Orgasm extinction

One of the things that I think surprises people who read this blog is that while Belle denies me orgasm, she does like it when I ejaculate inside her. There is a difference and I wrote a post about it early last year. My recent badminton-esque exchange with Schnoff led me to re-read that post and tap out this addendum.

First off, though, it’s interesting to me that Bear and Schnoff define “orgasm” as any expression of seminal fluid. I think of orgasm as the surging explosive release of that fluid and the concomitant flooding of one’s brain with all the loopy orgasm hormones and chemistry (serotonin, oxytocin, prolactin, etc.). It’s a feeling more than a physical action. I can tell when I’ve come because of what happens in my head, not what comes out of the penis. And that was the point of my post (and why it’s called “You know it when you feel it”).

To be clear, Bear and Schnoff (well, mostly Bear) are free to define orgasm however they like. It’s just interesting to me to see how others do their thing. Back during Locktober, I was given some grief for not being locked in the exact same device continuously all month long (I was in a couple devices, though never out longer than the 36 seconds it takes to remove one and replace it with another). Others think Belle allowing me to ejaculate isn’t real denial. My position is, I don’t make the rules she does and if she wants me to put a load in her but also doesn’t want me to come, then I need to figure out how to do it. Luckily, I have. Repeat after me: There is no One True Way™ to do orgasm denial.

Anywho, what I find is that the actual mechanical and hormonal process of orgasm in me has totally changed over the years. And for the past year to year and a half, I might even describe it as totally broken.

Note, I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

When we first started the denial dynamic, Belle would allow me to jack off when I wasn’t locked up. I think that experience helped me map out exactly how my orgasm worked. Finding the very moment I started to fall off the plateau of arousal into an unstoppable orgasm. I could get myself to shoot several loads a night without any release of orgasmic chemistry.

And for a long time, I found that if I stopped fucking her at that moment, I’d shoot a little load, and then I’d be able to keep fucking her. Sometimes, for a really long time. Almost indefinitely. As if going up to the point of release and pulling back made the release itself impossible. Some kind of hot-wiring of the refractory period. Those were the days. But then something changed.

First, I became (and remain) a premature ejaculator. If I fuck for three minutes without having to stop, it’s an achievement. Usually, it’s not even that long. Second, even if I “leak” inside her without coming, the penis starts to deflate as if I’ve come. That was the first sign that my natural process has evolved. I couldn’t keep fucking even if I wanted to (and I always wanted to). I’d lose the erection. Immediately.

Last year, Belle let me come five times. Not one of those was how I used to describe orgasm after a period of denial. No explosion, no kick in the back of the head, no intensity. The orgasms I have now are not too dissimilar from the non-orgasmic ejaculations. Some weak spurting along with a shot of the hormones, but no jolt. No BANG. More like an ocean swell than a crashing wave. I feel a less pronounced post-orgasmic experience (sleepiness, etc.). Even the sub-drop that used to be a hallmark of orgasm has diminished substantially. They’ve become non-events that don’t drain me (literally or figuratively). As I recall, this wasn’t just the five from last year. I was also feeling a version of this the year before that.

Basically, the orgasm I literally grew up with is gone. A pale shadow of the real thing.

There was a time when the prospect of losing my ability to have a truly enjoyable, fireworks-filled orgasm would’ve scared the shit out of me. That was both before I was denied orgasms at all and also for several years after we started this dynamic. But once I was being denied, even when I could still come normally, I knew I didn’t really want to. All I wanted was to always feel like I wanted to come. Craving the thing, not having the thing. So now that my ability to come seems to be waning, I don’t feel any particular loss.

I don’t know if this is something all men who are denied for a long time feel or if it’s unique to me. I suppose it doesn’t really matter. I remember very early on someone said to me online that if I got to the point where orgasms weren’t enjoyable that I had done it wrong. The point was to always enjoy and want them. Obviously, I don’t think that’s true. I think denial has made me more of what I already was and am. I feel like living like this is my natural and correct state. In general, I believe men especially put way, way too much emphasis on having orgasms. But, you know. What else do you expect me to say?

I doubt this condition is permanent. If I were able to freely masturbate to completion or even come every time I fucked, I expect things would go back to “normal.” But I don’t really care if they do. How much can I miss something that, on average, only happens every three months anyway? Why should I miss a thing that knocked me out of the headspace in which I so much enjoy living?

Saying my orgasm is “broken” is the wrong adjective. Makes it sound like it was an accident. This wasn’t accidental at all. It was intentional. Maybe even inevitable.

Theatrics

I got home Thursday to the only night in three and a half weeks Belle and I would be together. She got back from Asia on Tuesday several hours after I left for Southern California and she left Friday for Europe until mid-next week.

As soon as I got home, I swapped the Holy Trainer v3 nano out for the Steelheart and expect to be wearing it for the indefinite future. As I was doing so, and as soon as the penis felt air, it started to swell. I wasn’t even thinking dirty thoughts, but it knew it was out of confinement and Belle was in the house and any chance it had at all to feel warm wetness (or, really, any pleasurable sensation at all) was right then.

Except Belle came home from Asia with a nasty cold and I’m not horny enough to dive into that and get it myself (though, after later consideration, I am left wondering if one can catch cold from performing cunnilingus). In any event, I pushed and prodded and shoved the chubbed out meat into the steel tube and turned the lock.

It was tight (and stayed that way for a while — the penis was pissed), but I felt the usual sense of…I dunno. Comfort. Safety? Security in the emotional sense (as well as the restrictive, physical sense). Bottom line, the Steelheart, even with it’s too-tight A-ring and occasional pinching between the PA jewelry and fixing, is home. Everything else feels like sleeping on the road.

The few comments on my previous post about locks and security and trust has me thinking. In response to me calling hiding the key “theater,” Tom said…

I’d say that some people really do want more believability in their theater. That is, playing the game, or as I like to say, running the script in your head with fewer willing suspensions of disbelief makes it better.

Suspension of disbelief is a critical element of chastity (and, to a larger extent, most of BDSM). I get that. The less suspension, the better. But I’ve been wondering how much is enough for me? How much “theater” do I need to make this dynamic work? Or, to put it the other way, what’s the minimum amount of theater I need?

Device-less chastity would be the least amount of theater for someone like me. Schnoff mentioned how he’s not kept in a device. His chastity is based on willpower, though he admits it’s imperfect (as are we all). He takes exception with the idea I need a device to maintain my chastity, but ours has been defined differently. Bear allows him to masturbate while Belle does not want me doing that. As well-intentioned and invested as I am in our dynamic, I have never demonstrated an ability to keep my hands off the erection when it’s available and needy. Before Belle moved me to an essentially continuous state of lock-up, I used to edge myself all the time (usually in the shower, though there was a time she let me do it right there in bed next to her while she slept), up to and beyond the point of ejaculation, though not orgasm. If Belle ever let me be unlocked for long periods but still expected me not to jack off, I feel like I’d go crazy. I mean, literally, the temptation and distraction would make me nuts. So no, for me anyway, “no device” is not nearly enough theater. I would suck at that.

Another thing Schnoff said about chastity devices is…

Toys are that, toys. No matter how hot.

I simply don’t think of chastity devices as toys at all. I mean, yes, I do acknowledge they fall into the broad category of sex toys, but they’re so much more. The Steelheart is me. It completes me, is an extension of me, and makes me feel more whole than when it’s absent. Sort of how one feels weird without their wedding ring on, but at deeper level. A ring represents commitment and love and a chastity device does, too, but it’s commitment at an entirely different scale. Not only a sign that I’ve joined my life with someone else, but that I’ve given to them my heart and my body. It’s a physical manifestation of my submission. A constant physical reminder of Belle’s wishes and requirements. Plus, the metaphor of the lock and key represents the hole a submissive feels within that can only be filled by loving domination.

In these ways, the Steelheart is me and her and our dynamic all in one. Profoundly significant and in no way a simple toy. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Moving up the scale from nothing is a silicone chastity device. These are worthless because their stretchy, flexible nature make stimulation of the penis ridiculously possible. They simply don’t do the job for which they’re intended. Also, I just don’t care for how they look. Appearance is a critical element for me because chastity devices are not just functional tools.

Moving up from silicone is plastic. The only reasonably acceptable plastic device I’ve worn is the Holy Trainer. The others are all too complicated and/or ugly and/or downright excruciating to wear. The HTv3 nano is barely acceptable in that, as I said in my review, it leaves critical parts of the penis accessible to stimulation. It does prove to be just enough of a deterrent that I can resist partaking in that stimulation, but I don’t like it being possible. In that way, the HTv3 nano is the minimum amount of theater I require.

Of course, the Holy Trainers have no PA fixing option so I could pull out the back. Being able to pull out is not a deal breaker, but I vastly prefer not being able to. That’s a level of theater I truly crave. I don’t pull out when I can and suspend disbelief regarding my ability to do so, but a device with a PA fixing is way, way hotter for me than one without. Removing the disbelief about being able to escape amps up the experience, for sure. Also, it adds a calming element in that I don’t need to expend any energy pretending to myself that it’s inescapable.

Steel is my preferred material for devices. I have borderline fetish for stainless at this point. Not just the look of it, but how it feels. Its heft and how it goes on cold but then warms like an extension of my body. I’ve considered other metals like titanium but wonder if I’d like them as much since they’re so much lighter. Feeling the device flop and pull as I turn in bed is a definite plus.

Beyond that, preferred devices are simple and hide the penis. The Half Shell is very comfortable and quite shiny, but busy looking and complicated and doesn’t protect the entire shaft from viewing or touching. The Looker 02 is simple, but the penis is mostly visible (though the head is hidden). The Jail Bird is also quite simple, but shows far too much meat. The Steelheart is the best of all in that it’s sleek and steel and totally encases the penis. It’s not perfect in that the PA fixing does have some fiddly bits, though they’re all hidden inside. Its ring is too tight and it can occasionally pinch between the PA jewelry and fixing. The bottom of the penis shaft can also pinch where it joins my balls and meets the bottom of the tube.

Sometimes, the lack of any discomfort from a device is in itself a form of theater I miss. I don’t think enforced chastity should be excruciating, but I also don’t think it should be a walk in the park. I like that the Steelheart is tight and can bite from time to time. That discomfort is part of the symbolism of submitting to being denied in this way. Being denied orgasm is not easy. It’s hard and the cravings to come or even touch myself are often powerful. I like the device fighting back a bit and reminding me I chose the more difficult path. In fact, that I require the more difficult path.

Bottom line, this form of submission is very complicated. It’s not a straight line and everyone is going to practice it in their own way. The way that feels the best and make the most sense to them. The fact that it’s a two-person dynamic only makes the number of variations that much more numerous. All you can do is work on it and find the level of theater you both need…while never forgetting the keyholder is the star of the production. The keyheld is just the one holding the spotlight.

MSM cuckoldry

CNN just posted an interesting article on cuckolding to their website.

In our current political climate, the term “cuck” — short for “cuckservative” — has become an insult of the so-called alt-right, aimed at men they view as spineless and emasculated.

Since I don’t identify as a conservative, I’ve never been called a “cuck” but I think it would be one of these weird non-sexual things that occasionally crosses over to give me a little thrill.

Anyway…

According to a recent study by David Ley, Justin Lehmiller and the writer Dan Savage, acting on cuckolding fantasies can be a largely positive experience for many couples, and hardly a sign of weakness.

The paper Dan contributed to deals with cuckolding in gay male relationships. I follow a few tumblrs on that topic and have to admit it’s something that doesn’t really trigger any kind of significant sexual response. I can’t explain it, but for me, the formula that works is “woman + other guy – denied male partner.” In the best case, the husband is cucked against his wishes (but then comes around after the fact because, you know, it’s all fantasy anyway). For whatever reason, if she turns into a he, the helium totally escapes from the fantasy ballon. The paper also suggests the issue of interracial cuckolding isn’t prevalent with gay men as it is in straight couples. Again, for me, that’s not a critical element. I do respond to it, but it’s not an element in my relationship fantasies. The fantasy guy just needs to be one with a better tool.

The article quotes Lehmiller as saying…

We found several personality factors that predict more positive experiences acting on cuckolding fantasies. For those who have a lot of relationship anxiety or abandonment issues, who lack intimacy and communication, and who aren’t careful, detail-oriented planners, acting on a consensual non-monogamy fantasy could very well be a negative experience. In other words, not everyone who has a cuckolding fantasy should think about acting on it.

This makes so much sense to me. I’m no expert, but it seems perfectly logical as a person who is confident in the strength of his relationship that either of us going outside the marriage for sex simply doesn’t seem to bother or threaten me. Far from it.

Ley said…

For men and couples considering the issue of cuckolding, it’s important there be honesty, integrity, communication, mutuality and shared values. I’ve seen men who try to trick their wives into cuckolding them, and this never, ever ends up well.

Guys, DO NOT trick your wives into this. Come on. What a dick move. Otherwise, yes, honesty, communication, integrity. It’s not on his list, but also trust.

This really surprised me…

Lehmiller surveyed thousands of Americans and found that 58% of men and about a third of women had fantasized about cuckolding.

Holy shit. Most men!? And a third of women? That’s so many more than I would have guessed.

Part of what makes cuckolding arousing for heterosexual men is that they tend to view it as a taboo act.

I can remember my earliest reactions to the concept of cuckolding (helped by writing about it at the time). Not being an expert in human sexuality, I can’t say for certain how taboo influences what turns me on, but cuckolding for me seems just another expression of sexual inequality, domination, and denial. In that post I wrote nine years ago, it seemed clear to me even then, though I certainly would not have written it in the same way today. I have evolved.

Unlike then, the concept of inferiority is clearly motivational for me when it comes to the idea of being cuckolded. Of being inferior to the fantasy him. He’s got a cock more to Belle’s liking and can fuck for days (and he knows it) whereas I know I’m not as big as she would prefer and I can’t fuck for very long at all without needing to stop well before she’d like me to lest I orgasm. I still feel in most aspects of our life Belle and I are equals, but certainly not in our sexual relations and I’m clearly inferior to this fantasy sex partner of Belle’s.

It’s one of the things that has complicated the potential of being cucked in real life. The actual guy who might make it a reality is, it turns out, an emotionally stunted turd (IMO — she’s more charitable). Literally the only part of him that’s superior to me is his cock. He has and might again hurt Belle emotionally and so my dander is up in general. It’s an interesting situation to be in. On the one hand, the penis never strains against the steel more than when I’m thinking about him fucking Belle, but on the other, he bugs the shit out me for being such a putz. Belle might see him when she goes through London on this trip and, if she does, then something else might happen, too, but neither of us are counting our chickens just yet. And I’m more likely to want to go punch him for being a dick to her than I am wanting to stroke myself at the idea of him putting his dick in her.

In any event, it’s somewhat encouraging to see mainstream articles on non-monogamy. Gives me hope that what seems to be such a natural part of our sexuality won’t have to live in the closet forever.

Of trust and locks

Tom wrote a thing about keys. Go ahead and read it if you haven’t already, but long story short, Mrs Edge took all the keys, even the “emergency” one, and has left poor Tom without any.

But not having a key at my disposal at all? To go all day, every day, for weeks, maybe months with not even an opportunity for access to a key? The idea of turning that absolute control over to her was surprisingly hot for both of us. Remember, on these devices, there’s no padlock, no locking pins, and certainly nothing to be broken or cut. That cage is not coming off without actual power tools.

And it made me think about a conversation that was happening on Twitter a few days ago about keys and locks and I said something about the real lock being the trust a keyholder has in he who they lock. This is more or less what I was talking about when I said, “The very best chastity device is the one between your ears.”

Locks and keys and access to keys and where the key is and if she’s wearing it around her neck or giving it to her friend (boy?) for safe keeping (you wish) or leaving it in her desk drawer at work or what have you really gets a locked guy’s crank cranked. I get it, believe me. The key becomes…the key. Where is it? What’s she doing with it? Did she bring it? What if she looses it? Ooo, there it is! Etc.

First of all, what Tom says in his post is true. The emergency key idea is kind of bunk. I can remember the number of times needing an “emergency” key in the approaching ten years I’ve been locked up on one hand. And most of those times, I didn’t have it and I survived each time (look, here I am writing this thing). In a real emergency, neither Tom or I or you would have time to get to the key anyway. In reality, emergency keys are convenience keys. And most of the time, access to the key is planned for planned things like air travel or medical procedures.

Except when all that is on its head.

Belle doesn’t hide the key. She’s been gone for two weeks and she left it behind. I know exactly where it is. I have my own key all nicely secured in a locked thing (and I sometimes even remember where it is), but it doesn’t matter. If I need the key for whatever reason, I know how to get to it. She knows I know all this, too. Belle just doesn’t seem to care about the key as an object of power. She could, but choses not to. It’s not the significant thing in our dynamic. She trusts me to do the right thing and follow the rules.

This flies in the face of the One True Way to do enforced male chastity, I know. It probably seems a bit of a let down for some. But what I’ve grown to understand is that key obsession goes against the spirit of submission. I submit to Belle, not her key. My involved fantasies about how the key should be handled are my fantasies. If she wants to play a game with it and where it is and keep it hidden, etc., that’s her choice. For me to require her to do so because I can’t be trusted knowing where it is puts too high a burden on her to play this game my way.

I said on Twitter just this morning…

Man, that sounds like a guy who really should not know where his key is. But what the fuck would the point of all this be if I took the key and used it to give myself relief? And what’s the functional difference in knowing exactly where it is (a little box in her nightstand drawer) versus hunting all over for it on a desperate search?

I have no time at all for men who can’t be trusted to hold up their end of the deal when it comes to enforced chastity. Slipping out the back of an unsecured device for a quick wank is the same as using the key to take the whole thing off for the same reason. I do understand how security adds to the hotness of the situation (an inescapable device and a mysterious key), but just like at the airport, it’s all theater. The keyholder should set the terms of their keyheld’s containment and he should respect and honor their wishes. Maybe they do some things because the keyheld wants it or likes it, but that’s optional for them. What’s not optional for he whose junk is locked is following their rules.

Since Belle’s been gone, I’ve been in six different devices. Just because I could. She has no rules about what I’m locked into, just that I’m locked. And my travel during her trip has required me to be in the Holy Trainer which is fine for travel but I far prefer metal when I have the option. I’ll be using her key to put myself back in the Holy Trainer tomorrow since I have to fly again. I might even take it with me so I can swap into the Steelheart before flying back. Crazy, right? Madness. But not really.

For me, the thing is the device. When it’s on, it’s fucking well on. I don’t take it off for reasons other than health, national panic, alien invasion, etc. When it’s off, I’m a basket case and really can’t be trusted. The flesh is weak. The mind, too. A hard shaft in a hand is a potent thing to a guy who comes once every 12 weeks, on average. But that’s why the device is there. That’s why she requires I wear it. And I have accepted that submission willingly and wholeheartedly.

Truth is, to succeed at enforced male chastity over the long-term, you have to want to be locked up. You have to like it. You have to crave it. We are party to our own imprisonment. I fully admit to all those things. If I ever fucked up so bad she stopped locking me up, I’d be miserable. She knows that. It’s the ultimate leverage she has over me: My fear of her withdrawing her domination. My burning desire to submit and give her control over the penis is what keeps me honest. I always always want that. I’m not fooling anybody.

 

Active bisexual

I was jonesing to write a post and luckily enough a reader going by the handle 60and40boyfiend commented on a recent post

Thumper, this may be in the wrong place but I am curious if you still consider yourself an active bisexual since you ended your relationship with Drew? You don’t talk about him or men in general much now, so did that get it out of your system so to speak? I am in a similar situation and have had my fun but now think it’s time to get rid of the guy so not sure what to do. Did you have regrets? Have you found other men?

Btw, how are Drew and Fro-to? I miss hearing about them.

I used to think like you do. That my urges regarding men were transitory and once they were “out of my system” I’d go back to whatever passes for normal. But that’s just wrong. A bisexual in a monogamous opposite-sex relationship is still bisexual. A bisexual in a monogamous same-sex relationship is still bisexual. We are not defined by who we’re fucking or being fucked by. Being bisexual isn’t about the physical arrangement of one’s life. It’s about how one’s brain is wired to their junk.

If you were in my imagination (or perhaps perused one of my Tumblrs), you’d see I’m still very much an “active” bisexual. That doesn’t mean I’m always and equally attracted to both genders (or, for that matter, that my taste in porn is an accurate reflection of my feelings — I’ve always been more drawn to gay porn than straight). My sexuality is a continuum that oscillates along the Kinsey scale from about a 2 to about a 4 with maybe some brief excursions into 1 and 5 from time to time. I can’t explain that. I don’t know why I feel like that. I’ve tried hard to identify the “triggers” that make me move in one direction or another (and started doing so back when what I wanted more than anything was to be a simple 0), but I’ve decided the factors are either random or so multilayered that I’m never going to figure them out. Also, that I don’t need to. I’m never going to stop oscillating and I’m never going to be gay or straight. Luckily, I’m in a long term committed relationship where that’s not a problem. Belle accepts me as I am and has allowed me the opportunity to express my desires (with some specific limitations).

Regarding not talking about men here, that’s more a function of what this blog is about (Belle and I) than what I’m thinking or doing. My adventures with Drew and Frodo were never supposed to star here in any great detail. They’re both hanging around and both remain tantalizing possibilities that, based on the previous paragraph, you’ll understand I’m more interested in some days than others. And they’re both doing well. With Drew, you don’t need to take my word for it.

The thing that keeps me from engaging with them more than I might like to has nothing to do with how bisexual I feel on any given day. My issue currently is that a chronic injury has led me to slack off dramatically from my exercise routine which has in turn left me feeling very dissatisfied with my body and decidedly unsexy. I’m trying to turn things around, but I can’t separate how I feel about myself from how I feel about being with anyone (even Belle, if I’m honest). So that’s a whole ‘nuther layer that really only I can do anything about.

On a related topic, I recently said this on Twitter…

I still haven’t quite wrapped my head around that, but it feels true. Perhaps because I’m bisexual and round off to a Kinsey 4 (dead center) it’s easier for me to say it. Also, if there was a Kinsey scale for Dom-sub, I’d be pegged at the sub end (haha, see what I did there?). In general, I’m a person who lives in gray spaces between the poles, except in this one way. I have essentially no dominant tendencies.

I wonder sometimes if my predilection towards being a bottom (in the male homosexual sense of the word, not the “synonymous with sub” sense) is partially due to the fact that I have no access to the penis. For me, the penis has transmuted into this (usually) steel numb thing between my legs that pressurizes when I’m horny and whose absence leaves me feeling off-center and weird. I don’t like seeing the penis. I don’t like being free. I don’t want to use it for anything other than what Belle tells me to (and even then I do it more because she likes and wants it). The Steelheart in particular is more me than the thing within it. In some ways, I feel like the epicenter of my sexual focus has migrated backward a few inches and inward. I’m not a person who fucks, I’m a person who gets fucked. I’m not a person who takes sexual pleasure from others directly, I’m a person who allows others to take their pleasure from me. Being used in whatever way someone needs to use me to achieve maximum sexual pleasure is, TBH, the hottest thing I can possibly imagine.

You might read that “get fucked, not fuck” thing and think, geeze, you sound gay to me. But I’m not. I still love Belle. I still love pussy and tits and hips and women. So it’s a conundrum. And I do what Belle wants me to do with the penis because, like I said, I’m a fucking sub. If what makes her happy is to have me feel or do a certain thing, then that’s what I’ll do, to the best of my ability.

Living with bisexuality for fifty years has taught me not to get too hung up in my own underwear. All I want is to know myself better than I have before. To understand my motivations and predilections. To explore how my sexuality has been changing as age and circumstance have changed around it. But I won’t worry about it. I won’t freak out as things evolve and as I realize and recognize that evolution. I am what I am and try to live without regret for that not being what I wish it could or should be.

So I wrote all that before rereading your comment while proofreading the post…

Last thing. You said, “I am in a similar situation and have had my fun but now think it’s time to get rid of the guy so not sure what to do.” Ask yourself if you’re just over this one guy or if you’re over guys. You might feel that men don’t hold much allure for you right now. I get that, totally. Or it might be you’re just kind of over this certain dude. But whatever you think, don’t imagine for a second that it’s “out of your system” because it ain’t and never will be.

Holy Trainer v3 Nano review

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Previously, I’ve been pretty vocal in my position that the Holy Trainer male chastity device is the best option on the market for those looking to dip their…er, toe into the “chastity lifestyle.” So when a new version of the device is introduced, it’s a big fucking deal. Can the third version of probably the best starter device on the market improve on its impressive predecessor?

HTv2 vs. HTv3

The third version of the Holy Trainer, like the second, comes in four colors, but instead of the HTv2’s clear, black, white, and pink the HTv3 comes in clear, black, pink, and purple. I, for one, don’t mind seeing the white one go away. To me, it always looked like an orthopedic device. Medical play in the most unsexy way. Purple is the new guy on the block and for those Minnesota Viking and University of Washington fans, presumably. I opted for black as my review unit, but note that their site shows a solid black like the HTv2 and what I got was a translucent, smoky black. My preference in chastity devices is to not have the penis visible, so I would have liked the solid color. Note they are able to make the device in a number of custom colors (as seen on this page) for an extra $20.

Another superficial change between the second and third generation devices is the lock mechanism. It still uses what Holy Trainer calls the “MagicLocker” (a perverted cabinetry lock and the same one used by companies like Steelworxx and Rigid Chastity), but the way the tube and ring fit together has been changed.

The Holy Trainer website says the new version is “more discreet” and it does present a modestly lower bump, but honestly, I think in practice they’re a horse apiece. Oddly, their site also says the HTv3 is the “first padlock free chastity device” but the HTv2 used the exact same lock as the HTv3 (in fact, Belle locks me up with a lock we originally got from Steelworxx back in day — they’re all interchangeable).

The A-ring (Holy Trainer calls it “the ring” but A-ring is what the CB-X people call it on their devices and it’s the term I just keep using for some reason) is pretty much exactly the same as before except for the changes in how it attaches to the tube. It still comes in the same four sizes as before: 36mm, 40mm, 45mm, and 50mm. The HTv2 tubes and rings are not compatible with the HTv3.

The big difference found on the HTv3 is the tube. The HTv2 tube came in two sizes: Standard and small. The HTv3 comes in standard and small like before but they’ve added maxi and nano to the lineup. The maxi tube is obviously for maxi penises, but isn’t all that much longer than the standard tube (which is fine because shorter is always better). To me, maxi looks like it’s for men with more girth than average. The nano is small. Half an inch shorter than the standard tube and the one I tested.

Now it’s time to cover the six criteria upon which I judge devices: Cost, aesthetic, fit/comfort, security, hygiene, and stealth.

Cost

I ordered the HTv3 from the Holy Trainer website. All sizes and colors cost $165 with two shipping options to the United States ($14 for 4-5 day delivery or $28 for two day delivery). This is more than the CB-6000 by about $15 (the other mass market plastic chastity device) but since the Holy Trainer is better than the CB-6000 in every way, I think it’s a reasonable price. I can’t recall what the HTv2 cost, but they’re still being sold on the Holy Trainer website and they’re going for the same price as the HTv3. If the HTv2 was being sold at a discount and you were looking for either the standard or small sizes, I’d say buy it instead of the v3, but they’re the same.

Aesthetic

Processed with VSCO with fr4 preset

I think the Holy Trainer design since v2 is classic and hard to beat (AHAHA see what I did there!?). It’s got clean, simple lines and looks great. The HTv3 is just the same. Maybe, with the sleeker lock bump, slightly better. High marks, as before.

The nano tube is noticeably smaller and more compact than even the short tube which, if you’re into the minimizing aspect of enforced chastity, is a definite plus. But it’s not so small as to make the penis appear to have disappeared like the micro device I recently reviewed.

Fit and comfort

Say it with me: Shorter is better. And the nano is both. So from the aspect of what one would reasonably expect in comfort from a device meant to constrict and stifle one’s erections, it’s great. As good if not better than the HTv2.

Processed with VSCO with av4 presetHowever, on the device I received, there was a small piece of plastic that appears to be a protruding remnant of the molding process and, after several days, it began to irritate. It doesn’t look like much in the photo, but it’s right in a spot where the tube is pushed against my scrotum during periods of maximum pressurization. And it doesn’t take much of an imperfection to cause a worrisome sore against tender skin when one’s active. It’s a disappointing quality issue and one I would expect not to be on every device shipped.

Security

Processed with VSCO with fr4 presetFor reasons I can’t quite figure out, Holy Trainer has decided to make the nano sized tube a much less secure device than any other size they make. This is specific to the v3 since it’s the only that comes in the nano size. As you can see in the comparison images above, the nano tube is designed with a massive gap between the tube and the A-ring. Much larger than there was on the small v2 tube or, according to the images on their site, any of the other tube sizes. I guess this is for comfort during erections, but the end result is a tube that leaves the very spot of the penis that’s necessary to stimulate to achieve orgasm unprotected.

Of course, no trapped-ball device without some kind fixing through a piercing is “secure” in that penises can be pulled out and put back in of nearly all devices, but in this case, one could stimulate themselves to orgasm without withdrawing at all. Turns out, the Halfshell has the same design flaw (though the PA fixing does get in the way a bit), so the HTv3 nano isn’t alone with this issue, but there’s no reason for the gap to be that big. This issue alone would prevent me from wholeheartedly recommending the nano size.

I’ve said before that devices without real security (and even some of those) are really no more than deterrents that keep wandering hands off the fun bits in moments of weakness. If that’s the most basic test of a device, then the nano size of the HTv3 fails since eager fingers can still get to a spot a lot of men might be able to get off from. But if you’re the kind of guy who doesn’t need much more than simple barrier (like me), then the nano HTv3 will be enough. If not, get the small tube since it lacks the puzzling gap.

Hygiene

The nano HTv3 size squishes the penis up more than the small HTv2 did and therefore makes peeing more of a “pray and spray” kind of endeavor. Which, in turn, makes stand-up peeing a bit of a gamble (I don’t bother trying). That complicates hygiene, but the device is no more difficult to keep clean otherwise. I prefer stainless steel to plastic in general as it can feel cleaner, but the HTv3 scores pretty well in this regard.

Stealth

Since it’s so small, the nano HTv3 is really stealthy. The Holy Trainer design has always tended to push the penis back into the scrotum which contributes to its stealthiness and that’s only accentuated with the smaller tube. The two pieces of the device fit together very snugly and the lock is totally integrated which means it’s also perfectly silent.

Summary

The ridiculous gap between the tube and the ring in the nano size is an unfortunate design choice. The other sizes don’t have this issue, so in those versions (and assuming the issue my unit had with finish is a fluke), the Holy Trainer v3 is every bit as good as the HTv2 and remains my top recommendation for those looking for a plastic device or are just starting out with male chastity.

Year-end metrics

Welp, here we are at the start of a new year. That means 2017’s metrics project is in the can. Thousands of hours, a handful of chastity devices, scores of orgasms (for her) and still just the one penis.

December

IMG_0656The final month of the year was all about the Steelheart. Nearly 99% of the time I was locked, I was in the Steelheart. For the remainder of the time, the penis was left staring at the inside of the Holy Trainer v3 (for which I still have a review to write). I was unlocked for less than 1% of the month (.07% to be precise). That’s just a tad bit more than I was unlocked in November, but still hovering right around the 99% locked average Belle’s established (throwing out the oddball September). I’d chalk up the extra hour out in December vs. November to device maintenance. I gave the Steelheart a thorough cleaning and polish just before Christmas that easily could have taken an hour (vinegar soak plus buffing, etc.).

We had a house guest one weekend and no sex for those few days so I was worried Belle’s orgasm count would suffer, but the holiday break helped boost that to a respectable nine. Seven were administered by my and two she took into her own hands. She let me fuck her six times which is well above average but equal to November. Still making up for October, perhaps. I ejaculated each time I was inside her. One time resulted in a full-fledged (and authorized) orgasm because I dunno maybe she was spoiling me.

January is going to be a weird month due to her work travel and mine. I won’t be seeing her except for one mid-week night in the month after this Sunday. However, she’ll be traveling through London at one point, so…who knows what’s going to happen.

2017

IMG_0657So now for the big numbers. All tolled, the penis was secured for 8,578.28 hours out of a total possible of 8,760. That’s 97.9% of the time. Had September been a normal month, that percentage would have gone north of 99%, but it wasn’t. Two-thirds of the time the penis was free happened in September.

The Steelheart was utilized more than any other device and accounted for nearly half the time I was locked up. The Halfshell was second but was still nearly 1,000 hours behind. The remaining 18% of the locked-up time was divided between seven different devices.

Belle had 97 orgasms in 2017. That’s an orgasm ratio of about 19:1 since I was allowed five. I was pretty sure she was going to keep me to four since the rate had been a regular once per quarter but one more slipped in at the start of December.

Screenshot 2018-01-04 15.44.50Sixty-three of Belle’s orgasms came from my fingers. Twenty-five she created all on her own (I don’t track how those were brought about since that’s all about her). Five were the result of me using the vibrator on her clit and two each came from me performing oral on her and her riding the penis. Of course, it’s a crap shoot when it comes to using the penis since my trigger is highly sporadic and typically very short but I’d be very happy to go down on her more if she wanted me to.

She averaged eight orgasms a month with the highest frequency being April with 12 and the lowest being June with just four.

I was allowed inside her 46 times over the course of the year. That’s just under four times a month. Three months tied for the most frequent number with six (May, November, and December) and the least amount being zero in Locktober.

At this point, keeping track of all these things has become something of a habit. I will continue to do so in 2018 and for as long as she lets me.

 

Mailbag

A new year, a new batch of questions…

Puppy Aslan woofed:

I am a young puppy and my Master wants to keep me in chastity 24/7. He has a CB2000 but it is not very safe. We are planning to buy one from which I can not escape. We have thought about Steelheart with PA fixing and Looker 02. But he does not like the idea of putting me a PA. So Looker 02 could be a good option. I use the bike for daily commute and I practice swimming three times. The maximum that I have wore a chastity device have been 2 months and I have tested the sounding a few times and I loved it. We are concerned about hygiene (my Master likes dirty play) and the possibility of injury (I am a sporty puppy). What do you recommend? Do you have any advice?

I think a device with an urethral insert would be a bad fit for you. One, you mention “dirty” play and the insert makes issues like UTIs far more likely. Also, I don’t imagine a solid insert would work well with biking. Either you’re going to need to be OK with the less secure insert-less and PA-less devices or your master is going to need to get over his aversion to a PA.

Altergo asked:

Thumper, Firstly, thanks for having this blog. I feel like it would be ridiculous to write to or speak about this with someone that doesn’t already have the desire to have erections and orgasms controlled. My Wife and I have been experimenting with a CB-6k off and on for the last few months and I know we are both enjoying it. Although we have no plans to make this a full time lifestyle, we are going to use chastity as a sexual reward system for things I want.

We discussed this topic at length last night, I in my cage and she delicately stroking my balls while laying naked beside me. Of all the rewards, the one I want most requires 30 days locked up. How do you prepare yourself to do that kind of time without a release? Or, do you get releases during long stretches?

I don’t really do much of anything in preparation. Belle allows me orgasm about once every three months (on average) and, other than the times she wants the penis for sex, I’m locked up. It’s more a mental thing than a physical one, I’ve found.

The thing that struck me as interesting about your question is wanting a longer lock up period as a reward. This makes perfect sense to me since once I started being denied and locked up I wanted to be denied and locked up for longer and longer periods, but it’s probably something the newbie would find counter-intuitive.

We discussed a system by which I could earn a day off each day I let her edge me to orgasm and go back in. is that something you have tried? I mean it would be nice to get out and breathe a bit, but I think it would be impossible to will an erection away after a while.

Edging is wonderful. Belle used to let me do it to myself before I lost that privilege. Getting rid of an erection after a session of edging can be difficult. I’d recommend either a package of frozen peas on the offending penis or, if that doesn’t work (and it doesn’t always), an ice-cold shower.

What is your opinion on prostate milking? Does it relieve desire at all or just build up?

Prostate stimulation can help express built up seminal fluids but it will do nothing at all to relieve sexual frustration. Quite the opposite, in fact. But be careful since some men can orgasm from nothing else but prostate stimulation.

Kinkyandperky posed:

Thanks for collating all your reviews – your dedication to the cause does you proud. I wanted to tap into your expertise with a question, as a reasonably experienced user looking to upgrade.

So I have had a silicone device which I used for 3-4 months, until the end of my last D/s relationship. This was my first device and it taught me a LOT, in particular, how to develop workarounds to overcome the numerous problems that seemed to crop up. I am now in a new D/s and wanting to get a new device, upgrading to metal; I have my eye on a few ‘semi-solid’ styles (not sure what the technical term for them is), but I have some concerns about overcoming old problems – and wanted to consult your expertise, because I don’t know whether what I experienced last time was a product of the device or an occupational hazard one has to work around.

The main thing is keeping the device in place – I found the ring slipping off an issue not so much because of shrinking balls (though that was sometimes the issue) but it seemed like, the need to push the penis one side or the other inside trousers had the effect of easing it off in the course of a day and it never felt secure. Would metal make it worse, being heavier, or are there some obvious pointers to think about pre-purchase. I developed a harness as a workaround, but my Domme wants to rule out a harness on aesthetic grounds.

This sounds like an A-ring that’s too big. Your balls should not be slipping out ever or for any reason. Perhaps you have unusually small testicles, but more likely, you just need a smaller ring. I wrote a thing once about getting the size right.

Also, as a circumcised man, are there any issues or styles I need to avoid or, indeed, would be better off with?

No, a circumcised penis is the best kind to lock up.

Finally, I noticed in some comments made elsewhere on a blog post, you were a bit down on the House Of Denial as a supplier, though I have liked the look of several of their styles, and whether this was on grounds of quality, design or what. A number of the styles you review above are fully enclosed, so if you didn’t like the HoD, I was interested in pointers towards decent supplier of a semi-solid/semi-cage style like the HoD S87. Using good old Mr Google directs me towards the non-specialist suppliers or HoD.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

House of Denial sells a metal knockoff of the Holy Trainer and in my review I noted that it was unfinished inside the tube to such an extent that it injured me during what I consider typical wear. I cannot recommend any retailer or manufacturer that would knowingly sell a substandard product like that.

The device you like appears to be a knockoff of one of several of the devices made by Steelworxx. Mature Metal also has one that looks kind of like it. I’d advise going with one of them, even though it will cost you more.

Good luck, everyone!