Kate Sloan Reviews The Fun Factory Battery Plus Mr. Boss Vibrator

Fun Factory, a German sex toy company, is known for their innovative products. Their rechargeable vibrators have some of the strongest and rumbliest motors in the business, their Stronic pulsators introduced a whole new category of pleasure to the sex toy industry, and they’re always taking risks with unusual products like a racecar-esque vibrator for penises - the Fun Factory Cobra Libre, and a paddle/dildo hybrid - the BÜCK DICH Silicone Dildo Paddle.

Their new Battery+ vibrators are no exception – Fun Factory is doing something that has never been done in this industry before. Here’s how it works: these vibrators can run on your typical AAA batteries (either disposable or rechargeable), or, if you prefer, you can buy their Battery+ Hybrid Kit for an additional $20 and turn your vibe into a rechargeable. Once the special new Hybrid Kit batteries are inserted, you don’t even have to take them out of the toy to charge them; you can charge the toy using the same magnetic Click n’ Charge system used by most Fun Factory rechargeables.

What’s the advantage, you might be wondering, of a battery-powered vibe that can transform into a rechargeable? Versatility, for one thing. There are some situations where it’s more convenient to have a rechargeable vibe (say, when you’re traveling and don’t want to bring extra batteries with you), and some where it’s more convenient to have a battery-powered one (say, when you’re mid-masturbation and your rechargeable batteries die, so you immediately swap them out for some standard AAAs and keep going!).

Affordability is another advantage: you can buy a Battery+ toy and use it with regular batteries until you’re ready to pony up for the Hybrid Kit. The batteries’ ability to be swapped out also means these vibrators will likely last longer than your typical vibe. Battery-operated toys tend to die fairly quickly, and rechargeable batteries slowly lose their ability to hold a charge over a period of years, but with the Fun Factory Battery+ vibes, you can always just buy another Hybrid Kit if yours starts to lose its vitality. Plus, Fun Factory offers a two-year warranty on all its vibrators and pulsators, so you can rest easy knowing your toy’s functionality is ensured.

I tried the most traditionally penis-esque toy in the line, the Mr. Boss. It’s also the girthiest toy in the line, at 1.57” in diameter. While this isn’t huge by any means, Fun Factory’s silicone is notoriously draggy, so you’ll want to use plenty of water-based lube with this toy to make it glide in and out comfortably. (The texture of this silicone also causes it to pick up lint, dirt, and hair at a ridiculous rate, so make sure to wash it before and after each use!)

As you might expect from Fun Factory, who are known for their strong and rumbly motors, the vibrations this toy produces are pretty remarkable for a battery-operated toy. However, they’re neither as strong nor as rumbly as Fun Factory’s insertable rechargeables typically are, so if you need a lot of power or a lot of rumble or both, you’ll want to spring for a toy from the G5 line instead.

It’s rare that I use or enjoy vibrators internally; I’m more of a clitoral-vibration kind of gal, preferring my internal stimulation to be more rhythm- and pressure-based than vibration-based. However, these vibrations are sufficiently rumbly that they don’t get lost in the buried flesh of my G-spot. Thrusting with this toy while the vibrations are on, and/or using one of its six vibration patterns while the toy is inside me, creates an intense feeling of rhythmic stimulation that can easily build me up to a blended orgasm if my fingers or another vibe are on my clit.

You might not be as happy with this vibrator if you’re planning on using it externally as well, however. The vibrations are somewhat buried in the soft silicone and seem to be focused moreso in the middle of the shaft than in the tip, so my clit has a hard time responding to the Mr. Boss. For clitoral usage, I prefer something firmer, stronger, and more pinpointed, like the We-Vibe Tango.

It’s worth noting, too, that the vibrations’ rumbliness decreases as you crank up the power. I often find this vibrator somewhat numbing on its higher speeds, which sort of defeats the purpose of turning up the power.

While the Mr. Boss has many qualities that matter to me in a vibrator – body-safe, strong, rumbly, waterproof, variable vibration speeds – I don’t think it’ll become a go-to for me. Even if internal vibration was my jam, I think this toy’s draggy/grabby silicone and buzzier-than-ideal vibrations would still bum me out. But I think it’s great that Fun Factory is branching out into slightly more affordable vibrators, and I hope that this trend continues!

Peepshow Toys would like to thank sex writer, podcaster and speaker Kate Sloan, of girlyjuice.net, for authoring this blog post.