I am a huge fan of Rocks-Off’s toys – after all, one of their vibrators gave me my first solo orgasm! – and was delighted to get my hands on the Zeppelina at Eroticon last March. I’d previously admired the steam punk designs of the Dr Rocco’s Pleasure Emporium toys, and the Zeppelina looked like a potentially powerful vibrator that I definitely wanted to play with.
Thank you to Rocks Off and Tabitha Rayne for giving me the Siren to review. All writing and opinions are my own, and all photos in this post were taken by me. This post also includes affiliate links!
Initial thoughts…
The Zeppelina is described as a powerful, ten function silicone vibrator, which I’d say is accurate even though when you usually masturbate using your Doxy ‘powerful’ vibrators become relative. If I’m going to be honest, I didn’t think about how one would use the Zeppelina when I picked it up. As a sex nerd with vaginismus, I was only looked at it as a vibrator, but the marketing copy boasts “5 inches of full satisfying girth” that seems to imply that Zeppelina could be used for internal stimulation. While I can’t speak to that, I can definitely say that due to the lack of flared base it definitely shouldn’t be used for anal play.
Looking closer…
The products in Dr Rocco’s Pleasure Emporium, including the Zeppelina, are promoted as being “Uniquely crafted to time-span the ages for a truly orgasmic fantasy romp! Time to lace up your corsets, hang on to your boot straps and enjoy the ride.” While that gave me all manner of fantasies, it doesn’t provide any specifics about the vibrator. What’s more useful to know is that the Zeppelina is USB rechargeable and should last four hours after two hours of charge. It has a length of 7.04 inches, an insertable length 6 inches, and measures 1.75 inches at its widest point.
I don’t mind the old-timey wording in its description on the Rocks Off website – though I’m somewhat sceptical of the “10 powerful petticoat fluttering functions” it promises. I do, however, have a problem with the “The lady wants, so the lady must have!” tagline: there are folks who aren’t ladies who would really enjoy the Zeppelina, and it’s definitely not just for vaginas. To test this, my fuck buddy and I tried it on his dick. Sadly this was in the middle of a very experimental fuck-session, so the only data I have is that he found the vibrations pleasurable. Still, folks, stop gendering your sex toys in 2020!
In use…
Let me start by saying that I wasn’t expecting the Zeppelina to make me come, but it DID. Not the first time I played with it, or even the fifth – though as someone into orgasm denial and edging that’s not necessarily a bad thing! I’ve used the Zeppelina several times when partners have told me to tease myself, because the vibrations feel brilliant on my clit and labia but weren’t powerful enough to get me off – or so I thought. Until I tried it when I was particularly horny, and I found that among the Zeppelina’s features include it being the right length for me to put the perfect amount of pressure on my clit while lying on my stomach.
As always, it took me a minute to work out how to turn the vibrator on: the Rocks Off logo signalling the particular spot you have to press to turn it on was hidden among the elegant cog designs at the base of the toy. Beautiful and subtle, definitely, but less good for when you pass it to your partner mid-frantic fuck so they can press it against your clit while nailing you from behind. You have to hold this semi-disguised button down for five seconds to turn the vibrator both on and off.
The Zeppelina is a pleasantly solid vibrator, and I’d describe its vibrations as a light rumble. It also has three settings of an increasingly intense constant buzzing before its programmed patterns start. I’m a far bigger fan of steady vibrations than patterns, but I should add that at least one partner has enjoyed making me switch on the buzzzzBUZZZZbuzzzzBUZZZZbuzzzz growl-like setting for their pleasure and my squirmy frustration.
I do like the Zeppelina’s shape though – it’s size means that the tip of the vibrator has some rounded out pin-point vibrations that really work for me. Especially it can be switched out with grinding my vulva into the strongly-vibrating sides of the silicone toy. I’ve especially enjoyed using the Zeppelina when on my period. When my vagina feels itchy, it feels good to switch between a directed buzz at the opening of my vagina to a flatter rumbly surface pressed against my clit – something the Zeppelina supplies that your average bullet vibrator couldn’t.
Care and Cleaning…
Dr Rocco’s Zeppelina is made out of body-safe silicone and is fully waterproof (a feature I have definitely made use of while wanking in the shower). Cleaning submersible silicone toys is pleasantly straightforward: washing it with water and soap between uses will work, but as it’s a vibrating toy you’ll need to soak them in a 10% bleach solution to sanitise it fully. It’s both phthalate-free and non-porous – yay! Just make sure you don’t lose the charging wire, which should be plugged into the middle of the rose-gold circled bottom of the vibrator.
Overall impression…
It’s never going to be the first toy I reach for, but I’m glad the Zeppelina is in my sex toy box. Especially now I’ve learned how to use it to make me come, it’s a nicely shaped vibrator whose silicone feels great against my cunt when it’s especially wet (or when I’m on my period). If you like wand-like vibrations but want something a little less intense, I think the Zeppelina could work really well for you. Its design also inspires a fuck-tonne of historical-set fantasies, which I haven’t even started to explore yet.
This year I’m joining in with January Jumpstart, which is run by the brilliant Violet Fawkes. Click on the badge to see how everyone else is starting their sex blogging this year.
If you want to get your hands on Dr Rocco’s Zeppelina yourself – and you should! – I’d recommend buying one from SheVibe (whose copy for the vibrator doesn’t include the heavily gendered tagline). Right now they have an awesome sale on so you can get your hands on this vibrator for $59.99 in the US or £48.69 in the UK.
Quinn Rhodes (he/him) is a freelance journalist, sex writer, and professional transsexual. His work focuses on dismantling shame and queering sex.
