The Best Sex Machines for Solo, Couple, or Long-Distance Playtime

Calling the Lovense Gravity a “sex machine” might be a bit of a misnomer, but it’s worth including on this list because it’s a great halfway point between a more traditional vibrator and a proper sex machine. It’s a small, handheld dildo with an array of strong vibration patterns and the simple magnetic charging contacts that most Lovense vibrators come with. What sets it apart is its built-in thrusting motor. It’s not the most powerful, but it can provide a solid amount of automated penetration without much effort. In my testing, the Gravity could perform between 100 and 130 thrusts per minute, though if it met much resistance, the motor slowed down and could grind a bit. You should always use plenty of lube, especially with a device like this.

Since this is a handheld vibrator, you’ll have to provide most of the resistance, though it does come with a large suction cup for mounting to a wall or surface. This suction cup wasn’t overly sturdy, but it’s serviceable. It's surprisingly loud for a vibrator when the thrusting motor is engaged, but still much quieter than most full-size sex machines. If you’re iffy on sex machines, the Lovense Gravity is a great place to start and the best thrusting vibrator I’ve tried.

The popular perception of sex machines (thanks mainly to porn) is usually a dildo on the end of a long rod attached to a motor. That visual might be intimidating, but Lovense made it downright cute with the Lovense Mini Sex Machine (8/10, WIRED Recommends). A smaller, compact version of its flagship product, the Mini has a powerful motor in a small package, with easily adjustable legs that allow you to position the device at the best angle.

Most sex machines—including Lovense’s larger flagship sex machine—are large and heavy, and can be cumbersome to set up, but the Mini reduces almost every pain point, including the price. At $399, it’s the least expensive machine you’ll find on the market without sacrificing much power. In my testing, it could reach up to 280 thrusts per minute, though its low weight meant it was a little more likely to slide on smooth surfaces. That trade-off is worth it for the portability, though. The thrusting motor was also surprisingly quiet. Someone might still overhear you from the other side of a closed door, but I doubt anyone would hear you in a neighboring apartment. Unless you're trying to be heard, anyway.

The whole machine comes in a box about the size of a toolbox, with a convenient handle. I highly recommend holding on to this box for storing or transporting the machine, but even if you choose not to, the machine’s parts are small enough to fit inside an Ikea-sized cube cubby, and at 7 pounds, it's light enough to carry wherever you want.

The Lovense Remote app also adds many features ideal for long-distance couples. You can control the speed and pattern of thrusts from anywhere in the world, and built-in text and voice/video call features let you do it all from one app. You can even create and share a Zoom-style link to let someone take control of your device and set the link to expire after a set duration or a certain number of uses.

Lovense’s original sex machine is larger and more powerful than the Mini, but it has some attractive features to offset the extra weight (and cost). The motor on this machine can exceed 300 thrusts per minute, so if intense penetrative stimulation is your thing, this upgrade might be worth it for you.

The Lovense Sex Machine also supports two rods, one on each end, so multiple people can use the machine at the same time. It comes with two interchangeable dildos. One is a typical 5.43 inches, while the other is a larger 6.3 inches. Lovense sells additional attachments, so if two people want to use the machine but both prefer the same size attachment, you might need to buy an extra one. That aside, it comes with everything you need for two people to play together.

The full-size sex machine weighs about 25 pounds, compared to the 7 pounds for the Mini, but that extra weight is a perk. The machine stays firmly in place, no matter what surface it’s on or how high you turn the motor. It supports more positions, including pointing the machine straight up, but the legs require an Allen wrench to adjust, so it takes a bit more setup than the Mini. The motor is louder than the one on the Lovense Mini—which makes sense, it's also bigger and more powerful—but it's still not jet engine-loud. If you want to be discreet, just make sure no one else is home when you use it, but you probably won't wake the neighbors.

It's a bit of an investment compared to its smaller sibling. However, it’s worth mentioning that Lovense also has a fairly robust software suite for content creators if you plan to make that investment literally.

Although sex machines usually conjure up thoughts of large penetrative devices, that’s not always the case. After all, a sex toy doesn’t have to be big and wield a dildo to be classified as a machine. I’d be remiss to totally skip over sex machines for penises—especially because that’s exactly what rechargeable masturbators are.

If the F1S V3 sounds like a fancy car, that’s because this thing is the Cadillac of masturbators. According to my partner, who has the penis in the relationship, this machine simulates blow jobs so amazingly well that he experienced brief moments where he was able to drift off and think it was, to use his words, “an interesting twist on the real deal.”

Unlike other masturbators that require thrusting, the F1S V3 lets the user lie back and enjoy themselves while this handheld machine does all the work, from low teasing hums to intense pulsations. If the eight modes aren’t enough and you need to turn things up a bit, you can connect your phone to the LELO app for more options and hands-free stimulation. Because you can get two hours of playtime out of this bad boy—after two hours of charging—you definitely want to make sure you load up on your favorite water-based lube.