Review: Cheap ESTIM devices. (multiple reviews)

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KinkInSpace
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Review: Cheap ESTIM devices. (multiple reviews)

Post by KinkInSpace »

I am very much into estim and I have many powerboxes. I also wanted to get the cheaper boxes just to see how much worse they are compared to the more expensive powerboxes I have, and I decided to write a review on the cheap ones, so those who are new to estim can have a good starting point.

Before, it was always speculation and little additional experience (comparing all cheap powerboxes as if they are the same, and read reviews by others). I want to change that to actual reviews with explanations based on my own experiences.

Each review will have a link to aliexpress where you can buy it. Although they can come with accessories, I will not go into much detail on the accessories themselves, unless I deem it necessary. That means, I will describe an estim buttplug as: this feels like any estim buttplug.
Formally known as Slave_L.
I'm not yet very comfortable expressing my love for kink from my private life. I will therefor hide behind my username KinkInSpace and not allow any connections to who I really am. I'm sure you'll understand.
KinkInSpace
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Joined: 24 Dec 2015, 16:11
Location: Netherlands

Re: Review: Cheap ESTIM devices. (multiple reviews)

Post by KinkInSpace »

Electric Shock Nipple Clamps Electrical Stimulation Anal Plug Massage Paste Electro Shock Penis Rings Cock Rings Medical Sex Toy

This one is a whole set, with an estim unit and various accessories for under €20.

The EStim unit is analogue. This means, in order to control the intensity, you have to turn a dial. This gives you enormous control over how much you feel, making increasing the intensity easy. A very good thing for beginner estim users.

This unit is stereo though, which means that in its program it will first make electricity flow from plus to minus, and then from minus to plus. This creates really good sensations and makes sure the body does not easily adjust to the estim.

The box has 6 buttons. The first box is the power button. You hold it for 3 seconds to turn the device on, you turn it off by pressing it once. This is kind of confusing, because if you want to turn it off, you expect to hold the button down too, in which case nothing happens.

The next 4 buttons are 4 different programs. The last button is an adjust button that changes some programs.

If you turn on the device, but not select a program, the unit will turn itself off after 20 or so seconds.

The first program (2nd button) sends a pulse every half a second. Pressing the adjust button makes the pause shorter. There are 5 levels, before it resets to the slowest. The fastest level will still have some pause between the pulses.

The second program (3rd button) which is labelled numb has pulses very quickly so it almost feels like a constant stream of electricity. The frequency of the pulses themselves is fast, so it will feel harsh-ish. This is a great mode if you want to use Estim to experience discomfort. The program gives a stream of about 20 seconds before a 2 second pause is given. After this, the stream is reversed, going from - to + instead of + to -, for about 20 seconds with another 2 seconds pause. After that it repeats.

The third program (4th button) which is labelled absorb is basically a copy of the 2nd program. The difference is that this uses lower frequencies and as such, it will feel less harsh. The pulses seem to be quicker too, so it can feel like a constant stream of electricity unless you go to higher levels. Then you feel quick pulses too. This is more a massage kind of program and will likely be able to give you an orgasm if you desire.

The fourth program (5th button) which is labelled auto is basically a variable pulse program, similar to the 1st program. In the first program, the pauses remain the same speed unless you hit adjust. In the 4th program, the pulses are slow and go faster as if adjust is pressed every 10 or 20 seconds. Once the fastest pulse speed is reached, the next one is the slow one again.

The pulses from program 1 and 4 do hurt, but the programs are not interesting enough to use in a session, unless the session itself has more in it. I have other powerboxes that have more interesting pulse programs. But the pulse programs are definitely welcome. I would not even recommend this box if it didn't had a pulse program.

The powerbox has a timer of 15 minutes that can't be altered in any way. The moment you power it on, it will run, and it will automatically turn itself off after 15 minutes, unless you power it on without selecting a program, then it will turn itself off after 30 seconds.

Now, one thing I need to mention about the powerbox, when you turn on the box, nothing happens. You have time to check that the dial is turned down all the way before you start a program.

Depending on what electrodes you use, the moment you start a program, electricity is sent through the electrodes. It can be faintly felt on some body parts, where on others, you don't feel anything until you hit crank up the dial. If the dial is set to max, and you turn the unit on, then select a program, it will instantly deliver that program at max intensity. If you can take the program at max intensity, you can start the program at max intensity if you want, but it will be overwhelming at first, depending on where you use it.

For example, a buttplug is easy to take. The penis probably too. The nipples most likely not.

As far as the levels go, this unit delivers enough juice to be fun to start with. I have more powerful powerboxes, and you can reach the max of this powerbox and feel like you want to go higher, but it will take you a while to get there. If you are very new to estim, then this is definitely cheap enough to just try it out. If you are experienced with estim, then it really depends. This is a good box to use in your sessions, but if your boxes go really high and you usually go near its top, then this box may not be strong enough for you.

That said, one of the best features of this box is that it is really small. My smartphone is bigger. Quite a bit bigger actually. It can be a very easy session to do the following: you insert the estim buttplug and connect it to the powerbox. You place the powerbox itself inside your underpants and leave it turned off. You drive to the forest. Inside the car, you turn on the powerbox and raise the electricity to a high level (possibly the highest if you dare) then leave the powerbox in your underpants and pull your pants back up. Then you walk for an hour or more in the forest while your ass gets zapped constantly on program 2 or 3.

Given that the small powerbox is in your underpants, it is going to be impossible to change the power, and its small enough that you won't feel it nor can it be seen to be there. :)

The powerbox has 2 channels, but both are controlled at the same time and are not shielded.

Anyway, lets talk a bit about the accessories. That's why I linked this specific one. There are many estim accessories that come with this powerbox though, but this is like the complete package.

It comes with:
- a small bi-polar buttplug
- a lead to 4 pads
- a lead to 2 penis rings (one for behind the balls and one for on the shaft)
- a pair of unipolar nippleclamps attached to the same wire. You would effectively shock both nipples through the clamps, not one nipple per clamp.
- a cable to go from 1 plug to 5.

The buttplug is a very basic butt plug. Its image tells all you need to know.

The 4 pads are very basic too. They are connected with weird plugs. Attach the plugs to the pads before placing them on your body. Much easier.

The 2 penis rings say enough too, but keep in mind, it is possible for electricity to leak from one ring to the other, depending on the placement of the rings.

The nippleclamps are fairly simple. One contact on each clamp, but the clamp itself has nearly no spring. If you don't like wearing clamps on your nipples, you can still wear this. But do note, it may be a good idea to tape the leads to your body, or you could accidentally pull the clamps off your body. They move a lot if the cables move a lot.

Now the 1 to 5 cable deserves a special mention. I thought this would be a good thing, but it isn't. It does not make power go through all attached devices as you would think it would. No. Electricity will find the device where both contacts are closest together, which in my case is the buttplug, and that device is felt mostly. The other devices will be felt less, and if the contacts are far apart, for example with the nipples, it is simply not felt at all.

So yes, the cable works, but also doesn't. The same thing is true for all the devices, and also if you use 2 channels at the same time.

For example, use something on your penis and your nipples. If you use bipolar nippleclamps (electricity goes from one side of the nipple to the other side of that same nipple) then you will feel your nipples quite a lot, and your penis not so much to not at all. If you have uni-polar nipple clamps (electricity goes into your left nipple, through your body, to your right nipple, to the clamp) then you will hardly to not at all feel electricity on your nipples, and a lot on your penis.

Also, it is possible that electricity flows from your penis to one of your nipples. So one nipple is felt more than the other.

The levels are definitely not dangarous to kill you. So the leakage of electricity is only annoying, not dangerous unless you wear a pace maker, but then you would not do estim anyway.

If it weren't obvious by now, I would recommend this powerbox to anyone unless you are a very experienced estim user and you need lots of electricity to have pleasure of it.
Formally known as Slave_L.
I'm not yet very comfortable expressing my love for kink from my private life. I will therefor hide behind my username KinkInSpace and not allow any connections to who I really am. I'm sure you'll understand.
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Audrey_CD
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Re: Review: Cheap ESTIM devices. (multiple reviews)

Post by Audrey_CD »

I like this thread. Please could you include something about the shipping carton etc, for those sensitive to customs / postman investigations?
KinkInSpace
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Re: Review: Cheap ESTIM devices. (multiple reviews)

Post by KinkInSpace »

It really is different per company on AliExpress. They always wrap the package in an invisible plastic bag with an sticker on it that usually says massager on it, for e-stim devices.
So from the outside, you can't see what's inside. It does not mention anything related to sex. The shops usually also make a mention on their site that they ship non-descretely.

Inside it, they may or may not have the item in a carton box or not. Sometimes its wrapped in bubble plastic, but no other packaging. The cheaper, the less you should expect from it.

That said, I actually ordered a new powerbox through AliExpress that was a bit more expensive, and I am very pleased by it. I still think this falls under the cheap category though, so I will add a reply to review that device.
Formally known as Slave_L.
I'm not yet very comfortable expressing my love for kink from my private life. I will therefor hide behind my username KinkInSpace and not allow any connections to who I really am. I'm sure you'll understand.
KinkInSpace
*****
Posts: 2141
Joined: 24 Dec 2015, 16:11
Location: Netherlands

Re: Review: Cheap ESTIM devices. (multiple reviews)

Post by KinkInSpace »

Muscle therapy stimulation tens unit 24 modes...

By accident, not searching for a bdsm powerbox, I came across this estim device with 24 modes. It was actually not on ali-express where I first found it, but on amazon for much more money, and it would not ship to the Netherlands either, so I thought, Ali-Express must have something similar, and what do you know, searching for estim 24 gave me different units with 24 different programs. Comparing the different units, this one was most similar to the one I saw on amazon, where the others would have 4 different programs per 6 categories, whereas this unit has 24 actual programs for different massages and stimuli.

My initial reason for getting this was not to use it in BDSM actually. I have problems with my muscles. I have various massagers but I just can't get them loose the way I want them to be. I have used estim in the past on certain muscles and I know that it works if I can get it right. But the estim boxes I have are for BDSM, not for massaging, although they claim they can do it, and yes, it works.

But this device... man, it works really well. It works awesome as a massager for the various muscles, but also as a great way to stimulate your nipples and other body parts.

Before I start with explaining what the device can do, there is a small notice that you need to know. Most cheap powerboxes on ali-express come with this small jack connector (2.5mm). This device uses a bigger jack connector. There are convertor cables you can buy, so it is not like you can't buy this device if you need all your accessories to match, but you need to get some of these converter plugs too, or you can actually buy proper replacement cables (although I can't find them on AliExpress unless you get a package of 100 pcs which is too expensive. For example, if you have lots of accessories that use a 2mm banana style connector, you can just get the 3,5mm jack to banana style cable too.

Anyway, lets get on to the review.

Its for sail for about 30 euro with discount. Just keep an eye out or scout for other companies that put it on sale. I got mine for 28 euro with free shipping. Also keep in mind, that with this amount, it is possible your country's customs may hold the package and you have to pay tax and administrative fees in order to get the package. This can easily add 30% to the price. In NL this package would have qualified, but I was lucky.

The device itself is awesome. I have only used a few modes, and given there are fricken 24 modes, I plan to use every single mode on my nipples before I allow it to be used as massager. So far each mode is significantly different and I tried about 8 or so.

They come close to modes you can expect from a 100$+ estim unit. The unit has an internal battery that you charge with usb. It has 2x2 channels, so 4 channels total. 2 channels share the same power and are not shielded from eachother. This effectively means, that if you have electrodes close by on channel A1, and far away on channel A2, then you will not feel the A2 much. I haven't actually tried this, but that is the theory behind it. For channels A, you can set one of the 24 programs and intensity, and then repeat the same for B. So A and B can have different programs running AND different intensities.

The device is digital, so every time you increase the electricity, this amount is fixed. This means, you can't increase it very slightly, like you can do with analog devices. However, this unit has many levels to set, and the increase is gradually enough that it is not a problem. You are not clenching your tees and wondering if this next shock is going to be too much, and therefor hesitate to actually increase the intensity.

Each program so far has sections that has lots of feel, and little feel. Increasing the intensity during the lower sensations helps a lot getting to a high level easy.

The device looks a bit like an old iPhone 4, but slightly bigger. It has a touch screen and comes with a pen, but you can just use your fingers. Upon every successful press the backlight comes on. This is convenient because that way, you are sure you indeed increased the intensity. Some programs won't let you feel the changes in intensity much during the lower intensity sections in their programs.

The touch screen is a bit hard to use though. You have to press it well for it to activate. It does have a play/pause button which immediately stops the estim. Once you enable it again, it does a good job in getting back to the level you were on, but if you use it as a bdsm device, and you find your max, and go over it a few times, then resuming from pause will definitely be very challenging and probably quite painful. The play/pause responds instantly, so you can pause it quickly if indeed the setting is too overwhelming.

Play/pause is next to the + button which is a bit inconvenient, because you may accidentally pause the program if you intend to hit the +. On pause, everything starts to blink though, so you immediately see that it's on pause. Hard to miss. If you resume within 10 seconds of a pause, you should be able to get back to your program without feeling overwhelmed. Your body has not readjusted too much for not having estim on it. The longer you wait, the more overwhelming it will be. 15 seconds may be too long.

The battery lasts long enough. I have used it for more than an hour now in different sessions, the battery was not charged by myself on arrival, but appeared to be full (4 bars) and now I still have 3 bars.

The device comes 4x2 pads and 4x2 3.5mm to notch cables (you snap them onto the pads). There are no 2mm pin cables that come with the device, but you can probably buy them at your local sex shop, or get one of the convertor plugs I linked to earlier.

Now, lets talk a little bit about the actual reason to get this device: to use it as a massager on your body to loosen up muscles.

Now, the different programs that are designed for various body parts actually have a program with the name of the body part, such as back, shoulder, neck, feet, ear, etc... Its easy to use and hard to miss. The programs are different, so its not like back and neck have the same program, and just 2 buttons.

I only tried the neck program on my neck so far because I really needed to get those muscles loose. They were so tense I felt a headache and I know it can lead to migraine. I have a massager for my neck that I can lay against that has big rotating balls that really feel like an actual person massages your neck, but it can't reach every single spot, and as such it is only 30% effective. I have a loose massager that I can pick up with a large rotating head and it can also only do about 30% of work. It is a relief when I use them but it doesn't always do enough to get the headache go away.

Now, I didn't use my massagers and went straight to this estim unit with electrodes to my neck and see what it would do.

I won't describe every program in detail, but for this example, I will describe the neck program.

It starts with soft short shocks about 10 per second. Not a continuous stream but the shocks are soft anyway. It feels a bit relaxing. It does this for a bit, and then speeds up the amount of shocks per seconds until it becomes a continuous stream. Probably 100 to 160 per second. This feels really nice. The intensity increases too.

The program then stops for about 1 second or less and then gives hard really short shocks once every second. It does this for 12 to 14 times. It then stops a bit then it gives a hard stream of electricity 3 times and then it repeats the program, going to a very soft electricity feeling.

Now, I say hard and soft, but understand that if you have it set to level 3, even the hard shocks are not at all painful. You feel them, but they are like someone presses their hand on your skin down with some force without actually impacting your skin.

When you do this on your neck, the first electricity is felt pretty well. This is expected given that your neck is more sensitive. The electricity feels good though, especially when it turns into the fast massaging feeling afterwards.

When the hard pulses come in, things change. The pulses are not at all painful, but they successfully manage to control the muscles in your neck making your head twitch uncontrollably with each pulse. If you watch tv, it is still very much possible, but others will definitely think you are in pain, which you aren't. It does feel like a professional massager is going wild on your body to fix the issue, especially once you crave for a higher level. I think it has like 26 levels, and I went to level 5? which was more than enough.

I used the device while watching a youtube video. After the video ended, I stopped the estim moved the pads to a different place on my neck and repeated the process.

Once done, my muscles felt so relaxed. My headache was gone. Incredible. I have not even got such result from a professional massager. It lasted for a few hours before I felt the muscles started to get tenser again, but for the entire day I have not felt the headache anymore. Will definitely do another session soon. My shoulders also have a problem with tense muscles, I may also do a session on them. Will be the first, but what I experienced so far, I'm very sure this will work.

One last note for using it as BDSM device: I can have a lot on my nipples, but the program for back, I tried it on my nipples and even on a low setting it is pretty painful. This device will definitely be able to both help you with your tense muscles but also give you pain if you so desire.

Oh, and I am having a hard time to not get an orgasm with some of the programs either, even if I only stimulate my nipples. Yes, the proper estim devices can all do this to me, but this one is by far the easiest one to go into orgasm territory. Luckily this is only with one program so far. The shoulder program is really nice as bdsm on my nipples though. On a high setting, it really builds to that powerful feeling then goes weak again, and repeats that as program. Because it goes much softer every time, you keep getting a feeling of bdsm when using them. The neck program also works wonders, but the hard shocks every second are less desirable in the sense that you won't like them. But I guess with BDSM, that is a good thing. The really powerful shocks afterwards hurt even more than the pulses before and funnily enough, I keep craving for them every round even though I fully know they will be overwhelming.

I hope this review helped you. If you have questions, let me know. I haven't fully explored this device yet. I only have it for a full day now (27 hours, I think).
Formally known as Slave_L.
I'm not yet very comfortable expressing my love for kink from my private life. I will therefor hide behind my username KinkInSpace and not allow any connections to who I really am. I'm sure you'll understand.
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