Italian fashion house Diesel has entered into a collaboration with LELO, the Swedish manufacturer of sextoys. Two of LELO’s best-selling products, the Sona Cruise and Tor 2, underwent a Diesel makeover. They are dressed in signature flashy red and carry slogans such as “Turn me on” and “All I need is a charge,” as well as the Diesel logo in white. Furthermore, the tagline ‘for sexful living’ is a big nod to Diesel’s slogan: “For successful living”. As a fan of both brands, I wanted to try the LELO X Diesel Sona Cruise, together with my partner of course, because she is in possession of a clitoris.

What is the LELO X Diesel Sona Cruise?

The LELO X Diesel Sona Cruise is nothing more than a LELO Sona Cruise, but with a different design. Note: This is a Sona Cruise, not a ‘regular’ Sona, and it is also not a Sona 2 Cruise! Are you starting to get dizzy?

Let’s start at the beginning…

The LELO Sona came on the market a few years ago. It is a clitoral stimulator that can be compared to air-pressure toys, such as the Womanizer, and so on. But … also not. LELO claims that instead of air pressure, they work with sound waves. LELO calls this SenSonic Technology. Besides the LELO Sona, a Sona Cruise soon followed. This has a special ‘cruise control’ function, which means that the power of the toy increases when you push it against your body.

LELO later came up with new variants (the Sona 2 and the Sona Cruise 2) that have more functions.

And back to the LELO X Diesel Sona Cruise: So this is – as I mentioned – a LELO Sona Cruise with a special design, but otherwise the same as a LELO Sona Cruise.

Specifications:

• Material: ABS plastic with silicone shell
• Water resistant
• Length 11 cm
• Inner diameter of the nozzle 1 cm
• 8 different settings (of which 1 continuous), all variable in strength (with + and -)
• Noise level less than 50 dB
• Charging time 120 min, playing time 60 min
• Notes: use water-based lubricant, do not use if you have an intimate piercing.

Unboxing the LELO x Diesel Sona Cruise

As you would expect from LELO and Diesel, the Sona Cruise comes in a beautifully stylish packaging in distinctive Diesel red. Actually, it is the same box as a normal LELO Sona, but with an extra cardboard wrapper with Diesel print.

The box contains – in addition to the special LELO X Diesel Sona Cruise – a USB charging cable, a storage pouch, a (sort of) user manual, a pouch of LELO lubricant and a code with which you can register the product for a 1-year warranty and a 10-year quality guarantee.

So it is well cared for and complete, although the instructions for use are not really worthy of the name ‘user manual’. Apart from the font being far too small and illegible, it doesn’t really say anything. Yes, that you have to charge the thing first. But apart from that, you have to rely on what you can find on the LELO website. Now, I am in favour of that in itself (saves paper and you always have the latest version online), but rather than this silly paper, I would just print a QR code on the packaging with a link. On the other hand, how hard can it be?

The LELO X Diesel Sona Cruise looks very nice. The silicone feels soft and does not attract dust (this is sometimes different with other brands). The Diesel design has also given it something accessible. It is suddenly not only a sex toy, but also a kind of fashion item. And with that, maybe a sex toy that you can easily give as a present to your fashionista girlfriend.

The test drive

Not everyone shares my enthusiasm for LELO. Some think they use too many marketing terms and – admittedly – sometimes get it wrong. Therefore, I will try to describe as objectively as possible what the Sona Cruise actually does. Because that is what it is all about, isn’t it?

You control the Sona with three buttons. With the middle button you turn it on and go through the patterns. With the + you can increase the intensity and with the – you can decrease it again. Easy-peasy.

Before use, you can charge the Sona with the USB cable that comes with it. It is a rather short cable and I regret that. My power sockets are all close to the floor, so I have to either put it on the floor while charging (yuck), OR connect it to my PC while working.

LELO says the Sona uses sonic (sound) vibrations. That means, according to LELO, that you not only experience a sucking effect on your clitoris, but also vibrations around the clitoris and against the labia. But the idea is mainly that the vibrating and pulsing resonates throughout the entire clitoris, which is much bigger than just the outer small knob (as you all should know by now). And they do that with sound waves. Yet the technology feels little different from that of other brands. There is still a valve that goes up and down to provide the suction. The difference with other brands is that the valve is much closer to the opening. And that is immediately a disadvantage of the Sona, because the clitoris is sucked in a little bit and can even come in contact with that pulsating valve (and that is not always pleasant).

Another difference is that the opening of the Sona is smaller than that of competitors. Therefore, the suction effect is greater than with other suction toys.

In short, the LELO Sona is a toy that gives a much more intense experience than some Womanizer, Satisfyer, or other air suction products.

And then there is the Cruise Control. According to LELO, this feature reserves 20% of Sona’s power so that when Sona is pressed hard against the body and the motor starts to lose power, that extra 20% is released so that there is no reduction in intensity. This is one of those marketing stories that many people trip over. Because that loss of power is not at all something that is noticeable with other brands. So why emphasise this feature? But what’s worse is that it doesn’t work at all! In fact, in the lowest setting (i.e. in a random setting, press the ‘-‘ button as often as necessary until the thing has the least power), it even happens that the Sona just stopped completely. It was difficult to control in a predictable manner.

The controls were rather vague as a whole. It is particularly irritating that, for example, if you are in mode 3 at the lowest intensity, and you press the middle button to go to mode 4, the Sona suddenly starts at the average intensity of mode 4 and not at the lowest intensity. So every time you want to go to the next pattern, you have to set the intensity again. This is especially annoying, because Sona is quite intense. The middle setting will really be too much for some people. It would make much more sense if the intensity stayed the same when you switched modes.

The LELO Sona, by the way, is quite unique because it has patterns. Something that a Womanizer, for example, does not have. Whether you like that is another thing. But because the Sona is rather intense, the patterns give you the opportunity to get used to the sensation. So with the Sona, the patterns are really an asset!

Because that intensity is a thing. If you read other reviews of the Sona, the experiences vary from ‘the best I’ve ever felt’ to ‘downright painful’. My partner (female) did not like the Sona being pressed close to her. Her clitoris was sucked in and then came against the valve that provides the air pressure. It worked best for her if she let the Sona ‘float’ a little above the clitoris. Then the Sona makes a bit of a strange sound, because of the lubricant. She had an orgasm very quickly, but one she hardly felt coming. It happened before she knew it. And afterwards, her clitoris was so sensitive that she didn’t like being touched for at least 24 hours. Because it rather depended on how she used the Sona to enjoy it, there is little room for experimentation. Yes, in that one way it was great, but in other ways … mêh, not so much.

Lube

It is recommended that you use a water-based lubricant. LELO supplies a sample of their own lubricant, so that you can play with the Sona straight from the box. By the way, this is a very good lubricant that is also free of parabens and glycerin!

Cleaning

As this toy is water-resistant, you can rinse it under the tap. However, it is difficult to clean the ‘mouth’ properly. The opening is very small and therefore you have to use a cotton bud or something to clean it thoroughly.

Conclusion

It is difficult to give an unequivocal conclusion about the LELO X Diesel Sona Cruise. It is a beautiful device and the price is – especially for LELO standards – a lot lower than that of the Womanizer. But whether the intensity is something for you? I would say: if you have had a Womanizer or Satisfyer and you didn’t find them intense enough, then this is definitely worth a try. If it’s your first time buying an air pressure toy, I would go for another brand.

The PROS of the LELO X Diesel Sona Cruise:

• Beautiful and luxurious design (of the type ‘I can give this to a friend’)
• Pleasantly soft silicone that does not attract dust
• Simple operation
• Good quality (plus 1 year full warranty and 10 years quality guarantee)
• Quite an expensive toy, but still much cheaper than a Womanizer
• Storage pouch included
• Water-resistant, so it can also be used in the shower or bath
• Low-noise when you are not making contact

The CONS:

• Quite intense (too intense?) due to the small opening and the moving valve sitting close to the opening
• Difficult to control the pressure and to find the right way
• Short charging cable
• Difficult to clean
• You pay more for the Diesel design alone
• Responsive technology (Cruise Control) is not intuitive
• Noise increases when you make body contact
• Not very versatile in use

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The LELO X Diesel Sona Cruise was offered to me by Sinful in exchange for an honest review. The LELO X Diesel Sona Cruise is available in the Sinful store. Other models of the LELO Sona can also be purchased in the online shop of NBRplaza.

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