【Painful Man And Woman】

Maude's vibrators might look unassuming — but Painful Man And Womanthat's kind of the point.

The simple, elegant minimalism of their sex toys is a huge part of why the original Vibe vibrator became such an instant classic. Beloved by beginners, it still regularly sells out and even won our top spot for the best overall affordable vibrator under $50.

Now there's the Drop, a brand new release from Maude available for pre-order and launching in April. We tested the egg-shaped palm vibrator, and are delighted to report that the newcumer is just as worthy of buzz (winkwink) as the cult-favorite original Vibe before it.

The wellness brand, which also sells bath and body products, is doubling down on sexual health since recently partnering with Fifty Shades of Greystar Dakota Johnson. While other sex toy companies trade in gaudy packaging and salacious over-sensationalization, Maude instead insists on treating pleasure devices as no different than any other type of physical or mental self-care. The affordability of its sex toys even calls bullshit on the classism you typically get with luxury wellness brands, which talk big game about self-care being "for everyone" while charging obscene prices only the few can pay for.

But Maude's budget-friendliness never comes at the cost of bespoke, high-quality beauty.

Keeping in line with the Vibe, the Drop looks like an object ripped straight out of the MoMA's gift shop — like modern art for your pussy. Here, though, the minimalist art style has practical utility, too.

The Drop's User-Friendly Design

The single-button design, which cycles through three intensity settings, streamlines the usually overwhelming bells and whistles of your standard sex toy design. Instead of an intimidating number of unnecessary vibration patterns or button layouts, Maude focuses only on the essentials, with the unbeatable user-friendliness that makes a toy great for novices. It's also waterproof, able to be put into travel lock mode, and made of body-safe and ultra-soft silicone. Plus, it comes in a cute canvas pouch for sanitary storage.

All that being said, in my subjective opinion, the Drop's egg-like shape does look a bit less artful than the abstractness of the Vibe. On the other hand, it makes up for it with about double the power, which matters more to me in a sex toy than appearances. On the other otherhand, the trade-off for more power is twice as much noise — though the Drop is still quite low on the spectrum of noisiness among the dozens of toys I've tested.

Essentially, The Drop is what you'd get if you squashed the Vibe down into a beauty blender shape.

Meant to similarly fit in the palm of your hand, the bulbous shape not only allows for stronger motors but also covers a larger surface area than the Vibe's fluttery, pinpoint stimulation. Both have near-identical tip shapes, though. So you have the option to use the Drop's sides for that dispersed sensation, while the top of it offers a more powerful version of the Vibe's concentrated pinpoint pleasure.

Which Vibrator Is Better? Drop vs. Vibe

Determining which toy is better really comes down to personal preference — but the Drop has my vote. What the two vibrators do share in common is a nice medium between "buzzy" versus "rumbly" vibration types, which (again) makes them ideal for folks who aren't sure which they like.

Foregoing the fluttery tip of the Vibe does make the Drop a bit better suited for some light, external ("external" being a keyword here) backdoor teasing (but, general health tip: never put anything up your vagina after it's been near your ass, unless you thoroughly clean it first). Both are versatile enough for nipple play, too.

It's also hard to say with any objectivity which vibrator fits better in your hand. Some love the low-profile of palm vibrators like the Drop. Others (like me) have freakishly small and weak baby hands that can't grip anything comfortably for too long, not even a large egg-shaped item.

The Drop's marketing sells it on resembling the "head of a wand vibrator." While it is significantly more powerful than Maude's other offering, any resemblance to the notorious rub-your-clit-off horsepower of a wand vibrator is in appearance only. If you're looking for the raw potency of a wand at the same price point, though, we suggest Sweet Vibes' Charmedinstead.

What makes Maude's vibrators such clear winners in the entry-level vibrator category is that your pussy deserves nothing less than a museum-gallery design with drugstore practicality.

The inviting branding of a wellness brand isn't just for show when it comes to vibrators, either, because one of the biggest things that holds folks back from trying sex toys in the first place is stigma and shame. The typically misogynistic, male gaze-y marketing that dominates the sex toy industry perpetuates this notion that women's sexuality as some sort of super naughty kink. But it isn't. Vaginal pleasure isn't just a normal thing, it's also natural and beautiful.

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The Drop, like the Vibe, is like an organic fragrance-free body lotion that stands out from a sea of Victoria Secret Pink Mango Blast body glow paints (or whatever). It won't overpower your senses — but it will nourish you with every touch instead.

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