January 2023 Update: Lora DiCarlo is now defunct and is no longer fulfilling orders. While you may still be able to find their toys from independent retailers, you should not purchase one from Lora DiCarlo themselves.

I recently got the chance to review Baci, a new clitoral suction toy by Lora DiCarlo. I came into the review with a high level of skepticism and many questions — “how will I clean the mouth of it? I don’t really like pinpoint stimulation…this is probably going to be too intense for me.”

But, I was pleasantly surprised! I like Baci enough that it’s been added into my regular toy rotation, which hasn’t happened in, uh, a while. Even though I love Baci, you might not — so read on to learn more about it. If you have a question about Baci that I don’t address, feel free to slide into my Instagram DMs.

How the Baci Is Advertised

Category

Baci is a clitoral suction toy developed in partnership with Oregon State University’s robotics & engineering lab. While many clitoral suction toys have a small handle and are designed for pinpoint stimulation, meaning you only get sensation through the “mouth” of the toy, Baci takes a different approach.

Baci is a suction toy that also uses broad stimulation. The bulk of the sensation comes from Baci’s mouth, but the movement also resonates through the ovular body of the toy. That means that in addition to getting direct clitoral stimulation, your labia are also getting massaged. Because the legs of the clitoris extend down behind the labia, many people with vulvas find this type of stimulation pleasurable. It also doesn’t have the characteristic stick-handle that most other clitoral suction toys do. This could be helpful for you or it could present a challenge — I address that more in the materials & design section.

Price

Lora DiCarlo’s products are firmly positioned in the luxury market. Baci retails for $160. That’s on par with the pricing for clitoral suction toys when they first started showing up in the market, but now, it’s the higher end of the spectrum. If you’re a budget shopper who likes specific, pinpoint stimulation, you can get other options for less money. I got my Baci for free out of my partnership agreement with Lora DiCarlo, but if I had spent the $160 for it, it would have been worth it (more on that in a bit).

Materials & Design

The stimulation points on Baci are made of medical grade silicone and the part of Baci that you hold is made of ABS plastic. Because the stimulation area is made of silicone, you should not use Baci with silicone lubricants.

It’s shaped like a really thick egg – it’s overall dimensions are 3 inches x 2.6 inches x 3.5 inches. The clitoral mouth is 0.59 inches by 0.79 inches, and that relatively wide ovular opening means that it is going to be able to accommodate clits of many different sizes. Trans folks who are taking testosterone and have seen significant clitoral growth wouldn’t be able to use Baci to the fullest of its capabilities, though. The silicone part (which includes the clitoral mouth and the additional stimulation area) is 1.69 inches by 2.36 inches.

If you have difficulties with gripping objects, Baci may be difficult for you to hold and Baci’s cover may be even more difficult to remove (it’s fairly slippery and smooth, and has to be removed like a childproof cap on a pill bottle). Lora DiCarlo describes it as follows:

Once your Baci has arrived, remove it from the box. Grasp the bottom of the device with one hand and gently squeeze the sides. With your other hand, push down on the top of the cap and twist, just like you would remove a childproof cap on a pill bottle or the lid on a jar.

If you masturbate on your back, you could reasonably use a pillow to hold Baci in place on your body, because it doesn’t require movement during use (unless you want to add extra movement). To make it easier to grip, you could glue silicone grippy strips to the long sides of the toy.

I’ve included some photos below so that you can see about how large the Baci is in my gripped hand, plus how you might naturally hold Baci when using it on yourself. Everyone’s natural grips vary, so these are just examples.

Baci is waterproof and rechargeable. It uses a magnetic charger. Make sure that nothing is pressing on the charger when it’s charging your toy, otherwise, it might disconnect and stop charging (if you’ve used a Macbook with a mag-safe charger, you know how easily magnetic chargers can disconnect). I’ve found that the charger can hang pretty loosely and still get the job done.

Cleaning Baci was my main concern, but it was much easier than I worried it would be. First of all, the mouth of the toy isn’t a pit to nowhere — inside of the mouth is sealed, and I can easily insert the first knuckle of my index finger into it and move it all around. To clean Baci, just use warm-hot water and some soap. I recommend either antibacterial soap or unscented soap. Use a wet q-tip to clean the inside. Baci comes with a plastic lid, which keeps the silicone free from dust when not in use.

How the Baci Performed

When I received Baci, I was equal parts nervous and intrigued to try it out. Lora DiCarlo advertises Baci with phrases like “because you can’t go down on yourself” and “the mind-blowing feeling of a mouth, anytime you want it.” As someone with a background in marketing, I’m generally skeptical of really big claims like those.

While not feeling like an exact replica of oral sex, Baci actually does a better job than I expected and a better job than other oral-simulating toys on the market. If you like long, slow, flat-tongued licks over your vulva and clit – Baci is not imitating that kind of cunnilingus. It’s more like the just-about-to-cum pressure of a lightly suctioned mouth and a tongue moving fairly rapidly over the clit.

Baci has 10 intensity settings. At this point, I’ve used the toy several times and have never felt compelled to go above level 3. But, you might! I’ve reached orgasm on Baci’s lowest setting.

Admittedly, I tend toward being a lazy masturbator. My default is to grab a high-powered wand vibe and cum in like, 45 seconds or less. Sure, sometimes I’ll go for more than one orgasm, but I’m rarely making an event out of it. Ironically, that really isn’t how I enjoy partnered sex — I prefer a slow build.

Baci has made it into my nightstand as a toy that I’ve continued to turn to, which is a rare accomplishment. What I really enjoy about Baci is that the entire time using it, for me, was a pleasurable experience — but it wasn’t a super-speedy orgasm. It took me about 5 minutes to cum (so, still very quick compared to partnered sex, but slower than with a wand vibrator) most of the times I used it, and I really enjoyed the slower build-up to orgasm.

If you’re someone with a sensitive clit, Baci could be a really good toy for you. Even though it uses suction, it doesn’t feel super super intense right on the clit, likely thanks to the broad stimulation that the rest of the toy’s body uses. If you’re someone with a clit who knows that they enjoy edging and slower-build orgasms, Baci could definitely be a good toy for you. You could also use Baci on your nipples.

Lora DiCarlo doesn’t recommend sharing Baci with a partner, likely because the crevices in the mouth could hold onto bacteria.

Overall, I continue to be really happy with the Baci. I’ve consistently had orgasms with it, it’s small enough to fit in my absurdly small nightstand drawers, and it’s a toy that makes me want to use it again. Even for this lazy masturbator, Baci is a win.

If you want to buy a Baci for yourself (or someone whose pleasure you care about), you can purchase it directly from Lora DiCarlo here.

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