Lelo Ida Wave vs NS Novelties Techno Lucy Side-By-Side Comparison
Use Case Ratings
Performance Ratings
Our Verdict
The Lelo Ida Wave is one of my favorite dual-stimulation wearables to enjoy hands-free in bed.
It’s great if you want G-spot pressure from motion (like subtle fingering) with strong, rumbly clit vibrations. Few wearables offer G-spot motion rather than vibration, and among those that do, the Ida Wave delivers my favorite combined stimulation.
Its rotating internal arm provides subtle but enjoyable pressure on my G-spot. And the broad external arm keeps strong vibrations in consistent contact with my clit to bring me to orgasm hands-free. While some other motion-toys like the Lovense Flexer can feel more intense, the Ida Wave delivers enjoyable motion more comfortably – so I’m not distracted by uncomfortable pinching or poking.
Downsides are that the internal arm is a bit too flexible, so the G-spot pressure is mild – you can press a handheld rabbit like the We-Vibe Nova 2 more firmly against your G-spot than a hands-free toy. But it still enhances my orgasms driven by the clit vibrations. And like most dual-stimulation wearables, and especially those with motion, it’s also not easy to wear around, so it’s best used in-bed. Get a panty vibrator or egg vibrator if wearing it around is your priority.
The NS Novelties Techno Lucy is the best panty vibrator under $50. It’s also the most comfortable and most secure-fitting panty vibrator I’ve tested at any price, and tied for the quietest. The motor delivers powerful, broad clit stimulation and it’s one of the few I can orgasm with hands-free.
It’s a great budget pick if you can live with two main trade-offs. The Love Spouse app is very basic but functional – it provides the most limited close-range app experience I’ve tested in a panty vibrator. All you do is select between three power levels and six preset patterns – no customization. There’s also ads, which are annoying, but you can just avoid interacting with. And the battery is shorter than pricier options at 55 minutes on the highest setting.
The Lucy’s vibrations are also buzzy at every setting – fine for most people, but worth mentioning if you specifically prefer rumbly vibes.
If you want a strong, secure panty vibrator with better app control, the Lovense Ferri is a better, but pricier choice. Or if you’d rather have a simpler physical remote than deal with the Love Spouse app, the VeDO Niki is comparable in stimulation and price – it’s also more rumbly.
For a good app-controlled panty vibrator on a budget, the Lucy is the best choice.
The Lelo Ida Wave is bad for wearing around outside the bedroom. The biggest issue is fit: the rotating internal arm works itself out as soon as I start walking, so it only functions for hands-free stimulation in bed. The clit motor also gets uncomfortable when layers of clothing press it in too firmly.
It is very quiet and rumbly, but that doesn’t matter if it doesn’t stay where it needs to be.
If you specifically want an app or remote-controlled toy to wear around, egg vibrators and panty vibrators are much more secure and comfortable as you move around. The Lovense Ferri is great for clit stimulation, and the Lovense Lush 4 is excellent for G-spot stimulation. You can even wear these two together and control them from the Lovense app. Or see all our recommendations for the best panty vibrators and best egg vibrators.
The NS Novelties Techno Lucy is a great choice for wearing around. It’s app-controlled, quiet, comfortable, and secure-fitting with strong clit stimulation on a budget.
It’s the most comfortable panty vibrator I’ve tested when wearing around – many panty vibes get less comfortable as you start walking, but not the Lucy. It’s also the most secure-fitting panty vibrator I’ve tested, so stimulation holds up while you move – the broad clit-end and large magnet keep the toy pinned where you put it, and the curved, tapered shape means your thighs don’t bump it off-axis as you walk. And it’s tied for the quietest panty vibrator I’ve tested – inaudible behind a closed door at every setting, and masked at every background-noise volume we tested (56, 62, and 68 dBA).
The Lucy’s weak spots for wearing around are battery life and the Love Spouse app. Battery runs about 55 minutes on high – short for extended wear, though using the lower settings can stretch your runtime. The app is basic and can feel spammy, but it’s functional for both close-range and long-distance play – though the Techno Lucy is more sensitive to body interference blocking the bluetooth signal than pricier panty vibrators (mostly when a partner controls your toy at an extreme angle to you).
For longer battery and a far better app, the Lovense Ferri is the better fit, but it’s pricier and not as quiet. If you’d prefer a simple, physical remote instead of an app, the VeDO Niki is also comparable in price and performance.
The Lelo Ida Wave is one of my favorite dual-stimulation wearables to enjoy hands-free in bed.
It’s great if you want G-spot pressure from motion (like subtle fingering) with strong, rumbly clit vibrations. Few wearables offer G-spot motion rather than vibration, and among those that do, the Ida Wave delivers my favorite combined stimulation.
Its rotating internal arm provides subtle but enjoyable pressure on my G-spot. And the broad external arm keeps strong vibrations in consistent contact with my clit to bring me to orgasm hands-free. While some other motion-toys like the Lovense Flexer can feel more intense, the Ida Wave delivers enjoyable motion more comfortably – so I’m not distracted by uncomfortable pinching or poking.
It also has one of the longest batteries of all my dual-stim wearables, and even with its motion some of the quietest sound levels.
However, the internal arm can slowly work its way out, so I usually readjust it a few times per session. And if firm G-spot pressure is the main thing you want, a handheld dual-stim vibrator like the We-Vibe Nova 2 is still better because you can press it in manually.
The NS Novelties Techno Lucy is one of the best budget panty vibrators for strong, hands-free clit stimulation in bed. It’s one of the few that provides enough stimulation that I can orgasm hands-free.
The broad magnet pins the toy where you place it – so you don’t have to reach down to readjust as you change positions. In bed, it’s the most comfortable and most secure-fitting panty vibrator I’ve tested – the plush, flexible silicone distributes pressure evenly and comfortably across your vulva too.
The stimulation is buzzy rather than rumbly, but I enjoy it personally. If you’d rather have rumbly vibrations, the VeDO Niki is the better fit at a similar price. Or for even stronger stimulation, the Lovense Ferri is the best.
The Lelo Ida Wave is fine for long-distance play as an occasional bonus use, but isn’t the wearable vibrator I’d get if that’s your main goal.
The Lelo app’s long-distance feature set is basic – no video calling, no saved partners (send a room code each time), and messaging is text-only – you can’t send photos or videos like other apps.
The long-distance connectivity is reliable, and your partner can control your toy’s intensity using the basic controls or by moving their phone, drawing or tapping on-screen, or using their voice volume. And the toy itself has strong, rumbly clit vibrations plus stimulating G-spot pressure from motion. But if you prioritize an engaging experience with your long-distance partner other apps like Lovense provide a much richer long-distance experience.
The Lovense Dolce is a great dual-stimulation alternative, with a better long-distance experience.
The Techno Lucy is strong, comfortable, and secure-fitting so the toy itself is good for a partner to control. But the Love Spouse app’s long-distance experience is just basic. So it’s a fine option for occasional long-distance play on a budget. But if your priority is long-distance play, the Lovense Ferri is much better.
The Lucy’s app is sort of spammy with a lot of ads you just have to overlook. Your partner only selects from preset intensity levels and patterns in the app – they don’t have the precise intensity control or custom-pattern creation better long-distance apps offer. The video call itself and the toy controls during a call work, but there’s annoying aspects like the control freezing whenever you lock your phone or switch to another app.
The in-app chatting during long-distance control is bad with texts being hard to read and no media sharing.
But if all you need is to select from preset vibrations while video chatting, it’s fine. If long-distance play is a priority for you, the Lovense Ferri is a much better choice for about $50 more – Lovense’s app gives your partner rich control with a clean, non-spammy interface, and the long-distance connection handles normal phone behavior without freezing.
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Clit Stimulation: Main Takeaways
In the next sections, I’ll cover the Ida Wave’s clit vibration power and rumbliness.
Here’s the main conclusion:
The Ida Wave has one of the best clit motors of any dual-stim wearable. It’s got the most rumbly clit motor of the dual-stim wearables I’ve tested, and has great power. It’s strong enough for me to orgasm hands-free, and while some others have even more strength, the broad external arm helps the vibrations reach my clit more effectively than many stronger toys.
In the next sections, I’ll cover the Lucy’s vibration power and rumbliness in detail.
Here’s the main conclusion: The Lucy is one of the most stimulating panty vibrators I’ve tested, especially for its price – strong, with a form-fitting design that delivers that strength to your clit well. The trade-off is rumbliness – the Lucy is buzzy at every setting, and extremely buzzy at the top, but I still enjoy its vibration feel personally.
If strong, rumbly vibrations matter more, go with the VeDO Niki (remote-only, no app), but otherwise the Lucy’s clit stimulation is great.
Clit Vibrations: Power, Range, and Transfer Effectiveness
The Ida Wave has strong clit vibrations – strong enough for me to orgasm hands-free. Its ten power levels span from a very gentle 1.0 up to 8.5 out of 10, with gradual steps for a comfortable, slow build.
The vibrations transfer really well to my clit too. With hands-free vibrators, the toy’s shape and fit have to naturally carry the motor’s strength to your body. The Ida Wave’s design does this very well: the tight angle of the internal arm pushes the clit arm firmly against my body, and the broad shape distributes this pressure evenly and consistently (and very comfortably).
Of the dual-stim wearables I’ve tested, the Lovense Dolce and Lovense Flexer reach higher raw top powers, but neither delivers their power to the clit as effectively as the Ida Wave.
The Techno Lucy is one of the strongest panty vibrators I’ve tested, with a top power of 9 out of 10. Among magnetic panty vibrators, only the Lovense Ferri reaches a higher top strength.
The power range is wide, but there’s only three power levels: a soft 1 out of 10 at the low end (a good warmup setting), a jump straight to 7 in the middle, and a powerful 9 at the top. While there’s not a ton of intermediate settings, I personally find the three settings it provides enough to comfortably warmup and finish strongly.
The Lucy also transfers that power to your clit really well. Its curved, broad design contours to your vulva, and a strong, wide magnet keeps the toy from pivoting out of place. Among magnetic panty vibrators, only the Lovense Ferri delivers more of its motor’s strength to your clit. While a lot of panty vibrators feel weaker than their strength would suggest, the Lucy’s 9 out of 10 power actually feels strong on your clit.
The Lucy’s curve also gives you some ability to press the vibrations more firmly into your clit hands-free. When you’re sitting, shifting your weight onto the end opposite your clit tilts the front end more firmly into you – closer to handheld pressure control than a straight panty vibrator gets, though still certainly not the level of pressure you get from a handheld vibrator.
Clit Vibrations: Frequency (Rumbliness)
We rate wearables with rumbly vibrations higher than buzzy ones because rumbly is what most people prefer. But it’s definitely a personal preference, so consider what you like.
The Ida Wave’s clit motor is one of the most rumbly of my dual-stimulation wearables. Its lowest power setting is extremely rumbly at 46 Hz, the middle of its range is moderately rumbly at 68 Hz, and its top setting reaches neutral at 84 Hz – it never crosses into buzzy territory. My other dual-stim wearables are buzzier: the Lovense Dolce starts rumbly on low (49 Hz) but climbs into extremely buzzy at its top, and the Lovense Flexer is extremely buzzy at every power level.
Rumbly vibrations travel deeper into your body and tend to feel less ticklish than buzzy ones, which is part of why many people prefer them. While I can orgasm just as well from buzzy wearables as rumbly ones, the Ida Wave will be best for those who prioritize rumbliness.
We rate rumbly vibrations higher than buzzy ones because it’s what most people prefer – rumbly vibrations travel deeper and feel more diffuse, while buzzy ones stay nearer the surface with a sharper kick. But this is a personal preference, and many people do enjoy buzzy vibes.
The Lucy is buzzy. Its lowest setting measures 92.5 Hz, which is moderately buzzy, and the top climbs to 142.5 Hz, well into the extremely buzzy range. There’s no level where the Lucy feels rumbly or even neutral – its vibrations stay in the moderately-to-extremely buzzy range across all three settings.
This is fairly typical for panty vibrators – the small motors that fit inside a wearable often have a hard time generating the low-frequency vibrations that feel rumbly while also spinning fast enough to feel strong. I personally enjoy the Lucy’s strong, buzzy vibrations, because they stay pressed to my body and transfer well to my clit.
But if you want a strong, rumbly panty vibrator, the VeDO Niki is a great option for about $20 more. It’s a rare panty vibrator that delivers deep, low-frequency vibrations throughout its whole power range.
G-spot Stimulation: Main Takeaways
Like all panty vibrators, the NS Novelties Techno Lucy only stimulates your clit – not your G-spot. Since most women need clit stimulation to orgasm, a panty vibrator is often the right type of wearable. But if you’re interested in G-spot stimulation instead, see all our recommendations for the best egg vibrators here.
G-spot Stimulation from Motion
I really enjoy the Ida Wave’s G-spot motion and it hits my G-spot well, but it’s somewhat subtle – like gentle fingering. It adds depth to my orgasms driven by the clit motor, but isn’t the main event on its own.
This rotational motion is one of my favorites, because this angle can direct pressure against the front wall where my G-spot is. Of the motion-based wearables I’ve tested, the Ida Wave hits the G-spot best: the “fingering” motion of the Lovense Flexer actually creates more clit movement than internal movement. And in-and-out thrusting toys like the Lovense Vulse feel good but don’t press on my G-spot specifically. The Ida Wave’s motion is also more stimulating than the Lelo Hula Beads which have too little range of motion to reach my G-spot reliably.
The stimulation is on the gentle side because the internal arm is flexible, so the pressure is light. If you like substantial force on your G-spot, handheld G-spot toys like the We-Vibe Nova 2 or Lovense Nora allow for much more leveraging pressure. But what I enjoy about the Ida Wave is that it’s effortless.
I can let the clit vibrations bring me to orgasm hands-free while the G-spot motion makes the orgasm stronger and more full.
App Control: Main Takeaways
In the next sections, I’ll cover the Lelo app’s close-range features, long-distance features, and connectivity in detail.
Here’s the main conclusion: Lelo’s app is clean, easy to use, and reliable, but it’s basic compared with the best vibrator apps.
Close-range and long-distance controls works well for adjusting intensity, choosing preset patterns, or controlling power through your phone’s movement. But there’s no custom pattern creation, sound sync, multi-toy control, or independent control over each motor. Long-distance connections are reliable, but the experience is bare-bones with no video calling or photo sharing. Bluetooth connectivity is solid during normal use, though heavy body interference can cause dropouts.
If basic, reliable control is enough and you primarily want the Ida Wave for its comfortable motion and rumbly clit vibrations, the app works well. If a feature-rich app and engaging long-distance experience are priorities, go with a Lovense dual-stimulation wearable like the Lovense Dolce or the Lovense Flexer if you still want motion.
In the next sections, I’ll cover the Love Spouse app’s close-range and long-distance features and its connectivity in detail.
Here’s the main conclusion:
The Love Spouse app is very basic and can feel spammy. But it’s functional for both close-range and long-distance play. The Techno Lucy is also more sensitive to body interference blocking the bluetooth signal than pricier panty vibrators. But at this budget point, it’s a good option.
If you want a feature-rich app and the best connectivity available, you’ll need to increase your budget and go with the Lovense Ferri. If basic, working app control is fine, the Lucy’s app does the core job.
App Control: Close-Range Features
The Lelo app’s close-range features are clean, easy to use, and work well – but they’re very basic. It’s essentially a glorified remote control which can be good if you like simplicity.
You can adjust intensity, choose preset patterns, and use Lelo’s unique motion-control feature like their physical remotes provide. But it lacks the advanced features better apps offer, like custom pattern creation, music/sound sync, separate control over each motor, and the ability to control multiple toys at once.
Manual mode is just a picture of Lelo’s remote and + / − buttons to raise or lower intensity. It works well, but with 10 power levels, it takes lots of repeated taps to reach high power. Better apps like Lovense’s feel smoother because you can tap or drag directly to the intensity you want instead of clicking a button several times.
For faster intensity changes, use the Screwing mode. This adjusts the toy’s power based on your phone’s tilt – level for gentle vibrations, closer to 90 degrees for stronger. This is also a great way to control your toy without staring at a screen.
Shaking changes intensity based on how hard you shake the phone, but I think it takes too much energy, so it’s not very useful.
On all 3 screens, you can select a pattern and control its intensity. The pattern names are vague like “Delighted” or “Overjoyed” instead of descriptive like “Waves” or “Pulses”. And the app shows small waveform icons for each motor, but you don’t see them until you’ve selected the pattern. So you have to select and try each pattern to know what it feels like.
It’s missing more advanced functionality other apps provide. There’s no custom pattern creation, no music or sound-reactive control, no multi-toy control, and no individual control over each motor. Each pattern in the Ida Wave’s app assigns a preset waveform to both motors, and some Modes give the clit and G-spot motors different patterns. But any intensity adjustment applies to both motors together, so you can’t turn up the clit vibrations while keeping the G-spot motion slow for example. Better apps like Lovense allow individual control of each motor.
One small annoyance: the app requires an account even for close-range solo use. It usually stays logged in, but it sometimes signs me out, which is frustrating when I’m ready to use the toy.
For simple, reliable close-range control, the Ida Wave’s app is good. But if you want more advanced app features, the Lovense Dolce is a good dual-stimulation wearable with a better app.
The Love Spouse app’s close-range features are very basic – it has the most limited close-range app experience I’ve tested in a panty vibrator. The core constant-intensity control works, so if you just need an app to select your vibration power it’s fine – especially at this budget. But more customized controls you’d expect from higher-end apps are either missing or don’t work well. Consider the Lovense Ferri if you care about greater customization.
The one useful screen in the app is Classic Mode, which lists the toy’s preset modes as “Mode 1” through “Mode 9.” Modes 1-3 are the toy’s low, medium, and high constant intensity; the rest are the toy’s preset patterns.
That’s the entire intensity-control system – three stepped levels rather than the continuous adjustment most panty-vibe apps offer. If you want to dial in a precise feel between low and medium, you can’t; you’re stuck with the three steps the toy ships with. The modes also aren’t descriptively labeled, so you (or a partner controlling your toy) can’t tell what a pattern feels like without trying each one first, you have to memorize what each means.
Beyond Classic Mode, the app is cluttered with poorly built features that don’t add value. Draw Something is meant to let you drag your finger on the screen to control vibration intensity – but the response is so inconsistent that after ten minutes I still couldn’t figure out how it was supposed to work. Music Mode plays the toy along to music, but you’re limited to a handful of pre-installed songs the brand made up – no Spotify, no Apple Music, no songs from your phone – and the vibrations don’t really match the music anyway. Game Mode and a Shaking feature (where you shake your phone to control intensity) are similarly unusable in practice. Ads for the brand’s cam services run throughout the app, often taking up more space on the main control screen than the controls themselves. You don’t have to watch ads before playing, but they’re on the screen taking up space.
If you want anything beyond stepping between three preset intensity levels or selecting from the preset patterns the Lovense Ferri has a much better app. If you’re fine with basic controls and just need a functional app on a budget, the Techno Lucy’s app can be fine.
App Control: Long-Distance Features
Lelo’s long-distance experience is very basic.
It works for offering a partner simple, reliable control of your toy from anywhere in the world, but it doesn’t have the communication features that make long-distance feel more like sharing an experience together: no video or voice calls, no saved partners, no photo or voice messaging, no custom pattern creation, and you can only send text messages when you’re both in an active session.
To start, you create a new Room and send your partner the code outside the app. That’s fine for one-off sessions, but you have to create a new room every time. There are no saved partner profiles, online status, auto-accept settings, or permissions. So with a regular partner, you have to start from scratch each time.
Once connected, the controlling partner gets a version of the same Play screen used for close-range control: they will use the Manual mode, and the Screwing/Shaking motion modes to contol your toy. Lelo does add two useful long-distance controls: a drag-to-position dot for setting intensity quickly, and a voice-control mode that changes power based on sound picked up by the phone’s mic. Both make it quicker to set a specific intensity than tapping + / − repeatedly.
But it lacks lots of communication features that make most long-distance toys feel fun and connecting. There’s only text messaging, with no message history once the room ends, so you can’t go back and reread fun messages. Video or voice calls have to happen in another app, like FaceTime or Zoom. But if you each have a Lelo toy, you can each control the other’s toy.
If long-distance play is a priority, the Lovense Dolce or Lovense Flexer is the better dual-stim wearable. Lovense has in-app video, messaging, saved partners, permission settings, and detailed controls so your partner can make custom patterns. Lelo is fine for basic control-sharing, but Lovense is much stronger for ongoing partner play.
The Love Spouse app’s long-distance features are basic but functional – the core call-and-control flow works, but getting to the call is rough.
Your long-distance partner controls your Lucy with the same Mode 1 through Mode 9 preset selector you have during close-range play, and the same limitations.
Getting into a call is unintuitive at first, especially if you want to control a partner’s toy without also owning a toy of your own. The easiest way to connect with a partner is to select YOUR own toy from the home screen. Once connected to your toy, you’ll see a “Friend Control” option in the menu. Add your partner, and then you can select to invite them to a control session. Then once in a control session, you can also request to start a video call. This way requires that you also own a toy in order to access your friends list through your toy’s menu.
If you don’t own a Love Spouse toy too, you have to navigate to the “World” menu, which takes you to a spammy screen with a ton of random users sending a constant stream of messages. But in the top left of this screen, there’s a message icon where you can access your friends list and start the video call with your partner from there.
Once you’re in, though, the video call itself is pretty good. Video quality is high on decent internet, your view of your partner fills most of the screen without the controls cluttering the feed, and the toy control panel is easy to access – toggling off fullscreen brings the controls up in the bottom half of the screen while keeping your partner in view at the top. You can also both control each other’s vibrations during the call.
The call does have a few notable gaps. You can’t toggle off your camera or mute your mic – only flip front/back camera, switch to speaker, or end the call (a voice-only call option exists as a fallback). And there’s an in-call messaging feature that you should not use: messages fill up the video screen and don’t go away.
The standalone chat experience is bad: messages appear in a tiny corner window, text overflows onto buttons of similar color, lines cut off mid-word, and there’s no message history. There’s no media sharing during an active control session either – you can’t send a photo or voice clip while controlling your partner’s toy.
For people interested in the Anonymous play some higher-end apps like Lovense offer, it exists in the Love Spouse app, but it’s behind a paywall.
If long-distance play is a priority for you, the Lovense Ferri is a better choice – its app gives your partner rich control in long-distance mode, with a clean non-spammy interface that works well. For basic control over your partner’s vibrations during a video call, the Techno Lucy can work fine.
App Control: Connectivity
The Ida Wave’s close-range Bluetooth is good for solo use: pairing is reliable, commands consistently go through, and the range is strong – 215 feet in our test without any blockage. It can be sensitive to too much body tissue coming between the phone and toy, but this doesn’t happen much in normal use.
The first time you connect, you’ll add the toy to your list which takes a few clicks. After that first one-time pairing, I just tap the toy from the My Toy list, tap Play, and it connects within a few seconds.
The Ida Wave stays connected well when the phone and toy have a clear path, but Bluetooth struggles when a lot of body tissue sits between them. In our body-interference test, it handled light body interference but dropped at the two harder angles with more material blocking the signal.
For most people this won’t really be an issue with the Ida Wave. Our test runs harsher than real wear. The Ida Wave’s receiver is in the external arm and often will have a relatively clear shot – especially since this toy is best in bed rather than wearing around where your partner might be at an odd angle like controlling your toy from behind you.
If the connection drops between your phone and the toy, the app won’t automatically reconnect when the signal returns. You have to go back to the toy’s connection page, and press the physical button on the Ida Wave itself to re-pair. Since the button’s on the external arm, it’s not much trouble, but still takes effort.
Connecting in long-distance mode through a “room” is reliable because your partner’s phone isn’t talking directly to the toy. Your phone controls the Ida Wave over Bluetooth, and your partner’s phone connects to yours over Wi-Fi or cell data. As long as your phone stays near the toy and both internet connections are decent, the long-distance connection works well.
One small long-distance quirk: if the controlling partner locks their phone or leaves the app for more than about 30 seconds, they drop out of the Room and have to re-enter the code. The wearer’s connection doesn’t drop – control just pauses until they rejoin.
For most typical uses, the Ida Wave’s connection is solid. But if the best connectivity is important to you, the Lovense Dolce or Flexer is a better pick. They handle tougher body-blocking angles better, and are stronger overall for app-controlled play.
The Lucy’s app connectivity is reliable for solo control, but it’s just decent for nearby or long-distance partnered play. If reliable connectivity through any situation matters a lot to you, the Lovense Ferri is a better option, though it’s pricier.
Getting up and running is mostly automatic. The very first time, you have to enter a four-digit binding code from the toy’s instruction manual – annoying, but you only do it once (so don’t toss the manual before pairing). After that, the app auto-connects whenever you open it and turn the toy on. If the connection drops mid-session (like from going out of range), reconnection is automatic as soon as the signal’s clear again.
When I’m controlling my own toy, commands go through reliably and the connection holds through phone locking, app-switching, and periods of inactivity. The Lucy can also handle light body interference, like controlling the toy yourself or when a partner is facing you or at a slight angle. But as you put more of your body between the phone and the toy, it can lose the connection.
Water-rich materials like body tissue can significantly dampen bluetooth signals – much more than clothes or typical walls. Our body-interference test simulates this at three progressively harder positions: the Lucy holds a stable connection at the first, drops occasional commands at the second (but auto-reconnects on its own), and can’t maintain a connection at the third, most severe angle.
The Lovense Ferri holds at all three positions, which matters if a partner will be controlling your toy with a lot of your body in the way.
The Lucy’s Bluetooth range comes in around 40 feet in our open-air test, measured with a clear line-of-sight. That’s enough for same-room control, but well short of what Lovense’s and other panty vibrators reach – and body interference at certain angles will shorten your real distance further.
For long-distance play, the connection works well when both partners keep the Love Spouse app open. Sessions don’t drop unexpectedly, and commands go through reliably while both apps are active. If the toy-wearer’s app is locked or minimized, it can cause the controls to freeze until the app is back up again. Better long-distance apps like Lovense’s let the controlling partner keep adjusting your vibrations through normal phone behavior.
For solo control, partnered control from angles without much of your body in the way, and basic long-distance play, the Lucy’s connectivity holds up – especially considering how inexpensive the Techno Lucy is.
Remote Control: Main Takeaways
The Lelo Ida Wave doesn’t include a physical remote control. A remote lets you adjust the toy by feel – without pulling out your phone. Though there’s other downsides like less depth and no visual feedback to help your partner know what your toy’s doing. If you want to consider options with physical remotes, see our recommendations in these guides:
- best remote and app-controlled vibrators (all types of vibrators)
- best wearable vibrators (wearables only).
The NS Novelties Techno Lucy doesn’t include a physical remote control. A remote lets you adjust the toy by feel – without pulling out your phone. Though there’s other downsides like less depth and no visual feedback to help your partner know what your toy’s doing. If you want to consider options with physical remotes, see our recommendations in these guides:
- best remote and app-controlled vibrators (all types of vibrators)
- best wearable vibrators (wearables only).
On-Toy Controls
Like most wearables, the Ida Wave’s on-toy controls are limited by design – you’ll mostly control it through the app. The button is a single-button cycle for 7 vibration patterns, with only one vibration power level accessible on-toy. The rotating internal arm spins at one fixed speed regardless of which setting you select.
For the full 10 power settings and control over the arm’s speed, you have to use the app.
If you do have to use the on-toy button, the button placement is good. On most wearables, pressing the button often means pushing the toy uncomfortably against you or removing it completely first. But the Ida Wave’s button is on the side of the external arm.
It’s comfortable and easy to press, and doesn’t push the toy uncomfortably against your body, making it decent as a backup if you don’t feel like using the app.
Like most panty vibrators, the Lucy’s on-toy controls are limited by design – the toy sits inside your underwear during use, so you’ll typically rely on the app.
There’s a single button on the toy that cycles through the same nine settings from the app – three steady power levels, then six vibration patterns. There’s no minus button, so dropping back to a gentler power takes cycling through the remaining settings. Nine settings is enough that the cycle takes some patience, but as a backup or if you want to occasionally use the toy handheld it works fine.
The button is well-placed: easy to feel and press without looking, and centered in the middle of the broad, plush body. Pressing it does push the toy against your vulva, but the central placement and broad surface distribute the pressure evenly across your body rather than concentrating it in one spot, so it’s comfortable.
The limited on-toy button works fine, since the app is the main way you’ll use the Lucy.
Secure Fit & Adjustability
The Ida Wave is the least secure-fitting dual-stim wearable I’ve tested. I still really enjoy this toy, but you can’t wear it around. And even in bed, I have to make occasional adjustments.
The rotating internal arm is small and flexible while the external arm is broad and heavy, so the toy’s own weight slowly works the internal arm out. It’s flexible, but not adjustable, so there are no hinges to actually re-shape the toy to make it more secure.
In bed, the Ida Wave stays workable but never feels fully reliably anchored. I can roll, shift positions, even kneel, but I find myself adjusting it or pushing the internal arm back in a few times per session. The clit vibrations are stimulating, but for the best experience, plan to use your hand every so often to re-position it. If you’ll find that annoying, dual-stimulation toys without motion like the Lovense Dolce are much more secure.
The Ida Wave is not designed to be worn around. When I walked around with it in, I had to keep pushing it back into position; only my underwear stopped it from falling all the way out. It also bumps against the inside of my legs, making walking awkward. With any sort of heavier activity like running or jumping the Ida Wave pulls most of the way out.
If walking around or moving with the toy in is part of what you want from a wearable, the Ida Wave isn’t built for it – and really none of my strong dual-stimulation wearables are easy to wear around. A panty vibrator like the Lovense Ferri or egg vibrator like the Lovense Lush 4 are much more secure. You can even wear both of these at the same time and control them through the Lovense app.
The NS Novelties Techno Lucy is the most secure fitting panty vibrator I’ve tested, even compared to other magnetic panty vibrators.
The clit-end is broad, but it tapers narrower toward the base between your legs, the toy curves to be form-fitting along your vulva, and the magnet is strong, large, and recessed into a divot at the back.
The broad clit-end paired with the large magnet pins the part vibrating by your clit firmly to your underwear. It has none of the wiggle room a narrower toy or small magnet sometimes leaves. Even if the toy tilts slightly as you move, the breadth of the clit-end keeps it secure against your body. And the curved, tapered shape means your thighs don’t bump the toy off-axis as you walk – it nestles naturally between your legs.
In bed, the toy doesn’t shift through normal moving around or changing positions.
During light activity like walking or doing chores, you can feel the toy move with you as you walk, but it doesn’t actually shift off the spot you secured it to – and gravity doesn’t pull it down off your clit even when standing.
Heavy activity is where most magnetic panty vibrators shift more, but the Lucy holds up better here than any I’ve tested. It stayed in place and maintained great clit contact while I danced and did high knees. Jumping and running do make it bounce – the toy pulls away from your body when you land – but it moves right back where it’s clipped without any manual readjustment.
Comfort
The Ida Wave is much more comfortable in bed than it is for walking around. Lying down, the slim internal arm is pretty comfortable, and the broad external arm distributes pressure evenly. But once I’m standing or walking, the toy starts to pull out, which can make it pinch uncomfortably.
In bed, the internal arm is slim enough that it doesn’t limit my movement as much as more bulbous internal arms. The external arm is broad enough that I can’t fully close my legs around it, but my legs help to keep it in place. And this breadth helps spread the pressure out instead of pinching, like the narrower Lovense Flexer can.
Walking around is the weak point. As the internal arm slowly works its way out, it can press uncomfortably against my pubic bone. So if mobile comfort is your priority, try a panty vibrator like the Lovense Ferri or egg vibrator like the Lovense Lush Mini instead. Or try wearing them both at the same time for dual-stimulation that’s more comfy to wear around.
The Ida Wave is best treated as an in-bed wearable.
The NS Novelties Techno Lucy is the most comfortable panty vibrator I’ve tested. It stays comfortable both in bed and while you’re up and moving around – where most panty vibrators drop in comfort to some degree when walking.
The same design that makes it fit so securely also keeps it comfortable. The broad clit-end distributes pressure evenly across your clit area, the slim section between your legs prevents it from getting bumped around much with movement, and the form curves to stay snug against your body.
In bed, the contours extremely well to the body. Like the Sexy Secret, it’s the easiest panty vibrator I’ve found to settle into a comfortable placement, but the Lucy is far more stimulating.
During light activity like walking around the house or sitting at a desk, the broad, plush surface keeps good contact with the clit without any uncomfortable “tapping”, even if the toy is jostled a bit. When sitting, the extra pressure distributes evenly across the plush surface. The Lucy is one toy I could wear for a long time without becoming uncomfortable.
Noise
The Lelo Ida Wave is very discreet – especially surprising since toys with motion are typically loud.
When held in the open air, the decibel readings are somewhat loud on paper – about 45 dBA on low and 56 dBA on high. But once you’re actually wearing the toy, the body dampens both the vibration and the motion noise substantially.
The Ida Wave was fully masked at every power level in our Background Noise Masking subtest. In this part of the test, I wear the toy while my partner listens from three feet away and we play pink noise through a speaker at quiet, moderate, and loud volumes (56, 62, and 68 dBA). He couldn’t hear the Ida Wave at any strength under any of our three tested background volumes – and even when he stepped right next to me to check the sound, he could only pick up the vibrations, not the rotating motion at all.
Behind a closed bedroom door, the Ida Wave was also inaudible. For this part of the test, my partner listens directly outside our bedroom door while I use the toy in bed. I use it like a handheld toy since wearing dampens sound, and some people want the flexibility to safely re-position wearables or use some of them handheld. Holding the toy instead of wearing it gives us the most conservative results. He couldn’t hear the Ida Wave at any setting from behind the door.
The Ida Wave is the quietest of my strong dual-stimulation wearables.
The Lucy is exceptionally quiet – tied for the quietest panty vibrator I’ve tested. And unlike the others tied with it (Satisfyer Sexy Secret, Little Secret, and Romp Party), it’s also one of the most stimulating.
Decibel readings on low and high power were extremely quiet, too quiet for my Sound Level Meter to pick up. The ambient room noise was 35 dBA, and the Lucy never measured higher than this.
The Lucy is also in the most discreet tier of wearable vibrators I’ve tested in our Background Noise Masking subtest. In this subtest, I wear the toy while my partner listens from three feet away and we play pink noise through a speaker at quiet, moderate, and loud volumes (56, 62, and 68 dBA). He couldn’t hear the Lucy at any vibration strength while playing any of our three volumes of background noise audio. It’s definitely audible in our room without any background audio playing – but every wearable vibrator I’ve tested is, no matter how gentle and quiet the vibrations are.
Behind a closed bedroom door, the Lucy was similarly inaudible. For this part of the noise test, my partner listens from outside the closed door while I use the toy in bed. I use it like a handheld toy since wearing dampens sound, and some people want the flexibility to safely reposition the toy or move it around. Holding the toy instead of wearing it gives us the most conservative results. He couldn’t hear the Lucy at any setting from behind our bedroom door – no fan or music needed to mask it.
Battery Life
The Lelo Ida Wave lasted 135 minutes at top power in our testing – the longest battery life of any dual-stimulation wearable I’ve tested. And since you’ll spend plenty of time on lower and middle settings too, real-world runtime is typically longer. That’s plenty of time, even if you sometimes forget to charge between uses.
The Lucy has a short battery life – it lasted 55 minutes in my test on its highest setting. That’s lower than high-end panty vibrators – the average runs closer to 90 minutes, and the Lovense Ferri lasts closer to three hours. You can extend the Lucy’s battery life during normal use since you’ll likely also use the lower settings some too.
Cleaning
The Lelo Ida Wave is very easy to clean. It’s IPX7 waterproof, so you can rinse it under a running faucet or fully submerge it in soapy water without worrying about water damage.
The Lucy is easy to clean. It’s fully IPX7 waterproof, so you can clean it under a running faucet or fully submerge it in soapy water without worry.
Build Quality
The Ida Wave’s build quality is excellent. I’ve owned my Ida Wave since 2022, and it’s continued to operate as expected. The silicone is smooth, the shiny plastic top has stayed scratch-free with normal use, and the seams between materials are tight. The flex point between the internal and external arms feels solidly built, with no loosening or signs of strain.
The Lucy feels high quality, especially for a budget panty vibrator. It’s covered entirely in thick-feeling silicone with a nice flex to it, the button presses with a satisfying click, and the broad, strong magnet creates a solid, sturdy connection.