Hello Saraid » Tickle

A short interview with Matt from Tickle

Saraid — Thu, 27 May 2010 15:27:59 +0000

Matt, the founder and main guy of Tickle, and I were recently talking and I thought it would be a great idea to do an interview with him so people understand a little more about what Tickle is about and why they should support this awesome company. Matt has been nothing but helpful when I asked questions about the toys I was sent to review and I know he would do the same with his customers.

On to the interview!

Here's a glance at how Tickle's website is designed. Simple, classy and easy to use.

Who are you?

Well, I’m a 23 year old bisexual from North Carolina. I went to Guilford College (go Quakers!) in Greensboro, NC for 3 years before leaving to start Tickle. Before Tickle, I was a documentary photographer and curator of Vewd.org (I had a Wikipedia article, but it seems someone finally realized I wasn’t important enough and removed it). I’m very open and always welcome people to contact me, my e-mail address is mattblalock@myticklespot.com or ask me anything. http://www.formspring.me/mattblalock

Why did you start Tickle?

Everyone asks me why I would get into such a crowded space, but that’s part of why I did it. There are many companies that offer the same products as Tickle, but they don’t support their customers. They just sell things. They stick it up on the shelf and let you buy what you want and you leave. If it doesn’t work or you don’t like it, too bad. I didn’t like that. It didn’t make me feel warm and fuzzy about buying something so intimate, so personal. I decided I’d be as good as any to solve that problem. I can’t say I’ve solved it just yet, but we’re very close. I work every day to make Tickle better, one day (hopefully soon!) I think we’ll have our perfect toy store.

It seems like you guys stock higher end toys or just nicer toys in general. This makes me so happy since there are many shops that carry all kinds of toys with phthalates and chemicals. What inspired you to decide not to carry these types of toys?

We do stock the best of the best. We made a decision early on that we would not present something that could be unsafe for our customers. We’ve researched every ingredient and every material for every product we offer. If it could be unsafe, based on our research, we will not offer it. As an extension of that, we have a policy regarding complaints. We track every complaint we receive about a product and monitor the reviews very closely. If a product continues to make our customers unhappy, we will stop selling it immediately.

What’s it like being the little guy trying to compete with the big stores?

It’s incredibly exhilarating! We’re competing with companies whose daily advertising budget exceeds our annual budget. Think about that, they spend more in a day than we could in a year! Needless to say, we must get creative. While it is exhilarating, it can be equally exhausting; we know we can offer amazing service and products to people and we wish we could offer it to far more, sadly we’re reaching just a small number of people. On the bright side, our customers are very happy and we’re happy to have them!

Your affiliate program is wonderfully designed and is probably one of the best I have seen. What, according to you, makes your program really appealing to bloggers?

Thank you! We think the best thing about the program is the support we can provide. We don’t just let everyone into our program; for every application we accept, we deny 10. We do this intentionally so that we can support our Partners like a family. We’ll create banners for our Partners, help optimize their websites, and in one case, we even completely rebuilt a website for a Partner. Plus, we do offer very good commissions!

So there you have it. If you haven’t heard of Tickle or have just passed them up until now, I would highly encourage you to check them out. If you click the banner below it will take you to the main page. I’m not even putting my affiliate code in so that it doesn’t appear that I’m doing this for commissions – I just really, really like Tickle and want them to succeed.

Review: The Cone

Saraid — Thu, 06 May 2010 01:45:00 +0000

The Cone is one of those toys that I’ve stared at for a couple years, thought it looked interesting and then decided I would never use it, so it just got shoved to the bottom of my wishlist. My interest peaked once again however, when I realized it was offered in black. The idea of a big pink cone was almost too comical, but a big black cone? Why not? So Tickle sent it on over.

Honestly, I was confused about how to use it. I don’t hump things – I just don’t. Ever. So I had to figure out another way to make it work. Firstly, I don’t want to ramble, so I’m going to make lists of the awesome and the not so awesome. There are a lot of things to like about the Cone, but it definitely could have its drawbacks for many people. This toy also is highly dependent on how you like to masturbate. If you’re not a fan of vaginal penetration and you would rather rub up against something (such as pillows, only better), this is your toy. If you like vaginal penetration and are less of a “humper,” this may annoy you.

Things that are awesome about the Cone:

It doesn’t look like a typical sex toy.
It has really unique vibration patterns.
It’s strong as all get out.
It’s really easy to clean.

Things that are not so hot about the Cone:

It’s really difficult to figure how to best use it.
It doesn’t work well in all the recommended positions.
The pointy end can be stabby if you put a lot of weight on it.

So what’s the verdict? I think the Cone is great, if you can figure out how to use it and don’t mind it blocking vaginal access from most positions. If you’re having sex in a doggie-style position or variant, you can have some vaginal access, although you really have to play with the angle to get the depth of penetration you want while keeping your clit aligned with the point at the top of the Cone.

This also presented a problem as the angle I had to be at caused my partner to put a lot of his weight (he weighs around 175) on me and it caused my pubic bone to grind against the top of the Cone. Less than pleasant. I thought about trying some of the positions listed, but honestly most of them just seem awkward. One of the only ones that is practical is the sitting on-the-Cone-while-giving-a-blowjob position.

For cleaning I just wipe it off since you obviously can’t submerse it well without killing it. I just have mind sitting in a drawer, but if you’re concerned about lint (I just wipe it before using) keep it in a plastic bag.

Overall, get the Cone if you want something new, but if you’re not willing to experiment I would pass this one up. It takes some work figuring out the best way to use it.

Thanks so much to Tickle for letting me review the Cone!

[View with PicLens]

Review: Pink Water

Saraid — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:50:18 +0000

Looking for the perfect water-based lubricant? It’s lube week on Hello Saraid! I’ll compare 4 different water based lubricants to find the best one for everyone. Lube week is sponsored by the fabulous Tickle! This is the last post. I hope you’ve all found at least one you’re interested in.

It’s the last day of lube week and I’ve decided to do Pink Water. I first heard of Pink Water when asking on Twitter about what the best water-based lube is. Three different people told me Pink Water within 3 minutes of me posting the question, so I figured I should give it a shot.

Ingredients: Water, HEC, PEG 45, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Polyquaternium 5, Tetrasodium EDTA, Germall II, Sodium benzoate, Aspartame, Polysorbate 20, Aloe Vera extract, Ginseng extract, Guarana extract, Avena sativa extract, Sodium hydroxide, Propylene glycol.

It’s glycerin free, but still has parabens, so if you’re paraben sensitive this one isn’t for you. It also has aloe and other extracts to soften skin while you use it.

Scent: Pink doesn’t have a detectable scent in the bottle.

Taste: Slightly bitter. This is another one I would suggest not using if oral sex is on the menu. Wait until after oral to use it or pick another one that is oral compatible like this one.

Lasting Time: Pink Water seems to last forever, which I’ve determined is probably from the parabens. It’s not going to last quite as long as silicone, but almost.

Good for Anal? Probably not the best since it’s really thin.

Sticky Factor: No stickiness here! Which is due to the lack of glycerin, so you don’t have to worry about sticking to your partner and making nasty tape-peeling noises.

Additional Information: While it’s not Sliquid, it’s definitely worth a try and it’s also quite a bit cheaper. So if you’re on a budget, this one might work out well for you!

Review: System JO Flavored

Saraid — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:41:31 +0000

It’s the third day of lube week here on Hello Saraid. Today we have another addition from System JO – System JO Flavored. I opted for the Raspberry version since I figured raspberry flavoring should be easy to not mess up. I mean, if they can master it for nasty things like fluoride, they should be able to do it for something way more awesome like lube.

Ingredients: Propyl paraben, Methyl paraben, Sodium Carboxy Methyl Cellulose, Glycerine, Purified Water, Natural and Artificial Raspberry Flavor

. . . Okay, so definitely not natural and it contains Glycerin, but I don’t really think this is a lube you would use everyday anyway. If you want something you can use for sex and oral sex both without getting a nasty taste in your mouth this may be your answer. However, if you’re sensitive to glycerin you may want to keep this away from your vagina.

Scent: It smells like raspberry, but the fake kind.

Taste: Same as the scent. If you’re okay with artificial flavor (think raspberry candy or a raspberry snow cone) you should like this just fine. If you apply a thin layer, the taste is not too overpowering.

Lasting Time: This lasts a decently long time, but not as much as the other two lubes I’ve reviewed in lube week so far. I wouldn’t use this if you need something that’s going to last a long time. However, for oral and other “light” activities, it’s perfect.

Good for Anal? Most definitely not. It’s very thin and wouldn’t work well.

Stick Factor: Unfortunately, this one gets sticky. Because glycerin is one of the first ingredients, it gets sticky quickly. So as stating in the Lasting Time section, don’t use this if you need something that is going to last a long time.

Additional Information: System JO Flavored is most definitely a specialized lube, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good product. If you’re looking for a good deal on a flavored lube, look no further. Also, Tickle offers it in 12 flavors, and at $8 for 5.25 oz. it’s a great deal so you can try more than one flavor.

Review: Sliquid H2O

Saraid — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:06:09 +0000

It’s day two of lube week and today we have Sliquid H2O! Tickle carries 10 different Sliquid products including all three of their new organic lubes, so get to testing.

Ingredients: Purified Water, Plant Cellulose, Ployquat 007 & DMDM Hydantoin (100% Vegan)

Hm, what’s missing? Oh yeah, parabens and glycerin! That makes this lube great for anyone since there is nothing to irritate or cause yeast infections.

Scent: H2O doesn’t have a specific scent that I can detect, so it would be great for someone who hates that “lube smell” and is looking for something a little less offensive.

Taste: Surpise, surprise! It actually doesn’t taste like anything. Every time I go to taste a lube I probably make the worst face ever since I hate doing it, but this one actually tastes like nothing. I was pleasantly surprised!

Lasting Time: H2O’s only drawback is that it doesn’t last as long as silicone lubes or other water-based lubes with more chemicals. I usually have to reapply at least once during sex or during an extended masturbation session, but usually not more than that. If you’re fine reaching for the bottle in the middle of sex, then it really is worth it to get this one. It wins in every other aspect.

Good for Anal? You could try it, but I personally wouldn’t since it’s rather thin. The plus side is that it won’t irritate you if you use it anally because there are no parabens.

Sticky Factor: H2O will dry up before it will get sticky, which is partly due to the fact that it doesn’t have any glycerin.

Addtional Information: I really, really love Sliquid. All of their products are glycerin and paraben-free, making them safe for everyone to use. Grab up as many Sliquid products as you can, you won’t regret it. Looking for one that will work for anal? Try Sliquid Sassy, it’s awesome.

Review: System JO Agape for Women

Saraid — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:32:18 +0000

I’ve been looking for the perfect water-based lubricant for what seems like forever. So I figured having a mini-lube week here on the blog would help others out there also looking for the perfect lube. What’s the first lube in this series sponsored by Tickle? System JO Agape for Women.

Since this is the first review, I’ll explain the breakdown. Since I want to cover everything possible about the lube in a concise manner, I’m going to use the following categories: ingredients, scent, taste, lasting time, good for anal, sticky factor and additional information.

Ingredients: Methyl paraben, Propylene glycol, Propyl paraben, Sodium Carboxy methyl cellulose, and purified water.

As you can see, this lube is far from natural, but it also doesn’t contain glycerin, which is great for women who get yeast infections and UTIs easily. If you have a paraben sensitivity this is not for you as there are two kinds of parabens used. If you’ve taken too much chemistry class, you’re probably drawing those compounds in your head – I know I am.

Scent: Agape for Women has a very, very light medical scent. I had to put my nose into the bottle opening to detect it, so it’s not too strong. If you normally have a problem with the scents in lubes, you won’t have any problem with this one.

Taste: While I personally wouldn’t go eating the stuff because of the high amount of parabens, but even if you would you’ll want to keep this away from your mouth. Upon tasting a small drop I found it to be extremely bitter and leave an odd taste in my mouth. I had to go brush my teeth after tasting it for this review. You’ll want to make sure you save using this lube until after any oral activities are done.

Lasting Time: Agape for Women has one of the best lasting times I have encountered in a water-based lubricant. When testing it side by side with Sliquid Silver, Silver only outlasted Agape for Women by around 5 minutes.

Good for Anal? No, it is too thin to be used anally.

Sticky Factor: One of the best things about Agape for Women? It doesn’t ever get sticky. It dries up before it gets sticky, so you don’t have to worry about your Liberator throe or whatever else you lay/sit on sticking to you when you get up.

Additional Information: System JO makes a wide variety of lubes, almost all of which are carried by Tickle. So if you don’t have luck with this one, don’t let it turn you off to the entire brand. As mentioned before, if you have a paraben sensitivity, this one isn’t for you. I would also suggest that even if you don’t have a reaction to parabens vaginally, don’t use this one anally. The mucus membranes in the anal canal are far more sensitive than those in the vagina, so don’t risk it.

Thanks so much to Tickle for letting me review this! Want your own? Click on the banner below and use the code SAVE10 to get your own.