Not to hate on Ben Wa balls, but I found them to be disappointing–they are tiny marble-sized balls that sit inside your vagina. That’s it. Sometimes they even fall out. Plus they are hard to really feel. (Review to come!) But smart balls, on the other hand, you can feel while they sit inside your vagina, mainly because they are larger balls. Smart balls and Ben Wa balls are not exactly the most erotic of sex products; they are really much more like exercise products that happen to be covered in lube and vaginal juice. Plus, there are actual exercises that you can actively do with the balls to more quickly notice the PC muscles strengthening and to enable you to take a more proactive role in kegelcise rather than simply wearing smart balls around the house, town, what have you.

Enter a new brand of smart balls, Velvet Plush: the ultimate Kegel Kit by Icon Brands. This is their take on what is soon becoming a classic niche of sex toys. This kit comes with three differently weighted balls and two harnesses. The balls are color-coded, the lightest shade being the lightest weight, medium shade is the medium weight, and the darkest shade the heaviest weighted ball. The balls have smaller weights in them that jiggle around, which is largely what you’ll feel while wearing them. These materials have a smooth texture to them, which makes inserting them with lubricant comfortable.

I will say that I most often just pop in the smart balls and wear them around for an hour or so. I am sure the benefits are more quickly noticeable with the exercises. One of the other main reasons I enjoy wearing them is because they are actively, minimally stimulating my vagina. While this doesn’t mean I am constantly aroused with them popped in, it means I can more easily become aroused. Add a butt plug to the mix and voila! You have a rather content Geeky.

To get an idea, toning the PC (pelvic floor) muscles is what one does when voluntarily stopping the flow of urine. The benefits of strong, toned PC muscles are numerous. It is said to help in vaginal birthing, incontinence, and stronger orgasms, to name a few. People of all sexes can benefit from having toned PC muscles.

Icon describes its 6-step system on the Kegel Kit’s packaging:

• Week 1- Light: Place the lightest kegel ball only (light-purple) in the single-ball harness and wear it for one hour per day for seven consecutive days.
  
• Week 2- Medium: Switch to medium ball, colored medium purple, and repeat..one hour per day for seven consecutive days.
• Week 3- Heavy: Switch to heaviest ball, in dark purple and repeat; one hour per day for seven days.
• Week 4- L/M: Switch to the two-ball harness, insert the light and medium balls; wear one hour per day for seven days.
• Week 5: L/H: In two-ball harness, insert the light and heavy balls; repeat timeframe.
• Week 6: M/H: Also in two-ball harness, insert the medium and heavy balls; repeat timeframe.

This kit has ABS plastic balls with silicone casing. The balls have a seam across them, and there are smaller weighted beads inside of the shell. The balls each weigh approximately 1.4 ounces, 1.9 ounces and 2.6 ounces. The insertable length is 2.25 inches for the single harness and 4.25 inches for the double harness. Do not use these balls anally.

I do not think the balls are boilable, but they can be cleaned with soap and water, toy cleaner, or a 10% bleach solution. The harnesses are made of silicone and also have a seam across them. I performed a flame test to these harnesses to see if they were a higher percentage of silicone, and the harnesses did not melt. While the flame test is not infallible, it is a good initial indicator that these harnesses are body safe. I believe they themselves are boilable, but can also be cleaned in the same ways as the balls.

While I don’t necessarily care for the color scheme of these balls, I think the kit is decent. The fact that the balls can be swapped to create lighter and heavier sets adds some versatility to the product. Taking the balls out and putting them back in the harnesses is rather easy to do because the harnesses are very flexible. I think they are a great size too. I have heard from some that the Je Joue set (linked below) can be a bit too small and heavy, which causes them to more easily pop out. I can also imagine Fun Factory’s set might be on the large side for some people. This Kegel Kit is a medium size, and they sit comfortably inside my vagina throughout my time wearing them.

In conclusion, I was pleased with the performance of this set. I don’t care for the seams on the balls and harnesses, nor the pink-purple color scheme. I do see myself using these balls regularly. I was very pleased to see the harnesses held up to a flame test too.

Thanks to The Adult Toy Shop for providing me with the Kegel Kit in exchange for my honest review of the product. xoxo

As far as smart balls are concerned, I have also reviewed Je Joue Ami, Fun Factory’s Teneo Duo, and Kandi and OhMiBod’s Hold on to Me kegel kits.

Why I want to own (and use) smart balls:  they help to strengthen my PC muscles (otherwise known as Kegels), which in turn helps me have more intense orgasms and more enjoyable pleasure and sensitivity.  Developing stronger PC muscles can also help with pregnancy, continence, and self-lubrication.

What are smart balls and Kegel toys: Smart balls, such as the Teneo Uno and Duo (Duo photographed), created by Fun Factory, are silicone smart balls with slight weights inside.  If you jiggle the smart balls you can feel the movement of the weight inside them.  They are not heavy, but just slightly weighted in order to exercise your Kegels.

I do not own a scale to weigh my Duo, but here are the approximate weights I found online:
Teneo Duo: 3 ounces
Teneo Uno: 1.5 ounces

The Je Joue Amis are quite different in weight (Duo: far left; Ami 1-3: left to right):
Ami 1: 1.65 ounces
Ami 2: 2.75 ounces
Ami 3: 3.73 ounces

As you can see, the Teneo Duo is larger than the Amis.  This could be a pro/con to different people.  Maybe the Teneo will stay put more easily, or the feeling of its presence will be more noticeable (thereby getting you wetter and more aroused).  On the other hand, your PC muscles might get a more difficult workout if it is harder to keep the Amis in, because they are smaller but still heavy.  It is hard to say, for I think this is a personal preference matter.  I have had enjoyable experiences using both types.

Other popular PC muscle exercisers include: the Kegelcisor, the Njoy Fun Wand, and Luna Beads.  There are plenty of reviews and information on Babeland’s website about these.

How do you use Smart Balls:
Babeland has a great page about how to use smart balls. In order to insert smart balls, I recommend using (water-based) lubricant, especially for the Teneo smart balls, because they have a textured surface which might make it more difficult to stick them in.  The Je Joue Ami balls have a velvety and smooth texture, so those are easier to slip in (plus they are smaller in size).

As you can see, smart balls have silicone strings on them.  This is to help pull on them as a method of exercise and to pull them out when you want to remove them. Very tampon-esque, except for being silicone and a toy.

All you have to do is pop the smart balls in, and then go!  You could wear them for a walk, for a trip to the store, or while you are doing things at home.  You can wear them comfortably during activities, and you will feel your Kegels work to keep the balls in place.  This can also be fairly erotic as well.  You have a sexy secret that can really get you aroused.

I find smart balls to be important and useful to me for the following reasons: I want stronger orgasms and I also want to prevent continence issues. Wearing smart balls in public really helps me indulge my slightly-exhibitionist fetish.  It is a great workout, and also a great turn-on.  Imagine how your lover(s) will react when she/he/they realize you have a toy inside your vagina while you dine out, or go to the theatre.  It can be highly erotic, yet very functional.

Important care & cleaning information: the Teneo Duo is made of silicone.  It is hypo-allergenic, latex-free, phthalates-free, and non-porous.  This toy is able to be boiled, bleached, or popped into the dishwasher.  Note that because it is made of silicone, it is not recommended to use silicone-based lubricant with it.  As is common with Fun Factory products, this toy comes with a sample pack of water-based lubricant.

I provided some links and basic information about other Kegel exercisers that are out on the market.  It’s up to you–if you are interested–to go out and research what might be the best for you.  Thanks Babeland, for allowing me to review the Teneo Duo! Check out other Fun Factory products offered by Babeland.  xoxo