Buck - probe discontinued by Tantus - review by Antipova

USE
Buck is a brilliant anal probe from Tantus. It combines the best of the world of probes---straightforward insertion, a plush filling feeling, thrilling thrusting---with the best of beads---continuous excitement for your muscles whether inserting, removing, or thrusting.

I've enjoyed Buck all by itself as an anal probe, as well as in double-penetration combination with a slender dildo (the Ella, for example). My body's not elastic enough yet to accommodate Buck and a partner, but those who are advanced might find the three bulges of Buck very pleasant from the inside. This probe is not designed specifically for prostate massage, but its plush girth will provide gentle pressure to your prostate if you've got one. Buck's long body has a circular flared base which is sturdy enough to be used in a harness, though I would be most confident choosing a fitted O-ring in an interchangeable harness, as the probe might not fit well in a one-hole-fits-all harness. If you like anal vibrations, holding a vibrator at the base of Buck will send shivers all the way inside you, as the silicone carries vibrations very well.

CONSTRUCTION
I'm surprised there aren't more toys with Buck's design on the market, because this marriage of beads and probe does such great things for my body. Every inch of insertion (there are 5.5) is a joy, because your muscles are constantly expanding and contracting to envelop the three slightly-graduated bulges. The bulges have diameters of 1+3/8 in., 1+7/16 in., and 1+3/4 in., and the neck between each bulge is 1 in. There is the beginning of another bulge (1+7/8 in.) following the third, but it's truncated and Buck is bottomed by a flat base at right angles, absolutely preventing any mishaps. After you've extracted every bit of joy possible from inserting Buck, it's great for thrusting with (keep the beads comin'!) or just for giving you a peaceful feeling of fullness during your session. I'm impressed with how well Buck transitions from star of the show to a supporting actor and back again, depending on how I feel.

Buck is a member of Tantus' Cowboy line of toys (along with the Slim, Bronco, Ringo, Cody, Cisco, Cowboy, and Tex). Each of these anal toys is offered only in a very plush black silicone, where the plushness is a perfect match for the often-substantial diameters. The softness of the silicone is very gentle to your innards, and with patience will be able to open your passages up without discomfort. The probes will also bend with your natural pathways, instead of expecting your body to conform to the probe---and this obsequiousness is important when you're taking your anal play up a step in length or in girth. At the same time, the natural drawback of narrower plush-silicone probes (their tendency to bend along their long axis instead of slipping inside easily) isn't a problem with the Buck. The large (≥1 inch) diameter lends enough structure to the probe that it will stay straight under pressure. This was really important for me---for a long time I thought I didn't like soft anal toys because of how finnicky the Silk Medium was for me to insert. Now that I've been able to try and enjoy a thicker soft silicone toy, I've quickly become a big fan. I'm not quite raving in the streets, but it's close. I wish I had tried Buck sooner.

The construction of Buck (made in America, as are all Tantus toys) is flawless. There is no seam, neither felt nor visible. I'm a little puzzled about how Tantus pulled this off short of some kind of wax or sandcasting process (I don't actually know if those are possible), but I'm really glad that they came up with such a great process, whatever it is. The underside of the base is shiny and seems finished, like the surface of most Tantus toys including the Silks and the Severin. The rest of the toy, however, feels like it received no finish. It's not quite matte like Fun Factory silicone, it's definitely not slick. It just feels soft, maybe like the silicone equivalent of flannel sheets. The surface is fine in use, but it has an annoying static-cling feeling the rest of the time. Most silicone picks up lint that it comes into contact with, but Buck actually pulls my hair toward it, the way a charged balloon might.

PERFORMANCE
An anal probe's success depends on how well the shaft, neck, and base meet your needs. The shaft of Buck is pure undulating goodness, and the three bulges feel great both for insertion and once inside. Thanks to the length, which is the upper limit for me with probes, I usually insert the first two bulges easily, and then arouse myself in other ways while Buck's squishy rounded tip works me open. Soon I'm able to insert Buck all the way to the hilt.

Its neck is perhaps where some people who are more familiar with beads and plugs than with probes might balk a little. The neck is a heaping inch in diameter, which means your muscles really will not relax back to their natural state. This can be great, if you're using a session with Buck to warm yourself up for bigger toys, or if you want to make sure you're completely relaxed for anal sex with a partner. Personally, I'm more used to using plugs and narrow probes, so my muscles aren't so used to being held wide open, and when I orgasm my muscles squeeze the living daylights out of Buck, often slipping it one bulge out unless I've thought ahead and held a hand keeping the base up against myself.

The base is sturdy but unobtrusive, and will prevent loss. It is large enough and stable enough for harness use as long as you have an interchangeable O-ring system on your harness. The base doesn't stick out drastically far, but it doesn't fold enough to be a problem.

CLEANING AND CARE
Tantus' top-shelf silicone is an incredible material for an anal toy. In addition to being odorless, body-safe, temperature resistant, non-porous, and darn close to chemically inert, it is just as easy to clean as glass or metal---it can be sterilized by boiling or rinsing with a bleach solution. Buck, like all platinum-cured silicone, is compatible with all water-based and oil-based lubes, and can be used with silicone lubes after it passes a spot test. I tested mine with Wet Platinum silicone lube and found it to work well.

Buck ships in Tantus' standard clear plastic form-fitted insert surrounded by a clear plastic box. These are not durable enough for long-term storage, and to prevent lint collection I store my Buck with other silicone toys in a Ziplock bag.