Sex machines are usually an investment. They cost several hundred dollars, involve complicated machinery, and take up so much space in your home that you’d only really want one if you planned to make regular use of it. But if there was ever going to be a sex machine for people who have a more casual interest, the Lovense Mini Sex Machine might just be the one.

The Lovense Mini is in the category of devices primarily designed to simulate penetration. A long rod with a dildo on the end is attached to a motor that repeatedly thrusts forward. Devices like this can be pretty bulky, in part because the force required to maintain penetration is deceptively substantial. Weak motors can strain against the human body, and if the devices themselves don’t have a way to stabilize themselves, the motor can end up pushing the device away from the person, rather than thrusting inside.

This is what makes Lovense’s mini version of its flagship sex machine so impressive. The main body of the machine is about a foot long, and the stabilizing legs are similarly less than a foot tall. When taken apart, the whole thing can neatly fit in the back corner of a closet or a wide drawer, and when assembled, it’s small enough to comfortably fit on a bed without getting in the way. Combined with a $399 price—hundreds less than most comparable sex machines—it’s one of the most compelling devices in this sex toy space.

Who’s This for?

A part of the challenge in justifying a sex machine purchase is that every body has different needs. What feels great for one person might not do much for another. So, we can get this out of the way up front: If penetration doesn’t do much for you, then this machine probably isn’t for you. Other machines like the Motorbunny Buck are designed to provide penetration and vibration, so that might be a better direction to look if you want a different kinds of stimulation.

If penetration is something you enjoy, however, then the Lovense Mini Sex Machine has a surprising amount to offer. Despite its small size, Lovense claims the motor reaches up to 260 thrusts per minute, and in my testing that was a very slight underestimate. In practice, the device regularly hits between 270 to 280 thrusts per minute at its maximum speed.

The stroke length is also adjustable, though the process is a bit complicated. It requires removing the panel on the side of the device and using an Allen wrench to adjust a bolt that holds the thrusting rod to the motor. At its maximum, it can thrust forward up to three inches, and closer to an inch at the low end.

While the stroke length doesn’t affect the thrusts per minute much, it has a pronounced impact on how buck-wild this machine gets. When set to longer stroke lengths and at the highest speeds, the motor could shake the machine right off a table. On most moderate speeds and lengths, this wasn’t an issue, but it’s something to keep in mind when you’re using this machine while it’s not on a table.

The dildo on the end has a clever design that makes it easy to clean as well as swap attachments. You can remove it by pulling back on a small metal ring, which releases several ball bearings pressed into small divots on the end of the attachment. This makes it super simple to pop it off for cleaning, then place it back on the end of the rod when you're ready to use it again.

The end also uses a Vac-U-Lock adapter so you can swap dildos, but in my and my partners' experience, the default was perfectly sized. In both length and girth, it was almost exactly 5.5 inches, which is not much larger than the average penis. There's a tendency with some sex toys to aim for extreme sizes, but both of the partners I used this machine with expressed relief that Lovense opted to include a more approachable dildo. (If you plan to use this machine for anal play, the benefits of an average-sized phallus only increase.)

The machine is attached to two legs with simple clasps that make it easy to slide each one up and down. This provides flexibility to get the right height and angle for your needs. You can see a few demonstrations of how this works on Lovense's site. In my experience, it was mercifully easy to adjust on the fly. When using it with my partner, we were able to adjust the height to the perfect angle, all while barely interrupting our usual foreplay.

Surprisingly Intimate

It’s hard to see a big motor attached to a giant metal frame and get a sexy vibe, but the Lovense Mini Sex Machine can be a surprisingly intimate experience. For starters, the device is compatible with the Lovense Remote app, which lets another user control the machine from across the room or the country.

Long-distance relationships in particular can benefit from this. If your partner lives far away, one of you can set up the machine and the other can control it from their phones. It’s not the same as having someone physically there, but there’s something about the immediacy of pressing a button and watching your partner on a webcam feel a new sensation that feels like a new kind of intimacy.

Even for partners who are physically close to each other, the remote app can be an enticing addition to playtime. Since the app lets you control the machine from across the room, it can add a new dimension to teasing your partner, especially if you’re into things like tying each other to the bed or power exchange games.

The physical remote is also a useful tool. A cord runs from the machine to a small box with a dial, a red button, and a red LED. When the LED is on, you can turn the dial up to increase the thrusting speed. If you need to stop for any reason, hitting the red button will immediately cut power to the machine.

In a very convenient touch, once you hit the red button, the machine won’t start again until you press the red button again and turn the dial back to its starting position. This makes sure you can’t accidentally press the button twice and turn it back on at full strength. Given the sensitive positions you might be in while using this device, it’s a thoughtful touch.

More Than Just Thrust

The Lovense Mini Sex Machine might be designed primarily around a simple thrusting motion, but like any good sex toy, what matters is how you use it. To that end, there’s a lot of creativity that a device like this can enable. The Lovense Remote app has an array of creative modes you can use to augment some sexy games. In one mode, you can set an alarm that will activate the machine at a certain time. You can even set a pattern that will determine how much it thrusts and when so it can ramp up over time.

This led one of my partners and me to design a fun game based on an old Lifehacker mainstay, the Pomodoro Technique. Only, instead of working for 25 minutes and taking a break for five, we set my partner up to use the machine for a set time, while I would be tasked with doing something else. Once the timer was up, I joined my partner again. It’s a fun way to spice up chore time or build tension.

There are several reasons you might want to pick up a sex machine. Whether it’s because you and your partner have some spicy interests, you’re in a long-distance relationship, or even because you do sex work online and want to put on a show. (On that note, Lovense has a whole suite of features for interacting remotely with an audience if you want this machine as a business investment.)

Most sex machines are prohibitively expensive. Even Lovense’s full-size sex machine starts at $699, and most start pushing into rent-payment level price ranges. This makes the $399 entry point here an outstanding deal. Despite its smaller stature, it’s still plenty powerful enough to satisfy, and best of all it can be broken down enough to store discreetly. It has quickly become the entry-level sex machine to beat.