Severin medium - butt plug discontinued by Tantus - review by Clandestine

Gah. Please forgive the painfully puntastic title there.

The Severin medium by Tantus is what I would consider an intermediate-level anal plug. It's main use, of course, is anal play, but the ridges on the toy might serve to be pleasurable vaginally (provided you have sterilized the toy between anal and vaginal use).

Alternate uses aside, Severin really does shine as an anal plug. Use of this toy is fairly straightforward. Starting off with a clean Severin, lube your exterior anus and begin warming up by inserting fingers (with clipped, smooth nails!) gently inside of yourself. This helps to relax the area as well as spread lubricant where it is needed. I recommend a water-based lubricant, as silicone lube can distort the surface of silicone toys, often causing permanent damage.

Next, lube up Severin and get ready to go. Breathe deeply, relax your anus, and proceed to put the finger-sized tip of the plug against your sphincters. One great feature about this toy is its graduated, rippled shape. It allows one to take it slowly and in stages, making it excellent for warm-up. Proceed as quickly or as slowly as is safe and comfortable for you.

Once inside, it can be left in place pretty comfortably and safely due to the modified T-shaped base. For those comfortable with the idea, you can slowly remove it and reinsert it, almost like anal beads or a rippled probe. I found that to be particularly nice, though it's not what I usually do. I prefer to leave Severin in for a longer period of time. I have a feeling that it would stay in quite nicely during sex, and it is easily concealed beneath clothing.

You'll probably notice that the ripples on Severin are vaguely perceptible from within the rectum... And they feel good, too. Lightly clenching your PC muscles (kegels, more or less) can intensify this feeling. Try it if you'd like.

Severin is made of premium-grade, pure silicone by the lovely Tantus. If you've tried a Tantus product before, you should know just what to expect. Severin is no exception; it's non-porous, boilable, bleachable and completely body safe, being made entirely of inert silicone. You will also notice that it feels very nice. You will not notice, however, any smells or tastes, even straight from the box.

Severin's softness is about that of Ryder and the A-Bomb; not nearly as squishy as supersoft silicone found on the outer layers of O2 products, but softer than the inner core of such products. As a result, it's firm enough to facilitate insertion and to exert its texture from the inside, but squishy enough for lasting comfort. The surface is glossy and smooth, which causes lube to bead up on the toy; a thick lube is best for a plug such as this one.

Severin's design is truly unique; it begins with a projection sized and shaped like a fingertip, perfect for initial insertion. It then progresses to the "second stage", a bulge that is around 1 1/4" in diameter. This then proceeds to the largest bump of roughly 1 7/8" diameter. It then tapers to a comfortably sized neck, measuring in at 1 1/8" and being around an inch long; perfect for longer-term wear. The entire toy measures about 4.75" in length from tip to base, approximately 4" of that being insertable.

Severin comes in both red and black, and also in small and large sizes apart from the medium that I am reviewing.

Severin's rippled design allows for users to slowly become accustomed to each diameter it presents, making it a great warm-up plug as I mentioned above. I found it to be quite good for this purpose as well. My only problems with Severin involve its base... While it is vaguely T-shaped, meaning that it fits nicely between the buttocks, I felt it was too thin, flimsy even, and the ends of the base flare slightly, causing a little irritation with extended use. In spite of the thin base, I've had no problems with it slipping inside; I even pushed gently against the base to see if it would threaten to do so; it didn't. (What I don't do for science!)

While not realistic, Severin's purpose is pretty obvious. Don't try pretending it's an exotic fruit or a hood ornament, please!

Severin Medium performs quite well in my mind (and my butt). While I would have liked to try the Severin Large, I am glad I have the Medium as it's comfortable to use and requires no warm-up on my part. The rippled design is a treat, during both insertion and retention. Although it is not angled to do so, I do feel a little prostate stimulation while using this toy; a nice bonus, to say the least.

Again, the flared ends of either side of the base are a little irritating to the buttocks, especially when sitting, and I would like a bit of stronger base... Something like that of Ryder, maybe a little thicker, would be nice. However, the base's minor flaws were outweighed by the body's excellent stimulation potential.

I like to use this as an extended-wear plug and for shorter-term use during masturbation. It's quite nice for either situation!

Severin Medium, being made of 100% silicone, won't harbour bacteria and dirt like porous materials, nor does it require any special storage methods. Washing this toy is simple; I use dishwashing liquid (Green Apple Dawn, to be precise) and lather it up with warm water, rinsing well. It can also be boiled to disinfect; keep it in the boiling water for around 3-5 minutes to do so. Try to avoid it touching the bottom or sides of the pot, even though silicone can resist high heat... Using tongs can be helpful.
Bleaching is another option. A 10% bleach solution can be sprayed or wiped on, left for a few moments, and then rinsed off. Proceed to wash the toy afterwards to ensure bleach residue is removed entirely.
While Tantus states that this toy can be placed in the dishwasher's top rack without soap to sterilize, it won't necessarily destroy all of the surface bacteria. However, it is still dishwasher safe, just so you know.

Storage of Severin is pretty simple. It doesn't need to be dusted with cornstarch, kept away from all other materials or blessed by a cleric to be stored safely. Just keep it where you store your other toys, whether that is in a specialized container, a ziploc bag, or what have you. You will want to keep it away from sharp objects that might scar the surface, though, as well as silicone lubricants that may degrade the surface in accidental exposure.

Speaking of lubes, I recommend using only water-based with this toy for the reasons stated above. Although there was no permanent damage done to this toy by either Sliquid Ride or Wet Platinum silicone lubricants, they did produce a noticeable welt that disappeared about a day later. I personally don't like to take risks when it comes to material compatibility, so I avoid silicone lube with silicone toys. Oil-based lubes shouldn't harm the toy, either.

Severin Medium came in Tantus' usual packaging; an inner clamshell to secure the toy in an upright position, and an outer, clear plastic box that has colourful designs and some basic information about silicone, as well as the toy's name, Tantus logo, etc. No instructions are included.
The box is certainly not discreet, but it makes for a lovely display in a store.
While not great for storing the toy, the packaging is at least recyclable, and makes for a good gift box, as long as you're giving the gift in private or around people the recipient does not mind having around for the unwrapping of a butt plug.

I think that the Severin Medium is a great toy for intermediate users... And maybe even less experienced ones who want to slowly work up to a larger sized plug using this toy's graduated design. Even as someone who has taken larger objects, and often wants a very full feeling, I find this toy satisfying due to its rippled body.