Starting life in 2001 at the hands of Andy Smith, Cyrex Ltd and the flagship brand ElectraStim was created to bring a new sense of creativity to the electro-sex category based on Andy’s experience working as an electronics design engineer for medical e-stim companies. Andy’s role in managing clinical trials of these devices resulted in some unexpected feedback that test subjects were getting turned on by the electro sensations! From there, he was inspired to start a ‘for pleasure’ electro-stimulation brand and ElectraStim was born.
The last two decades have seen ElectraStim grow from a burgeoning name in a niche category, to one of the world’s leading electro sex manufacturers; taking home numerous product design and ‘Best Of’ awards in the process.
The small, specialist team based in Hertfordshire, UK handle almost all functions of the business from design to production to shipping; favoring an ‘in-house’ approach to most aspects of life at ElectraStim.
“Personally, I attribute this to a lot of ElectraStim’s success,” says Claire Blakeborough, Marketing Manager for Cyrex. “You could say we’re all control freaks but the truth is that no one knows our products and processes better than we do, so the holistic approach just works for us. It also gives us the flexibility to develop new products to our own timeline which is an enormous bonus. We all chip in with whatever needs doing and it’s worked out well so far!”
Taking huge pride in their ability to introduce something completely new to the industry, ElectraStim have become known for their innovation with products, most recently with the AXIS Stimulator and its multiple input sensors and accessibility options. With rave reviews from bloggers and industry names alike, AXIS broke new ground on what is possible from a consumer e-stim device.
“It doesn’t seem that long ago that I gave a up a good career working for the same medical electronics company I’d been with for some 17 years,” says ElectraStim’s owner and chief designer Andy Smith. “Looking back, it was a bold and almost naïve decision which could so easily have blown up in my face but as it happens it was the most life changing decision I have ever made, in a very positive way. Harmony Oxford Street was my very first wholesale account and as such we owe a lot to Jamie for taking a punt on a new start-up and gave us the confidence boost and belief to keep on going. Some of our longest standing customers will remember the ElectraStim EM32 stimulator which took the market by storm and allowed us to grow and develop the business. The brand has developed ten-fold over the past 20 years but the values are still the same – high quality products backed by high quality service.”
“I am devastated for the likes of Jamie at Harmony who own, manage or work in brick-and-mortar adult stores all over the world. This past 12 months has of course affected the lives of all of us in some way or other, in differing degrees and our industry is far from the only one affected. Being a resilient and resourceful industry however, I am confident that those most affected will have diverted their attention to online selling or curbside pick-up and will ride out the pandemic to once again provide that personal touch to traditional shoppers.”
“The USA has always been a staple market for ElectraStim and is a key a part of our business strategy. Shipping orders from our UK warehouse however, was not the ideal way to operate as orders are subject to import duties and taxes which make over-all costs less attractive to potential buyers. We therefore made the decision in 2016 to setup a dedicated US operation in order to better serve our US customers. In 2017 Cyrex Inc. was born with orders shipping out of our Miami fulfillment centre and with US dollar invoicing. Our US customer base has now grown as a result and setting up in the US in general has proven to be a great success for us.”
Never content to rest on their laurels, the ElectraStim team are yet again developing and honing their products and in the process of creating something new. In fact, to celebrate twenty successful years in business, ElectraStim will be releasing a very special anniversary edition of two best-selling products to be announced very soon. Plus, during the first half of 2021 a brand-new addition to their stimulator offering—this time specifically geared towards beginner players—will be unveiled, as well as a top-secret collaboration with one of the industry’s biggest names later this year.
To all ElectraStim stockists, distributors and supporters the entire team at Cyrex would like to thank you for your trust, friendship and feedback over the last two decades. Here’s to another 20!
