Arcwave Ion 2 Review: Air-Pulse Stimulation For The Frenulum

Despite not having the anatomy to enjoy Arcwave sex toys myself, luckily my husband is an eager tester when it comes to penis masturbators, prostate massagers, and anything else you need the cock-and-balls type anatomy to enjoy. We didn’t have the pleasure of reviewing the original Arcwave Ion penis toy, but I’ve heard so much about the Arcwave toys range that I knew we’d have to check out one of their products and share the feedback with my readers as soon as possible. I’m delighted to reveal this brand-new review of the Arcwave Ion 2, the upgraded version of an already popular Pleasure Air stroker. We were hoping it’d be like a Womanizer for a penis. Read on to see whether it hit the spot.

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About Arcwave Toys

Arcwave is the penis pleasure powerhouse brand under the Lovehoney Group, the same parent company behind Womanizer, We-Vibe and ROMP Toys. It was launched in 2020 after more than 2 years being thoughtfully developed, and the main goal was to create sleek, premium penis strokers which incorporate sophisticated engineering and innovative pleasure tech rather than yet more ordinary, low-quality sleeves. The original Ion (Arcwave’s debut product) was the world’s first Pleasure Air penis stroker, adapting Womanizer’s clitoral air pulse technology for the penis. It stimulated the sensitive frenulum in a way that fingers, body parts and traditional strokers can’t. This blend of clever engineering, body-safe silicone stroker elements and award-winning design (the first Ion won a Red Dot award) has made Arcwave a global leader in penis pleasure toys, and a name to watch in sex tech.

Arcwave Ion 2 Video

Enjoy my video of the Arcwave Ion 2 below, which shows packaging, what you get in the box, how to separate the two halves of the toy, how to charge up and operate, some of its settings, including operation underwater. It’s entirely IPX7 waterproof, so it’s delightfully easy to thoroughly clean after use.

Packaging & What’s In The Box

Delivery from Arcwave was safe and discreet as expected; no worries about indications of the sex toys held within the package as it was delivered to my door. The Arcwave Ion 2 box displays an image of the techtastic penis stroker inside, with some information about the toy on the back and sides of the box. I like that the box design has a blend of bright, cheery colours, which has been done cleverly so the high end feel of the product isn’t affected. The Ion 2 itself is classic black, but the box is an explosion of colour. The underlying connotations are of fun, pleasure, and hopefully, an explosive orgasm somewhere down the line.

Everything about the packaging says “premium tech”, and the lidded box being hygiene sealed provides a final kiss of reassurance before you dig into the contents.

Removing those seals, I opened the box. It contained the Ion 2, its magnetic/USB charging wire, a rather cool zip-up storage case, and some paperwork with instructions and safety information. Everything was held securely thanks to the box inner design, nothing rattling around or at risk of being damaged through transit and delivery.

Related: Discover tips on storing your strokers, lubes and more in my sex toy storage guide. 

My first impressions of the Ion 2 were strong, even though it wasn’t immediately apparent to me exactly how you use this black block of (potentially, at this early stage) technological wonder. One of the biggest points that impressed me was that the stroker part of Ion 2 is made from silicone, not a porous material like TPR/TPE or jelly, like the majority of other penis stroker sex toys out there. Find out why materials matter in my guide to sex toy materials. There was no weird chemical smell, no dodgy seams. Everything felt premium, sleek, gorgeous, and held exciting penis joy potential. I couldn’t wait to find out how it all worked – and, of course, if it worked well for my husband.

Arcwave Ion 2 Specifications

• Stimulation: Pleasure Air (pulsing airwaves targeting the frenulum)
• Intensity levels: 8
• Autopilot modes: 3 (Soft 1-3, Medium 3-6, Intense 5-8)
• Smart Silence: Yes, toggleable
• Material: Body-safe silicone sleeve
• Waterproof: Yes, IPX7 (fully submersible)
• Battery: Rechargeable Li-ion, 3.7V / 700mAh (non-replaceable)
• Charge time: 90 minutes (full charge from zero)
• Run time: 60 minutes per charge
• Charging: Magnetic charging lead to USB (included; no AC adapter)
• Dimensions: Just over 6 inches top to bottom, 3.5 inches wide side-on, just over 2 inches wide front-on
• Weight: 230g
• Canal: Open-ended; insertable length is 2.75 inches to the centre of the Pleasure Air hole, 4 inches of covered canal, and 6 inches total thrust length through the open end
• Entrance diameter: 1.3 inches unstretched (the silicone stretches comfortably to fit, with lube)
• Colour: Black
• In the box: Ion 2 stroker, magnetic USB charging cable, zip-up storage case, quick start guide, safety information
• Warranty: 2 years (covers manufacturing defects only)
• Price: £159 (UK) / $169 (US) / €169 (EU)
• Brand: Arcwave (Lovehoney Group)
• Manufacturer: WOW Tech Europe GmbH, Berlin, Germany

Design & Pleasure Air Explained

Pleasure Air stimulation is what sets the Arcwave Ion 2 apart from run-of-the-mill penis strokers. Most cock toys rely on material sensation and textured canals, with or without the addition of vibrations, to deliver stimulation. Ion 2 uses Pleasure Air: pulsing airwaves against the sensitive area of the frenulum (the taut knot of nerve-endings on the cock collar). There is also a stimulating ridged silicone chamber to thrust your lubed up cock into, and enjoy, but the core tech of that Pleasure Air delivery inside is the star attraction. It’s the same tech that has made the Womanizer sex toys so popular with clit stim fans, which is why I’ve taken to calling the Ion 2 a Womanizer for the penis.

If you take a look through our many penis masturbator reviews, and my guide to penis masturbators, you’ll see just how similar a lot of them are to each other. And none of those feature this air pulse stimulation. The pulsing and rhythmic sensation concentrated on the fren, whilst the rest of the penis is pleasured in the open-ended, ridged chamber, offers something very different to your standard Fleshlight or vibrating penis sleeve.

And the Ion 2’s canal is made of silicone, the flexible sex toy material of choice. Unlike the TPR/TPE blends which make up the majority of the world’s penis strokers and ‘real feel’ sex dolls, silicone is non-porous, non-toxic and won’t degrade over time. You can feel assured that it’s completely, hygienically clean after every use, and it won’t get rips and tears like a cheaper, low-quality penis toy is liable to. Find out more about why materials matter and which ones to avoid, in my guide to sex toy materials.

Twist-To-Open & Cleaning

Despite the star attraction of the Arcwave Ion 2 being the Pleasure Air penis stimulation, the feature we both loved almost as much is that it’s so incredibly easy to clean. Ion 2 is a motorised, rechargeable sex toy for the penis, and you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s likely a nightmare to keep clean. So many motorised cock toys are a right pain to get completely clean, and it can put you off using a toy when you know there’ll be a long clean-up process afterwards. None of this is a worry here.

Arcwave Ion 2 is completely waterproof, yes, to submersible levels (IPX7), and it’s effortless to take apart and clean properly. There are two parts that make up the Ion 2: the silicone chamber side and the motorised/controls housing side. The two sides are separated from each other in a simple twist apart motion, as shown in my photographs and the review video on this page. Then, just rinse both under a tap before submerging and cleaning thoroughly in a sink of soapy water. Or take it into the shower with you, stand both parts on the side to drip-dry, then finish with a towel later. Easy. Job done.

I cannot stress enough just how much I love that Ion 2 is an easy to clean toy. It massively adds to its appeal, and on top of genuinely effective penis stimulation and incorporating top quality engineering, tech and toy materials, being a fully waterproof, simple clean-up toy is the cherry on the icing on the cake.

Charging & Battery Life

Arcwave Ion 2 charges up easily and fast with the included magnetic to USB charging lead. A full charge from zero takes 90 minutes, which provides 60 minutes of play before you’ll need to recharge. White LEDs pulse behind the control buttons whilst the unit is charging up, changing to solid when the battery is full. They also flash for 4 seconds when the battery is below 25%, which is a useful feature. It means that if you start to play and you notice the low battery flashing warning, you’ve still got a bit of power left to enjoy before you really should charge it up fully.

I want to note as well that I’ve tested many motorised sex toys in the past with magnetic attach charging wires which don’t connect firmly to the toy’s corresponding metallic nodes. Some of those older style or simply lower-quality products have a wire which falls off the toy at the slightest nudge, leading to some pretty complex set-ups during charging to try and ensure the toy doesn’t get knocked and the wire doesn’t fall off. No such worries with the Ion 2; the branded magnetic disc end of the charging lead connects with a reassuring click to the nodes on the base of the toy and remains in place even if you want to move it around whilst charging. You can see what I mean properly in the review video further up this page.

Controls, Smart Silence & Autopilot

Operating and controlling the Arcwave Ion 2 is nice and easy too. There are three buttons, the main power button which is indicated by the stylised A from the Arcwave logo, then plus and minus buttons beneath that. The buttons are all raised in a recess and slightly different from each other, making them easier to locate during use.

To switch Ion 2 on, hold the A button for a couple of seconds. The logo glows when the toy is on, and stops when it’s off.

Discover the 8 intensity levels using the plus and minus buttons.

The A button also toggles the Autopilot mode. A short press when the toy is on starts up the Autopilot mode, which is where the intensity automatically increases and decreases, with haptic and auditory feedback. There are three Autopilot modes: Soft (intensities 1 to 3), Medium (3 to 6), Intense (5 to 8).

Switch Ion 2 off by pressing and holding the A button for a couple of seconds again.

Then there is the Smart Silence feature, which some readers may already be familiar with from certain Womanizer toys such as the Womanizer Next, Pro40 and OG. Smart Silence is a very useful feature. Put simply, it means the action only starts when the Pleasure Air part of the product is against skin. When it isn’t against skin, the action stops. It’s great for when discretion is top priority, as you can immediately stop the toy by moving it away from you, and it prolongs the battery life of the toy as well.

With Ion 2, Smart Silence means the frenulum directed Pleasure Air is only activated when the penis is over the delivery nozzle area within the canal. What was a surprise to my husband and I, is that using Ion 2 with Smart Silence toggled off was preferable to having it on. Because of the way the Ion 2 is used, as a penis stroker with the penis going into and back out of the canal, the Smart Silence feature was a little less reliable than it is on my Womanizer clit stim toys where the nozzle is always flush against my clitoris. The back-and-forth motion of masturbating with the Ion 2 meant he preferred to switch Smart Silence off from the start of play, and use the product with the Pleasure Air function solidly on, and the intensity adjustable using the plus and minus buttons as he desired through the session. This feels like a personal preference rather than a general speculation, so you might love the Smart Silence feature enabled during use. It just wasn’t for us with this product.

It’s easy to toggle the Smart Silence feature on or off. When Ion 2 is on, press the plus and minus buttons together for 5 seconds to disable the feature. Do the same to re-enable it. Like everything else about Ion 2, it’s simple and hassle-free.

How to Use the Ion 2

Lube up, switch on, slide in. Again, the simplicity is a big part of the pleasure package with Arcwave Ion 2. If you’re considering skipping the lube, please don’t. The silicone chamber won’t feel anywhere near as easy to enter and pleasurable if you try and thrust into it dry! Get your cock hard, slippery and ready for action with some good quality water-based lube first.

When you’re ready, slip into the ridged silicone chamber and switch the Ion 2 on. Toggle the settings as I’ve explained in the previous section until it feels perfect for you. Relax, and enjoy. Take your time for a gooning or edging for sexual pleasure session, or beat off a quickie if a fast wank is what you need.

 

Note: it wasn’t immediately clear to me which way up you’re supposed to use the Arcwave Ion 2, so I’ve demonstrated in the pics and video above using one of my realistic dildos. You’re welcome.

How It Feels During Use

Over to my husband for his feedback in this section, as I don’t have the required anatomy, sadly. I was hoping with everything that the Arcwave Ion 2 was as good as I could imagine, and from what he says (and how he responded and sounded when I watched him use it), it definitely lives up to the hype. There’s always the worry that something new and labelled ‘innovative’, with an ‘investment in pleasure’ price tag to match, will actually be all gimmick and brand, rather than translating to intense pleasure and powerful orgasms. It was a relief to discover that Ion 2 really is worth it.

He found Arcwave Ion 2 easy to use, and preferred the Smart Silence feature toggled off, as I’ve already explained. Slipping into the silicone, open-ended canal when lubed up felt pleasurable and the internal ridges added to that. Not overly intensely, but it helped the stroker feel grippy and pleasantly tight around him rather than a simple tube. Switching the Ion 2 on and operating it when it’s in position was easy thanks to the raised buttons in the operation panel area, which, when holding it around his cock, handily fell where his fingers naturally came to rest on the underside. More evidence of its clever and thoughtful design.

The Pleasure Air delivered through the internal aperture is the star attraction, giving him that Womanizer style stimulation that my clit adores so much, right on his extremely sensitive and lubed up frenulum. Imagine a teasing tongue flicking over that tight hub of nerve-endings… good, right? Well the Pleasure Air stimulation feels something like that, according to him. Except that instead of trusting the instinct of a person giving you a blowjob, or telling them how to change up their attentions, you can simply press a button. Speed it up, slow it down. With 8 variations in intensity.

As delicious as the Pleasure Air felt, he said that it wasn’t the sole reason Ion 2 was so effective for him. Because, spoiler, it was. Very effective. The delivery of that air pulse to his frenulum was wonderful. But the mechanics which create and deliver the Pleasure Air sensations also cause the entire toy, including obviously the silicone cock chamber, vibrate intensely. And it’s the vibrations through his lubed up, hard and responsive cock, in combination with the Pleasure Air stim to his fren, which mean he soon tips over into an explosive orgasm.

On one of the occasions when I was lucky enough to watch him use it, it was as if he wasn’t choosing to orgasm – it was upon him almost before he realised. Like when I use my most powerful vibrators and it’s like they’re ripping an orgasm from me, almost forced orgasms style. He was half sat up on the bed, using Ion 2 on his cock and blissing out, then his breaths started to come so ragged and with audible groans, and his eyes rolled up as I could see his entire body convulse in sudden surrender to the overwhelming orgasm Ion 2 was giving him. Being an audience to that was really something, let me tell you. Hot as fuck.

Another time, I just had to get involved. To be honest, the only reason I wasn’t involved last time is for the purposes of this review. It’s only fair to report how the Arcwave Ion 2 feels when using it by itself, not with an oral fixation slut attached. Which should give you some indication of how things went the next time I was there. He says that as great as the Ion 2 feels by itself, it’s even better with my mouth and tongue at the end of the open-ended canal every time he thrust his tip through it. And that’s my favourite feature on this toy, the canal having an open end. I can see, tease, and taste his cock by positioning myself well as he’s using it, so he gets the double bliss of techtastic Ion 2 pleasure and my tongue tasting and lashing over his pre-cum leaking tip with every thrust.

It didn’t take long at all for him to reach what he describes as one of his “completely emptying” orgasms that time; from the amount of cum he exploded into my waiting mouth, completely empty was an accurate description of his balls afterwards. Sidenote: if you have someone waiting to swallow your cum, it makes clean-up of the Ion 2 even easier than it already is.

If you’ve only ever used your hand or standard textured ‘fleshy’ strokers, or even if you’ve upgraded in the past to a vibrating sleeve, the Arcwave Ion 2 will likely feel like a revelation. Pleasure Air to the fren, bonus vibrating stimulation all over your lubed-silicone gripped shaft, open-ended design for unrestrained thrusting pleasure, various settings to explore, Smart Silence option, rechargeable power, effortless clean up. A brilliant product if you want the best in penis masturbation toys.

Something that we were surprised about was how much noise this thing emitted during use. Which brings me to…

Noise & Discretion

If discretion when using a sex toy is important to you, be aware that Arcwave Ion 2 makes a ton of noise. There’s no getting away from it really. It’s similar to my Womanizer sex toys in that regard, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the feedback about noise from earlier models paved the way for their Smart Silence technology to offer an ‘instant off’ option for those who need to prioritise discretion.

Ion 2 is loudest when the internal air pulse delivery aperture is uncovered. And I mean really, quite loud. You can see/hear what I mean on the video. When the hole is covered, and the air pulsing is against skin/your penis is covering the hole, the noise is muffled somewhat. It still couldn’t be honestly described as quiet or discreet, but at least it’s a little quieter.

This feels like the sacrifice made with the majority of otherwise brilliantly effective sex toys, the motorised ones at least. The very same powerful, brilliantly engineered internal mechanisms which trigger the deepest, most intense orgasms, are also by their very nature (or at least, the nature of the powerful motors contained within) quite noisy. I’ve experienced this trade-off myself with some of my beloved, powerful wand vibrators, with delightfully slam-fucking thrusting vibrators, with ride-on sex machines and more. Noise output is often the only con, and only you can decide whether it’ll make any difference to you when it comes to regular use of what is admittedly not a cheap sex toy.

If you’re in a house share situation, have thin walls with nosy neighbours on the other side, or still have small, inquisitive kids at home, it’s worth weighing up when you would realistically be able to use a toy with noise that can’t easily be explained away as anything innocent. Or whether, if you are in those situations, you decide the pleasure of Arcwave Ion 2 is simply unmissable. If so, it’s a great choice as a sexy gift for your partner, or treat yourself to one for special occasions – that rare evening of privacy at home, or the blissfully filthy anonymity of a hotel room.

Storage Pouch

I wanted to give a proper mention to the storage case included with Arcwave Ion 2, as it’s a thoughtful, useful, and well-made inclusion. This is no flimsy drawstring bag, and it isn’t too tight on size to adequately fit both toy and charging wire – which is a common problem even on the increasingly rare occasion you get a storage pouch included with a sex toy. Instead, you get a durable, tactile, neoprene zip-around storage case which is Arcwave branded. It’s oval cylindrical in shape, reminiscent of masculine electronic accessory pouches and wash bags.

The Original Ion by Arcwave came with a storage base which doubled as a charging station. Ion 2 is arguably sleeker and more travel friendly, with a zip-around neoprene storage pouch which can fit the Ion 2, its charging wire and even the instruction booklet inside to keep everything together safely, if you wish.

Ion 2 vs The Original Ion

Speaking of the original model, what exactly is the difference between the original Ion by Arcwave and the Arcwave Ion 2? Is it worth the upgrade?

We never had the pleasure of trying the original Ion penis masturbator, but based on what I can find out about that original model, I’d say yeah, opt for Ion 2. Beyond the obvious assumption that the second incarnation will be a new and improved version, there are some distinct differences.

Feature	Original Arcwave Ion	Arcwave Ion 2
Storage	Hard storage base (doubles as charging dock)	Zip-up neoprene pouch
Charging	Via the storage base, micro-USB cable into the base	Magnetic lead straight to the device
Drying	Built-in DryTech stick and silica pack in the base	None, towel or air dry
Run time	Around 70 minutes	60 minutes
Charge time	Around 2 hours	90 minutes
Design	Larger footprint thanks to the base	More compact, all-black redesign
Shared features	Pleasure Air, body-safe silicone, twist-to-open, Smart Silence, IPX7 waterproof, 8 intensity levels

 

The main change is the charging and storing options. With the original it was an all-in-one dock that charged, dried and discreetly housed the Ion, whereas the Ion 2 swaps that out for a simple magnetic charging lead and a zip-up pouch. You lose the silica drying system, but you gain a smaller, more travel-friendly package, with the same core Pleasure Air experience at the heart of both. Looking at everything, I’d recommend the Ion 2 over the Original Ion by Arcwave.

Final Verdict

The Arcwave Ion 2 is one of the most brilliantly engineered penis stimulators he’s ever come across, or rather, through. There’s loads to love about it, and not much counting against it. It’s got great build quality, with body-safe materials throughout, a rare thing with penis strokers. The Pleasure Air and Smart Silence tech means that if you’ve got a penis and you’ve been envying the fun clits have been having with Womanizer toys, you don’t need to feel left out any longer. With an open-ended chamber and a sensuously ridged canal, sliding into (and then back out of) Ion 2 feels delicious even before you’ve switched the toy on. Just remember to add a splash of lube to avoid any friction issues and to maximise the glide.

Ion 2 is easy and fast to fully charge, then simple to operate with the three-button design. There are 8 intensities to explore, and the Autopilot mode means you can just lay back, relax, and get a good seeing-to without worrying about buttons at all. And afterwards, there’s no post-nut realisation that you’ve got a hellish clean-up job waiting. No difficult to clean, ‘careful, it’s only splashproof’, fiddly to take apart and put back together, easily torn or dodgy and porous materials here. Just twist and Ion 2 comes apart like the ripest fruit, ready to rinse through then submerge in soapy water and wash properly. Or take it with you into the shower. There’s no worry about damage, it’s all IPX7 waterproof. After cleaning, simply stand to drip dry then towel it down.

When fully dry, you can store everything in the included zip-around storage pouch provided. Pop it in the drawer for next time or sling it in your travel bag for a dirty weekend away. That’s if you can resist lubing up and sliding right back in, then and there.

The only real issue we found with Arcwave Ion 2 is the sound of it. The noise output is really quite intense, but then so is the pleasure. Whether this is an issue for you depends on your household setup. During use it’s really not very discreet at all. Even with the Smart Silence feature enabled, which only muffles the Pleasure Air and resulting vibrating mechanics slightly, when they’re activated upon penis contact. Plus, it isn’t the cheapest penis stroker out there. But then, would the cheapest penis stroker give you everything the Ion 2 could? Absolutely not. Top quality toy, smart features, cutting-edge toy technology = premium price.

Where To Buy

If you simply can’t wait to slide in and experience the delights Arcwave Ion 2 has to offer, buy yours directly from arcwave.com/us or arcwave.com/eu+uk.
It’s currently priced at £159 in the UK, $169 in the US, or €169 across the EU.

Special offer: Get 15% off at Arcwave US, or EU/UK
with my Arcwave discount code AFF-CARASUTRA:

Thanks so much to Arcwave for sending us the Ion 2 for this fair and honest review at carasutra.com. This review contains affiliate links.