One more from reader K:
I’m a 21 years old college student, who grew some interest in chastity. I would like to ask about your Steelheart device (mostly) as I’m planning on getting one in the future. I had a device before (only one): it was the spiral stainless steel device from uberkinky.com. I wore it for daily 3-4 hours with no real discomfort however my left testicle got varicocele (enlarged veins), so it might got pressured (a big problem was that the tube pressed against the testicles and they got trapped between the tube and the ring). In the end I got an inflammation of the Epididymis (which was, or was not because of the device, I can’t really tell). Got antibiotics and now I’m fine (it was 2 months ago).
Now, I have made a decision with my girlfriend that we retry the whole concept again, but now with some quality cages. I have been thinking about the HTv2 or Steelheart.
My first question is, since I take care of that enlarged vein, which of the two device got bigger gap between the tube and the ring (especially in the lower part, where the testicles supposed to hang). I know that the SH is 15 mm, but I couldn’t find any information about the HTv2.
Another concern is my anatomy. I know that everyone is different, and that I need to try things out, but still: you are one of the most experienced people that I could ask about whether this device suits me or not. I’m a grower, from 8-9cm flaccid to 18cm. I have tight and high balls. I have a really bulky girth (mostly in erected form). I’m uncut, with really long foreskin.
So my second question, should I try this device or better to go with the HTv2, in your opinion?
(PS.: I’m not planning to use it 24/7, more likely to go with daily unlocks)
First off…7″ and “really bulky girth.”
lingering sigh
OK…
You don’t say anything about orgasm denial or the length of it you’ve experienced, but I found that being denied for longer periods also led to a swelling of my epididymis (I wrote about it but I’ll be damned if I can find the old post). Even to the extent that one might diagnose varicocele, I suppose, or inflammation of the epididymis. Along with soreness and tenderness, I always attributed it to severe blue balls and, for some time now, haven’t had a relapse of symptoms (though my epididymis is still more pronounced than that found in most men – something I’ve noticed some other men in chastity also exhibit, but not all). That being said, I’m not suggesting your symptoms were anything other than what you were told by your doctor. Regardless of the size of your eventual device, though, denial and the build-up of seminal fluids could also be contributory to your issues.
It’s also possible the UberKinky device was just too small for you. The fact that your cock has “really bulky girth” (sigh) and your balls are tight would combine to a create a very uncomfortable situation for a big dick (and 7″ by lots of girth is big). For that fact alone, I don’t think you should try the Holy Trainer. It’s made for the average-dicked and you, my friend, are not that.
So, fat cock and tight balls means bigger ring. I don’t know how big around your cock is when hard (and have only my fertile imagination to go by), but I suspect you’d have to wear something north of 45mm. Maybe even 50mm. You should measure the circumference of your cock and balls when very aroused and go with that. As you wear it over time, you’ll probably adjust and be able to wear a smaller ring. That can be ordered at the same time as the larger ring or you can get it later (though you’ll need to send the tube back to be fitted).
The tube should not be too long. If you’re 8-9cm long when flaccid, then probably no longer than 80mm. Maybe 75mm. With regard to the gap, no matter what the Steelworxx site says, you can order anything you want (type it in the notes if you have to). It’s hard to know what you need precisely, but perhaps you should measure the device you used to wear and add to that (but don’t go nuts).
You say you’ll be unlocked daily. If you’ll be left unlocked at night, you won’t need a device so precisely fitted since it’s the early morning erections that bite the hardest of all. If you’re locked at night, then you need to be more careful since that nocturnal erection will make a poorly-fitted device lock on you like a vice.
I hope that’s helpful.
Devices of the trapped-ball variety have two fit components, the ring and tube. 
I wanted to know about the first device these guys ever wore and how it fit. As I suspected, most men say their first chastity device was too big. That was my experience, too. You think they should be more like the size of your erection or can’t imagine squeezing it into such a small space or get hung up on a device described as the “small” one. In any event, only 14% say they nailed the size on the first try. That’s a remarkable number if you think about. (Note that this question had a longer duration than the rest and, of this writing, is still technically open but is seems as though all the responses are in now.)
Also unsurprisingly, most men say their first device was made of plastic. No only do I think that’s the smart thing to do when you’re not yet sure of your size or even if enforced chastity is right for you, plastic is of course cheaper than custom metal. Glad to see guys avoiding silicone since I think it’s a bogus device material. Curious to know what “something else” could be. Like…wood? Energy field? No clue.
The next questions are about expectations on both sides of the lock. For the men, how did they find enforced chastity once they tried it? Was it what they expected or better or worse? I suppose it’s good to see that so many say it was better since a lot of guys are led into the idea by unrealistic porn on the subject. Nearly two-thirds found reality to beat their fantasy and another 19% found it to be what they were expecting. I wonder if the those who answered it was worse than expected are due to issues with fit. Maybe those big-dicked guys again. Or maybe they bought CB-6000s and tore their scrotums up.
No keyholders said they felt worse about locking their men up after they did it and over 90% said they felt better about it. That’s really a stunning number and may be skewed by the audience of kinksters on Twitter. Still, it blew me away. Keyholders like locking their men up, more than they thought they would.
Combine that response with this one asking how they’d feel if their man wanted to stop wearing a device. A full two-thirds would rather he keep it on. Twenty-four percent would be OK with it coming off (perhaps recognizing that consent is required to do it) and only 10% would rather he not wear it. I wonder if the 9% who said male chastity was about what they expected were the same 10% who said they’d be relieved? Can’t really tell.
Unsurprisingly, most men got locked up for the first time because they wanted to. It seems rare for a partner to suggest it, especially since many of those who are doing it are in male-female relationships. Woman in our culture are not conditioned to suggest such things nor does society reward those who are that assertive, alas.
However, when asked who holds their key, only 38% say it’s their partner so a lot of guys are doing this solo or leveraging friends and 
I asked keyholders about their interest in the concept of enforced chastity prior to their partner getting locked up. Only 25% said they had never considered it. Back when I started blogging about it, that number was way higher. Now, either because the practice has gained more publicity or because my Twitter audience is way kinkier than normal people or a combination of both, three-quarters were either curious or really into the idea beforehand.
The kinkster bias is most noticeable in the question I asked about how kinky they were prior to being locked up or holding a key. Tom Allen has called male chastity a “gateway drug” into kink and that was my experience, but most of those who replied to my question already identified as kinky.
Regarding duration of lock up, the biggest response was “sometimes” with the lowest being “rarely.” I intentionally left these kind of vague because a lot to one guy is not so much for another. “Almost all the time” was supposed to be people like me (>95% of the time) and “most” would be how I was a year ago (maybe 75% of the time). In any event, this also matches what I’ve seen in previous surveys with a dip between a lot and occasionally. Seems this is either a thing that becomes a lifestyle or it’s a thing you dabble in.
Finally, I asked how many devices these people owned. Twitter only allows four options, but I wonder how many of the 1-3 guys only have one? And I wonder how many of those they have besides the one they usually wear are first attempts that either don’t fit or are uncomfortable. I think guys like me who have a small stable of devices they may find themselves in at any give moment are in the minority.
All that to explain, for the second month in a row, that things are weird. Not as much of anything as you might expect except for the time the penis has been locked up and out of sight.