Arcwave Voy stroker review: a flagship sex toy for a voyage of self-discovery

Arcwave's Voy stroker is the least complicated option of this brand's growing male sex toy range. Where the Arcwave Ion uses fancy Pleasure Air tech to do what is quite possibly actual magic, the Arcwave Voy relies more on tried-and-tested friction-based techniques. It's very tidy and discreet, with caps on either end of its inner passage for an open-ended experience (if you prefer something suction-based, check our best Fleshlight guide instead). It's substantially built, and priced at the premium end of the market to match. 

It's got some heavy, established competition, with open-ended strokers like Fleshlight's QuickShot range holding firm at the top of the market. So can the Voy pull it off? Yes. It can. And here's why, expensive or not, it's one of the best sex toys for men you can buy. Read on for my Arcwave Voy review.

• Buy Arcwave Voy from Lovehoney

Arcwave Voy stroker review: design and features

It seems like every new toy worth its salt has to have a gimmick. Considering that guys statistically tend to come with built-in competition on the end of their arms, that's entirely understandable – but rather than dropping in a vibrator or going down the potentially off-putting mechanised route, the Voy keeps its special feature simple: you can, by twisting a ring on its top edge, tweak the tightness between eight settings marked with detents. These lock into place so that it doesn't suddenly loosen up until you're ready.

Note that this adjustment doesn't squish the diameter of the entire (reasonably short) length of the Voy's open-ended canal; instead, it pushes three distinct little (for want of a better word) nubbins in about half way along. This adds a bit of interest to proceedings, but doesn't narrow things so much that it's uncomfortable (see Lovehoney's Head Master and its ilk if you want to find out why a tighter toy may not be for you).

The sleeve itself is made of Arcwave's CleanTech silicone. Let's be quite clear: this isn't the sexiest of substances. In the Voy it's a kind of satin black and it feels rather rubbery before it's been lubed up – compared to the sticky texture of Fleshlight's SuperSkin, or the softer feel of Lovehoney's RealFeel material, it's probably bottom of the pile. Slap on a lot of lube, though, and it feels just fine, and it certainly a lot less fragile than rival materials. Being open-ended, the Voy is easy to clean and dry, and it feels like it'll take a beating without necessarily needing the same cycle of refreshing and mollycoddling as weaker toys.

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Each end, when uncapped, has a slightly different diameter. The active part of the Voy, as it were, is reasonably short, but the sleeve extends quite a long way on either end.

The adjustment dial is easy to grip, though it's not necessarily something you'll want to be playing with while you're otherwise engaged

With the dial set to zero, the inner texture is a fairly basic set of ribs – turn things up, though, and the inner diameter reduces, while still leaving plenty of softness and texture

Premium price, premium package - Arcwave's box is a step above the flimsy cartons some other toys ship in, and can be used to store it later

In the box you get instructions, a small sample of Arcwave's own thick, sticky water-based lube, and the Voy itself

Arcwave Voy stroker review: does it work?

This was the big surprise of the Arcwave Voy. It looks drab, there's little variation in texture, the CleanTech sleeve doesn't seem exciting, and the gimmick is pretty basic – but! We found this to be more effective and enjoyable than just about any other male toy out there. Arcwave has hit the mark. It's not too tight, which is something many toys struggle with; each end of the Voy has a slightly different opening diameter, allowing you to choose the parts you want to add most pressure to by flipping it over. It's short enough that most guys will be able to reach all the way through, which makes for more interesting play than some all-or-nothing toys, and allows you to focus on what really works for you.

We'll admit, though, that even with the tightness adjustment all the way to max the more slender man may not get enough from the edges, so be mindful of your own diameter before buying. There's no wacky texturing inside, but that basically doesn't matter. The ribs feel great do their job, the length is just about perfect for the average chap and, properly lubed, the Voy feels magnificent. It does sound terrible, though, like you're trying to force a bucket of fish guts down a particularly pesky plughole, so, er, enjoy that image.

Arcwave Voy stroker review: alternatives to consider

This isn't the only open-ended stroker on the market, and it's definitely on the higher end price-wise. If you're of the more slender, non-sensitive persuasion, you could try the bargain Lovehoney Basics stroker.

Realistically though it's probably better to look in Fleshlight's direction: the Quickshot Vantage (which sounds like an '80s ZX Spectrum joystick but thankfully doesn't feel like one) is slightly shorter and a fair amount cheaper.

Arcwave Voy stroker review: verdict

Though it lacks the immediate psychological advantage of more anatomical toys, one use of the Arcwave Voy will change your mind. This virtual stack of tyres is one of the best toys around. If you're worried about the price, don't: we'd expect this to last a lot longer than strokers made of more flimsy, soft material, all while not compromising on the feel.

• Buy Arcwave Voy from Lovehoney