This lovely little anal dildo is great to use to start exploring anal play. Because the flare is not large, care must be exercised using it anally. The smaller flare makes this best for inexperienced anal players, as those more experienced may be at risk for losing it. The anal starter's small size and softer material is not intimidating for a beginner to anal sex play.

My husband lubed the Anal Starter up and slowly inserted it into my anus. We haven't played anally much with me, and this did not cause any discomfort for me at all. He thrusted the Anal Starter first slowly and increased the pace and there was never any discomfort. In fact, being penetrated with this anal dildo became very pleasurable very soon.

The Anal Starter is made of Sil-A-Gel. It has that berry smell that Doc Johnson's Sil-A-Gel's toys all have. The smell does not go away with washing. Although realistic looking, it does not feel realistic. It is flexible and slightly firm. Although it has textures, these are not able to be felt.

The Anal Starter I ordered was the lovely pearlescent purple. It has a slim tapered head, moving into a ridge, before shifting into a shaft that has some raised veins. The veining and other textures were not really noticeable when being used. The Anal Starter has only a 4 1/2 inch insertable length and is 1 inch in diameter. It is very flexible, which adds to the lack of intimidation.

This toy might be a bit small. After a bit more play with this toy, I am probably going to look for another anal dildo or probe with more length and girth. But I'm not rushing things.

The Anal Starter is great for beginners to anal play since it is small and the tip is tapered for ease of insertion. It is not intimidating, so relaxation is easier. The flare at the bottom does have some suction, but I didn't test this out yet. It seems to be harness compatible if you have a small o-ring and a harness that takes that small of an o-ring, which I do not have. For a beginner, this anal dildo does provide very pleasurable anal stimulation.

The material is antibacterial, as well as latex and cadmium free. It is semi-porous, so using a condom is recommended. It attracts lint and hair badly, so make sure to wash with mild soap and water before and after play. Water-based lube works well from experience. Silicone lubes are said to be able to be used with Sil-A-Gel as well. Store the Anal Starter in a plastic bag so that it is protected from hair and lint and other toys.

The package is much too large. It is a plastic clam-shell. The packaging could be several inches smaller. There are no instructions. The package cannot be easily wrapped for gift-giving. Because the clam-shell is reclosable, you could use the package for storage if you did not have a plastic ziploc baggie.

The Anal Starter did give me my first anal orgasm. My hubby and I have experimented with some anal play before, but I had not enjoyed it. This was my first time enjoying anal play. Other toys were too large or too stiff to begin with and intimidating. Now maybe I can relax and explore anal play more.

The first time we used the Anal Starter, my husband applied a water based lube liberally to both the dildo and to my anus. I have not enjoyed anal play much previously, but was willing to explore some more. Prior to the Anal Starter, I have used small vibrators and the husband has used his fingers and thumb. We had tried anal sex before as well. The Anal Starter has changed my mind about anal play! Insertion did not hurt at all. The hubby tentatively began thrusting with the dildo until I started thrusting back. I was soon moaning with enjoyment. Although I couldn't feel the textures on the Anal Starter, it is quite pleasurable. It isn't too large to start with. As I got into the hubby thrusting into my ass with the dildo, I was moaning loudly, and I found that I was almost wishing that the dildo was a little longer and a little thicker. I felt like it was ALMOST not hitting the right spots. This is why I only gave it three stars. After about eight minutes though, and surprisingly, no clitoral stimulation, I had a wonderful orgasm. This was my first anal orgasm ever. Using the Anal Starter was the first time ever that I also was not sore after anal play. This toy will definitely stay in my toy box, but I don't think it will be too long before I'm looking for something a bit longer, with more girth, and with a larger flare.