Double-ended dildos are nothing new — in fact, one of the most popular iterations, the Feeldoe, was created in the early 2000s. But, as with all sex toys, they’ve developed significantly over the years. Now you can get them in all shapes, sizes, materials and colors, and even with different functions. They’re usually pretty big (understandably, as you each get an end), typically clocking in at around 10 or 11 inches long. Some even come with a wireless remote control.
In 2020, the newly launched Together toy attempted to revolutionize this further, introducing a strapless strap-on with real-time-feedback, enabling two partners to experience one another’s pleasure at the same time. As its website says, “Utilizing the kegel muscles, pleasure can be applied to one of the generous outer-arms of Together in order to mirror that sensation in the other outer-arm of the device.” This is called the “Echo Function.”
At 16 inches long, the Together is a formidable dildo — and, at up to $220, it’s also a formidable expense. It’s a W-shaped toy targeted at cis women, with vibrating insertable arms and “dual-rabbit” clitoral stimulators and it comes in the trademark, non-threatening, cutesy colors of purple and pink. Despite being in its infancy, the toy has already won Couples Toy of the Year at the 2021 XBIZ Awards, and been nominated at the 2022 iteration. According to sex toy expert and Spectrum Boutique founder Zoë Ligon, it’s also a sell-out hit at boutique sex toy shops like her own.
“It’s undoubtedly one-of-a-kind,” Ligon tells me. “People are particularly wowed that the vibration on either end can be controlled by how hard the opposite end is squeezed. However, it can also just be used with ongoing consistent vibration.” This, she adds, makes it “just as awesome as a solo toy,” adding that “the other hand works very well as a handle.”
Ligon also praises the Together toy’s unique shape. “While there are many vibrating double-ended dildos, most of them are L-shaped for harness use, and the ends aren’t identical as they are with the Together toy,” she says. “I know many people have gotten crafty by taping or otherwise fixing two toys together, so the Together toy is a toy that fills that niche of identical vibrating, penetrative, dual-stimulation toys.”
Veteran sex toy reviewer Epiphora is a little more skeptical — both of the Together, but of strapless strap-ons more broadly. She refers to a 2017 review of hers as an example that demonstrates how truly difficult they can be to use. “Who really wants to have such scientific sex?” she wrote, lamenting the awkward logistics of using these kinds of dildos, as well as the weight and shape of them, which she says made them uncomfortable and hard to use. Epiphora even included a transcript of her and her partner’s attempt at using a variety of double-ended dildos (not including the Together, as it hadn’t launched in 2017), which includes the complaints: “How am I supposed to fuck you like this?” “So not acrobatic enough for this,” and “I don’t feel like I’m sexy right now, and I don’t know how to fix it.”
“As seamless as a [strapless strap-on] looks on paper, sex is much messier,” Epiphora tells me. “Coordination, adjustment, achieving consistent clitoral contact and getting into a fluid movement — all of this will be involved in using Together, too. For Together to be successful, both partners must enjoy the length, shape, girth and angle of the shaft, the type and intensity of vibration, and the stimulation provided by the rabbit ears. That’s a lot of targets to hit at once. The Echo Function is an interesting idea, but probably negligible in practice.”
Still, Epiphora does praise the fact that the Together is aimed specifically at queer women — as many previous partnered toys target straight, cis couples — but adds that the “garish pink and purple and the woman/woman symbol logo clearly caters to cis women,” offering “a limited view of who a sex toy is ‘for.’ “It’s a bummer because literally any configuration of couples could use Together,” she says.
Although there doesn’t seem to be many reviews about the toy out there yet, it’s currently sold out online at Spectrum Boutique, so it’s certainly drawing intrigue from customers who may be looking for a more connected experience. This could be because, as Epiphora says, there aren’t any double-ended dildos quite like this, notably with an external stimulator. Nevertheless, Epiphora isn’t convinced. “Any toy that aims to satisfy two people simultaneously, both internally and externally, isn’t going to work for everyone,” she concludes. “I guarantee there will be couples who will be dissatisfied with the experience. I may sound like a scrooge, but $220 is a big chunk of change, and I want consumers to be realistic.”
Epiphora says there isn’t “any one toy that’s best with a partner, because couple’s vary widely in what they want,” but adds that “if a powerful external vibe that fits between two bodies is what you seek, I love the Je Joue Mimi.”
If you’ve been practicing your kegels, you might have a better time with a strapless strap-on that’s easier to navigate, but if you’re ready for a more advanced experience, the Together might be a good option for you. There are plenty of other double-ended dildos on the market that come with a far smaller price tag, though — so double the dildo doesn’t have to mean double the price even if it does result in double the pleasure.
Brit Dawson
Brit Dawson is a London-based journalist who mostly writes about sex, women's rights and sex work. She is also the staff writer at Dazed.
