There are many many different designs to cock rings, and I have tried quite a few. There are cock rings like the Trojan disposable rings which just goes around the shaft of the penis, but have vibrators that stimulate both the male wearing one and the person on the other end. These are good, but kinda expensive. There are cock rings made out of silicone like the Tantus rings which go around both the balls and the shaft. Some vibrate, some don't, but they are really good at providing stronger erections because of restricting blood flow from the penis, and also delaying ejaculation. Then there are the best of the best for cock rings, which I consider to be the stainless steel cock rings like this one from Gear Essentials. While a lot of people might be afraid of putting a stainless steel ring around their penis, it is just as safe as a silicone ring. The most important thing is to just make sure you order the correct sized ring before you place a stainless steel ring on. Too loose of a ring, and it won't provide the proper restriction. Too tight of a ring, and the erection will never go down, you will risk damaging the tissue inside your penis, and will have to go to the emergency room.

I was not deterred by these challenges, and the first ring I ordered after trying the disposable ones from Trojan was a stainless steel Titan. This was many years ago, and I just followed some instructions I found on a previous website before I found Eden. To figure out your proper size, take a narrow piece of paper, or string might work even better, and measure around the base of your penis and testicles. Mark where the ends meet, and divide this number by 3. You should then get a measurement between 1 3/4 inch up to 2 1/8 inch. This will be the size of your ring.

When I ordered my first Gear Essentials ring years ago, I followed these guidelines, and after many many measurements, I figured out that I needed about the 2 inch ring. And it fit perfectly. Or so I think it did. Unfortunately, I learned a good moral lesson that night, in which some things you should not surprise your partner with, especially right after you have started to use sex toys. We threw the ring away, and for the next few years we just kept with the disposable rings.

The Gear Essentials cock rings are made out of wonderful stainless steel. Unlike cheaper rings that are made out of jelly or tpe, this cock ring will last you a lifetime. The stainless steel is smooth and seamless, with just a little bit of weight to it. Enough that you can feel it while walking around, but not so much that you feel uncomfortable. I have worn it a few times so far, and never have I pulled it out and has it felt cold like when I pull out a glass toy to use on my wife. Another great thing about its smoothness is that it will never pull on your skin (or hairs) like the Tantus silicone ring does. And being made out of stainless steel allows you to use whatever kind of lube your heart desires, be it water, silicone, or oil based. But oil based is not safe for the vagina, so watch out for that.

Sizing with a cock ring, especially a stainless steel one, is very important for the safety of the penis that it is going to be placed around. I had used a 1 7/8 ring from Tantus, and while it fit, it was just a little bit snug. So I ordered one size up and got the 2 inch Titan from Gear Essentials. The ring has a 2 inch inside diameter, with 1/8 inch thick sides, and a 3/8 inch width. To place the ring on your penis, it must not be erect. You pull through one ball at a time, and then bend your or your partners penis over and into the ring. Then the erection and fun may begin. To remove the ring, you have to allow your erection to subside. Once this has happened, maybe after you clean up some of the other toys that you have played with, push through one ball at a time, and then the ring will slide right off the penis.

Clean up for the ring is really easy. All I do is wash it with warm water and antibacterial soap. I then will dry it with a towel and place it back in its container. If for some reason you wanted to sterilize it, you could also boil it for 3 minutes or place it in the top rack of the dishwasher with no soap.

The first thing you are presented with when you open up your present from Eden is a nice tin with the Gear Essentials logo on the top. I would advise hiding this, because while is does look nice and conceal the ring, prying eyes will definitely want to open up this container. When you do open it up, you are presented with your cock ring sitting on a small amount of foam on the bottom and sides, and thicker foam on the top to protect the ring during it's travels. It is a very nice container and this is where my ring is stored. There were absolutely no instructions included in the package, which is fine by me because I have some experience already and it is one less thing to recycle.

While stainless steel rings are wonderful, there are a few downsides. One as I already discussed is proper sizing is a ABSOLUTE must! If you are uncertain, just order a size up. It is better to spend an extra $35 than to have to be rushed to the emergency room. Second, and what is a bigger problem for me, is that you have to put the cock ring on when you don't have an erection. This is difficult sometimes if my partner jumps me or surprises me with lingerie, because after a few quick minutes, I have a nice large erection which is impossible to get the cock ring on with. But I am not upset by the downsides, and I will be looking to order another Gear Essentials ring in the future. You can never have too many toys, can you?