With all the holiday merchandising going on these days it’s impossible not to realize that we’re coming up on Valentine’s Day. You can’t help but see it everywhere as pink and red hearts have taken over retail establishments and Valentine’s Day stuff fills the end caps and seasonal aisles. What I’m not seeing much of are cherubs.

Cupid used to be a prominent player in Valentine’s Day, but I guess winged naked baby archers are no longer considered politically correct. Maybe they’ve just fallen out of favor, flew too close to the sun, or have better things to do nowadays. Nevertheless, I’m going to talk about a Cupid I once knew. This week’s Follow-Up Friday is the Cupid Kiss, but I’m just going to call it Cupid so it fits in with my Valentine’s Day theme.

I first reviewed this vibe last May, and at the time I was quite impressed with it. Cupid was the first soft vibe I tried–well, I guess technically my Elastomer Rabbit Habit would be considered soft, but not in the same way. Cupid’s squishy TPR silicone covering and raised ridges created a sensation unlike anything else I had experienced, and the motor had EIGHT different vibration settings. Yes, I believe Cupid is the vibe to thank for my love of pulse patterns and vibration variety.

This was also the first G-spot toy I tried. Even though the curve is pretty subtle, and Cupid isn’t really big or firm enough for applying a lot of pressure on the G-spot, it has strong vibrations and is great for thrusting. Plus, up until I acquired Cupid, I didn’t have any waterproof toys other than my Pocket Rocket Jr, so Cupid added a whole new level of enjoyment to shower time. For all that I am grateful.

However, ultimately Cupid ended up being a disappointment. This was back before I had the joys of using superior vibes like Evolved’s Croupier and Fun Factory’s Spring and Ellove. Granted, those are sized differently and don’t have as many vibration settings, but they also aren’t the battery drainers (Spring is rechargeable) that Cupid was, and they’re STILL WORKING, which is more than I can say for Ole Cupid who broke after only a few months. I was pretty ticked off about that.

One thing I’ve learned since I started reviewing sex toys is that more often than not you get what you pay for. This might be fine if all you care about is the novelty value and only plan on using a vibe a few times anyway, but I think of my sex toys as tools, or more like appliances. They’re there to do a job, and just as I depend on my washing machine and oven to work, I need my vibes to be durable and effective. As such, I would much rather spend a hundred dollars on something that will last than keep buying $20 vibes over and over again.

The trouble is that often you don’t know how much you’ll like a particular sex toy, so it’s hard to justify the expense upfront for something that may not work for you and certainly isn’t returnable. This is where less expensive vibes do have some worth, as often they’re knock-offs of the higher quality products. So those who are on a budget or just venturing into the world of sex toys can try something relatively inexpensive, with the understanding that a similar product from a luxury line will be a better investment when this one breaks. That’s why the Fun Factory Meany is on my wish list.

Even though I liked my Cupid Kiss, I’m not buying another one. Actually, I very rarely BUY sex toys anyway. I either receive them free to review, win them in giveaway contests, or I save up my reward points and/or earn gift cards. That’s how I get the expensive ones I really want.