Julie Ashton anal teaser - probe discontinued by Doc Johnson - review by Porfiriato

The Juli Ashton anal teaser is a ribbed anal probe which replicates the sensation of anal beads as you pop each bead in and out of your ass. You can also use this toy for vaginal penetration, with the ridges providing a wonderful rippled sensation when thrusting. However, since the toy is Sil-A-Gel, condoms must always be used if you intend to share the toy, or if you are moving it from ass to vagina.

Since the toy's beads start off at just at half an inch, the toy should not be too intimidating even for beginners, and since it increases in size slowly, can be a great training toy for those looking to take bigger objects into their ass. While the size might not be big enough for more advanced users, the texture could keep users interested, or it could be used as a warm-up toy to help prepare for bigger adventures.

The toy is made out of Sil-A-Gel, which may lead those concerned about material safety to look elsewhere. Sil-A-Gel is very smooth and slick with lube, flexes easily, and is very plush. While those new to anal play might wish to start with toys with less texture, the flexibility and squishiness is forgiving for beginners.

While the material is marketed as anti-bacterial, latex, and cadmium free, it is semi-porous, and as such only ranks 5/10 on the material safety scale. As such, it is recommended that you always use a condom, even if you do not intend to share this toy.

The toy has no taste but it does have a strong rubber smell, but you would never really notice unless you put it right under your nose. After all, it is designed to go in the other end.

I was a bit surprised when this toy arrived in the mail. I was expecting it to be a bit bigger based on the pictures provided on Eden. However, once used, I was not disappointed. The overall length of the anal teaser is about 7 3/4 inches. The ripple textured part of the toy is 5 inches long, and the ripples start out at 1/2 inch in diameter, gradually moving to 1 3/4 wide. The second bead is about 1 inch wide, and the next two are only a couple tenths of an inch wider. The fifth bead is 1 1/2 inches wide, and the final bead stretches to 1 3/4. The "grippable" part of the handle is about 2 1/4 inches. The handle was a bit too big for my hand, as I was only able to bend three fingers around the toy. However, this was not much of a problem, as three fingers gave me a comfortable grip.

I decided to try this toy because I love the Tantus Ripple, a toy with a very similar design, but I wanted to see if the experience would be improved with the handle of the Teaser.

The anal teaser was very easy to manipulate, and I found it equally comfortable to grip the toy using the handle and the wide, round base. Honestly, however, I did not find the handle to be much of an addition to the toy during solo play, and I am sure some users would wish that this space had more ridges, instead of being wasted on a handle. My partner did like using the handle however, as she said it made it a little easier to thrust during partner play. It was easy to hang on to even with lubed fingers.

The material becomes wonderfully slick with lube, with very little drag, which makes insertion and thrusting very smooth and pleasurable. The ridges of the toy do a great job of holding onto lube, especially if you use a thicker variety, like Cal Exotic's Anal Lube. This prolongs the thrusting session, since you will not have to stop and reapply quite as often.

The experience of using the toy is perhaps most directly comparable to using anal beads, since the insertion and removal of each bead gives your ass an amazing popping sensation as you thrust it in and out. Each bead can be distinctly felt, and you can feel your as stretch wider as the beads increase in diameter. While you can feel the increase between the first and second beads, the second, third, and fourth beads feel about the same width. You can definitely feel your ass stretch as you work the 1 1/2 inch fifth bead in your ass, and the final 1 3/4 inch bead is another definite step up.

Unlike the Ripple, there is not much space between each bulb. Since the Ripple has little 'necks' between each bulb, my ass could grab on and retain the toy in my ass. The Teaser, however, required me to hold on to the toy at all times, since there was very little to hold the toy in my ass.

Due to its porous nature, this toy can never be fully disinfected. The toy should be washed with soap and hot water, or with toy cleaner before and after each use. The toy does not seem to attract much dust or lint when stored in our toy drawer, which was nice. However, as stated above, we would recommend using a condom to ensure your safety.

This toy is compatible with silicone and water-based lubes. Since it is compatible with a variety of lubes, using silicone lube could help make your shower sessions with this toy more pleasurable as it will not wash off as easily as water-based lubes.

The toy comes in a clear plastic clam-shell packaging, with a glossy paper insert. The front is emblazoned with a topless Juli Ashton, and includes her endorsements on the front and back. She praises the toy effusively, saying that "this is the only anal product to consistently give me stronger, intense orgasms. An absolute must for any toy collection." She also suggests users "try the anal teaser with vaginal sex...it will send your orgasms through the roof!"

I would not suggest using the packaging for long-term storage, and it's perhaps not the classiest presentation if used as a gift box. Since Juli displays her perky tits on the front and her wonderful ass on the back, it is not very discreet.

There are several other toys that can give you a similar anal-beads like sensation, but this is one of the few with a handle. The Tantus Ripple and Doc Johnson Groove have nice sized bases to grab onto (and body-safe silicone construction), but if you are looking for a bit better grip, the Teaser might be a good option to check out. Also worth exploring is the Emerald Explorer, with a big ring handle, but you have to be willing to trade the softness of Sil-A-Gel or silicone for glass.

Each of these options, the Tantus Ripple, the Doc Johnson Groove, and the Emerald Explorer, are more body-safe than the Anal Teaser.

I got the Anal Teaser specifically to compare with the Tantus Ripple, and in a head to head comparison, the Ripple comes out the winner. I like the fact that the Ripple is made of body-safe silicone, and that it has slim 'necks' between each bead to help with retention. The Teaser's handle did not really add much to the experience, as it did not give me or my parter a significantly better grip, either in solo or partner play. However, if you find gripping the base of toys like the Ripple to be uncomfortable, the Teaser might be a good option to try.