Review of the Pulse Solo Interactive

I first saw the Pulse Solo Interactive a year ago, in September 2022. This technological marvel boasted that it could deliver orgasms without hands. It left me dreaming. Doubtful too, because this promise is rarely kept… but mostly dreamy.

A little later in the year, I had the opportunity to accumulate a 15% coupon via an AMA on reddit in addition to Kiiroo‘s BlackFriday offers and the Pulse Solo Interactive was only €70 on their online shop. And I bit my fingers for a year for not buying it at that price, because I’ve never seen it that low again…

Today, I’m lucky enough to be able to offer you this review thanks to Hot Octopuss. They provided me with the Pulse Solo Interactive free of charge at the beginning of October. However, in return, I offered them an impartial and honest review of this product. Thank you for your trust.

Here’s my feedback after one month.

If you’ve ever heard of a Guybrator, chances are it was the Pulse. In fact, that’s what this sextoy is called. I’m going to be blunt and spoil the end of this review, but in my opinion, anyone with a penis should buy this toy, because it’s so good.

It’s a penis vibrator. Whatever your age, your penis size, whether it’s flaccid or not (if you have erection problems), the Pulse is a great ally. There’s no question of it fitting everyone, or at least a very large majority.

The Pulse from Hot Octopuss comes in three versions:

• Pulse Solo Essential
• Pulse Solo Lux
• Pulse Solo Interactive

Hot Octopuss is evolving the Pulse through various iterations. The basic model, the Pulse Solo Essential, offers an original hands-free experience. There’s a button to switch on and off and manage the patterns, and two others to control the intensity of the Pulse Plate’s oscillations.

The difference between the first and second versions is mainly down to the remote control. But they have also redesigned the charger and the motor.

The difference between the second and third versions is the integration of Kiiroo technology to make this sextoy interactive. But what exactly does interactive mean? It means that you (or someone else) will be able to control it from an app. Or you can synchronise it with content such as pornographic videos or certain games.

It was on 15 September 2023 that I provided my details for the shipment of the product, relatively late in the day.

On Monday morning, 18 September, I received an email telling me that the order had been dispatched. FedEx will take care of the delivery.

Great! I got my tracking number and an estimated delivery date of Wednesday 20 September.

However, the next day, 19 September, I receive an email from FedEx telling me that there are customs charges. They’re not very high, just €7. FedEx provided a web payment link to pay them in advance and unblock the delivery. I forgot about this email, received a reminder the next day and dealt with the matter with Hot Octopuss on Wednesday.

Just remember, when you buy this toy from London, you’ll have to pay a little extra tax.

So on Thursday 21, I receive a tiny, innocent parcel in my letterbox. There was nothing to suggest that I’d just received a sextoy. But I know what it is… I shudder at the thought of unwrapping it.

The box is all black and very classy. It shows off the Pulse Solo Interactive with a play of reflections that makes it stand out. As far as I’m concerned, it looks like a sort of open papal cap into which you have to insert your member.

On the outside there are four buttons, two on each side. Right-hand side, there’s writing in full and clear, noting the brand name ‘Hot Octopuss‘.

On the inside, the Hot Octopuss logo, a crown, can be seen on the Pulse Plate. As well as the magnetic charging port at the bottom.

At the top left is a metallic blue Bluetooth symbol, announcing the interactive part.

This side of the packaging provides information about the product’s qualities and its interactive capabilities.

In particular, it talks about the fact that the Pulse is suitable for most penis sizes, is completely waterproof and features PulsePlate technology.

The second part talks about the integration of Kiiroo‘s technology for sex toy interactivity, which enables two things in particular. Connecting to interactive online content, be it 2D, virtual reality or a live webcam show. On the other hand, the possibility of connecting to another sextoy, whether it’s synchronising two Pulse Solo Interactive, or the Pulse with any other sextoy incorporating Kiiroo‘s technology, even remotely.

It’s like Kiiroo describing his toys in seven different languages. But it’s possible that Hot Octopuss was doing it before.

Pulse has won numerous awards, including the Erotic Trades Online Awards in 2014 and the Xbiz Awards four times, most recently in 2021.

The last side shows us two things.

Firstly, how to nominally use the Pulse Solo Interactive. I’m not going to explain the design right now.

Secondly, the differences between the three versions of the Pulse currently on the market. The current Solo Interactive is the most advanced of the three.

As a small aside, don’t worry if the Pulse has moved inside this large box… It was carefully positioned in a cardboard box to keep it in place. But since that won’t be of much interest later, I didn’t take any photos of it.

The Pulse Solo Interactive is a toy made from materials that are healthy for the user. It’s made from silicone, not phthalates (toxic) or latex (which can cause bodily reactions). The other material is ABS, a hard plastic (like Lego) but also healthy.

The silicone part feels as soft as velvet. The ABS part is slightly shiny.

Thanks to PulsePlate technology, the Pulse will act differently to a standard vibrator.

From a technical point of view, here are the product specifications:

Material: Silicone + ABS
Battery: Li-ion 3.7V 420mAh rechargeable battery
Charging time: just over 2 hours
Battery life: one hour maximum
Water resistant: Yes
Features: Vibration via oscillation, Turbo Speed, six pre-recorded vibration modes, each with several eight power levels
Vibration: Via the Turbo button, vibration increases up to 4,450 revolutions per minute
Weight: 220g
Dimensions: 10.6cm * 6.7cm * 7.3 cm

We’ll come back to the position and use of the various buttons later. But the Pulse is a lightweight toy that fits in your hand and can follow you (almost) anywhere. A very good point!

The first thing to consider is that the Pulse Solo Interactive arrives uncharged. So if you want to play with it, you’ll have to wait around two hours.

Then there’s a little surprise when it comes to charging… The LED light turns blue when the device is charging. And when it’s finished? The LED turns red. A bit confusing, but it’s clearly indicated in the manual. My other toys work the other way round… But that’s not really important.

The connector for charging the Pulse Solo Interactive is magnetic, so you’ll have to be careful to position it the right way round – there’s a flat base and the other side is rounded. Apart from that, check that the cable stays in place when you put the Pulse down.

The cable is one metre long, which means I can’t charge the Pulse by leaving it on my desk, but I’m fine with that. Still, I would have appreciated it if it had been half as long to leave on my desk.

I’m not going to go into this guide in detail. It explains how to get started, go through the different patterns, how to activate turbo mode… All the things I’ll explain later in the FeelConnect App integration section.

After that, the important information remains the 10-day free trial on FeelXVideos. This site isn’t top of the range, I’ve tested it twice. When I had a free trial with the Keon, the other with the PowerBlow for twice a month. However, I’m keeping this code warm so that I can write a review of this website at a later date.

The second document, the white one, is a purely technical documentation in different languages with the guarantee application mentions.

All silicone toys should be stored separately from other silicone toys. The problem is that if two toys remain in contact over a period of time, they react with each other. And therefore get damaged. There’s no need to worry, we’ve got a tasteful little bag for storing the Pulse (and putting it in the suitcase), and that’s enough. And I like it!

This is the first thing to do AFTER loading your Pulse. So it’s the second thing to do.

But updating your Pulse firmware is simple and ensures consistency between the Pulse software and its hardware.

However, before updating the Pulse firmware, make sure you have the latest version of FeelConnect. As I already had toys from Kiiroo, my version wasn’t up to date and this meant that the Pulse update failed.

After updating the FeelConnect 3 application, I was able to update the Pulse. It’s still easy to do once you’re connected to FeelConnect.

As you can see from these screens, connecting to FeelConnect is quick and easy. Sorry for the screen half in French but I can’t change the language.

Once the connection has been made, you need to go to the last screen. From there, you need to click on the version number to update the Pulse firmware.

It took me a good 15 minutes. Not the fastest thing in the world. Still, having already waited two hours for the product to fully charge, a quarter of an hour more or less isn’t a big deal.

You can also access the Pulse Solo Interactive user manual from FeelConnect.

If you click on the photos, you can see how to use the various buttons. How to turn the device on and off, charge it, switch it to manual mode, adjust the intensity… Speaking of intensity, if you find that it’s too strong for you, you can adjust it from FeelConnect to limit it. You can choose between 24% and 100% intensity.

Unfortunately, this intensity is only valid when using the Pulse via FeelConnect and will not be saved in the Pulse. So this is a separate configuration.

However, when used manually, you can manage the intensity of the Pulse yourself from one of the five available.

To clean the Pulse, simply use warm water and a little soap. It’s waterproof, remember, so there’s no risk of damaging it.

As a matter of principle, I also clean a new toy, but you don’t really have to.

Just remember to dry it well afterwards and avoid using a fluffy cloth. It would leave lots of little puddles on your clean Pulse.

But be careful. Unlike a 100% silicone toy, the Pulse contains ABS and electronics. So unlike other silicone toys, don’t put it in the dishwasher. Don’t boil it in a pan either.

You can disinfect 100% silicone toys, but don’t do that.

I used the Pulse Solo Interactive a LOT more times than I needed to for this article. That’s a very good sign, because usually with toys, I have to put them aside after a few tries and move on to the next one that I need to test and evaluate. Pulse Solo Interactive is too much fun for me to leave alone… I’m sure it’ll be with me for a while.

If you’ve read any of my other reviews of connected toys, you’ll know how I prefer to use them manually, without a connectivity function… Well, in this case I chose to synchronise it directly with a video and the result was incredible. I’ll talk more about that later.

Once the Pulse Solo Interactive is up and running, all you have to do is position it. The two little wings on the sides are made of silicone. In fact, you can simply move them if you need to, to insert your penis. This makes it suitable for different body shapes.

I advise you to position the frenulum at the crown, the Pulse Plate. That’s where the oscillations start and, in my opinion, that’s where the sensations are most pleasant.

In my experience, the Pulse can tend to move a little to one side when held free. To keep it really in place, you can use one hand, and possibly reinforce the vibrations in the process. Or you can wear it under your clothes to keep it in position. But that doesn’t mean it can make telecommuting meetings any more interesting…

The beauty of the Pulse is that you don’t have to manually masturbate with it. To go back and forth with it. From there, there’s no need to use lubricant either. But if you do, use a water-based lubricant.

When worn, it holds the head of the penis perfectly. I don’t feel it crushing me, I don’t worry about it slipping off. The size fits perfectly and I don’t feel any discomfort, even after wearing it for an hour.

Once switched on at its first level, the Pulse displays a sound level slightly above 60 decibels according to the application used on my phone. At maximum power, especially when using the turbo mode, it goes up to 70 decibels.

It’s not discreet in the sense that you won’t be able to use it in public if you were tempted to do so. And let’s not forget that, depending on the laws in your country, it can be illegal if non-consenting people are involved. And I’m not sure that hearing your crotch vibrate is necessarily to everyone’s taste.

Still, behind a door, just behind a door, you can hardly hear it. And behind a wall, that’s no longer the case. So don’t be afraid to use it if you have flatmates.

The Pulse Solo Interactive stands on its own. Well, in that case, you’re missing out on the Interactive, so you might as well get the Lux or Essential version.

Still, if you don’t have a phone or computer to hand, the Pulse can help you have a good time. Whether in an armchair, on your sofa, in bed, in the bath…

Once switched on, a short press of the on/off button cycles through the 6 patterns on offer. Before that, it’s in Bluetooth mode. For each of these modes, you can choose one of the eight intensity levels using the + and – buttons.

To switch it off, press the on/off button for two seconds.

A single press on the lightning button switches to Turbo mode. Pressing the lightning button for two seconds reactivates Bluetooth mode for 30 seconds.

The FeelConnect application offers you several ways of interacting with the Pulse Solo Interactive, so let’s take a look at them.

In this tab, the third at the bottom of the application, you can scan a QR Code from an interactive site and then use your toy online. There are many sites behind a paid subscription and very few that are free.

For example, you can add FeelXVideos, which gives you a ten-day free trial. Or PornHub, but the quality of the scripts isn’t good. Clearly, this is not the best possible integration for me.

Once you’re connected, you have to stay on this tab for Pulse to remain active, I’ve had connections lost and I don’t know if communication is working properly or not at any given moment… But don’t worry, there are other ways, apart from FeelConnect, to connect to online video content.

Still, it’s pretty good when you combine the video that’s playing with the fact that the toy is reacting (vibrating) at the same time. If you’ve never had this kind of experience, it’s definitely something to live for.

If I dared, I’d say that Kiiroo were lazy in this respect. They’ve copied the ergonomics of the Keon‘s controls, which have nothing to do with it. On the right-hand side, you can choose the depth of movement on the Keon, which makes no sense on the Pulse.

You can also choose the intensity from 0 to 100%, but the movements are still cyclical and regular… I would have liked to be able to choose the length of the vibration and its intensity more precisely.

What’s more, when I use this interface, I notice that there’s a lot of desynchronisation (several seconds) between what I ask for and when it’s done.

By clicking on the Bluetooth button from FeelConnect, you can share a control link with a third party. In this case, it was to myself.

The web interface is exactly the same and suffers from the same flaws.

However, once again, FeelConnect isn’t the only way to share a control link to your Pulse.

For me, the important thing about the integration with Kiiroo is not the fact that you can interact with the toy via FeelConnect. It’s the fact that we’ve added an external communication protocol. And from there, you can interface with it.

My aim is not to dismantle FeelConnect… But adding a new pattern isn’t necessarily the most understandable thing. Or at least, I had big problems with the PowerBlow… This is much simpler. Even though, to tell the truth, I understand better how to make a pattern for the Pulse.

However, I don’t understand the graphical rendezvous at all, with curves that look like they’re on several levels (I have the impression of having three layers on the last part).

That said, I was pleasantly surprised by the rendering of the recorded pattern and I’ll certainly be spending a bit more time on it to experiment with different things.

If you want to play music and have the Pulse act according to the music, that’s what this mode is for. I say a little… Because in fact, Pulse is activated as long as the sound level is above the red bar. And that’s about it. So it’s up to you how much you want to adjust the sensitivity, but we’re not really in a mode where you play music while being synchronised to the Pulse.

Pairing with another sextoy using Kiiroo‘s technology is also possible. And it’s done via FeelConnect, which scores a big point here.

There are two different ways of doing this, depending on whether the sextoy is within Bluetooth range or not. For example, you could use the Pulse with the Keon. Either for solo use if you’re big enough for two. Or two Pulse between them for two people. Another possibility: the Pulse with the Cliona. Or the Pulse with a Lumen… In short, any other sextoy “powered by Kiiroo“.

From there, if both toys can be paired to the same phone. You can control them via one of the modes presented earlier.

You can do this from the “local connection; device to device”.

Here, you’ll have one toy that has control over the other, a master toy, and the other will follow the directions given by the first.

For example, here’s what it looks like with the pattern I showed you earlier. I used the Pulse Solo Interactive and a Pearl 3.

But if your other half isn’t physically by your side, that’s also where the strength of Kiiroo‘s sex toys lies.

Via the ‘Contact’ module, you can send a request to control your device and you’ll be able to synchronise your toys, whether through a text or video chat.

Unfortunately, I haven’t tested this feature. Neither with the Pulse, nor with any other toy. So I don’t really have an interface to show you or any factual feedback on this feature.

Buttplug.io is not a website, it’s a bridge enabling communication between your Pulse and “something else”. This other thing is usually a website, but can also be an application, a video game, etc.

By making the Pulse interactive, you can connect to sites like faptap.net. The idea of this site is to offer, in just a few clicks, the possibility of synchronising your toy with a video that will be associated with a script.

In the past, there was also the now-defunct Bukkake.moe, which did the same thing, but the site didn’t survive.

Clearly, my main use of Pulse Solo Interactive is in connection with the Faptap site. However, on this site specifically, the number of disconnections between the toy and the web page is significant.

Another site based on this is Xtoy, which also lets you give control to a third party. Or play patterns written by the community. Or play videos linked to scripts.

There must be other scripting communities but the one I often see is Eroscript.

The first time I used the Pulse, I was stunned. I didn’t think a vibrator could make a penis feel like that. Not even on a flaccid penis (which doesn’t stay that way for long). It’s like a continuous massage.

The Pulse Solo Interactive will stimulate your frenulum, your brake, in a truly delicious way. Depending on the strength of the vibrations, you can have gentle stimulation that maintains the erection and builds pleasure. Or more direct, more intense, more… liberating sensations.

I find the sensations more intense when the Pulse Solo Interactive is held against the glans. In a nutshell, the Pulse will ‘cuddle’ your penis. But it won’t really squeeze against it.
And it’s the same with some competitors like the Gush (which I haven’t tested). That’s why Lovense sells it with optional support bands.

So yes, the Pulse is a killer. But although it can deliver hands-free orgasms, I still prefer holding it with one hand to keep it firmly against the brake. Or by putting the boxer shorts back on… At least as long as it’s for simple, orgasm-free play.

My real regret is the battery life, but then again… I could live with it if, at a given moment, I knew how much of the battery was left. And that, in my opinion, is the biggest flaw in this toy. The battery is small, about an hour’s use, but you don’t know how far you’ve got.

So much so that I feel like I’m spending my time charging the toy. However… If I feel like I’m spending my time charging it, it’s also and above all because I’m spending my time discharging it.

The Pulse Solo Interactive went on sale in October 2021. So it’s been two years since this version has been available.

The Pulse is available at a price of €169.95 on the Hot Octopuss store. But the code “REGAL” currently allows you (for an unknown period of time) to reduce the price by 20%. The price is now €135.96.

If, unfortunately, you’re reading this review too late, you can still use the code “Papa10” to get a 10% discount on your shopping basket.

You can also buy it from Kiiroo shop but it’s more expensive.

Why didn’t I buy it in November 2021? Yes, financially it wasn’t the right choice… But when I see how this sextoy has clearly made it into my top 3…

And I say Top 3 because otherwise it doesn’t seem objective at all. After all, how objective can a ranking based on sensations be?

This sextoy fits in your hand, is waterproof, easy to clean and delivers powerful orgasms!

The Pulse Solo Interactive is simply brilliant. I highly recommend it to anyone with a penis. You’ll just have to correct a few weak points. I’m thinking of the battery life, having an indicator of its remaining charge and inverting the colours when charging.

For me, sex toys were a way of getting off, and until now I’d always got off by movements reminiscent of penetration or masturbation. This was a big first for me.

Whether you’re looking for a gift for your penis or your partner’s, you’ve just found one that should give you a lot of pleasure.