Tantus Feeldoe

This is one of the most innovative toys of recent years. The Tantus Feeldoe was revolutionary in introducing the “strapless strap-on.” Until this gem came along the only way for a woman to adorn a cock was to strap on a harness of some type and attach a dildo to the front of it. Depending on your body type and your level of comfort with having two or three straps of leather or nylon wrapped around you, a harness may or may not work for you. Well now you can go strapless.

The Feeldoe was created by women for women. The inventor, Mia originally designed it for the lesbian market and for those who got tired of dealing with harnesses. According to their web site, “Mia invented these special toys because she got frustrated with having to stop in the middle of it all and wait... while the one she loved donned a harness, buckling this, snapping that, fumbling in the dark to get all strapped up… and then work even harder while feeling absolutely nothing!  By the time all of that getting ready was done, she was out of the mood and doing a cross word puzzle!”

Here’s what you need to know about the Feeldoe: It has a “pony” end and a “horse” end. To use it you insert the bulbous "pony" end vaginally, spread the labia, and nestle the ridges of the "saddle" against your clitoris. Then hopefully you’ll know what to do with the "horse" end that looks like a dildo. There’s a single-speed bullet vibe in the base of the Feeldoe and since this silicone transmits vibrations so well, they’re felt by both partners. The pony end stimulates the wearer’s g-spot, so both parties can really enjoy the ride. This is another innovative feature of the Feeldoe - it’s not often you find a toy that delivers direct stimulation to both partners during intercourse.

You’ve probably ascertained that the only thing holding this toy in place are the wearer’s pubococcygeus (PC) muscles. These are the same muscles used to hold in a tampon, or to stop urine flow. The PC muscles can be exercised in order to strengthen one’s grip. Kegel exercises are beneficial in more ways than one though. The strengthening of the PC muscles aids in child-birthing, increases sensitivity so sex feels better and even causes women to have more intense orgasms.

All of that being said, I’ll share with you my personal experience with the Feeldoe. We were very excited to try out this new toy. And it was a lot of fun trying out. Remember what I said about the PC muscles holding the Feeldoe in place? Well my girlfriend has what I consider to be fairly strong PC muscles. She wears Ben Wa balls semi-frequently and has gotten to the point where she can remove them with relative ease, using her PC muscles. During sex she’s able to contract and relax her muscles, massaging my cock and delivering some really nice sensations. But, she had a really difficult time holding this toy in place during sex. The Feeldoe is much heavier than one would expect it to be. Gravity is difficult to overcome with a muscle group you’re not really accustomed to using for such a thing. She did manage to overcome by clenching her thighs together though. Once she got the hang of it, it was a fun ride.

She got to the point where she could fuck with it without much effort, but because it somewhat limited her movements, she didn’t feel she had much freedom for anything else. So, because I’m a tinkerer and I’m always looking for ways to make things easier, I wound up making a harness for her to use with the Feeldoe. It’s just something simple, made from chrome-plated leash chain and some latches, but she likes wearing it.

The Feeldoe is curved just right for stimulating the g-spot (or p-spot) on most people. It comes in three models. The “pony” end on all of the models measures 2 ½” long with a 1 ½” diameter. Each model is made in one color, you don’t get to choose. The Classic is purple and the insertable end is 6” x 1 ½”; the Slim is blue and the insertable end is 5 ½” x 1 ¼”; the Stout is black and the insertable end is 5 3/4” x 1 3/4”; the More is red and the insertable end is 6 3/4” x 1 5/8”.

If you’re tired of using harnesses and want to try something new, the Feeldoe is definitely worth a try. I must tell you though, there are some similar items hitting the market, and they’re doing some interesting new things in design. So you may just want to talk to my friends over at The Velvet Venus about this and the other alternatives. They’ve got “their finger on the pulse” so to speak and can help you find exactly what you need.

Doc Johnson Radiant Gems G-spot Dong

This thing stinks. No, literally, it stinks. Doc Johnson is one of the largest manufacturers of sex toys in America and they make some really cool stuff. But for some reason they have yet to make a jelly-type toy that doesn’t smell like a chemical plant. If you don’t know why odor is a big issue with regard to my sex toys you should read the article titled Smelly Toys.

That being said, if you’re one of the lucky people that were born without olfactory nerves or you use condoms on your toys anyway and don’t care about the smell of chemicals emanating from them, I’ll go ahead and tell you a little more about it.

The G-spot Dong is part of Doc Johnson’s Radiant Gems line. They call it Radiant Gems because of the shimmering effect that light has on the material - it’s quite nice looking. The one I’m holding is “Rose” colored, which is a dark shade of pink.

Dongs come in a variety of tempers or levels of elasticity (how much they do or do not wiggle). This one I’d say is a 2 on a scale of 10, where 10 is the hardest. That’s good if you like for your dong to wiggle a lot, or if you have trouble getting just the right angle with a stiffer dong.

This one is of course curved for g-spot play, which in my book means p-spot play as well. It’s also 8 insertable inches, which means it should be easy enough to reach your partners spot, and then some. After the curved tip the shaft diameter is about 1 1/8” it has a very nice taper for about 3” to approximately 1 3/8”. Then comes a much shorter taper down to 1” making what should be a very sweet sensation for your partner as their outer wall opens and closes around the shaft as you stroke in and out.

The base is harness compatible and will fit about a 1 1/4” ring. It is not a suction cup base.

Doc Johnson calls it Sil-a-gel - I call it Smell-a-gel. They say it’s non-toxic - I say that can’t be true. They say it’s anti-bacterial - I say of course; with a smell like that it could kill all kinds of bacteria, even the good kind. They say it’s Latex-free and Cadmium free - I say who cares, it stinks. And here’s the best part of what’s actually printed on the package for this thing - they say it’s “Softly Scented.”

To sum it up, if you don't mind having to use a condom on your toy, then go ahead, buy it. But if you're like me and would rather the people down at Doc Johnson not make stuff like this in the first place, call my friends at The Velvet Venus and let them find something like it that doesn't stink. It may even cost less.

Smelly Toys

If you've ever had the displeasure to drive near a paper mill or a chemical production plant, then you'll understand the term "nose-hair-curling." It's a term I coined to explain the effect that some odors have on my olfactory nerves. That same odor is wafting through my office at this very moment. Yes, as I'm typing the smell has completely filled the room and is beginning to make my eyes water. No, my office is not near a paper mill or chemical plant and it hasn’t been fumigated in the last five minutes. What has happened though is that I’ve reached into The Box of Shame and pulled out a toy to review - only to find that it is one of those god-awful smelling toys that I wouldn’t put in your ass.

This is the topic of today, Smelly Toys. If you’ve ever bought a sex toy and brought it home, only to have your sinuses burn and your eyes water when you open the package, then you know exactly what I mean. If you went ahead and used it anyway, I understand - so did I. But, I digress. What I’m trying to point out here is that there is no reason we should have to make that decision. In case you don't know it, the same toy can be made with a different material, that doesn’t smell like tar remover, and it will feel and act the same way. I know it because I’ve seen it, and the stupid part was that the smelly toy cost me more.

They say on the packaging that it’s “non toxic.” I don’t care what they say, if it smells like something that should be under my kitchen sink with a skull and crossbones on its label, I feel like it may somehow be dangerous to my body, if not right away, then at least with extended use.

All of the manufacturers will tell you that their products are safe; they’ll even print it on the package. They’ll even tell you that they’re phthalate free, cadmium free, latex free, anti-bacterial, condom friendly, organic, vegan and made in the good ol’ USA. But not one of them will tell you anything about why their toys smell like hazardous chemicals, nor how the chemical smell emanating from them isn’t somehow absorbed into the delicate membranes of one’s nether regions.

Have you ever heard the name Vibratex? You may not have, but it was their “Rabbit Habbit” vibrator that was raved about on HBO’s Sex in the City. Anyway, they make their products from something they call elastomers. They’re phthalate free. Here’s what they have to say on the topic in an excerpt from an article on their web site:

“...phthalates are plasticizers that are used to soften PVC vinyls. If a vinyl does not have any softeners, it is basically very hard PVC plastic. There are different grades of vinyls- from food grade, which is used for plastic food storage containers and baggies, to economical grade, which is used in some lower-end athletic shoes and other products. The smell of a product tells you the grade of the vinyl and the quantity of plasticizers (phthalates) used to manufacture it. The more smell the product smells, the lower the grade, and the higher the quantity of phthalates used. You are probably aware of the terrible chemical smell that many of the jelly vibrators give off. This is basically the vinyl giving off large amounts of phthalates.

The adult industry is not regulated by the FDA or EPA, so there is no established set of standards to be followed. These government agencies do regulate children's toys, and they no longer allow phthalates to be used in children's toys or pacifiers…”

I say if somebody thinks it’s unsafe to put in a baby’s mouth, you probably don’t want in any of those tender areas between your legs.

The bottom line is this- if people would stop buying smelly toys and hold manufacturers to a higher quality standard then we could one day be free to purchase sex toys without fear of some unknown chemical leaching into our blood stream while we're enjoying one of life's simple pleasures. And now you know what Smelly Toys are so when you see a reference in one of my reviews you will understand why that toy made it into The Box of Shame.