Designed by the Japanese brand famous for its “eggs” and male masturbators, the Tenga Iroha is an unusual, squishy clitoral vibrator. This new Tenga range aimed at women features three vibrators with simple, streamlined shapes, claiming to “rethink pleasure” (and all that!).
The Tenga Iroha vibrators look appealing, rather like daifuku: you could almost eat them.
The names of these sex toys come from Japanese: the green Midori (“green”), the pale pink Sakura (“cherry blossom”), and the white Yuki (“snow”).
But how do they actually perform? We tested the Tenga Iroha Yuki.
Packaging
The Tenga Iroha comes in a box made up of a black base and a transparent “dome” that doubles as a charger and storage case. It looks a little like the one on the Tenga 3D, with the same flaw: it opens easily if you don’t keep it flat, for example when carrying it in a bag.
The sex toy
What the Tenga Iroha looks like
The Tenga Iroha Yuki looks like a mini white cloud.
It’s quite small and fits in the palm of your hand.
Texture and material
The texture is surprising and pleasant. It’s soft, squishy, almost elastic. It brings to mind something halfway between a bum cheek and a marshmallow. And it’s smooth to the touch.
This unusual feel might leave you wondering what the material is. But the Tenga Iroha is made of medical-grade silicone, and the words “FDA approved” on the packaging suggest that, in all likelihood, everything has been properly checked.
Him pressing down on the Tenga Iroha so you can really see just how mega-squishy it is in the photo.
Power
As I mentioned when describing the box, it also charges the sex toy. Two magnetic whatsits attach to two metal contacts on the “belly” of the toy’s wider end.
Controls
The controls offer a decent range without going overboard: three vibration settings at different intensities, and a pulsing mode. You choose between them using two “+” and “-” buttons, which work as “Next” / “Previous”.
Using the Tenga Iroha
For its size, the Tenga Iroha is really powerful. Within reason: it’s no Fairy, admittedly, but for such a tiny battery-powered vibrator, it does a pretty impressive job. The vibrations travel deep, and it’s very reasonably quiet.
But its main selling point is that it’s mega-squishy. It feels pleasant against the skin, and you can use it as much as you like without worrying about irritating your clit, play around with the pressure, and so on…
This texture makes it particularly handy when you don’t feel like concentrating too hard on finding the perfect position for the vibrator. For instance, if you’re doing something else at the same time (something sexual, if possible, though it also works while eating a cake or writing a blog post): even if you press it down a bit any which way, its shape adjusts and the contact with its surface is nicely spread out.
It sits nicely in your hand: it’s fun to touch, squeeze and feel, even when you’re not using it. Its secret bonus feature: an anti-stress ball.
The breakdown
Up to that point, everything was perfect, or nearly.
Except…
But when I went to use it again, it wouldn’t switch on. At all. It doesn’t work any more. Not cool. So my first try was also my last.
It’s sold as waterproof. After using it, I washed it with soap and water, without taking any particular care to keep water off the controls (which you’re supposed to be able to do with a waterproof sex toy). I think that’s what finished it off.
A sex toy that isn’t actually waterproof when it’s supposed to be is pretty common. You can let it slide when the admission “er, actually, it didn’t like water” comes in the form of wear and tear over the long term (as with Fun Factory’s Dolly Dolphin, for example).
But when a sex toy dies after its very first soapy wash, that’s a bit shit… I didn’t even soak the Tenga Iroha; I just rubbed it under the tap.
A manufacturing defect
A closer look revealed an obvious manufacturing defect that explains the carnage.
The “lid”, which is supposed to seal off the circuitry, motor and battery (which should be perfectly watertight in a waterproof sex toy), comes unstuck all by itself. Underneath, there’s no extra protection: bare circuit boards, with wires soldered to them, and a battery covered by a simple plastic film. It looks pretty cheap, and it’s wet. So it’s broken.
I tried to dry the thing out, to give it one last chance. No luck: it wouldn’t switch back on.
So focused was I on trying out the Tenga Iroha as soon as possible that I hadn’t paid any attention to its dodgy lid. But Him had noticed it while taking the photos: this defect was already there when we unboxed it. (Communication breakdown, eh? Still, when I’m setting my sights on a sex toy that’s finally finished its photo shoot, I’m not exactly in the mood to talk about lids.)
This isn’t an isolated incident
At the time, I thought perhaps I’d been too rough with the poor Iroha, or that I’d just been unlucky.
But thanks to Twitter, I realised it wasn’t an isolated incident: the lids on the Tenga Iroha seem to go pear-shaped every time. Apparently, Tenga later announced that the problem had been fixed. Did they recall the faulty products? I’d really like to know.
I’d used it for quite a while the first time (on my own and with Him), and the apparent causes of its breakdown had a major negative effect on my opinion of it. So I felt I’d learnt enough about it to publish this review, which I’d started writing before I realised it had broken down.
I decided to leave the first part of the review (the bit where it still works) as I’d originally written it. My first impressions of this sex toy were positive. I haven’t changed my mind about the fact that if the Tenga Iroha doesn’t break in your hands, you might well like it.
So I didn’t let Espace Libido know about this problem. But it’s an honest and very responsive shop. If you have a problem with a faulty sex toy after buying it, its customer service team will probably sort it out.
Conclusion on the Tenga Iroha
The good points:
- It looks original.
- It’s super-squishy.
- It vibrates pretty strongly.
The bad points:
- Flawed and/or cheap design.
- … And so, not at all sturdy (in fact, completely broken).
Tenga had a really good idea when they came up with the Iroha, and the design was good too, but—an attempt to save on manufacturing costs, or just a catastrophic fail?—the sex toy has a disastrous manufacturing defect: a lid that won’t stay put, concealing fragile mechanisms.
The verdict: a sex toy that could have been cool, but is far too fragile—and not waterproof at all.
In brief
I’m very disappointed with this vibrator: given how successful Tenga’s male masturbators are, I expected the brand’s first model for women to be a pleasant surprise. And it nearly was… until it broke down.
As things stand, I wouldn’t recommend the Tenga Iroha, for obvious reasons.
If it still appeals to you and you do decide to buy it, check as soon as it arrives that its lid is properly secured. And be very, very careful when washing it.
Personally, I think a sex toy that has to be handled with kid gloves or it’ll destroy itself straight away isn’t really worth the bother. Especially since the Tenga Iroha isn’t particularly cheap: you can get quality for that price.
If you’re looking for a proper vibrator that’s sturdy, effective, pretty and original, and (really) able to have a shower with you without giving up halfway through, choose the Smart Wand by LELO.
Note finale du test
Les plus
- Pleasant texture, super plush
- Quite powerful vibrations
Les moins
- The build quality leaves a lot to be desired
- ... Especially for a sex toy that isn't cheap
- Ours broke down after the first use
