Review of Zelex 170 C Inspiration w/ Heads: GE95 and GE03

[UnderDoggo]

Zelex might be good for sitting there and looking pretty, but not much else. I liked the features of Zelex (which didn't exist 10 years ago, but see now that these features are pretty standard and should have kept shopping around.

Before I start writing, disclaimer: This is my first doll. I've had a lotttt of toys in the last 17 years. Fleshlights, masturbators of many varieties, lower torsos/hips, one really cheap tpe torso with head.

I bought the doll for intimacy and cuddling, but I should have kept looking at options. I justified buying one thinking that I'm going to be too busy (for at least a year). I didn't want the dreaded dating process or another long term relationship for something that could be a bad time investment. I also felt it would be the best way to masturbate, you know sexercise. But it's like an evil genie was like sure here's something that weighs a ton and each time just shifting positions and limbs will be like doing a set of reps.

Manufacturers:
A note to any manufacturers like Zelex, Irontech, Fanreal, WMDoll, Starpery, SEDoll, anyone -
- Please try some research and development for the tactile feel of silicone blends to find something that feels more like natural skin.
- For loose joints, look into ball socket joints instead of loosened joints. Maybe even in the torso to make it flexible.
- Use foam core shaped like a rib cage that you can feel under the silicone (which would be cheaper for you anyway).
- Please consider more realistic feet including the bones.
- Have a premium option for layered silicone, have an artist actually sculpt out the muscles that are cast first, then double cast with soft silicone over it for fattier/softer areas and skin. I realize there would be a slight fail rate, and it's annoying when it happens, but it's at least before it's painted and finished.
- Accurate love hole placement please. Also a removable anus would be useful, just a small sleeve. Getting this into the shower is an ordeal.
- Keep the butt crack. Most dolls have a filled in area of the buttcrack, so they're not full cheeks, they look partially fused and not a full buttcrack. I realize this is a combination of 1) when scanning or doing a life cast, the cheeks a pressed together a little and 2) it's probably to fulfill the minimum requirement of wall thickness in the molds. To remedy this, maybe the molded pose can have the legs laterally outward a little more and maybe bent forward a little bit. Or maybe splay out the cheeks just a tad like .5cm in the master cast/mold, and use soft butt options so they will fall into place better when legs are closed. Or if you have a 3d artist in your pipeline, have them do it within the model if the detail is lost during scanning.

This may sound picky or whatever, but it comes from a professional artist, who has also done casting for a hobby. It can be done. There's additives to make the silicone skin feel better and more realistic. Though I'm not sure of getting rid of the rubbery feel completely other than messy powder


My doll:
Zelex
170c
GE95 and GE03 heads
Light Tan
Movable Jaw
Gel/soft butt and breast
Articulated hands
Removable vagina
Hard standing feet

Review

Visual:
Zelex looks pretty good, the heads look great.

Movable Jaw:
A neat feature, but in the end doesn't actually help much. Visually it's nice, but silicone isn't soft enough for good oral use. I'm going to try stuffing a small egg in the mouth next time.

Removable Vagina:
It's nice to see a better looking removable vagina, but this doesn't feel good. Might buy yet another masturbator that fits it.

Weight:
It is heavy! about 90lbs, the total shipping weight said 123 lbs. I'm not weak, I'm 5'9", athletic/lean 155 (ottermode). but after an evening (about 4 hours) of unboxing, moving it around, 4 outfit changes and posing, my forearms and biceps are actually sore today. Silicone also clings to sheets so any repositioning you basically have to lift the entire thing and repose.

Joints:
Super, super stiff. Especially the back.

Feel:
Silicone doesn't feel good to the touch, it's way too firm. But maybe this is across the board for what companies are making?. Though I'm curious of Fanreal dolls, and honestly a few weeks after placing my order, I regretted not buying a Qian with loose joints. Even more buyer remorse now.

Articulated hands:
These are actually quite nice. You can feel the bone structure a bit. They could improve on thickening the bone and joints here, but might degrade integrity of it for less silicone. I don't mind the stiffness here

Hard Standing Feet:
They're ok. This was a big selling feature for me. They look ok, but the floppy toes and the thick paint covering the soles covers a lot of detail. It's definitely better than not hard feet or horrific looking bolts.

Gel Breast:
It's pretty good, I can't imagine not having the option. Doesn't feel like a real breast, but it's significantly softer than the rest of the doll. I don't think you could actually get a realistic feeling breast though.

Gel butt:
The actual gel area is around the pelvis and lower erector spinae instead of the butt cheeks where most of the fat actually would be on a body. So most of the time, I can't even feel it. I actually thought they forgot this request at first.

LHP:
Love hole placement is totally wrong. I don't see why so many dolls are anatomically incorrect, it's a deliberate choice they make. Total fail here.

Cuddling:
It's pretty hard to cuddle with. Too firm and rigid. Not good for cuddling. Also if you wanna sleep next to it, pose it hours in advance so you don't try doing it right before bed when you're trying to relax.

Exercise aspect:
Definitely becomes exercise. I've had times where I used to put wrist weights on and use a masturbator with two hands lol. I have a 20lb hip/butt masturbator that's great with VR and using it standing is actually way better visually...and also decent exercise (this is actually a recommended thing to try. So much more portable. But porn in general ruins sex if you're a chronic masturbator. Takes a couple weeks or so to reacclimate when I end up in a relationship.

Conclusion:
I'm overall disappointed honestly in terms of usability. It's ok. Visually it's nice. But it's probably going to just lay in my bed, and possibly I'll pose her at my work desk tomorrow to keep me company so it feels like we're both drawing and sculpting together.
Finally having real casts and 3d scans is nice. But, in the future, I'm hopeful for better features and more realistic designing of the body. Irontech is doing cool stuff right now with their visually realistic Real Lady. It also looks like Fanreal's Qian has started implementing additives to their silicone for a better feel. But currently, the offered standard silicone isn't even close to the feel of skin. TPE is not durable and leaks oil creating stains, and smells bad. Silicone should be the way to go. I hope this is fixed later so we're not forced to cover up a nice body in clothes to make it feel more natural.


That about does it, here's the factory images. Maybe I'll later post them posed, but don't want to show my workspace or bedroom too much.

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[Justinpassinthru]

Thank you for the review. I think Zelex is a great mid-range doll, but I'm starting to see them mostly as starter dolls. When they were first released, we were all amazed by the realism for the price. This was also back when most of us were still in the TPE market and silicone was only for high end enthusiasts. Nowadays, there are many more choices in the market that rival it for a competitive price, and we've seen a lot of innovation since then, especially in the weight department.

[peachplumpear]

Thanks for your thoroughness and thoughtfulness. It’s very interesting to see a review from an artist! I would be curious to hear more about your opinion of her visual realism. I constantly shuffle around the specific dolls on my shortlist, but Zelex and Fanreal are the two manufacturers I remain most interested in—that is because they are the only two, IMO, who offer anatomically convincing models. (I find Gynoid overrated and Clone dolls overpriced.) I love dolls as objets d’arte and am seeking something with correct human proportions.

Thanks also for your honesty. I hope you enjoy her as a “friend” if nothing else.

[bbc3]

I would definitely agree with the advice of really being patient and shopping around. Id also highly recommend new folks prioritize a low weight doll that uses the softer higher quality silicone blends if they want silicone. Id even go so far as to suggest saving for more budget if you are serious about getting a doll and perhaps scrapping doll plans altogether if you aren't willing or able to get a better doll as even zelex isn't really a "cheap" brand and if you are ok with spending over a grand you might as well look at the higher quality brands. Pretty much everyone on here agrees that doll weight is different from other kinds of weight and technique and practice are key to dealing with it. Zelex is a popular brand but there's a lot more competition these days and they might not be the value proposition they once were. Thanks for the review.

[UnderDoggo]

Thanks for your thoroughness and thoughtfulness. It’s very interesting to see a review from an artist! I would be curious to hear more about your opinion of her visual realism. I constantly shuffle around the specific dolls on my shortlist, but Zelex and Fanreal are the two manufacturers I remain most interested in—that is because they are the only two, IMO, who offer anatomically convincing models. (I find Gynoid overrated and Clone dolls overpriced.) I love dolls as objets d’arte and am seeking something with correct human proportions.

Thanks also for your honesty. I hope you enjoy her as a “friend” if nothing else.

The general accuracy is good in proportions with the Zelex inspiration models. These were scanned from a real person, which was cleaned up by a 3d artist and maybe touched up in post by other wax artists on a final model before making the master mold. They list which ones were from real bodies. I don't know if their faces were scanned, but a good 3d sculptor could do it from scratch (or modify anyone's scanned face) anyway if this is their preferred workflow. I'm pretty sure they scaled down the feet. They don't look too small to me, but a 5'7" lady would probably be closer to a size 7-8 shoe and my doll is a 6.5. They look a tad small, but not a bad thing.

If you're just trying to use a doll for posing, Zelex would be totally fine. These extremely rigid joints will keep her standing... I'm betting there will be other companies that step up and stop using the weird, stylized proportions as much and do more scans and real life casts. So you'll probably have more options in the future (hopefully).

Fanreal has some nice looking dolls. I really wish I got the 5'2" (158cm) Qian with loose joints, which specifically has some features exclusive to that size. Irontech has really stepped up their realism and quality with their bodies with the 170cm Real Lady, check them out. Their realistic face selection is a little lacking, but I would have been happier with one of those and shelling out the extra money (They released it several weeks after I placed my order).

[UnderDoggo]

Thank you for the review. I think Zelex is a great mid-range doll, but I'm starting to see them mostly as starter dolls. When they were first released, we were all amazed by the realism for the price. This was also back when most of us were still in the TPE market and silicone was only for high end enthusiasts. Nowadays, there are many more choices in the market that rival it for a competitive price, and we've seen a lot of innovation since then, especially in the weight department.

I was also amazed. Every couple years I'd check back out of curiosity. Then 15+ years later it was like "they're finally doing it ...maybe I will actually get one". Hopefully they continue iterating on their quality. Unfortunately it takes a lot of time/money/effort to amass a fleet of molds (and getting to the point of being able to feel confident in one that you're going to use hundreds of times.

[UnderDoggo]

I would definitely agree with the advice of really being patient and shopping around. Id also highly recommend new folks prioritize a low weight doll that uses the softer higher quality silicone blends if they want silicone. Id even go so far as to suggest saving for more budget if you are serious about getting a doll and perhaps scrapping doll plans altogether if you aren't willing or able to get a better doll as even zelex isn't really a "cheap" brand and if you are ok with spending over a grand you might as well look at the higher quality brands. Pretty much everyone on here agrees that doll weight is different from other kinds of weight and technique and practice are key to dealing with it. Zelex is a popular brand but there's a lot more competition these days and they might not be the value proposition they once were. Thanks for the review.

I definitely should have shopped around more. I thought I had, but maybe I was spending too much time looking at which Zelex model to get as well..

I considered low weight, and figured it wouldn't be too significant if it weighed 25% more...but it's heavy. And I probably overestimated my own strength thinking of carrying girlfriends 90-115lbs with ease..they weren't rigid, awkward silicone though :/ I definitely underestimated the force to pose it.

Do you happen to know of another brand that has better tactile feel? Fanreal supposedly has a "different" feel. Or does all silicone just feel like rubber and require powder every couple days?

If I buy another, I'll definitely just budget and wait for one. And try to request a silicone sample, like just a 2x2"x1 square.

[bbc3]

I have a Jiusheng and an Irontech and the Jiusheng is the softer of the two. I prefer the feel of the JSD but of course there's no way you'll confuse it with a real person. No artificial material can do that right now obviously. The JSD is also pretty light but it's a 148cm. I don't think there's currently a way to avoid the care steps of washing and powdering. There's definitely some gotchas and quirks to doll ownership so even more reason to be careful about jumping in too quickly. Even if you have the financial means, having a doll you don't want can present some thorny issues in and of itself.

[UnderDoggo]

I have a Jiusheng and an Irontech and the Jiusheng is the softer of the two. I prefer the feel of the JSD but of course there's no way you'll confuse it with a real person. No artificial material can do that right now obviously. The JSD is also pretty light but it's a 148cm. I don't think there's currently a way to avoid the care steps of washing and powdering. There's definitely some gotchas and quirks to doll ownership so even more reason to be careful about jumping in too quickly. Even if you have the financial means, having a doll you don't want can present some thorny issues in and of itself.

Thanks, I haven't seen Jiusheng. 148cm would have been fine with me, knowing now how difficult it is to manage this one. It doesn't need to be exact to a human feel, but my hope was a lot softer. Mine feels like a firm mannequin. I'll definitely shop around more next time. Either that or start dating around again...once my schedule is better.

[Justinpassinthru]

I have always wanted to feel XYColo OSP material. They have different density of layers of silicone to simulate layers of fat, muscle, and skin.

Fanreal allegedly has the most real feeling skin of any brand, according to Coeros.

[the living tribunal]

Have to agree with much of this. I bought a preloved 170C with weight reduction; mostly for photography. She's great for that, but too hard for cuddling any length of time. Sex is OK but not as good as with my TPE girls. Can't speak for oral, though. I mean, the movable jaw thing is just a photography gimmick that some people also use for sex

[UnderDoggo]

I have always wanted to feel XYColo OSP material. They have different density of layers of silicone to simulate layers of fat, muscle, and skin.

Fanreal allegedly has the most real feeling skin of any brand, according to Coeros.

That is interesting. Couldn't find too many videos, but it looks like they uniformly apply the layers based on the floppy feet video. Ideally there would be purposefully placed layers to achieve musculature underneath

[ZelexDoll]

Hi UnderDoggo,

Your advice is invaluable and crucial to us. The issues you raised are challenges that our entire industry needs to confront. ZELEX is collaborating with peers and making continuous efforts in research and development to provide silicone dolls that satisfy our customers.

Thank you once again for your attention to ZELEX. We will redouble our efforts to continuously improve our product standards, and we look forward to your continued support.

Kind regards,
ZELEX TEAM

[sm8213]

Hi UnderDoggo,

Your advice is invaluable and crucial to us. The issues you raised are challenges that our entire industry needs to confront. ZELEX is collaborating with peers and making continuous efforts in research and development to provide silicone dolls that satisfy our customers.

Thank you once again for your attention to ZELEX. We will redouble our efforts to continuously improve our product standards, and we look forward to your continued support.

Kind regards,
ZELEX TEAM

Wow, now I’m seriously questioning my zelex inspiration series purchase and I don’t even have it yet. I really hope that the joints will loosen up with use. The hybrid I have is nice but the LHP does seem a bit misplaced. The doll looks great but the geometry of the LHP is off a bit. One of the breasts was also misshapen when it arrived. I’m really worried about the one that hasn’t arrived yet……

[Gaijin]

Great review! I've been strongly tempted to get a Zelex in the past, but weight and quality issues always stopped me. Sorry to hear that might have been the right call.

I 100% agree with your advice to doll makers. If they are willing to spend time and money on gimmicks like pumps, motors, and sound, they could easily apply the quality of life improvements you suggested. It would probably improve their sales, and reputation in the industry as well.

I think too many of us in the market are willing to put up with substandard products as we feel we have no alternative. We deserve better, and I'm glad more are saying so.