The idea of anal beads has long fascinated me, but in practice has always disappointed. The strings were either so long and pointy that they were highly unpleasant, too large to be comfortable or too small to be noticeable, too flimsy, or made from an unsafe material. Or shaped like a creepy worm that likes to burrow in your butt. Now that may be great for some people but for me? Just creepy. Every now and again I'd find something promising, but never anything that delivered. Before Bendybeads I was convinced that I just didn't like anal beads because it seemed like there was nothing out there that worked for me. I only wanted to try them because they were the last of the crop of silicone butt beads: the only ones that I hadn't gotten to.

Man. If only my search had STARTED with Bendybeads instead of terminating with. Could have saved me so much disappointment!

Fun Factory's Bendybeads are, as I've mentioned, made from 100% non-porous silicone which makes them ideal for anal play. Bacteria cannot be absorbed into this toy, but rather can only collect on its surface. By boiling this toy in water for 3-4 minutes, wiping down with a 10% bleach solution or giving it a thorough cleaning with anti-bacterial soap and warm water you can eliminate the majority of all bacteria on the surface. And every little bit of these beads is silicone, including the connecting "string" between the beads. I've seen some beads that have actual cotton strings between them and I just...(shiver) I hate the thing of the kind of bacteria lurking within those strands. Eeeeep!

Perhaps one of the most difficult things about MOST silicone anal beads is that their slender dimensions paired with the softness of most silicone used in toy manufacturing equals one flimsy butt toy. This can make insertion very tedious and occasionally painful if you slip and poke yourself in the wrong way. Bendybeads really excel in terms of their texture and density. While the curlicue handle is a little on the narrow & floppy side, the largest bead that is closest to the handle is quite the opposite. In fact, all of the beads are surprisingly dense - more dense than anything else from Fun Factory that I've seen - while the 'string' between them is more squishy. By gripping the bottom bead you can easily insert this toy without any problems.

The curlicue works best to remove the toy with and to act as a base to keep the toy from going too far in, although I will say that if your butt has a tendency to eat toys you may want to be cautious. The bottom bead is a little over an inch in diameter, while the flange is about 1.75 inches. Seems like a reasonable size difference, no? Well, it is and it isn't. Because the curl is hollow on the inside and made from a fairly flexible silicone? It's possible for it to "fold" - especially under the force of powerful anal muscles! - and be drawn in. It's not what I would really call a serious health risk, but it's something to watch for if you've got a hungry booty.

About ten inches from top to bottom, with seven of those being insertable, this is a rather long toy. Unlike other beads though, the top most bead is nicely round and fat and doesn't poke my innards like some have. It has a nice matte feel that provides a little bit of friction. The ribbon that curls around the beads also creates some nice texture that can be felt, but not too intensely. I personally can't deal with a whole lot of texture with anal stimulation, but I thought this was a bit of sensation to mix things up without being too overwhelming. One of the only problems with these beads is that there is a very slight seam that follows vertically along the sides of the product. Me? I'm not exactly a princess-and-the-pea kind of lady that freaks out a tiny ridge, but I definitely am sensitive enough that seams have ruined otherwise awesome toys for me in the past. This seam gets my approval as a fairly sensitive gal for being fairly unnoticeable.

Overall, I really love these beads. They definitely make my Top Five Desert Island Anal Toys...what...you guys don't have a list like that? Well, anyway, with Bendybeads I have for the FIRST time enjoyed the whole slowly pulling some beads out of your ass while climaxing thing. Hooray! With others I've tried I never had the patience to persist with that and just ended up giving them away to friends (after boiling and bleaching.) They're also perfect for my level of anal experience and comfort, starting out with a nice plump bead that measures at a little more than a half inch in diameter and working up to the fattest bead at 1.25 inches across. This set pretty much spans my range as far as diameters go, and keeps my butt in shape by gradually working me to about my widest point each time I play with it. Of course, the neck between each bead (and below the last bead) is less than a half inch in diameter which means I can rest along the way, and relax at the end of my trip along the strand. And if you don't want to use the largest bead at all? You can't stop wherever you're comfortable: just another lovely thing about beads like this.

These are probably best for intermediate users or beginners that are ready to step their anal game up a little bit. They're perfect to wear in during penetrative vaginal stimulation because they don't take up too much space but still give you a sense of some fullness. They're also excellent to use during a jerk off session by yourself. Gender non-specific, they appeal to any audience interested in light anal play. My partner has always been a little lukewarm on the subject of beads but these won even him over.

Basically they're awesome. Getcherself some purple peapod butt beads!

Admittedly these beads do not get as much use around the bedroom as they probably deserve. My partner and I are often quicker to jump to more intensely stimulating toys and don't stop enough to smell the roses so to speak. We still do pull them out from time to time, generally we like to put them in him while I give him oral and then slowly remove the beads as he's cumming and his rectal muscles are clenching around them. Yummy! The sensation is incredible for him and I love the deliciously dominant sense it gives me to control this pleasure. Still loving these and they aren't going anywhere!