FanReal vs a new kid on the block…

Evening all,

Lauren has now been collected and I’ve been doing loads of research into her replacement over the last week. Fanreal seem to be producing excellent products recently but, having bought premium products from Zelex, I’m concerned that longevity doesn’t match the price we’re being charged so, I’m hoping for some Fanreal owners to give me their honest opinion on how their doll has been during its life.

SLE is a photography dream because there’s absolutely no silicone shine to them and, I love bringing my girls to life with photography so, a shiny doll is an absolute no for me.

Funwest are a new kid on the block, they seem to have some stunning ladies and the prices are unbelievable but, the cynical side of me is questioning if it’s too good to be true given their newness to the doll world (I know dolls now couldn’t be dreamed of as mainstream 10 years ago but, if skeletons or construction is poor, they’re always going to feel like a let down)

My budget is around the £2k mark and prefer smaller chested ladies, A to D cup, proportion is everything and my height range is 150 to 165cm so, happy to hear out other manufacturer suggestions too but, ideally want to stay away from WM companies.

I have a Fanreal silicone torso , Lydia, she is on some of my posts, I got her second hand at about 2 years old She is the only pre- owned doll I have ever bought and at the time she was indistinguishable from a new one, I only went to look at her as she was advertised very local to me but she was so nice I had to buy her.
Apart from a few dimples and dents from poor handling and storage by me she is still now very good, all joints are nice and smooth and her hands in particular are very nice, she is really easy to handle, move and pose. I think she has a foam core which can be felt if I poke her in certain areas and her thighs are slightly on the firm / hard side. She seems very well put together and I am not aware of any issues that look like they might be problematic in the future. I would certainly consider her better quality than my early model Zelex that she replaced but the Zelex was not Silicone so not a fair comparison. I would definitely buy another Fanreal - there is quite a lot about them on TDF so worth having a look there…….
There are quite a few that fit your requirements as many manufacturers make small boob shorter dolls as it’s a good way to keep them light weight, Irontech, HR, Lusandy, TopCydoll, SM, Lushdoll, Jiusheng, SY, Topfire, Silidoll, Nianta, Shedoll, Starpery, MMX, MDdoll, Castledoll, EXdoll, XT, Ido doll, Evasdoll, Norman doll, CLM etc and lots more if you’re considering TPE.

A lot has changed since I posted this, what I didn’t mention is, I absolutely laid into Zelex via email last week. Mentioned the spend, recommendations and the overall experience with their products but, I also mentioned the gel buttock failures experienced with 2 of my SLE’s and, the hip failures of my gen 2 SLE explaining its these episodes preventing me from considering them for my next doll.

To my surprise, they’ve responded to my email, they’ve confirmed the Gel Buttock issues are something they’ve resolved in Gen 3 SLE’s and, that the skeleton issues with my 153B gen 2 is why she was replaced with a more robust 170A for the Gen 3 line up.

They’re offering me a complete Gen 3 SLE as a good will gesture which I’m in the process of discussing with them, looks like it will have to be the 170A as that’s the direct replacement for my 153B so a bit taller than I’d like but, she will at least have the correct chest for my tastes. I was concerned the 170A and 171C I’ve just sold would be similar but, having compared them they’re actually quite different and, as this is goodwill I’m prepared to take a calculated risk going slightly taller. The 170A is much slender and more athletic so I’m hoping she won’t provoke the unhappy memories my 171C did.

I must admit, I’m astonished Zelex have replied offering this, I didn’t expect anything other than platitudes but, they seem to have taken it very seriously and are quite happy to stand by their statements that the Gen 3 resolves all these failures I’ve experienced.

So, the money can stay in the bank for now, my 165D SLE needs replacing this year so, I’ll continue saving and look at a Fanreal Maria as her replacement later in the year. Unfortunately after speaking to two different Funwest owners, who both had the 159A I was considering, it appears they have a way to go before they can compete with the big boys.

Lets see if this good will doll will change your mind about them. Having goods customer service is just as important as the product.

Absolutely agree, I’m shocked by their approach if I’m honest as I really didn’t expect them to offer me a full doll and head, I was expecting 10% of my next order or similar BS things like that.
They’re confident they’ve fixed the gel buttock failures, apparently it’s caused by the gel they used in early first generation dolls but, they’ve switched in Gen 2 and not seen the same failure levels since that switch, some early Gen 2’s still have the defect gel though. Fortunately they don’t use the same gel in breasts which is reassuring that we won’t all suddenly see them split!
I’m a little concerned by the height situation of the replacement doll because this was a barrier with my 171C but, as the body does look very different, I’m prepared to give it a shot.

Zelex are known for having excellent customer service- probably the best, lots of stories on TDF about customers getting replacement dolls after faults found with their first one,

Well, to update again I’ve done it.
The order is complete, Zelex are sending me a 170A with head 224, blue eyes and blonde wig absolutely free of charge.
Should receive my tracking details in the next few weeks.
I’m honestly blown away by this, so my advice to anyone is consider Zelex because to stand by a 10 month old doll and send a replacement out free of charge is something I’ve never seen from any other manufacturer. The chap who had the 160A WM I’m selling reported her broken ankle when she was less than a week old and the response was “sorry” but they didn’t do anything.
As a side note, I’ve also been emailing starpery via my dolls instagram account, they are very helpful and have asked if I’ve ever had any of their products before so, from a content perspective, it would appear some of my work is starting to be noticed by other manufacturers. I’ve previously had one starpery but, I was accidentally sent a customer return when ordering a new doll (retailer not mentioned), they refunded me and collected her 2 days later so, sadly not had the best experience but I suspect this was a retailer issue rather than a Starpery one.