Arcwave Ion 2 Review – My Sex Toy Guide

Suction devices have taken the clitoral market by storm, but the Arcwave Ion 2 is here to acquaint people with penises to Pleasure Air technology. That’s right, the Ion 2 is a discreet, waterproof icon waiting to introduce your penis to a new world of pleasure. My partner once again donated his penis to science so that I could do some experimentation, and the results were as novel as the sensations. Let’s talk about what you can expect from this high-tech stroker.

Key Takeaways

Does the air suction massage the Arcwave Ion 2 provides feel good on penises? Survey says: yes. The Ion 2 will work especially well for those who feel like the frenulum doesn’t get its due. If you need to stroke to get off, this is perfect since you can enjoy two stimulations during playtime. People who are fans of vibrating sleeves and have a sensitive frenulum will relish the distinctive sensation.

Who Should Try It? This stroker is excellent for people with erectile dysfunction, as long as you’re a couple of inches long from base to frenulum while soft. Otherwise, your frenulum won’t reach the suction sensor. This stroker is absolutely worth the hefty price tag for people who want to explore a new sensation, find a new way to climax, and have frenulum-focused fun.

Who Can Skip It? The Arcwave Ion 2 won’t be ideal for people with micro penises, as your length will affect your experience. It’s also not for anyone who needs something discreet, lives with roommates and/or children, or for whom noise will be a distraction. If your frenulum isn’t particularly sensitive, this one is not for you.

You Can Buy It on the official Arcwave website for $169.

What Is the Arcwave Ion 2?

The Arcwave Ion 2 is a revolutionary suction stroker with an excellent storage case and Pleasure Air Technology. The suction targets the frenulum, one of the most sensitive areas on a penis. The design is flexible, so you can grip as you stroke. It comes with high-end features, too, like Autopilot and Smart Silence, which give this stroker an over-the-top feel. It comes with a discreet carrying case and is rechargeable, to boot.

View On Arcwave.com

View On Lovehoney

First Impressions and Features

Unboxing

The unboxing was lovely after the Arcwave Ion 2 arrived discreetly on my doorstep. Inside was a sturdy box you could use for storage, but you won’t need to, as it also came with a luxury storage case. The carrying case zips, is nice and thick, and will keep your stroker out of harm’s way with ease. It also arrives with a magnetic charging cable, safety information, and a quick start guide. The only thing on your to-do list should be to pick up some water-based lube before use (You can see all the included items in the image below).

Features

The Arcwave Ion 2 has iconic features, including:

• Waterproof silicone
• Strong frenulum suction, called Pleasure Air
• Easy-to-use three-button interface
• Smart Silence, which turns the stroker off when it’s not in contact with your skin
• Autopilot, which creates a random pattern based on your intensity preferences

Specifications

Arcwave Ion 2 specifications at a glance:

• Material: Medical-grade silicone, ABS plastic
• Size: 6 x 2 x 3.3”
• Color: Black
• Mechanism: Penis stroking and frenulum suction
• Weight: 12.75 oz

How Do I Use the Arcwave Ion 2?

Ready to get started? After the stroker is out of the box, charge it by placing the magnetic USB charging cable aligned with the magnetic pins. When it’s charging, the light will blink, and when it’s fully charged, it will stay lit (it should look like the image below). The instructions said it would take ninety minutes to fully charge after being used for an hour. When we tested the battery, it lasted seventy-five minutes and took just under two hours to recharge.

After charging it, twist off the sleeve so that it’s detached and only wash the part that will be encountering your penis. Then wash the sleeve with warm water and antibacterial soap and twist it back on. Put water-based lubricant in the sleeve and around your penis. Put your penis inside the sleeve, with the cut-out facing up and the buttons facing down. When placed correctly, your frenulum will be against the Pleasure Air sensor.

Using the three-button interface is stress-free. The A button turns the device on or off, as well as operates the Autopilot features. The plus increases the intensity, and the minus decreases it. To turn it on, hold the A button for two seconds, and the Pleasure Air will turn on. A short press of A will toggle between manual control and Autopilot. To activate Smart Silence, press the plus and minus buttons simultaneously and hold for five seconds.

The manual recommends trying it five times, as that is how long it takes to get used to the sensation. The Pleasure Air was brand new for my partner, and it took him two cycles to get into the groove. By the third time, it was orgasm city. The moral of that story is: don’t give up right away. When finished experimenting, rewash it and store it in the provided bag.

You can read more about how to use a stroker in this extensive guide.

View On Arcwave.com

View On Lovehoney

My Personal Experience

Have you heard the latest? The frenulum is the new clit for penis-havers. At least, that’s what the people at Arcwave are positing. They made this stroker with the idea that the frenulum and clitoris have a higher concentration of Pacinian receptors and will therefore benefit from similar types of stimulation.

My partner hadn’t used a Pleasure Air device before and was excited to see how it felt. Suction on the frenulum sounded like a treat. When he tried it for the first time, he was blown away by how much power it had. He started on a low setting so that he wouldn’t become overstimulated. It was fun to pair with stroking, but that meant inconsistent suction on his frenulum. He ended up enjoying the frenulum sensation so much that he just used it hands-free the second time—not stroking but letting the Pleasure Air do its thing. On the third try, he used a little of both, and this seemed to be the magic combination.

The only device my partner felt was comparable was the Gush 2. The vibrating oscillation comes close to the suction, but my partner preferred this one because it was easier to stay in place.

Thanks to the learning curve of a new type of stimulation, my partner felt like this would be ideal for edge play and potentially beneficial for people who ejaculate early. The sensation is new and helps your body process pleasure without necessarily having the urge to come right away.

Arcwave is owned by WOW Tech, the parent company of Womanizer. That’s why this stroker has access to some of the Womanizer’s telltale features, like Pleasure Air and Autopilot. Smart Silence wasn’t intuitive, but some of the other features added to the luxurious overall experience.

In the end, he had an easier time climaxing with the Arcwave Ion 2 than with many of the other vibrating penis strokers. The intensity helped, as did the flexible design, allowing him to feel the familiar strength of his own grip. Ion 2 has a new biggest fan!

Packaging

As you can see in the image below, the packaging looked modern, techy, and not immediately identifiable as a sex toy right off the back except for the all-caps “ORGASMIC” on the bottom of the box. It looked attractive and giftable.

Design

The sleeve has a flexible side that lets you adjust the pressure to your liking. The flexible side goes about ¾ of the way around the toy, providing an excellent grip on your erection. The buttons are on the bottom, which means you’ll have to memorize their placement for mid-masturbation changes, but there are only three, so that’s doable. Overall, this hit all the right notes of comfortable, lightweight, and intuitive.

Material

I was unfamiliar with CleanTech silicone at the beginning of this journey, but it sounded like a body-safe option. It’s waterproof IPX7, which means the Ion 2 is submergible, easy to clean, and ready for splashy fun. It’s stretchy, and it will fit a lot of different sizes of erections easily. Only wildly large erections won’t fit in this stroker. This type of silicone was silky and durable.

Stimulations

The stimulations are unique; unlike anything my partner had experienced before. It took him a beat to get accustomed to the new sensation of suction pulses on his frenulum, but after he settled into it, he was addicted. However, the suction sensation goes away when you stroke, so he found himself having to choose between the Pleasure Air on his frenulum and the stroking sensation. I don’t know how you would get around that, but he would have enjoyed it more if he could have had both at once.

He also appreciated how many features it offers. Autopilot is a setting that increases and decreases the intensity and provides haptic and auditory feedback. There are three Autopilot modes: soft (which switches you between levels 1-3), medium (3-6), and intense (5-8). It’s a fun option for people who like surprises. Autopilot was fun, but at one point during my partner’s use, it dropped from a relatively high stimulation to a lower one for more than ten seconds. For some, that could be a fun way to pace yourself, but he had to start all over, arousal-wise. He and I both prefer steady stimulation, so this may not pose a problem for people who love rhythmic sensation.

There’s also Smart Silence, which isn’t the most intuitive upgrade to pair with a stroker. Smart Silence, which I’ve enjoyed with some of my other suction toys, shuts the device off automatically when it’s not in contact with your skin. This is meant to make it discreet and potentially save battery, but it doesn’t make much of a difference with a stroker. When you’re stroking, it shuts all the stimulation off every time you pull out of the stroker, so it’s the same whether you’re using it or not. It cuts down on the noise when you’re pulling out, and then turns back on once inside, which almost drew more attention to the noise.

Sound Level

When we performed the battery test, you could hear the Ion 2 in the basement, even when it was on the top floor wrapped in a blanket. Even so, it’s much quieter when in use, just like the rest of my suction devices. Getting it in position and covering it with a comforter made a world of difference, but it was still one of the louder devices we’ve used. And if you’re using Smart Silence so it turns off between strokes, it can be downright startling. When we tested the decibels, they ranged from 70 to 86.

Build Quality and Dimensions

The build quality is excellent, seamless, and modern. The twisting lock system feels foolproof and durable, and it’s intuitive to take apart and put back together.

The dimensions are reasonably mid-grade and will fit most erections well (You can see how the size compares to some other penis vibrators in the image above). Unfortunately, this is a stroker where the size of your penis will affect the experience you have. People with larger erections may find that the Pleasure Air isn’t targeting their frenulum so much as the middle of their shaft, which is considerably less sensitive. However, the design is small enough that many people could use it while soft, making it a great choice for someone with erectile dysfunction.

Ease of Use

The Ion 2 is easy to use. The main drawback is that you’ll have to wait until your house is empty to use it since it’s so loud. But it’s waterproof, which simplifies cleaning and maintenance, and it comes with a storage system. Twisting it open was easy to do, and it felt sturdy.

However, it does take a few times for your body to adapt to the new sensation. Nearly $200 is a decent chunk of change to spend on something that you will have to learn to like. If that makes you nervous, skip it. But if you can keep trying without getting discouraged, you’re likely to find that your body and pleasure centers are more flexible than you imagined.

Versatility

The Arcwave Ion 2 is slightly versatile. It’s waterproof, so it’s ready to go anywhere. And you can use it as a stroker, enjoy the frenulum Pleasure Air, or a combination of both. But it won’t work for people with vulvas, and it won’t work during partnered play unless you’re getting pegged while using it.

Warranty and Support

The Arcwave Ion 2 is covered by a two-year warranty, which gives you plenty of time to return it if it is defective.

Minor Issues I Found During Testing

There’s no getting around it: it’s loud. You will need to get it into place quickly and wait until no one is home to use it. Further, it costs quite a bit, especially for a device that will take a few tries before you reach any sort of orgasm. However, if you’re an intrepid masturbator on the hunt for a new sensation, this could be the ideal purchase.

View On Arcwave.com

View On Lovehoney

Review Summary

Pros

• Modern features
• Unique, powerful stimulation
• Flexible twist lock design for gripping customization
• Can be used soft; good for erectile dysfunction
• Excellent for edging
• Frenulum stimulation works hands-free

Cons

• Loud
• Pricy, $169
• Won’t work for all sizes of erections

Alternatives to the Arcwave Ion 2

Arcwave Ion

The original Arcwave Ion was the first male masturbator with Pleasure Air, and the major upgrade to the latest version is the more affordable price tag. The old version had a charging case with a non-magnetic charger, but the new version has a storage case that zips, and it doesn’t charge inside the case. Both versions utilize Pleasure Air and have Smart Silence, but the old version came with a bottle of lube. There’s no reason to upgrade if you have the original, unless you absolutely cannot stand the charging case. The original Ion retailed for $200, even pricier than the new version.

You can read our full Arcwave Ion review here.

Arcwave Voy

Arcwave Voy is a simplified stroker and a better entry point for people who are new to techy masturbation aids. The Voy is made from CleanTech silicone, putting it streets ahead of the porous TPE types. While it can be heavy and won’t work for ultra-thick erections, it’s adjustable and adds a new dynamic to your regular stroking routine. It’s available for under $100, so it’s better for anyone on a budget.

You can read our full Arcwave Voy review here.

Lovense Gush 2

Lovense Gush 2 is an app-controlled stroker with hands-free capability that targets your frenulum. It vibrates and oscillates, and it comes with two straps for a hands-free grip. The Gush 2 is much quieter, so it’s better for those who need a discreet device, but both work while flaccid. The Lovense app is high quality and adds a level of versatility that the Arcwave Ion 2 can’t match. However, a tight grip is easier to achieve with the Ion 2 since it has a large area of flexibility around the stroker. You can call a Gush 2 your very own for $200.

You can read my full Lovense Gush 2 review here.

Do you want more options? We have tested many more frenulum stimulators in this article.

I am Sold! Where Can I Buy It?

Grab your Pleasure Air stroker here.

Thanks for reading my Arcwave Ion 2 review!

Angela

View On Arcwave.com

View On Lovehoney

Angela Kempf is a Denver-based writer whose sexual health writings have been published in a number of notable online publications. She enjoys B movies, yoga, traveling, and puns. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s usually on the hunt for the best tacos in town.
LinkedIn | Website | Twitter

Latest posts by Angela Kempf (see all)