This is a great first ball gag for those who want to explore a little bit of kinkier play. I've had this gag for about two years now and it probably gets used once or twice a month. We're ordering another gag soon, so it seems like this one's had a pretty good run. Truth be told, though, I haven't liked it for quite awhile now and had been holding out for exactly the right replacement (I finally decided on the Tantus Beginner Ball Gag, linked below).

Others have pointed out that the holes make the ball breathable, but that isn't something I've noticed. My experience has been that once I have something in my mouth, I start breathing through my nose automatically. We've tried playing with this while I was congested, and breathing was uncomfortable. It makes me wonder how effective the breathing holes are, although I will say they decrease the "scary" factor.

This product is showing some serious wear at this point. The worst part, bordering on intolerable, is the small straps coming out of the ball itself. Those have stretched and worn to the point that now I feel like they're cutting the corners of my mouth when I wear it. The stretching sensation was always present, but the feeling of almost being cut has developed over time.

Secondly, I think the ball itself has decreased in strength. When we first started playing with this product, I bit pretty hard without collapsing the ball, or with only a little give. Now, I can basically collapse it onto itself without much biting pressure. It makes for a pretty ineffective gag. :)

Finally, as several others have mentioned, the strap doesn't adjust small enough to fit my head. We try to adjust by putting the strap around the crown of my head, sometimes over a ponytail or bun, but it tends to slide around if my head moves against the bed or pillow. Several times, the strap has come all the way over the top of my head so it isn't even strapped on any longer. Alternatively, if we position the strap lower, it's simply too loose and I can spit the ball out easily, which again, makes the gag pretty ineffective.

Criticisms aside, for the price, this is a more-than-adequate entry-level ball gag. When we bought it, we basically wanted to figure out whether we'd like playing with a ball gag, and it certainly served that purpose. Along the way, I've also learned that the wide-open ball-between-teeth type of gag isn't my preference, and this was a reasonable price to pay to figure that out. It's a worthwhile purchase so long as you don't expect it to make its way into your personal Toy Hall of Fame.

I wash the ball with soap and water, being as careful as possible not to get the leather strap too wet. The straps coming from the ball itself are elastic, so they can probably withstand water better, but the washing might also be contributing to the wear of the elastic. The ball is not detachable, so this can't be boiled in water or soaked in a bleach solution. However, the worst bodily fluid I ever get on it is drool, and I'm not sharing it, so I'm comfortable with simple soap-and-water.

I store it in a plastic bag, and the bag it comes in would work for this purpose.

The product is packaged in a simple plastic sleeve with a photographed model on a card showing through the plastic. I found it amusing that the model has the gag secured around the base of her skull, which is exactly where I couldn't fasten it due to excess length in the strap. I don't remember any use or care instructions.