LELO Insignia Tiani With SenseMotion™ Wireless Remote Control

I was rather excited to learn a few weeks ago that LELO would be adding three news couple’s sex toys to the already impressive Insignia collection. I love my Insignia Soraya to death, so I couln’t wait to try out one of the 2nd generation of Insignia toys and the clit hugging Tiani certainly seemed to be the toy best suited to my sex toy tastes.

I absolutely love the SenseMotion remote, but its ability to communicate with the Tiani really lets it down. There was some major #FAIL attatched to this toy, most of which is attributed to the signal from the remote.

The Important Info

Manufacturer: LELO

Materials: Really soft, luxurious, velvety silicone with a metalic gold ABS plastic accent, which is also used on the back of the remote control unit – the same materials found in the other Insignia vibrators.

Size: The remote is 2.5″ across  and 7/8″ thick, the toy itself is a lot harder to measure. Pulled out straight it is around 6″ long, 3.5″ of that is the clitoral vibrator portion with the remaining 3″ being the arm that holds it in place. At its widest point the clitoral vibe is 1.35″ wide with a 3.5″ circumference. The fattest portion of the arm that sits inside the vagina is  around 0.75″ with a 2″ circumference – its big enough to hold the toy in place whilst still being small enough to go almost un-noticed by your partner during intercourse.

Colors: Tiani is available in the black that I have as well as the Deep Rose seen in the promo images.

Power Source: The remote takes 2xAAA batteries which are included, the toy itself is rechargeable, with a 2hr charging time giving 10 hours of use.

Controls: Like the other two new Insignia vibes, Oden and Lyla, the Tiani is controlled via a remote that uses LELO’s new SenseMotion™ technology, but there’s more on that below.

Lube Compatibility: Water based only, silicone lube may damage the beautifully textured silicone of the Tiani.

Other Features: Waterproof, SenseMotion™ technology, 1 yearfull warranty, 10 year quality guarantee, It arrives fully charged with the batteries needed for the remote along with a satin storage pouch. If purchased from LELO it will come with the correct kind of charger for your country – no need for annoying power socket adapters.

Price: RRP $199AU @LELO – US$159 @EdenFantasys

 So What is Tiani?

The Tiani itself is a wearable, remote controlled clitoral vibrator with a shape that’s somewhat reminiscent of the we vibe. Tiani is designed to be a couple’s sex toy, but it doesn’t rule out some fun solo play. It has a very flexible arm that slides inside the vagina in order to hold the outer vibrating arm against the clitoris. This internal arm is just there to hold it in place rather than vibrate on the inside pf the body. As far as I can tell the Tiani is the only remote control clitoral vibe available on the market.1 It’s a versatile little toy that can be played with  solo, worn during intercourse or used for some kinky remotely controlled thrills by a couple.

The thing that really seperates the Tiani, as well as the other two new Insignia toys, Oden and Lyla, from any others on the market is how they are controlled.They use LELO’s new, patented SenseMotion™ technology which translates movement in the remote into vibration patterns within the toy. Differing gestures, movements and angles create different vibration strengths as well as pulsations and patterns. Which leads us to the question …

What is SenseMotion™?

The function of the Tiani is rather awesome but the awesome sauce gravy is the way it is controlled using LELO’s groundbreaking, body shaking SenseMotion™ technology. It is a little bit like a PS3, or Wii controller, controlled by movements and gestures rather than just buttons, it even includes sensory feedback like the rumble pack of PS3 controllers.

The way you move, tilt and angle the remote controls the way that the sex toy responds. Holding it flat it runs at 10% intensity but as you tilt it the intensity ramps up, reaching 100% when it is held upright.  At the same time the remote mimics the vibrations of the toy creating a synchronized sensory experience between the two partners.

When holding the toy in one hand and manipulating the remote with the other it was a very uncanny experience. Even the smallest of movements with the remote caused the toy to react. It’s a difficult sensation to explain, but it’s absolutely awesome!

When in use I could feel the gestures of the remote being recreated within the toy. I discovered this little flick, that if done just right, makes the vibrations travel from the gold section of the toy right up to the tip. This created a sensation similar to a vibrating tongue licking the clit. It doesn’t come close to the real thing, but the sensation was definitely similar. There is a bit of a learning curve with this revolutionary toy and its remote, but the SenseMotion™ technology really does provide imediate sensory feedback, further linking the wearer and the one with the control.

The Review

Packaging

In true LELO style everything about this toy, from the packaging, to the finish and even the instructions carry an air of sophistication and luxury. Just like the rest of the Insignis line the packaging consdists of an outer, glossy cardboard box which contains the thick, high quality, matte black box that contains the toy and everything else that goes with it.

 

The Toy and the remote sit on a shelf, held in place by soft velvet coveredwith cut outs to hold the pieces in place safely during transport. This is also where your gold Insignia brooch lays. To the side there is a lift up section where the charger is located. There’s also a secret little compartment that lies under the top shelf that holds the toy and its remote, I call it secret because it took me forever to find it!

 

Included in the package you receive the following:

• The Tiani massager
• The wireless remote control along with the gold plastic back plate
• A special little key (see below)
• A charger(type dependant on country you order from)
• A satin storage pouch
• A sample of LELO personal moisturizer that is glycerine & paraben free
• An Instruction manual covering the 3 new Insignia toys
• A 1 year Warranty
• A 10 year Quality Guarantee

The Remote

The smooth, button shaped, wireless remote unit is shaped to fit perfectly within the palm of the hand. The front side is covered in the same sleek, velvety silicone as the toy and the seperate back plate is made from gold, metallic ABS plastic. It operates using 2 AAA size batteries that come included, which is something I love, and in this price bracket I think it is expected that everything should be included.

Once you’ve put the batteries in you use the special key to twist and lock the back plate into position. They recommend that you not use coins or knives etc to do this – and other objects I tried failed, so if you loose your special key you are in trouble!

The Secret Key

I spent the first 5 or 10 minutes trying to work out how to get the gold plastic back to stay attatched to the remote. When I couldn’t solve it I went looking for the instructions which were hidden away in a secret little compartment under where the toy laid in the box that you access via the section where the charger sits. As I emptied out the booklets and satin storage bag this funky little bit of plastic came out. I had no idea what it was until I actually took a look at the instructions – It’s a cool little doo dad that fits into the notch on the golden backplate so that you can twist it into a locked position, or un-lock it to remove the batteries. Which reminds me, I strongly recommend that you remove the remote batteries in between uses as they could easily leak and destroy your fabulous new toy.

 

 

The buttons & Vibration Patterns

The remote features three different buttons, minus –, brackets (), and plus +.

+ switches the remote on and – switches it off. + & – also adjust the intensity of the vibrations when it is used in any of the 6 pre-programmed vibration patterns.

The center () button controls the vibration mode and it cycles through them in the following order:

•     SenseMotion mode 1 – A 2 axis mode where the tilt or angle that the control is held in sets the intensity. Moving it on the two axis’ can take it from 10% power when held flat, right up to 100% when held in an upright position.
•     SenseMotion Mode 2 – This is the really fun one where every movement gets translated into vibrations and pulses. It’s a LOT of fun to play around with it and see what movements do what, which gestures you enjoy and which angles provide you with your perfect intensity. The possibilities in this mode are virtually endless.
•     Mode 3 – Continuous Vibration with over 10 intensities (that I could tell)
•     Mode 4 – long On, short off pulsation pattern
•     Mode 5 – Quick on, Quick off, fast pulsation pattern
•     Mode 6 – A very quick, mini ramping pattern
•     Mode 7 – A  much slower ramping pattern that rises and resets itself every 4 or 5 seconds
•     Mode 8 – Best described as a random ramping and pulsating pattern. It’s quite unique

One of the beauties of the SenseMotion remote is that the vibrations created in the toy are also echoed in the remote, which virtually turns the remote into a vibrator as well. Not only giving sensory feedback to the control holder, it can also be used as a vibrator for them as it has really strong vibrations and feels great wwhen held against most of the bodies erogenous zones. It is a bit of a jack hammer though!

The Tiani itself is discreet and quiet, easy to use in public, but the remote rumbles like a tractor. Thankfully LELO have thought of this and programmed it so that you can switch of the vibrations in the remote, turning off the attention grabbing sounds. To switch of the vibrations in the remote simply hold down the middle () button for 3 seconds. To switch them back on you just repeat the same thing.

There is also a travel lock option which just requires you to hold down both the plus + and minus – button for three seconds to both lock and unlock the remote. This is the same as other LELO Insignia vibratotrs.

The Tiani

The Tiani has a shape that is reminiscent of the we vibe, a flexible two armed vibrator that can be worn by a woman. The larger end with the golden strip is the vibrating one, the slightly shorter, much slimmer arm is the one that slides inside the vagina and keeps it snuggly in place. It’s a versatile little toy that can be played with  solo, worn during intercourse or used for some kinky remotely controlled thrills by a couple.

For it to work you need to switch it on and create the wireless conection between it and the remote. Once your remote is switched on you press down a small button on the front of the toy for a second – you should then see a small orange light flashing which indicates it is searching for the remote – which they refer to as seek mode. It can take a few seconds for the connection to be made, but once it does you should feel a very slight vibration in the toy.

From here you can go for it and explore the thousands of different patterns possible with the Sense Motion controller.

 I was quite surprised that when using the sense motion setting and the remote, the vibrations seemed to move about within the vibrating arm. A bit like the remote was a magnet for the vibrations making them move up and down the length of my clit- which is pretty darn orgasmic!

I think the vibrations could definitely be more rumbley, they are way too light and buzzy for my clit of steel that likes everything turned up to eleven! However I really enjoyed using it along with other toys such as my Eleven as it almost turns it into a rabbit vibe by giving me the dual stimulation that I love so much.

The downside of Tiani  is that it doesn’t work without the remote. So If you loose the special, secret key, or your out of AAA batteries you can’t play with it, and if you completely loose the remote… well you are up the creek really. To me that’s a pretty big downside.

I also had a few issues with the toy not picking up the remote’s signal. If it moved out of range Tiani would cut out until the remote came back in rage again. Which was pretty bad, just holding the remote above my head whilst lying down made it cut out. The signal doesn’t travel through flesh well, thankfully I didn’t have the same issue whilst I was standing up and moving around. I think the quoted 12 foot range might be a little exaggerated, especially for the SenseMotion to work. I’d say 5-6feet feet would be a better estimate.

Recharging

Rather than having a tiny porthole like the other Insignia vibrators, the Tiani unscrews and comes apart in 2 pieces to expose the port within the vibrating arm of the toy. The charger simply plugs into this point. Whilst it is charging the little orange light in the toy will flash. It takes only 2 hours to fully charge the toy, and once it is fully charged the light will stop flashing and just glow orange.

It is worth noting that you can use any LELO charger with any LELO toy – they are all the interchangeable. For anyone like me that’s forever getting chargers mixed up, the LELO chargers have a tiny “MLF” logo on the miniature label.

Cleaning

Being waterproof the Tiani is very easy to clean and care for. A simple wash with warm water and disinfecting soap will work fine, but I’ve begun to prefer using toy wipes to quickly clean my toys after use which works just as easily.

The seal on the remote may not be waterproof, so my recommendation would be to wipe it over with a damp cloth rather than submerging it.No part of this toy should be boiled or put through the dishwasher as that will just fry the electrical components!

For storage you can either stick with the box it arrives in, or store it in the satin pouch provided.

My thoughts

The SenseMotion technology is absolutely awesome, the kinds of kinky fun couples can have with this are only limited by the imagination. Previously there have only been vibrating eggs that work via remote, but now there’s a remote controlled clitoral vibe for women like me that need the external stimulation more than the internal type.When combined with the remote that also vibrates it does push this to the top of the Couples sex toys category.

With SenseMotion the learning curve is steep – there’s no denying that, but it is well worth the investment of time for the pleasurable pay off. With a bit of playing around you will find what movemnents and gestures with the remote create the kinds of sensations that you enjoy most.

With the remote control set to silent there’s the possibility of having some great fun whilst out in public. The Tiani is incredibly quiet and the remote looks nothing like a sex toy remote – only other LELO insignia owners will recognise it for what it is – allowing you to play as a couple anywhere you please be it the local shopping center or the opera. It’s a play anywhere kind of toy thatis also useful for synchronized couples play in the bedroom.

I’d love for the vibrations to be stronger, but the kind of strength I love just isn’t possible with a toy this size, but unless you too have a clit of steel that likes wand massagers at full strength I dare say you will enjoy the Tiani.

It’s a really exciting new concept in sex toys that LELO has added its special touch of luxury to but the remote signal not travelling through flesh is a HUGE issue, as is the fact that it doesn’t work without the remote. I’m thinking that the new Pico Bong Mahana that does a similar job, sans the remote and rechargeable battery, might just be a better, far cheaper option. If I’m forking over close to $200 I expect a product to work just the way its supposed to. I had thought mine could be faulty, however at least one other sex toy reviewer had the exact same issue. This huge let down means I can’t score this toy as high as I want to, I want to give it a 5 but the signal issue is major so it barely scrapes into the 3 star category I’m afraid.

★★★☆☆

The Tiani is currently available directly from LELO along with Lyla, Oden and the rest of the Insignia Line of toys.

EDIT: Eden Fantasys is now selling the Tiani for $159 as well as the Oden for $179 and Lyla for $139 – If you use the discount code N25 at tyhe checkout you can save a further 15% off of these prices which will give you the Tiani for just $135.15!

If you have any questions about Tiani or the SenseMotion remote feel free to contact me via email2 or just leave a comment below.

Violet xx

1. those crap ass vibrating panties do not classify as sex toys in my mind [↩]
2. link at the top of the page [↩]