Review: Hot Octopuss Pulse Solo Lux

I always get super excited when sex toy companies and brands acknowledge the existence of trans people in their marketing and websites, especially when it goes beyond a surface level acknowledgment. And while I’m not super on board with the language that Hot Octopuss use in a lot of their marketing and copy[ref]I really hate the word ‘guybrator’, and the ‘for men’/‘for women’/‘for couples’ structure of their website[/ref], I was genuinely impressed by the guide they published a few months ago about how their toys might work for trans people who’ve gone through medical transition. While not all trans people do want to medically transition, there’s very little information out there for those of us who do. The fact that Hot Octopuss produced this guide- especially since it required a lot more effort than simply gender neutralising the advice written for cis customers- really meant a lot to me, and it’s something I really want to see more of in this industry.

Of course, the fact this information was out there made me want to put it to the test even more. While I don’t have the anatomy to use the Hot Octopuss Pulse Solo Lux myself- this product works best with erectile tissue that is between 8 and 20cm in length and between 8 and 12cm in circumference, which mine is not- what I do have is a panel of trans partners who said they’d be interested in trying it.

What is the Hot Octopuss Pulse Solo Lux?

tipBefore we get into different experiences that my partners had, I want to explain what the Hot Octopuss Pulse Solo Lux is. Sent to me by SheVibe, this toy for penises has a plate that oscillates against the user rather than vibrating. It delivers incredibly rumbly sensations, although this is mostly limited to the chunkier part of the toy’s body, with the ‘wings’ that wrap around mostly there to hold the toy in place. As the Pulse Solo Lux isn’t a stroker and doesn’t need stroking, it can (at least in theory) be used by people who are flaccid.

The Pulse Solo Lux has 6 different patterns, with intensity controllable separately to the pattern. The toy can be controlled both through the button on its body, or through the remote control also supplied with the Solo Lux, which can conveniently be worn like a watch. I personally really liked the watch strap, both for its potential use in D/s partnered play and because the buttons on the toy body can be a little tough to press down.

Victoria*

Victoria is a trans woman who uses she/her pronouns. She has not had bottom surgery, and is on HRT. As Victoria hasn’t really had any issues with HRT impacting her ability to get or maintain erections, I figured using it with her would give me a good idea of the Pulse Solo’s baseline which I could compare the experiences of my other partners to. And the Pulse Solo Lux has actually become a part of quite a lot of the sex we have! Victoria doesn’t particularly like bottoming for penetration but does enjoy subbing, so the Pulse Solo Lux has worked really well for us for D/s play. While the remote control wrist strap seemed a bit gimmicky at first, I’ve really enjoyed having it in this context- one particular experience that comes to mind is having Victoria shine and clean my boots while wearing the Solo Lux, with me controlling it the whole time.

Catherine*

Catherine is a non-binary transfeminine person who uses she/her or they/them pronouns. She also has not had bottom surgery, and is on HRT. Catherine has experienced far more issues with maintaining erections on HRT than Victoria has and was excited about trying the Pulse Solo Lux because it’s intended to be usable even when the user remains flaccid. However, they found they had trouble with this. While the Pulse Solo Lux was technically usable when she was flaccid, she had real trouble achieving orgasm. This was less of an issue when she had at least a semi, but HRT has had enough of an impact on her that even this can be somewhat difficult to maintain. We think this might be a size issue, and we did have more success when combining using the Pulse Solo Lux with muffing, but there were still times when they became too soft to be able to orgasm with the Pulse Lux Solo.

Isaac*

baseIsaac is a trans man who uses he/him pronouns. He has had phalloplasty, which in his case involved his original erectile tissue being embedded in his neo-penis. While Hot Octopuss doesn’t recommend the Pulse Solo Lux for simulating embedded erectile tissue, Isaac gets enough erotic sensation from his neo-penis to be able to orgasm without his embedded tissue being directly touched.

The intensity of the Solo Lux’s oscillations was something Isaac mentioned really working for him, especially compared to the vibrating sleeves he’d tried before. It was very odd for him to get his head around a toy he didn’t stroke or thrust into, especially as that’s the kind of motion he’d gotten used to being gender affirming even before he had bottom surgery. It was actually a little awkward for a while, but with a bit of practice he took to it. One thing he did mention is placing the Solo Lux a little differently to how the toy’s manual suggests placing it, with the pulse plate towards the base of his dick rather than towards the tip. This kind of placement did actually allow him to stimulate his embedded tissue a bit, although he does agree that for those specifically and only looking to stimulate embedded tissue, the Solo Lux is probably not the right toy.

My Experience

While I don’t have the intended anatomy for the Pulse Solo Lux, that absolutely was not going to stop me trying to figure a way to use it anyway. While I wouldn’t recommend buying the Pulse Solo Lux for use if you have a vulva, I did actually sort of find a work around… emphasis on the sort of. Using it on a dildo I had strapped on actually gave me enough sensation to get off with (especially when used in combo with the BumpHer) which, I won’t lie, is incredibly impressive and something I didn’t expect. It’s not going to be a way I get off regularly, but it’s a fun and super gender affirming way to get off and I’m definitely going to do it again in the future.

One negative thing I do have to say about the Pulse Solo Lux is the noise. Power comes at a cost, and in this case the cost is noise. It’s not the worst level noise, and it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make, but if you live in a place with thin walls and noisy flatmates, the Pulse Solo Lux might not be the toy for you. I am a little disappointed with how hard the Pulse Solo Lux was to use when Catherine was flaccid, although this seems to contradict quite a lot of the testimonials I’ve heard about the Pulse products so?? I am unsure what to make of this.

If the noise won’t bother you, I can’t recommend the Pulse Solo Lux enough. I’m really happy that not only did a company reach out about the needs of trans consumers[ref]In Hot Octopuss’ case, to CliniQ, who are great[/ref], but that their suggestions are spot on. Beyond that, the Hot Octopuss Pulse Solo Lux is a fantastic toy, from the strong and intense vibrations, to the interactivity that the remote adds.

Buy the Hot Octopuss Pulse Solo Lux from SheVibe for $149.99

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*Not their real names

This toy was sent to me by SheVibe, in return for a fair and impartial review. Affiliate links were used in this post.