As a sex journalist, I spend my days penning poetry about the top toy options for newbies, newlyweds, anal play, and more. Given that it’s my literal job to recommend sex toys to others, it’s rarer than the meat on a beef carpaccio dish for me to stumble on a buzzy buddy I haven’t tried, heard of, or seen before. But when I logged onto the clock app a few summers ago and was met with a love letter to (er, video about) a rose vibrator, that’s exactly what happened.

These days, videos about the Rose Toy (as it’s simply known) have continued to go viral, and so have the number of rose-shaped sex toys on the market. At this point, almost every popular sex toy manufacturer—including Lovehoney, Romp, INYA, plusOne, and Honey Play Box—have released a rose-shaped product promising to make your vulva bloom with pleasure. Two brands, InBloom and The Rose Toy Official, have gone as far as to make rose-shaped sex toys their entire personality. And currently, there are more than 3,000 search results for “rose sex toy” on Amazon.

In the name of journalistic investigation, since originally stumbling on that viral vid, I have made it my mission to test every rose-shaped vibrator and clit sucker I can get my hands and hooha on. After nearly 24 months of in-lab testing, I can confidently say that I’ve found the gold medalist: the Satisfyer Pro 2 Modern Blossom ($40). Ahead, learn why this particular rose vibrator has earned a place in my bedside table over all the others I’ve tried. Plus, why so many pleasure-seekers are buying themselves motorized bouquets.

Satisfyer Pro 2 Modern Blossom — $40.00

Includes two pulse caps and a magnetic charging cable.

Settings: 11

Pros:

• Affordable
• 11 powerful settings
• Flexible silicone petals flutter for more natural sensation
• Waterproof
• 15-year warranty

Cons: 

• A bit noisy when wearing the Liquid Air Technology cap

The rose vibrator trend, explained

While every rose toy iteration has some unique twist, these toys are more similar than dissimilar. Most obviously, they are all shaped like the head of a rose. (Though some also feature slinky, silicone stems that double as internal stimulators).

“This familiar shape can feel less intimidating than something that is shaped like a more traditional sex toy,” explains sex educator Lisa Finn with Babeland, a sex-toy emporium that sells multiple versions of the floral toy. Meanwhile, the fact that it doesn’t look like a body part (like most dildos, for example) means it can be arousing to those who are physiologically aroused by the idea of getting down with a phallus, they explain. “Its discreet shape is also great for folks who are nervous about their sex toy being found by someone else,” they say, such as college students, parents, and anyone else with roommates.

Actually, part of why rose-shaped toys have been able to go viral on the internet and then become so popular IRL is their shape. “Rose review videos aren’t getting suppressed by the algorithm the way reviews of dildos might be, which is helping reviewers, influencers, brands, and sex toy aficionados of all types share them more readily,” Finn says.

They also provide a unique, oral-sex-esque sensation that feels, well, orgasmic. A type of sex toy known as suction sex toys, rose toys don’t vibrate—instead, they use the movement and pulsation of air simulate cunnilingus, explains Finn. “These toys have an opening that is meant to encircle the head of the clit,” they explain. Depending on how you hold the toy, size of the nozzle, as well as the girth and length of your clit, you can either stimulate your clit without touching it directly. Or, you can press the toy flush against your body. “Oftentimes, this will create a seal between your skin and the sex toy that directs all the sensation directly over the nerve-rich clitoris,” explains Finn.

If it sounds intense, that’s because it is. “Many who have used these toys describe the sensation as being similar to getting a blowjob on their clit,” they say.

About the Satisfyer Pro 2 Modern Blossom

If I’m the judge and rose toys are the contestants, it’s Satisfyer Pro 2 Modern Blossom that’s getting first place.

Measuring in 2.6 inches wide, this rose-shaped toy is more-or-less the size and shape of a lacrosse ball that’s covered in petals. Given it’s made from body-safe silicone, it has a similar texture to one, too. It’s also waterproof, USB-rechargeable, and incredibly affordable. Ringing up at just $40, this rose toy is nearly half the price of other variations like the Adorme Rose Lover Sucking Vibrator ($66) or the Bloomgasm Rose Buzz Clitoral Stimulator ($71).

What really sets the Satisfyer Pro 2 Modern Blossom apart and above other rose toys, however, is the specific Air Pulse Technology it uses to massage your clit (or nipples!). The air pulsates through the penny-sized nozzle in such a way that helps blood to circulate to and engorge your entire clitoral network, explains sex educator Megwyn White, resident sexpert for Satisfyer. Blood getting directed to your genitals is a key part of the arousal process, so the result is that you’re seriously turned on, she says. From there, the air works over-time massaging your clit without requiring that the toy actually touch your skin.

Notably, the Satisfyer Pro 2 Modern Blossom isn’t just equipped with the Satisfyer cult-favorite Air Pulse Technology. “It comes with a cap that can be popped on the nozzle, which creates the all-new and revolutionary Liquid Air Technology, which mimics the sensation of pulsing water,” explains White. “Many people say that orgasms from this toy are deeper and stronger than they are from other toys,” she says. Certainly, that’s been my experience with the toy, but more on that below!

My review

By the time I tried the Satisfyer Pro 2 Modern Blossom, I’d already made my genitals the guinea pig for at least a dozen other rose sex toys—including the Satisfyer Pro 2 Classic Blossom ($40).

To give it to you straight, at that point I was pretty sure my POV on rose sex toys was that they were categorically pretty meh. Sure, I could appreciate why their shape and sensation might be appealing to other pleasure-seekers. But pretty consistently, I’d finish my sexperiments convinced that the rose petals were too rigid, and the technology used was less sensational compared to other suction toys that aren’t shaped like florals, like the We-Vibe Melt ($149) or the Dame Aer ($119). Despite the fact that I went into my first date with the Satisfyer Pro 2 Modern Blossom ready to rule out rose sex toys altogether, deciding they were nothing more than an over-hyped viral trend, the hot pink toy won me over.

Right out of the package, it was clear that this Satisfyer product had a feature most competitor products don’t have: flexible petals. Rather than sporting a series of tight-to-the-nozzle petals that provide texture but not much additional sensation, the Satisfyer Pro 2 Modern Blossom has seven flexible petals that flower out from the opening. After fiddling with buttons, I noticed that the petals started to subtly flutter as I ramped up the intensity. Hopeful that that would mean that the rest of my vulva gets in on the action, too, I got to work.

My previous testing experience taught me that using air-suction toys creates an irritating tugging sensation if I’m not adequately aroused or juiced up. So, I started by playing with myself over my underwear, running a nail up and down my crease the way an old fling used to. When I was ready for more direct pressure, I slid off my skivvies. Then, I coated my fingers and then my vulva with a water-based lubricant. (Silicone-lubricant can’t be used with silicone toys, like the Satisfyer Pro 2 Modern Blossom). By the time I brought the bloom to my bits, I felt ready to bust, and less than a minute later, as the air sucked my clit and the petals tag-teamed my labia, I did.

The second time I used the toy, I attempted to make my solo session feel more like a marathon than a sprint. So, rather than immediately ramping up to the highest of the 11 intensity settings, I started with the barely-there breeze afforded by the first option, before oh-so-slowly increasing the setting. When I was on the brink of orgasm, however, I stopped and turned the toy off. Quickly, I outfitted the rose with the cap designed to administer the Liquid Air Technology and then got back to it.

Bluntly, I wasn’t impressed. While the Air Pulse Technology is whisper quiet, the Liquid Air Technology is louder than a motorboat! No doubt, the Liquid Air Technology feels good but even though I don’t have a roommate, I can’t imagine myself choosing the obnoxiously loud option over the impressively silent one—especially when the latter makes sweet, sweet love to me so well.

So, after a few minutes, I ripped off the cover, and let myself come and come and come again, finally understanding the hype on viral rose sex toys.

Final thoughts

Between its subtle shape, ergonomic design of the petals, powerful air suction technology,, I’d recommend Satisfyer Pro 2 Classic Blossom to anyone on the market for a rose sex toy. Given its incredibly affordable price point, I’d even recommend it for anyone looking for a budget-friendly air pulse or suction toy. After all, most good clit suction toys ring up at upwards of $100 bucks.

However, the floral shape of this viral category of toys requires greater finger strength and dexterity, compared to flatter, wand-shaped suction toys, like the Womanizer Premium ($199), We-Vibe Melt, or the Dame Aer. Plus, few offer some of the higher tech features that some luxury clit suction toys do, such as app capabilities, a standby mode, and a pre-heating function.

So, before you invest in the Satisfyer Pro 2 Classic Blossom or any other rose sex toy, I recommend asking yourself: How married am I to the rose aesthetic? If the answer is very, go on and buy yourself a whole damn bouquet—you deserve it.