I came home yesterday to find that the new shorter Steelheart tube had finally (FINALLY) found its way to our mailbox. Because I’m the compulsive nerd that I am, I immediately rustled it away into the bathroom so I could check it out.
From this point forward, I will refer to my original Steelheart tube as SH-1 and the new one as Steelheart Short, or SH-S. Technically, there’s no “short” version of the Steelheart (unlike the CB6K) because a SH tube can be ordered in a almost any size you want, but I have to call it something, so SH-S it is.
My immediate reaction upon slipping it out of its drawstring bag was, “Holy crap, that’s small!” I ordered a tube 35mm in diameter and 70mm long, 35mm shorter than the the SH-1 but the same diameter. That’s exactly what I got, but in reality it seems smaller than I thought it’d be. My intention was to have a tube with a bit more room than the Jail Bird’s, but what I ended up with was something that feels about the same size. I thought I’d need a little more room due to the internal security features (PA fixing and ring), but there’s very little if any. Essentially, the SH-S is a closed version of the JB.
Fit and finish is, as expected, very good. Steelworxx makes an exceptionally well-crafted custom steel product. I have experience with only one other manufacturer of steel devices, but I have to assume that those from Steelworxx are among the best available. A thing of beauty.
The JB looks a little shorter and a little fatter than the SH-S, but I think that’s an illusion based on their different types of construction. The JB’s bars are thicker than the tube walls of the SH-S while the gap between the cage and the cuff ring is greater than that of the SH-S tube and ring (at least at the top of the device). The SH-1 is downright cavernous compared to the SH-S and also feels wider, though it isn’t. It’s a normal sensation to feel the end of he cock bumping around inside the SH-1’s tube (like a clapper in a bell) but I haven’t felt much movement inside the SH-S at all. Note that in the image comparing the two Steelhearts, the SH-1 is shown with its original 45mm cuff ring and the SH-S is shown with my standard 40mm ring.
The SH-S, like the JB, is practically imperceivable under normally fitting clothes. Much less obtrusive than the SH-1. Also, since there’s less room in the tube, it’s practically silent, even with the PA ring in place. It may be only a third shorter than the SH-1, but it feels less than half the size in my pants. Belle said she could tell it was on but that it only made me look well-hung (as opposed to the freak of nature the SH-1 must have made me look like). In the SH-1, the tube would, on occasion, be visible in all it’s long, fat, smooth glory while the SH-S just sort of makes the bulge more pronounced but without much definition of the device itself.
In action, while the JB and the SH-S appear to be similarly configured, they interact with erections differently. In the JB, the cock will attempt to get hard and bulge a bit out of the sides of the cage, but ultimately sort of bunches up behind the device. Instead of an erection, it feels more like a mass of hardness under the device. In the SH-S, however, the erection is allowed to take more of its normal shape, though inside my body. The SH-S raises up off my body more than the JB or SH-1 do and I can feel more definition of the erect shaft behind it. The SH-S might be a tad more comfortable during erection, but it’s just been one play session and night so far, so I’m not willing to make that claim yet. I did have to change my PA ring this morning from the larger, more secure one to the smaller one because there just wasn’t enough room for it and the cock inside the tube last night. I hope the smaller one will find it easier to live in there.
But, you might be asking, I though you weren’t going to get locked back up until Sunday morning? Well, that’s what I thought, too. I put the SH-S on last night just to take it out for a spin, but Belle decided I might as well leave it on indefinitely now, so I ended up sleeping in it. Following our experiment with virtual chastity, Belle has decided she’d rather have me in a device. While I followed the rules all week and only touched myself sexually when she gave me permission to do so, she says she preferes the sense of security the steel provides. She like knowing what state I’m in and that’s only possible when I’m locked up. Also, she says I’m a “better person” when I’m locked up. More focused and well behaved. I’m like, she says, a dog that prefers to sleep in his kennel because he knows it’s his home. Finally, I think she really has grown to like the look of the steel cock better than the real one. So. Yeah. I’m locked up two days early for who knows how long.
I’ve included pictures comparing the two devices while being worn (because you really wanted to see more pictures of me in steel, I know), but I put them after the jump because they’re obviously NSFW.
Wow, both of them look pretty cool, actually.
And while I know that the conventional wisdom says that the shorter tubes are ultimately more comfortable, I shortened my 6k into something like a 6k-s, but I found that I had a harder time finagling it out of my jeans in the mens room, and that it was a little more chafing on my testicles. Maybe I needed a longer trial.
I have no doubt that the enclosed tube is more comfortable than the JB, though.
So, what’s this, like 9 devices you own now?
Um…let’s see…carry the 2…
Six.
I have not yet had to finagle at a urinal, but can see how it might be trickier.
It looks great. 🙂 Thanks for showing us.
You’re welcome!
I find it interesting that there is no ego in this. If it were me (and I actually *had* a cock and was going to wear a device and and… etc), I can imagine looking in the mirror and going ‘Well, *this* one makes my cock look like an awesome shiny weapon!! Huzzah!… whereas *this* one makes it look kind of short and stubby…”
Of course, now that I have given it a little thought, I do *exactly* this with strapons… “Awesome shiny weapon!! Huzzah!” Heh.
Ferns
Ferns
I can imagine looking in the mirror and going ‘Well, *this* one makes my cock look like an awesome shiny weapon!
Oh, believe me, we cock-having device-wearers do this all the friggin’ time. We just don’t feel the need to write about it because, well, that would be weird.
Hi! I was wondering what are the exact dimensions of your second Steelheart (the smaller one). I’m measuring for my own device, and want to have some refference. BTW your blog is great, keep up the good work :-]
The diameter of the cuff ring is 40mm while the tube is 67mm long and 35 in diameter. Good luck!
35 inch diameter? OMG you must be huge. LOL, jk. I was hoping to get a steelheart with a 32 mm custom inside diameter, 35 is a bit to large and 29 is a bit too small. Do you think Dietmar would do it?
Yeah, I bet he can. I know he can do sizes not listed on his site. I’m in the same boat. I would have got for something around 32 had I known it was an option.
Hey thump,
Just wondering how you decided on the length for the SH-S?
I ask because our cocks seem to be similar measurements in all other respects. A ring=40mm, Tube=32mm (custom) but when soft my measured ength is 80mm but I can comfortably squash it back to around 70mm.
For length should I use a measurement of where it naturally “falls” or where I can fit it if I apply some gentle pressure against the tip?
Obviously a shorter tube will be more convenient for wear under clothes but I don’t want the compression to create discomfort for long term wear.
I will be getting a PA done in a few months time. How much room should I allow for that?
OzCub
Check out this post: http://denyingthumper.com/2012/03/01/mailbag-4/
It might have the answers you’re looking for.
Great blog and photos but, having looked on the Steelworks web site I can’t find a Steelheart Short. Did you have to do a special request to get a Steelheart of 67mm length?
I call it the Steelheart Short to differentiate it from my other SH when I write about them. In reality, it’s just a normal SH with a shorter tube.
Hi, and at first thank you so much!
Asking me, if I have to short my tube also?
Wearing a 90 mm Desire and think about,
to short it to 70 mm.
Some people say, shorter is better at night,
other people tell me, that larger is better night…
So I did not have an idea what to do.
What is about your pain at night now?
Is it better or harder in the short SH??
Hope for your replay and best locked greetz!
FromFranky
Hey Franky. In my experience, shorter is better. The tube shouldn’t be longer than your flaccid state. If the tube is shorter, you may need a larger ring since the erection will push out more from a shorter tube. My nighttime pain is tolerable and it gets better the longer I’m in. Hope that helps!
Thumper,
I am about to order a Steelheart very similar to the dimensions that have in your shorter version. After a couple of years of use, do you have any updated thoughts. I have been using a JailBird now for 2 years. I ordered it based on my satisfactory expereince with a CB6K, and plan to use these same measurements for the Steelheart.
Tim
Nothing that I can think of, really. If I didn’t have the PA, the tube could be a bit shorter and a slightly bigger A-ring (~42mm) would be slightly better for me now, but that’s about it. Whatever works for the JB should be good for the SH. Good luck!
I find that my 65mm cage length seems to be right. When I am flacid there is alittle breathing room and when I am not flacid it is very tight and at times not happy….. such is life…
“Happy” is a subjective term. 😉
Hey thumper,
Do you know the differences between the steelheart and stealheart 02? Can I ask what you SH-S cost you in the end once you got it to the states (in USD, euro’s just confuse me)
Do you find that 70mm in length was the was to go with the fixed PA option? I am getting mine done on Friday (kinda excited and nervous)
Thanks for your time
I looked for my emails back and forth with Dietmar and I can’t find them. Sorry. Don’t recall the prices. Of course, it’s all predicated on the USD->EURO exchange rate, anyway. I know the first device we bought from him was more expensive because of that. By the time we got the second, the rates had improved and it was “cheaper.”
For me and the penis on me, 70mm us about perfect. I don’t think I could go any shorter. Good luck on the PA! Kinda sucks at first, but I’ve never really regretted having it done.
Hi Thumper. Love the blog, and have read much of your posts on the forums. I will be ordering a Steelheart1 as soon as KH and i have the details figured out. I am a bit unsure still of some measurement areas and also we had some questions regarding features that hopefully we can get figured out. As this will be only my second chastity device/ my first *quality* and custom made device, we want to do our very best to ensure we have given Dietmar the information needed to create the best fit. So, here are some questions, and thanks in advance 🙂 (note my current device is a bon4 that I have owned for roughly 3 years and I find the smallest ring, with the small tube are actually a pretty good fit – I am cut, 6.5-7in, grower not shower type.)
Now that You have quite a bit of experience ordering various types and sizes of Steelworxx products, it would be awesome if you’d help by running through a quick “sizing guide” .. I know what Dietmar needs for the most part, but would be super helpful to read from your experience, like; “This is my process for getting sizing. I round down sizes by x here because x,y,z”
Any little tips or tricks when it comes to the measuring process would help tremendously.
Features: (Without a piercing btw) any you’d recommend “right off the bat?”
Do you have any idea if the powder coat may have any added benefits in terms of the “feel” and long term wearability? We like the idea of a black cages but hard to justify that much extra money especially if there are drawbacks (no nickel allergy here, afaik)
Thoughts on anatomical rings? Multiple rings I’ve heard is a good idea, one smaller size.. thoughts?
Is the option for the added “ring” (the smooth base ring, forgetting the name but looks like its for comfort at the base of shaft where it meets balls) pretty much a needed add-on?
Thanks a ton, look forward to any response you can supply.
The powder coat looks awesome but, unless you have a metal alergy, I don’t think it serves any practical purpose. I’ve never worn one coated like that. The anatomical rings I do very much recommend. If you can afford it, getting a variety of rings is a great time-saver if you end up ordering the wrong size. Also, in my experience, you will naturally change sizes over time. I’ve gone both up and down. I have always added that back ring attched to the tube. I think it makes it more comfortbale in that the tube doesn’t have as sharp an edge but it also adds extra welds which do sometimes add areas of irritation for me. Maybe call that a toss-up.
Hello Thumper,
Thanks for the blog. It is extremely useful. After a little over a month with my Bon4 silicone cage, my wonderful wife has asked me to order a Steelheart cage. After reading through this post and all of the comments I feel absolutely certain it is the right decision and the right choice. One question, you mentioned switching to acrylic for your PA ring…has it made a difference in the “noise”? Thanks.
Following advice in your fine blog, I’m considering investing in a Steelheart-2 with your wire loop design to hold the PA ring. I’d be interested in your views on a couple of possible design modifications.
(1) I see in your video of how the loop defeats pull-out that most of the offending article can still be exposed. I’m wondering if the loop might be modified to prevent the ring coming most/all of the way back, perhaps stopping its motion with a circumferential loop crosspiece at the flaccid length. (This effect could be achieved by threading the ring onto the end of the urethral tube of Steelworxx’s ‘Fixing with Integrated Penis Plug’ accessory, and then back, though I doubt it’s practical for the ring and tube to be together in the urethra.)
(2) The tube tops of most ball trap devices are cut off square. I wonder if there’s any mileage in extending the tube’s upper half under the lock in the manner of the Holy Trainer 2, the extra shrouding deterring manipulation and removal.
(I’m vaguely hoping someone, perhaps one of the Chinese ‘innovators’, will make a device in metal with the same ball-trap arrangement as the Holy Trainer 2, as it’s much the most comfortable device I’ve worn.)
What do you think of the Steelheart 2 design verses the Steelheart? From a practical POV it should drain better and allow more airflow. I would choose the Anatomical Ring, the Entrance ring (or stainless steel ring) option Plus the Integrated lock and probably your version of the PA ring to have that option later.
Now if Dietmar would make a version of the S hook design (similar to the Rigid Chastity solution) that might be even better. Any thoughts?
I think the trade-off on the more open design would be somewhat offset by the issues it would present to vertical urination. Other than that, I think it’s purely aesthetic.
And yes, since Rigid borrowed so heavily from other manufacturers, it seems only fair for Dietmar to do the same in return!
Reblogged this on Ridiculously-Thick Diapers.
Can you speak more about the PA attachment? I am considering one and my top priorities are No pullout, No contact, and No growth. Is it comfortable with foreskin?
There will be no pull out, little contact (you could still get your fingers in there theoretically but not get to any good parts), growth will be limited but depending on how much extra scrotum skin you have there may be some behind the base ring. Alas, I don’t have a foreskin and can’t say how that would factor.
Do you know any way to stop that built up behind the base ring? would adding more base rings, like you did with the jailbird, help?
Not really. Chastity devices don’t really stop erections, they just contain them, and whatever length they normally achieve will sill have to exist somewhere. Usually, that’s behind the ring where they’re at least not able to lead to any funny business.
Hi Thumper,
I have been reading your blog since I got into chastity a month ago.
I am wearing a clear HT3 short. The inside diameter of the tube is 34mm and my ring is 45mm.
I am thinking of buying Steelheart with the shortest tube. I guess I should go for 35mm inside diameter of the tube. However, uou have mentioned that steel ring feels looser, so I am just wondering if you would recommend a ring of 40mm or 42mm?
Also, I have watched ur vid of cleaning Steelheart. My HT3 gets a bit dirty everyday but I can see it so I know when I need to clean. How do you know if your cock/device is clean or not when wearing a Steelheart?
Best Regards
JC
You indicate that your Steelheart short is 70mm. I presume that is total length. What inner tube length did that translate into? I ask because I am ordering A revenge from the same sight and am trying to figure out of the overall length I have estimated is too long, too short or just right. Knowing the inner length of your tube would give me a useful benchmark.