It's a vibe
Crave will help you build your own programmable vibrator at home
The company is adapting its DIY approach to the age of lockdown when its wares are arguably more important and useful than ever.
Back in the halcyon days before-19 COVID — circa January 2020, or approximately two lifetimes ago — my colleague Cheyenne MacDonald got to build one of Crave's vibrators at the company's stand at CES 2020 and was impressed with not only the idea, but also with the end result. Now, with in-person events off the table for the foreseeable future, the company behind the bespoke sex toys has had to find another way to make its mission to support people in their pursuit of personal pleasure a reality.
The Crave "Build-A-Vibe Airstream lab" at CES allowed people to work with a Crave technician to create a customized version of its Duet vibrator. Now it's taking that same idea to people's own homes by shipping Build-A-Vibe kits to people and allowing them to work with a technician remotely to put it together much like they would in person.
If you thought building puzzles or Lego sets were going to be the pinnacle of your lockdown creation achievements, think again. Now you have the opportunity to create a genuine joy-giving device while also chalking it up as both a lockdown project and an exercise in self-care.
The best use for Zoom — In addition to all the parts and tools required to assemble the new Duet Pro vibrator (the follow-up to the original Duet, which was also a USB-rechargeable, waterproof, dual clitoral stimulator), you'll also get to either schedule a Zoom call with one of Crave's "pleasure technicians," or hop on a group call, depending which tier of the Kickstarter campaign you opt for. Co-founder Ti Chang herself is one of the technicians who'll be helping clients, so you might luck out and get the boss herself.
The group-call option starts at $129, while you'll need to put down $499 for the solo-technician option. Alternatively, if you'd rather your Duet Pro arrive fully assembled and ready to go, those options start at $99. The company also continues to sell its discreet Vesper (an elegant, golf-tee-like vibrator that can be worn as a necklace) and it's bookshelf-worthy Wink+ for under $100 each via its website.
Personal programming — Crave says the new Duet Pro is its most customizable device yet. In addition to the three different color options for the silicone portion of the vibrator that are included in the kit, there's also the option to create and rearrange custom vibrations for your Duet Pro using Crave's MyVibes app. It comes with 16 of the company's favorite patterns preinstalled, so there's no need to create your own, but it's great to know you can if you wish to.
If you decide to change anything down the line, the entire thing is totally reprogrammable, and there's no need to compromise your privacy because the only information the app needs to connect to the Duet Pro is a serial number. Presumably, you also don't need to have your video on if you're Zoom shy.
You've got some free time, right? — Crave is only doing 100 of its virtual Build-A-Vibe experiences, and the whole process takes around 45 minutes to an hour. Unlike many crowd-funded campaigns where there's some risk the project will never come to fruition, Crave's been building and selling vibes for almost a decade, so this is pretty much a sure thing.
The other sure thing? It's likely the most memorable lockdown project you'll take on, one that could potentially keep making you smile long after you've forgotten where you even put the watercolor set and paintbrushes you ordered from Amazon after falling down a YouTube rabbit hole and deciding you missed your calling as a landscape painter. Also, with Crave's products, your odds of failure are significantly lower.
