This is a very belated review of my purchase of the Zelex 165 through Sex Doll Australia. This companion doll arrive a year ago (April 2022). This was my first ever purchase of a companion doll, and so yes, it was a big undertaking considering the amount of money, and expectations involved.
This review is of both the Zelex doll and my experience purchasing it through Sex Doll Australia. I've put this review in both the Zelex and Sex Doll Australia sub forums.
Keep in mind that in light of the new Zelex Inspiration series, and that different batches of silicone are applied in each sets of dolls, my experience is not likely to apply to new owners.
That said, I think my experience with my purchase with Sex Doll Australia (SDA) may be useful for Australian based customers.
Background
I made a purchase of a G07 165F through SDA around the 2021 Black Friday sales. The original doll arrived in early January 2022. The free head I chose was G55; both heads I selected were soft silicone. I had ordered a tanned skin doll with insert vagina.
The original body, which had no weight reduction, came in at 37kg; and the second replacement body I got with weight reduction (because the first had quality control issues), was 32kg.
I will also mention that I separately received a G53 head from Zelex’s Christmas 2021 promotion, which is a hard silicone head with implanted hair.
Purchase experience
Andrew from SDA was very supportive during the purchase process and afterwards as well. He was reasonably timely in responding, and was patient in answering my detailed questions.
Face/eye makeup requirements were met after clarifications
After I submitted my order and Andrew forwarded pictures of how the doll heads and body were progressing, we had a few back and forth emails where I was seeking to clarify my G07 had the right makeup as per some Vimeo videos I saw previously. Andrew took the time to explain the nuances of how photos and videos, with lighting and so on, may affect what I see at my end; and nonetheless forwarded my requests on to Zelex. Andrew was also accommodating when I asked for additional videos of the head that showed the adjustments in makeup, alongside the photos of the updates.
We reached a certain point where Andrew reassured me, that when I see the head in person, it will definitely confirm my requirements were met and I’d be happy. Naturally, being my first purchase, I was not entirely sure to just simply accept that, but I can gladly say, that when both heads came in, I was very happy.
I want to emphasise, that I’m glad that I kept on specifying the aspects I requested Andrew to ask Zelex to adjust in the head/face makeup. After each update, Zelex did make it much closer to what I was looking for. So, pro tip, don’t be overly shy; keep on asking for the tweaks until you’re comfortable to proceed. It’s the face detail rather than the body which requires the most time to get right. Even if it blows out the process by a week, two or 3 (as, naturally, Zelex is constantly working on multiple orders and so will need some turnaround time to incorporate adjustment requests), it’s definitely worth it.
Error with applying fixed vagina vs. what was stated in order
In my order, I had asked for an insert vagina, but when I was shown the photos of the body, it ended up being fixed. However, I was ok with this and I do think aesthetically (and feeling wise after the doll arrived), it’s better (though I have never tried the detachable, and can only guess from using Fleshlights).
Andrew did accept that there was a slip up from what was stated in the system order to what Zelex made, but thankfully for me, that was ok.
Quality control issues with the original body
Unfortunately, when the body came in, it was very quickly apparent there were quality control issues. Silicone splitting in the armpit and other areas came up. I quickly took photos and raised this with Andrew.
Andrew was very responsive and said to me that it was likely a silicone batch/composition issue from Zelex. Thankfully, he said that he/Zelex would be able to send a replacement body at no additional cost – and so I effectively had this become a second body (I could now attach the 2nd free head I had).
I won’t put up photos of the QC issue with the first body, as the assessment and issues were identified made promptly by Andrew, which I very much appreciated.
I will focus on my experience with the replacement body which I’ll refer to as my ‘primary’ doll.
Primary doll body
Andrew was also accommodating when I asked for a change in areola size as well as fingernail painting of the replacement body. Also, by that time I discovered Zelex offered weight reduction, and so I asked Andrew and he confirmed Zelex could do that. There was a reduction of about 5kg which made a huge difference. In my case, there was no additional costs charged, which I very much appreciated.
When the replacement body arrived in April 2022, it was clear that there was none of the armpit silicone splitting.
Adjusting to expectations
In the first few weeks, I underwent an acclimation process, adjusting my expectations to what the doll actually provided. Throughout that time, I emailed questions and queries, and Andrew was helpful in explaining how the silicone development process can impact what I actually experienced with the doll in person and how that could differ from what I had expected. Andrew’s clarifications also referred to differences between different silicone doll brands as well, to give some comparative perspective.
The expectations I had were based on what I saw in pictures and videos for Zelex dolls. In hindsight, I realise that essentially, you need to see the product in person to better calibrate expectations of what you will get from the doll. Emailing questions ahead of time or talking on the phone without seeing the doll in front of you, can only go so far, and I guess is just part of buying dolls generally.
Andrew now offers a walk-in showroom, which would help a lot in reconciling some of these possible differences in expectations. I plan to visit next time I’m in Melbourne, to not only check out any Zelex Inspiration dolls that may be available but also in particular, the 170C. Also, I’ve never encountered a TPE doll, and want to see what their purported softness is like (although the required upkeep, is probably not suitable for my lifestyle).
With all that in mind then, here are a few expectations that I had to adjust to with my Zelex doll, once I received the proper doll body and the heads:
Torso
I found the silicone flesh quite hard or taught. I remember seeing a video of someone pressing and squeezing across a Zelex body, which appeared to suggest it was reasonably squishy. However, for me, it requires quite a bit of pinch or press force to get the same amount of press or give. The buttocks are particularly hard, which can take out from the immersion, especially when it comes to slapping lol. I understand since my purchase, Zelex, through their Inspiration series, are offering soft/kneadable buttocks, inner thighs and so on which hopefully will partly address that.
Soft silicone head
Regarding the soft silicone heads, I similarly wasn’t sure how soft they were meant to be. Later, when I received the hard silicone head (G53), I could see the latter was much, much harder (pretty much rock hard) and very hard in texture as well, which I don’t particularly enjoy as I like caressing my faces/heads and the kissing of the lips isn’t as satisfying as compared to soft silicone heads.
I also was not sure whether the mouth holes of the soft silicone heads were constructed ‘right’ and also whether the lips were as tight as they were meant to be for one of heads. After sending videos of the heads to Andrew, he confirmed they were designed as intended; the latter in particular was simply a hole (understandably). I also found it odd that when I put my wang in the soft heads, the head could contort a fair bit, which made me concerns of inner tears over time – thankfully, I’m not a big oral person anyhow.
Hard silicone head with implanted hair
This Christmas 2021 G53 promotion free hard silicone head was great to have as a point of comparison. The makeup detail is more realistic, although for me, the soft silicone heads’ makeup is quite good anyway. Initially, I found the implantable hair, a bit on the dry or overly synthetic side, but since appreciate how it can look nice. The drawback of course is that hair is permanent and you can’t swap out wigs.
That said, the biggest drawback of the implantable hair, is flaking and being loose. The hair flakes a lot more than the wigs, and leaves evidence of me having female company around lol. I do NOT recommend implantable hair.
Size of the torso
One other expectation adjustment I had to make, was the size of the dolls in real life. While height wise, my 165F was no question, at the stated height, the frame of the body is slimmer or smaller than the marketing, photos and videos would suggest. If I had to use an analogy, I was expecting almost a womanly ish size maybe late 20s,, but it’s more like a slim girl in early 20s / late teens, if that makes sense. While that may be the case, the weight is still considerable!
Speaking of weight, I usually remove the heads of the dolls, before I move them around the house, which helps. I know weight is a tricky consideration to convey, as people’s strength varies etc. For reference, I’m a skinny guy who’s a touch under 180cm. I don’t do gym and live a fairly sedentary lifestyle, except for short daily walks.
The original torso I have, whose body comes in at 37kg, I find myself moving around very infrequently now. If I do move my dolls between rooms, I’m much more likely to move my ‘primary’ doll, the replacement, coming in at 32 kg. I also find that, again, depending on my mood, energy levels etc., I don’t move my dolls across rooms etc. as frequently as I did during the ‘honeymoon’ period. I’m not sure if this is normal.
Now, onto the photos!
One big qualifier with my photos is that they don’t seem to present as fully the things i’ll now describe; even though I’ve tried to neutralise filters in my phone camera and so on, so please keep that in mind.
Also, I know that most of these experiences are due to wear in tear, and just part of the ‘doll game’ as other Zelex owners have reported. Anyhow, nonetheless I hope what I share is helpful.
Skin tone fade
There is considerable skin colour tone fade, enough that others have noticed. I guess depending on where you put the most ‘friction’, the tone fade would be unevenly distributed. I’m sure also, my wiping and powdering has also impacted the tone fade.
In the photo below, you will see the top half is more tanned than the bottom half – maybe realistic lol
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You can see there’s a tonal fade between (what looks more like sun burn) and the other parts of the arm
You can also see the skin tone fading along effectively the seam line (see below). The seam is fairly visible, but after while, for me it’s not that much of a big deal, although where it can be hidden in future doll versions, the better.
- arm tone 2.jpg (1.57 MiB) Viewed 1476 times
The vagina tear/splits over time have occurred, but at least they did not occur right out of the box. It’s a little bit unavoidable, as you need to spread the legs to get into missionary (which then stretches the vagina); and even if you’re conservative with the amount of leg spreading, it still requires a considerable spread in my experience. I use silpoxy (although in a very childcare arts class kind of way) to do minor repairs.
As part of sending the replacement doll, Andrew also arranged for Zelex to send a repair kit to be sent. However, although a tracking number was issued for the kit, it seemed to not go anywhere and got lost in the system. I didn’t follow up with Andrew, as I found my own alternative solutions at the time.
Delivery experience
I should also add, that the delivery process for both the original body and the replacement body, generally was quite smooth. Tracking numbers and updates for those were sent and fairly regular, and Andrew also checked in to say he was aware of the progress of the delivery as well. I live on the first floor of my apartment and was originally concerned about whether it would be tricky for the delivery person, but it was very straightforward.
Joint loosening
Owners report that joint loosening is almost inevitable for dolls. For my doll, the torso’s left leg flip flops a fair bit from the upper left pelvis joint and can no longer hold in positions between zero and 90 degrees. Gives new meaning to being a ‘loose’ girl!
- loose leg.jpg (1.97 MiB) Viewed 1476 times
Bolted standing feet tears
The next photos also show my very poor surgery/silpoxy skills that I have not applied regularly, so *trigger warning* ahead.
As with bolted feet, over time, there is wear in the silicone. I keep both dolls wearing socks mostly, and they do spend a large amount of time standing, which I’m sure doesn’t help. While I’m not a foot person (thankfully), the hardened feet option Zelex offers would definitely be a preference for me if I was to get another Zelex in future.
- foot silicone split.jpg (1.94 MiB) Viewed 1476 times
While I chose the articulated fingers option, from time to time, finger pokes do occur.
- finger pokes.jpg (1.78 MiB) Viewed 1476 times
The biggest irk I have with both dolls, is smudging around the head bolt area.
Even though I try and wipe down the bolt and the inner inserts, the surrounding areas can’t seem to remove that staining and keeps on making the M16 bolts dirty. Admittedly I haven’t asked Andrew what that could be due to and what could be done, but if anyone else can shed some light, I’d really appreciate that.
- stain.jpg (1.75 MiB) Viewed 1476 times
I’ve kept this review so far to the physical/mechanical aspects of the doll.
For me, sexually speaking, the dolls help a great deal. I do find the sex feels more ‘real’ – at least compared to a Fleshlight; although interestingly enough, I do rotate between doll and Fleshlight. As owners would attest, there is a bit of maneuvering involved and so it depends on your mood, how much energy, time you have etc to get it on with the doll.
Depending on your metric, the $4.5k I spent far (noting I spent $10k on clothes!) outweighs the money I would have spent on sex workers (which themselves have drawbacks that I find less enjoyable). At least with the dolls, they offer companionship/reliability/presence which means a great deal to me.
I can undoubtedly say, in this 1+ year I’ve had the doll/s, it has overall improved my quality of life greatly. So, from that point of view, the purchase has been worth it.
Onto the big final questions then
Overall, what do I think of Zelex (the 165F I got in early 2022)?
I originally chose Zelex because of the faces/heads they had on offer; that they were a ‘mid range’ silicone doll, and the height offerings suited me. The clincher also, was because I had an Australian-based vendor, Sex Doll Australia, who supplied Zelex dolls. I was not comfortable with buying direct from the manufacturer and wanted someone who knew how to navigate Australian custom requirements.
In terms of getting a companion doll, I don’t regret it. It’s fulfilled most of the needs I hoped it would. I do rue a bit the fact that I’ve probably overspent on doll’s clothes as I don’t dress up my dolls as frequently as I thought I would, but hey, YOLO.
I do wonder how things will be in the future, if/when I end up dating again, and how to broach the topic with my partner, if at all; or whether I’d need to quietly put my ladies back in their box and into storage. The truth is though, I’m happy to cross that bridge when I get there, and don’t lose sleep over that.
Only having experienced Zelex, one brand, I have no reference point to compare to other silicone doll brands, so it is kind of hard to give a definitive take. As part of my research before purchasing back in Black Friday 2021, I did try and preemptively adjust my expectations, and anticipate the imperfections or wear and tear that other owners have warned to expect as time goes on with owning dolls. I also tried in my research then, to recognise that the industry is continually evolving and improving their offerings. What I’m saying is then, I wonder whether my overall experiences are more to do with adjusting my expectations of how functional/sturdy companion dolls are generally, rather than it being specific to the Zelex brand.
While that may be the reality of things, the near $4.5k I spent is nothing to sneeze at; the third largest amount I’ve ever spent on an object. Say for example, when you buy a car, you know that depreciation occurs. But to realise that within a year, some passenger doors may not close properly and need to be pushed extra to ensure they don’t randomly swing wide open, or you need to put in some oil to make sure the windscreen wipers don’t scratch the glass, those ‘ticks’ are not what you’d associate with a product you’ve spent a fair bit. It may not be a fair analogy to make when it comes to companion dolls, but that’s how I see it in some areas.
Overall then, out of 10, I’d give Zelex a 7.8.
I am heartened that Zelex has taken on customer feedback and are actively trying to improve their offerings, through their Zelex’s Inspiration series. I had assumed they would take a lot longer. I will keep an eye on how other owners find the Inspiration series.
Overall, how was Sex Doll Australia?
In summary, Andrew and SDA were very helpful, responsive and eased a lot of my concerns along the way and also after my purchase arrived. If I was to buy another doll in future, I would definitely go through them again. I’d give them a 9/10.
Thanks for reading – now, for some birthday photos!
Anyhow, to celebrate, find some birthday photos (Cleo G55, the girl with black hair). Birgitte (G07) has brunette hair and Maisey (G53) has a hard silicone head with implanted hair.
- Birgitte & Cleo bday.jpg (3.73 MiB) Viewed 1476 times
- Maisey & Cleo bday.jpg (3.97 MiB) Viewed 1476 times
- Maisey and Cleo couch.jpg (1.07 MiB) Viewed 1476 times
- Maisey wing chair.jpg (3.79 MiB) Viewed 1476 times
- Cleo throw.jpg (5.41 MiB) Viewed 1476 times
- Maisey 2 seater.jpg (4.07 MiB) Viewed 1476 times
