peepshow Toys notes in its listing of the toy’s various qualities: “Not quiet.”

Close-ups of the Ion’s control buttons and the raised air hole inside the toy

The higher you turn this thing up, the louder it gets. It pretty much sounds like an unmuffled motor or a large dog growling, so I definitely would heed the warning if a loud sex toy might draw attention to your jack off time. There is a “Smart Silence” button on the controls, which helpfully allows you to only have the toy rumbling away when it senses skin contact: i.e. your cock is in the chamber and pressed against the air opening.

The air itself seems to be more of a “blowing” sensation than a sucking sensation, and you’ll need to have your frenulum up against it for the Ion to do what it does. This, at least for me, was easier said than done.

Though I’ve never tried one of the “clit sucking” toys that use air pulsations to stimulate the clitoris, most of the ones I have seen in passing are smaller handheld devices with a totally open design: meaning you can easily place or remove the air hole onto the body part you want to stimulate, without having anything else obstructing access to the opening.

Since the Arcwave Ion has a completely enclosed passage, you actually have to penetrate the orifice and work your penis into the exact spot for the technology to work. Though the silicone sleeve is fairly flexible, it only has a limited amount of give, so those with thicker/girthier penises, or perhaps those who have difficulty obtaining or maintaining an erection, could have trouble aligning their dicks just so to make the Ion work properly. Remember, the precise spot you want to stimulate needs to be positioned against the air opening to make things work.

I have to say I was initially disappointed in trying to get the Ion to work for me. At first my cock was a bit too thick to comfortably penetrate the interior, and the frustration caused my erection to wane, which made it even more difficult (impossible) to position my frenulum over the hole, which is waaaay inside the thing. Okay, it’s only about 3 inches in there, but that’s a bit of a stretch when things aren’t cooperating. I considered lubricating my dick as well as the toy itself, but I honestly wanted to see if this thing would work without it.

I kind of wished the toy was more similar to other popular cock strokers, like the Man Wand or Hot Octopuss Pulse masturbators. Those toys are not fully enclosed, which allows a wider breadth of cocks (flaccid and at varying stages of erection) to use them without issues. Now of course, maybe this Arcwave thing needs to be fully enclosed to do what it does, but when every other air-driven stimulator seems to consist of an open design, I wonder….

Anyhow, you’ll probably need lube to make things happen. Arcwave includes a tiny sample bottle of a Pjur water-based lube to get your started, but the body-friendly lube that Peepshow Toys is touting (Wicked Simply Aqua Jelle) works really well, too, and you’ll have a generous 4 ounce squeeze tube to work with.

While the silicone sleeve is soft/squishy, textured, and feels pretty good once it’s lubed, I was disappointed that I had to go through all this just to get my dick inside and place the sweet spot against the air hole. Dammit, this is a $200 high tech masturbator. If I wanted to grease up a ribbed sleeve and manually stroke it, I’d reach for something cheaper. Arcwave, please consider testing out a different model where the user isn’t going to bust a nut in the “usual” way while trying to penetrate your toy just to experience this high-end technology.

That said, once you grease up and get things aligned properly, the Ion growls to life and the air does whatever it does. And frankly…I have NO idea what’s going on in there. It’s definitely the most unique (and somewhat strange) sensation I’ve ever felt while masturbating. If you can manage to slide in and position yourself correctly, so you’re not prematurely racing toward climax from the sleeve itself getting you off, you’ll feel something going on in your frenulum, but it’s not like any sensation I’ve felt before.

Now I’ve stimulated my frenulum to orgasm countless different ways: with buzzy vibes, rumbly vibes, pointy-tipped vibes and bullet vibes, the aforementioned Pulse and Man Wand toys milking untold numbers of loads out of me. I’ve even been known to coat a fingertip in lube (or precum) and gently stimulate my sweet spot until I was blowing a great orgasm. Using any of these methods, I feel a distinct form of stimulation that builds and grows more pleasurable the longer I do it.

The Arcwave Ion, on the other hand, feels like it’s doing something UNDER the skin of this sensitive spot. It’s like it bypasses the external stimulation and does something slightly deeper. Which means you feel the pleasure and the build in a different sort of way, and the impending orgasm kind of comes out of nowhere. I kind of miss the slow build to release, but I have to say the climaxes that the Ion gave me were all really intense. But they all just sort of materialized. Suddenly I was cumming, multiple ropes of spunk flying everywhere. Thank goodness the Ion is open-ended, because the loads I was getting with this thing were all big and blasted all over the place.

So can I recommend the Arcwave Ion? Actually, absolutely. I can’t really figure out what it’s doing to my dick, but my dick sure likes it, and responds by giving me deep orgasms and making a big mess to clean up. Speaking of which, this has to be one of the easiest toys to clean and dry. The silicone stroker sleeve effortlessly detaches from the mechanical portion for easy cleaning under a faucet with soap and water. Arcwave even includes a clever DryTech stick that slides into the sleeve to make drying the inside much more simple. Just push the drying pack into the hollow DryTech stick and any remaining moisture will wick away. No more damp stroker sleeves! The charging station cleverly doubles as a drying rack, too.

The Arcwave Ion twists apart for easy cleaning

I do want to point out a couple of factors that might make this toy a no-go for some buyers: it’s pretty pricey, and it’s very loud. But if you have the extra bucks to lay down for a unique masturbation experience that veers away from more traditional strokers and penis vibrators, this might be just the thing you’re looking for.

Order your own Arcwave Ion from Peepshow Toys using the following link:

• Arcwave Ion Pleasure Air Stroker

Be sure to browse the entire Peepshow Toys collection, for other masturbation toys, dildos, butt plugs, prostate massagers and so much more. The entire collection is carefully curated to be body safe! Want to read more reviews for Peepshow Toys products? Check out the right sidebar for a complete list of everything I’ve tested for this great company. And don’t forget to use the coupon code allmalesextoys when checking out to save 10% off your order.

 

Product photos from Arcwave

 

FTC Notice: this product was provided free of charge by Peepshow Toys in exchange for an unbiased review.