Lelo’s F1S™ V3 XL: Bigger Is Definitely Better

M. Christian
6 Min Read

New masturbator packs a lot into an exciting, easy-to-handy package

After all this time, you’d think sex toy companies would realize not every male-identified person’s—how shall I say this?—equipment is the same size.  

Fortunately, Lelo got the memo, releasing a new version of their “pleasure console” designed for larger users. But the F1S™ V3 XL has more up its high-tech sleeve, like wireless Bluetooth connectivity to the Lelo smartphone app for when you want to let someone, or rather an artificial intelligence, take control.

But there’s more to like and even love about Lelo’s F1S™ V3 XL and that’s why I feel it’s one of the most fun and well-made masturbators I’ve enjoyed using.

Small size, big arousal

Unlike so many other sleeve-type toys, the bigger F1S™ V3 XL is surprisingly compact at six inches long by a little below three wide and weighs a scant 320 grams.

What’s extra surprising is that Lelo somehow managed to pack it with a powerful yet stimulating motor; a high-quality silicone-ribbed interior sleeve which enhances airflow, reduces the possibility of developing air pockets, and boosts user-arousal; and all the electronics necessary to link it to Lelo’s smartphone app.

All this makes the F1S™ V3 XL amazingly easy to use. Not to put down its longer, girthier competitors, but I’ve always found getting them—and myself—into a comfortable position more challenging than it should be.

RECOMMENDED READ: Say Hello to the Enigma Wave: Lelo’s New Triple-Action Sonic Massager

Not so with the F1S™ V3 XL, which let me engage in exhilarating position experimentation. Could I use it lying on my back? Yes, and easily. How about sitting? Yes, I could use it when seated. Would you, could you, use it laying on your side? Yes, and very pleasantly to boot.

The F1S™ V3 XL mechanics don’t do any actual stroking but generates specifically formulated sound waves, making it feel much less artificial and far more natural than other, more massive strokers.

Its diminutive dimensions also make the F1S™ V3 XL great for traveling. However, you may want to prepare an amusing explanation or two should airport security want to talk to you about it.

More comfortable, more fun

Personally, I felt the XL’s additional insertable length—slightly below four and three-quarters inches versus the regular model’s bit more than four and a quarter—made all the difference. 

This small adjustment in size allowed me to use the sleeve vigorously without smacking my second-favorite organ. I know other sleeve-type masturbators come in more than one size, but I want to first compliment Lelo for giving people like myself the option and not charging extra for it.

Other specifics

Another impressive aspect of the F1S™ V3 XL is its charging rate and battery life. The former takes two hours, while the latter gives it the same amount of funtime—and it can last a whistle-inducing ninety days in standby mode.

The F1S™ V3 XL ships with a USB power cable, a warranty card, and detailed instructions, which, as I noted in my review of Lelo’s Soraya Beads, are too small to read without a magnifying glass. 

Though not listed on the F1S™ V3 XL’s product page, mine also came with a pair of personal moisturizing samples.

Smart but could be smarter

While heralded by Lelo being “AI-Driven” the F1S™ V3 XL doesn’t have on-board machine learning capabilities as though it does come equipped with four, pre-programmed modes. 

However, when connected to the Lelo smartphone app, it gains four additional modes, the option to operate it manually or pass control along to its “AI mode.”

Say what you want about the words artificial intelligence frequently slapped willy-nilly on everything from high-end computer hardware to potato chips; I found Lelo’s AI setting to be pleasurable because when using it I didn’t have to deal with the app’s often confusing manual controls.

While other sextech companies are giving us uncluttered, versatile, and easy-to-use apps, Lelo’s giving us an annoyingly busy, extremely limited, and near-impossible to the figure-out version made me shake my head in disappointment.

The F1S™ V3 XL is undoubtedly an exceptionally good and fun-to-play with sex toy. It’s just that if the Lelo app were better designed, it could be a flat-out great one.

That said, my opinion is that Lelo’s F1S™ V3 XL is a must-buy for penis-equipped persons in search of a comfortable-to-operate, remarkably stimulating, sleeve-type masturbator full of pleasantly-surprising erotic possibilities.  

Image Sources: Lelo

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M.Christian (they/them) loves nothing better than exploring the intersections of sex and technology—and speculating on the future of both. A highly regarded erotica writer they have six novels,12 collections, 100+ short stories, and 25 anthologies as an editor to their name. Their non-fiction regularly appears in many sites, but they're most proud of being a regular contributor to Future of Sex. Of their erotic fiction, Tristan Taormino said that “M.Christian is a literary stylist of the highest caliber: smart, funny, frightening, sexy—there's nothing [they] can't write about… and brilliantly.” Reflecting their unique ability to sympathetically and convincingly write for a range of genders and sexual orientations, their stories have appeared in multiple editions of Best American Erotica, Best Gay Erotica, Best Lesbian Erotica, The Mammoth Books of Erotica, and others. Their collection of gay erotic fiction, Dirty Words, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. While a majority of their stories have been collected into books like Dirty Words, their fondness for combining sex and science fiction is clearly evident in collections that include Rude Mechanicals, Technorotica, Better Than The Real Thing, Skin Effect Effect, Bachelor Machine, and Hard Drive: The Best Sci-Fi Erotica of M.Christian. As a novelist, M.Christian’s versatility is on full display with Running Dry, The Very Bloody Marys, Brushes, Painted Doll; and the somewhat controversial queer BDSM/horror/thrillers Finger's Breadth, and Me2. M.Christian has worked on the industry’s production side as an Associate Publisher for Renaissance E Books and as a Publisher for Digital Parchment Services. The latter dedicated to celebrating the works of science-fiction legends such as William Rotsler, Jerome Bixby, Jody Scott, Arthur Byron Cover, Ernest Hogan, and James Van Hise. Covering topics like BDSM safety, sexual education, senior sexuality concerns, queer and gender issues, plus reviewing a variety of sex tech products, M.Christian’s non-fiction has appeared on sites like Kinkly, Tickle.Life, Sexpert, Queer Majority, Sex for Every Body, and—of course—their ongoing work for Future of Sex. If there’s anything M.Christian enjoys more than writing, it’s teaching. A featured presenter, sometimes with their friend Ralph Greco Jr, at national sex and BDSM events, they have lectured on kink play (with an emphasis on safety), polyamory, boosting sexual creativity, and erotica writing--for beginners or those wanting to go pro. M.Christian is a cohost on two popular sex-education podcasts: Love’s Outer Limits with Dr. Amy Marsh and Licking Non-Vanilla with Ralph Greco, Jr.