The Severin Medium is an anal plug. The word "medium" implicitly suggests that this plug would be good for intermediate anal players. But I put it to you: if you can insert this plug without a great deal of struggle and/or pain - congratulations - in my book, you have graduated to the advanced level of anal play.



My experience with this plug brought to mind questions I had previously regarded as purely philosophical. How small is small? How big is big? How "medium" is medium?

But this isn't philosophy. This is your ASS. And if you're a beginner, or anything less than an advanced intermediate, your ass is NOT ready for the Severin Medium - as I learned the hard way.

The plug is made of smooth, glossy silicone. It has no odor or taste. It's pretty firm, but has about the same amount of give as a firm erection. In my opinion, it's well-designed to make insertion as smooth as possible.

Silicone is great for temperature play. If you soak it for a few minutes in hot water, it will retain the heat for some time during play; similarly, if you soak it in cold, it will remain cold for some time.

The shape of the Severin Medium is well-designed for anal play. The tip of the plug is just under an inch long and is about 7/8" in diameter; it's roughly the size of a thumb to the first knuckle. After that, it features two bumps. The first of these is substantial, at almost 1 5/8" in diameter. There's a short "resting spot", about 1 3/8" in diameter, before the larger bump. According to the product page, this second bump is supposed to have a diameter of 1 7/8" (which would be plenty big, in my opinion, for a "medium" plug). Mine actually measures in at just over 2 full inches. In my opinion, this is absurdly large for anything called "medium".



The neck is pretty long, at almost 1 1/2". It's 1 1/4" in diameter, a solid 3/4" smaller than the second bump. This ensures that this plug will stay in (provided, of course, that you're able to insert it in the first place).



Overall, the plug is 4 7/8" long, with 4 3/8" insertable length.



The base is almost 3" wide, making it nicely safe for anal play. The base is also quite flexible, and very thin, which I found caused pain after I finally managed to get the plug fully inserted. I've read other reviews where the thinness and flexibility of the base are praised for their comfort, so this would seem to depend on your particular anatomy, and perhaps on how sensitive your skin is in this area.



Compared to my favorite silicone anal plug, the Tantus Ryder, the Severin Medium is about the same length, but much wider, with a much thinner base.

I bought this plug back in December because I wanted a warm-up plug for the Vixskin Outlaw, a 2" thick monster dildo which my wife and I bought a couple of years ago, but were only now brave enough to consider actually trying.

I compared many different plugs, and read dozens of reviews, before finally selecting the Severin Medium. I did read some cautions about the size, but since I'd been using the Cobalt Bubble plug, a tapered glass plug (now, sadly, discontinued), for quite a while, I wasn't too worried. I reasoned that, if I could handle the Cobalt Bubble's 1 5/8" diameter in inflexible glass, a mere 1/4" more in flexible silicone would be a breeze. Ha!



I lubricated myself and the Severin Medium with generous coatings of Astroglide water-based lubricant, and attempted to insert it. The tip went in with no problem. I found the first bump felt larger than I'd expected. I'd expected it to slide right in, but instead it painfully refused. After trying unsuccessfully to insert the first bump for several minutes, I set the Severin Medium aside and tried the Cobalt Bubble instead. Its tapered smoothness was an easier ride; soon I had the glass plug inserted to the base. I removed it and repeated insertion/removal a couple of times, then re-lubricated the Severin Medium and tried again.

This time, I was able to get the first bump in on the first try! However, the second, larger bump proved even more painful than the first, and harder to insert. Not wanting to admit defeat, I grabbed my Vixskin Johnny, a dildo made of softer silicone with a diameter only slightly smaller than the Severin Medium. I was pleased to find that Johnny went in right away. After inserting and removing Johnny a few times (boy, did it feel good!), I gave the Severin Medium another try. I was infuriated to find the second bump was still a no-go!

I decided to go ahead and try the Outlaw. I was surprised (pleasantly) to find it went in after just a couple of minutes. After inserting and removing the Outlaw a couple of times, I was confident that the Severin Medium would HAVE to work now. The first bump went in effortlessly. I was stunned to find that the second bump was still painful, and resistant. I concentrated on relaxing. I applied even more lube. I pushed...and finally, it went in! But - OUCH! I pulled it out, applied yet more lube, waited a minute or so, and reinserted. This time it went in. It did still hurt a little, but I decided to ignore that. I removed it and inserted it a few more times, feeling victorious!

I decided to see if I could wear it for a few minutes. I inserted it, grabbed a towel, and went to my desk. I put the towel on my desk chair and gingerly sat down. I felt very full and psychologically - if not physically - aroused. I looked at some high-quality pornography and was just starting to get into it, when - OUCH! I felt the base biting into my tender tissue! So, I carefully removed the plug (which wasn't easy) and, somewhat disgusted with it, set it aside and finished my solo session without it.

I discovered later that day that I had injured myself slightly in the course of play. After a couple of days of minor bleeding, I realized I'd given myself a small anal fissure! Fortunately, it healed completely over the next couple of weeks.

I've attempted to use this plug several times since, and although I haven't repeated the experience of "ripping myself a new one", I also haven't been able to insert the plug without first having to use the Vixskin Outlaw - which is ridiculous, considering that I bought this plug to be a warm-up for that dildo!

The Severin Medium is made of Tantus's "100% Pure Platinum" silicone, which is completely non-porous and which rates a perfect 10 out of 10 on Eden's material safety scale.

You can clean it with soap and water. You can completely disinfect it by boiling it for a few minutes, by cleaning it with a 10% bleach solution, or by running it through your dishwasher on the top rack. Assuming you clean it properly, you can share this toy, if you wish, without having to use condoms with it.

Silicone toys do tend to pick up lint. I recommend rinsing them before use to remove any unwanted substances. Sometimes, silicone toys can also pick up some "funky" odors, which normal washing won't remove. I've learned that you can deal with these by applying a paste of baking soda and water to the toy, leaving the paste on for a few minutes, and then rinsing thoroughly. Voilà! No more funky odor.

Silicone is compatible with water-based lubricants. DO NOT USE SILICONE LUBE WITH SILICONE TOYS, as this may damage them. Also, make sure your silicone toys don't touch each other when you store them, as they may bond with each other.

You could store this plug in its package, but it's not ideal. As with all the Tantus products I've seen so far, the Severin Medium comes in a fairly simple clear plastic box, nestled in an inner clamshell made of thin plastic. The box isn't garish or overtly sexual, but it does display the words "The World's Best Soft Toys For Adults" in large letters. The toy is clearly visible through the packaging. I'll let you decide if that's appropriate for gifting! As I do with most packaging, I immediately recycled the box.

I don't blame the plug itself for my unpleasant experience. I'm not going to rate it down just because I haven't been able to use it. My injury was the result of my impatience, not because of any fault in the toy's design. Also, while I firmly believe it's ridiculous to call a 2" diameter plug a "medium", I freely acknowledge that's a matter of opinion. The Severin Medium is a quality plug, one which many more experienced users will enjoy immensely. Who knows - maybe one day I'll learn to enjoy it myself!