I supposed inspiration can come from anywhere. Not being all that creative myself, I wouldn’t really know, but I can’t help thinking that whoever designed the Crave Duet has a thing for tuning forks. Because that’s definitely what it reminds me of, and it certainly makes a unique sex toy design.
I know, there are a few other dual-pronged luxury vibes on the market, but they don’t resemble tuning forks, nor do they look anywhere near this posh. Form 2 and Leaf Vitality seem way more casually dressed in their silicone while Crave Duet sports a flashy metal (not just metallic-painted plastic!) handle. The one they sent me to review even has my name engraved on it, which is pretty cool.
I also love the packaging because it’s minimal and discreet. The company seems rather proud of it as well. User instructions are printed on the inside of the box, and Crave Duet comes in a (real!) leather storage pouch, which I’m totally thrilled about because I love the smell of leather, and it’s a stark contrast to that crappy Love Candy Curve‘s cheap pleather case.
You also get a safety info card and a charm thingy that has a website URL on the back. This is begging to get lost somewhere in my house, but so far I’ve managed to keep track of it.
Crave Duet is USB-rechargeable, so you can plug it right into your computer and it looks like a flash drive. One with buttons. And actually, there are two Duet “lux” models that double as flash drives with either 8 GB or 16 GB of storage space, but mine is just a vibrator.
While the base/handle is a weighty metal, the prongs are a nice velvety silicone. It doesn’t have a lot of skin drag or attract lint too much, but be sure to only use water-based lube. There’s a visible seam, unfortunately, but luckily I don’t notice it when I’m using the vibe.
Each of the prongs has its own motor, and both motors are controlled by the same buttons. That’s okay, though, because they’re stimulating the same area, and trying to independently control them would probably require more thought and attention than I’m typically capable of when I’m going for an orgasm. This is why hundreds of patterns and functions is pretty much wasted on me. I want my vibrations constant, strong, rumbly, and easy to control.
The prongs are firm, with just a slight amount of surface give where the motors are located, but you can feel where the motors end near the tips, because the silicone gets softer. The vibration carries through the material well, but the tips aren’t squishy enough to flap around like bunny ears on a rabbit vibe.
Oh, and speaking of the prongs, they’ve been updated from the original design, so if you happen to have an older Crave Duet, you can upgrade for free. These newer tips are spaced further apart, and one side is flat while the other side is beveled, allowing different stimulation options. I don’t have the older version to compare, but apparently the motors now have 25% more power, and this revamped Duet has a turbo mode.
According to the included safety card, you shouldn’t try to separate the prog tips more than a pinky-finger width apart, and the Crave Duet is only waterproof when it’s assembled. Also noted is the fact that this vibe is for external use only, but that’s pretty much a given since it’s designed to stimulate the clitoris, doesn’t have enough length to be much use as an insertable toy, and isn’t anal safe.
You’re also supposed to recharge the battery promptly, since leaving it drained for an extended period of time could damage it, and it’s a good idea to preemptively top up the charge every 3-6 months to maintain battery life. I’m totally impressed with the Crave Duet’s battery, by the way. Mine arrived charged up ready to go, and the battery lasts a really long time. It only takes an hour or two to charge it back up, and you’ll know when it’s done because the buttons stop blinking and stay lit.
Of course, one of the drawbacks to these discreetly sized clit vibes is that the buttons tend to be small and close together, which can make finding the right button during a crucial moment challenging, but at least these are easy to press and not too clicky.
The controls are pretty simple: there’s a power/function button to turn the vibe on/off and cycle through the vibration settings, a + button to up the power, and a – button to decrease the power. When you first press the center power button to turn on the vibe on, the motors will pulse to indicate the charge level before vibrating at the most recently used setting. If you need the turbo boost, hold the + button for 2 seconds, and to turn the motors off just press and hold the power button.
There are four settings:
- Constant vibration, with both motors vibrating at the same intensity.
- A back-and-forth, alternating pulse between the motors–when one is vibrating, the other is still, and vice versa.
- Synced pulse where both motors pulse at the same time.
- Escalating/wave pulse.
The above vibration modes have four speeds/intensity levels. At the lower end of the escalating pattern the vibrations are nice and rumbly, but they get a little less so as the strength picks up. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t describe this vibe as buzzy, but while the motors have plenty of oomph, they don’t produce the same kind of deep, powerful rumbly goodness I get from my We-Vibe Touch. However, the Crave Duet is VERY quiet, which is always a huge plus.
It took a while to figure out just how to position the Crave Duet to most effectively get me off, and I’m still playing around with it. I prefer to press it flat up against me so that the prongs are on either side of my clit, surrounding it and reaching down towards my vaginal opening instead of trying to have my clit in the gap between the tips. I move around way to much for that kind of pinpoint stimulation, at least for any prolonged time. But that’s just me. As long as you keep the Crave Duet on the outside of your body, there’s really no wrong way to use it.
Thank you to the wonderful people at Crave for sending me the new and improved Duet to try! You can order these vibes directly from the company website, or the Duet is also available on amazon.com. I notice that GoodVibes.com also sells the Crave Solo, which looks like another great clit vibe worth checking out.
