Unfortunately, the first thing I noticed about this toy right out of the box was it's smell. Initially it had a chemical smell which, when combined with the scenting (kind of fruity) also present in the toy, was quite off putting. I let it air out for a few days and the smell was no longer noticeable.

The material has a good amount of give to it, which I consider both a pro and a con depending on the use of the toy. The size is ideal for beginning to practice anal but the softness of the toy can make insertion a bit tricky, you can't hold it from the base or it will flop everywhere. The anal starter is a bit longer and thicker than a grown man's finger and has a slight neck to the base. I would not say it can't truly be worn as a plug, especially as you get used to relaxing your muscles, but it will stay in place with limited movement.

Despite the name, Sil-A-Gel is not a silicone material so while it is safe and antibacterial it is not boilable or bleachable so sharing is still a no-no. I like this material because of the smooth forgiving texture of it, the nasty chemical smell makes me hesitate to be a full out fan of it however. I read in the description of this material that it tends to collect lint, however I did not notice it to do so more than most toys so unless you like to roll your toys around in your blankets before using them I wouldn't consider it a big issue.

I do like this toy, and though I have stepped up my collection of anal toys in dimensions and features this was certainly a good toy for the price, and a beginners must-have. I still use it as a warm up toy or paired with other stimulation quite often.

I got this toy to begin my experiments with anal after comparing a lot of starter toys and it fit the bill perfectly. It's a bit bendy to use for thrusting when you're still learning to relax your muscles but the smooth texture with slight veining is quite delicious once you get the hang of it. I have especially loved this toy when paired with a strong clitoral or vaginal vibe.
I got a set of pure silicone beads at the same time but didn't care for them, being I novice to toys at the time I forgot them drying from clean up together. The Sil-A-Gel won the battle of material interaction and the beads melted in several places and had to be discarded. Ah well, they were inexpensive and I didn't like them anyways.
After a good amount of play with this toy I stepped up to the next size Sil-A-Gel dildo, which I don't believe Eden carries, and got an anal vibe as well. I would say it was a great first step.

After having this toy for well over a year, which I now believe to be far past the recommended life of this material, I went to play with it after not playing with any anal toys for a while. The session was very brief and I attributed my discomfort to not being used to the toy anymore, or not relaxed enough. A few days later I tried the toy again. But this time, mainly for the sake of quick clean up, I placed a condom over the toy before beginning. I discovered that I had absolutely none of the stinging I had felt from using the toy without covering it. Needless to say I decided it had out lived the purpose, and I threw it out.

When I first became interested in the Sil-a-gel material, I was pleased with the smooth soft texture and supposed antibacterial properties it has. However the longer I have researched it, and the more I have actually used toys made out of it, the less impressed I become. The "sil" in Sil-a-gel is rather misleading to the uninformed. I am not confident in using this material vaginally, because I'm not certain it is phthalate free.

Looking at it a bit the wiser, I would now demote this toy to a three out of five, with the stipulation that is should be used no more than six months. Without that stipulation I would give it a two.