Is it too early to declare my favourite toy of 2019? Does it even count if technically it came out at the end of last year?
Every now and again, however, there comes along a toy which really is only for the opposite sex, and then I sit there wistfully pondering exactly what it might feel like for them to use it. For the longest time one of those products was kegel balls: those hollow spheres containing a free-moving ball bearing, which women insert in order to tone their pelvic floor muscles. Also referred to in those 50 Shades circles by the cringe-worthy moniker “jiggle balls.” Up until a couple of years ago you’d have to have been slightly foolish to try such a product as a man, because with only a rudimentary retrieval system they’re the sort of small objects that can easily disappear inside a rectum, but then Fun Factory finally came up with the answer, in the form of their B-Balls plugs.
The B-Balls Duo is constructed with Fun Factory’s usual selection of high quality body-safe materials – namely silicone and ABS plastic – and to their high production standards as well, so you can feel reassured that you’re getting a top notch piece of German engineering. The actual manner in which the design is put together is rather interesting from a technical standpoint. There are two hollow spheres made from a hard grey plastic, each containing a single ball-bearing, and these in turn are held together by a silicone outer shell which is firmly bonded to the exterior surface of the plastic, and which makes up the remainder of the shape of the plug. What’s unusual is that sections of the grey plastic have purposely been left visible, and aren’t covered by the silicone, giving a rather attractive design feature, but it’s hard to know if this was decided upon purely for aesthetics, or as necessity during the moulding process. The downside to this design element is the presence of a slight groove that runs between the plastic and the silicone, creating a place for dirt to readily gather and making it somewhat harder to clean, which isn’t ideal for a toy that’s going to be used anally. It’s just as well that the materials are all non-porous and can be sterilised by boiling, or soaking in a 10% bleach solution, allowing you to freshen the whole thing up after use.
The silicone that’s been used in the manufacturing is surprisingly firm for a Fun Factory toy, and has little-to-no give in the surface when you squeeze it. It also accounts for only a thin layer covering the plastic spheres, so it doesn’t really offer any cushioning as you might often expect. I found this especially apparent when comparing it to the vibrators in my giveaway a few years ago, as they have a slightly thicker and much softer silicone layer, giving a completely different feel. My speculation is that the firmer silicone was a requirement to make it bond so securely to the plastic, as anything softer – and therefore more elastic – could have compromised this. Despite the firmness of the silicone the thin neck between the two bulbs remains nice and flexible and can easily be bent about, and the faint mould line which runs around the toy can barely be felt on the matte surface.
When it comes to wearing and using the plug the B-Balls Duo is actually a lot of fun, and it all starts with a hassle-free insertion thanks to a size and shape which it lets slip into the body with minimal effort. Once the plug’s inside it settles into a comfortable position, with the joint between the two bulbs bending to correspond with the curvature of the rectum, while the sphincter comes to rest around the slender neck. For me the total length of the plug is just right, and it sits in place without poking at the top of the rectum, which sometimes can be an issue with anything longer. The small base nestles itself away between the buttocks quite discreetly, allowing it to remain unseen beneath clothing, and its low profile allows you to happily sit on it on any surface hard or soft.
At first it feels, for the most part, just like wearing any other plug. There’s this awareness of something being inside you, and it delivers that familiar pleasant sensation, but without feeling overly filling or stretching. The exciting things start to happen when you move though, and the ball bearings inside begin to roll around in response. It’s one of those experiences that’s almost fitting to be described as unique, but the closest thing I could compare it to is a feeling of a juddering vibration. Every slightest movement of the balls is instantly brought to your attention as they skip along the inner surface of the spheres, jump from side to side, and swing through a series of loops. You have this constant sense of the weight shifting about inside you as they move, and because there are two balls moving in different ways at the same time the weight doesn’t shift in balance, with forces throwing around in different directions simultaneously like a mini earthquake within your nether regions. This is what generates that feeling of vibration, and in fact if you examine how any vibrator works they all involve a motor spinning an unbalanced weight around – exactly the same principle. What’s notably good about it all is that it’s a deep sort of vibration you feel when it occurs, like an intermittent rumble.
What makes the sensation of the B-Balls Duo so novel is the responsiveness of it; it reacts entirely to you and your movements. It’s very different to a vibrating plug that just purrs away constantly allowing you to become accustomed to it. The sensation can take you by surprise, delivering a little jolt when you weren’t expecting it, and it also acts as a constant reminder that you do in fact have a plug inserted. Mentally this can be quite fun if you decide to go out and about with this little secret, and find yourself constantly teased by these sensations while no one else is any the wiser. I can almost imagine someone sitting on a bus and giving out a little giggle each time it hits a speed bump and the plug tickles them inside with a small flutter. The other thing that’s tempting to do with it is to experiment with seeing just how much feeling you can actually get out of it, and how varied it can feel all depending on your activities. Go jogging, do jumping jacks, try skipping rope or hula-hooping; any sort of exercise be it at home or in the gym. Wear it when you go dancing in club; try twerking with the person you’ve been flirting with all night and see if it improves your rhythm. It can all be quite amusing to go through and it feels good at the same time, and definitely different. It’s the perfect way to spice up even the most mundane activity, such as wearing it while you vacuum the carpets, or walk the dog.
One thing I did find was that depending on how vigorous your movement is, you can actually hear a bit of a rattle coming from the plug. I did go to the effort of recording it on my phone if anyone’s interested. I wouldn’t worry about this though, as for anyone else to hear it then you’d need to be in a silent room with them standing quite close, while you made jerking movements with your hips, and I can’t imagine a lot of scenarios like that, but it may take you by surprise at first if you weren’t expecting it.
Considering the plug with regard to more long-term wear, the improvements that Fun Factory has made to the base have made a massive difference. The base now nestles comfortably between the buttocks, and the feeling of it even being there at all gradually fades away into the background. Whereas previously it pinched and got sore over time, now there’s no problem with wearing the plug for the duration of an entire day.
When it comes down directly to matters of sex and masturbation then I’d be inclined to rule this plug out specifically for those purposes. There are some plugs which you wear simply for the enjoyment of feeling a plug inside you, and for me the B-Balls Duo falls very firmly into that category – this is where it excels. I don’t really see the ability of the plug to enhance an orgasm in the same way as one which is designed to press against the prostate. The B-Balls Duo works best as a sort of foreplay plug, teasing you and keeping you semi-aroused as you move around throughout the day, but once you’re lying down on your back, moving little more of your body than your right arm, then you’re not going to get the benefit of the plug’s sensations, so I don’t think it’s a fit for that situation. A lot of the time with sex toys it’s about tailoring the right equipment with the right circumstance, so it’s worth bearing that in mind with this toy, and rarely do you find a single product that absolutely does it all.
So now it’s time for a verdict on the new and improved B-Balls Duo. I have to say I really love this product, and I can see myself using it far more than I ever did the previous iteration. It still has that completely unique design feature that I strongly urge everyone to go out and experience for themselves, but it’s fixed the one big flaw that eventually proved a limiting factor in how often I used the B-Balls before. I’m still incredibly impressed with how Fun Factory responded by correcting the base, and now I can fully recommend this plug with no caveats. It really is a lot of fun.
Thanks to Fun Factory for sending me the new version of this plug. It’s available from the lovely people at Lovehoney UK, Lovehoney U.S, Nice ‘n’ Naughty, or SheVibe.
Until October 31st you can get £10 off any purchase over £45 at Lovehoney, simply by using this link.
The B-Balls is constructed with Fun Factory’s usual selection of high quality body-safe materials – namely silicone and ABS plastic – and to their high production standards as well, so you can feel reassured that you’re getting a top notch piece of German engineering. The actual manner in which the design is put together is rather interesting from a technical standpoint. There are two hollow spheres made from a hard pink plastic, each containing a single ball-bearing, and these in turn are held together by a silicone outer shell which is firmly bonded to the exterior surface of the plastic, and which makes up the remainder of the shape of the plug. What’s unusual is that sections of the pink plastic have purposely been left visible, and aren’t covered by the silicone, giving a rather attractive design feature, but it’s hard to know if this was decided upon purely for aesthetics, or as necessity during the moulding process. The downside to this design element is the presence of a slight groove that runs between the plastic and the silicone, creating a place for dirt to readily gather and making it somewhat harder to clean, which isn’t ideal for a toy that’s going to be used anally. It’s just as well that the materials are all non-porous and can be sterilised by boiling, or soaking in a 10% bleach solution, allowing you to freshen the whole thing up after use.
The silicone that’s been used in the manufacturing is surprisingly firm for a Fun Factory toy, and has little-to-no give in the surface when you squeeze it. It also accounts for only a thin layer covering the plastic spheres, so it doesn’t really offer any cushioning as you might often expect. I found this especially apparent when comparing it to the new vibrators in my giveaway, as they have a slightly thicker and much softer silicone layer, giving a completely different feel. My speculation is that the firmer silicone was a requirement to make it bond so securely to the plastic, as anything softer – and therefore more elastic – could have compromised this. Despite the firmness of the silicone the thin neck between the two bulbs remains nice and flexible and can easily be bent about, and the faint mould line which runs around the toy can barely be felt on the matte surface.
When it comes to wearing and using the plug the B-Balls is actually a lot of fun, and it all starts with a hassle-free insertion thanks to a size and shape which it lets slip into the body with minimal effort. Once the plug’s inside it settles into a comfortable position, with the joint between the two bulbs bending to correspond with the curvature of the rectum, while the sphincter comes to rest around the slender neck. For me the total length of the plug is just right, and it sits in place without poking at the top of the rectum, which sometimes can be an issue with anything longer. The small base nestles itself away between the buttocks quite discreetly, allowing it to remain unseen beneath clothing, and its low profile allows you to happily sit on it on any surface hard or soft.
At first it feels, for the most part, just like wearing any other plug. There’s this awareness of something being inside you, and it delivers that familiar pleasant sensation, but without feeling overly filling or stretching. The exciting things start to happen when you move though, and the ball bearings inside begin to roll around in response. It’s one of those experiences that’s almost fitting to be described as unique, but the closest thing I could compare it to is a feeling of a juddering vibration. Every slightest movement of the balls is instantly brought to your attention as they skip along the inner surface of the spheres, jump from side to side, and swing through a series of loops. You have this constant sense of the weight shifting about inside you as they move, and because there are two balls moving in different ways at the same time the weight doesn’t shift in balance, with forces throwing around in different directions simultaneously like a mini earthquake within your nether regions. This is what generates that feeling of vibration, and in fact if you examine how any vibrator works they all involve a motor spinning an unbalanced weight around – exactly the same principle. What’s notably good about it all is that it’s a deep sort of vibration you feel when it occurs, like an intermittent rumble.
What makes the sensation of the B-Balls so novel is the responsiveness of it; it reacts entirely to you and your movements. It’s very different to a vibrating plug that just purrs away constantly allowing you to become accustomed to it. The sensation can take you by surprise, delivering a little jolt when you weren’t expecting it, and it also acts as a constant reminder that you do in fact have a plug inserted. Mentally this can be quite fun if you decide to go out and about with this little secret, and find yourself constantly teased by these sensations while no one else is any the wiser. I can almost imagine someone sitting on a bus and giving out a little giggle each time it hits a speed bump and the plug tickles them inside with a small flutter. The other thing that’s tempting to do with it is to experiment with seeing just how much feeling you can actually get out of it, and how varied it can feel all depending on your activities. Go jogging, do jumping jacks, try skipping rope or hula-hooping; any sort of exercise be it at home or in the gym. Wear it when you go dancing in club; try twerking with the person you’ve been flirting with all night and see if it improves your rhythm. It can all be quite amusing to go through and it feels good at the same time, and definitely different. It’s the perfect way to spice up even the most mundane activity, such as wearing it while you vacuum the carpets, or walk the dog.
One thing I did find was that depending on how vigorous your movement is, you can actually hear a bit of a rattle coming from the plug. I did go to the effort of recording it on my phone if anyone’s interested. I wouldn’t worry about this though, as for anyone else to hear it then you’d need to be in a silent room with them standing quite close, while you made jerking movements with your hips, and I can’t imagine a lot of scenarios like that, but it may take you by surprise at first if you weren’t expecting it.
Considering the plug with regard to more long-term wear, this is when I started to find some issues with the design, and unfortunately they all centre around the base I highlighted earlier.* The first point would have to be about the neck of the plug, because it’s ever so slightly too short. I find that my sphincter rests partly on the underside of the lower bulb, rather than being entirely on the neck, meaning that whenever you clench the muscle it pulls the plug deeper into the body, forcing the base section tightly up against the perineum. The second point is that base isn’t quite wide enough for optimal comfort. Right at the point where the perineum meets up with the anus there’s a slight soft spot just outside the ring of muscle that forms the external sphincter, and the pointed tip of the base happens to sit right over it. With time, and especially after sitting on the plug, the base can really start to dig in here and begin to feel uncomfortable, sometimes so much as getting caught in the skin and requiring immediate adjustment to relieve the discomfort. The third and final point would be in relation to the firmness of the silicone, because this really does exacerbate the other issues with the base. If it was softer and had more flexibility to it, then it really would feel more comfortable for long-term wear. As it stands I find myself having to limit myself to a couple of hours of plug use, with the occasional adjustment, rather than being able to leave it in for a whole day, simply because I find a slight soreness building. Likewise I could foresee problems for anyone who intended to try sleeping with it in.
When it comes down directly to matters of sex and masturbation then I’d be inclined to rule this plug out specifically for those purposes. There are some plugs which you wear simply for the enjoyment of feeling a plug inside you, and for me the B-Balls falls very firmly into that category – this is where it excels. I don’t really see the ability of the plug to enhance an orgasm in the same way as one which is designed to press against the prostate. The B-Balls works best as a sort of foreplay plug, teasing you and keeping you semi-aroused as you move around throughout the day, but once you’re lying down on your back, moving little more of your body than your right arm, then you’re not going to get the benefit of the plug’s sensations, so I don’t think it’s a fit for that situation. A lot of the time with sex toys it’s about tailoring the right equipment with the right circumstance, so it’s worth bearing that in mind with this toy, and rarely do you find a single product that absolutely does it all.
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| My improved version |
So I think it’s about time for a verdict here. I have to say, flaws and all, I actually rather like this product on the whole, and I can see myself using it quite a lot. For me the unique aspect is a big selling point, because it really is something different, and you really must experience it first hand. Clearly the plug isn’t perfect though; I want a longer neck, I want a wider base, and I want a softer more-flexible silicone like I’m used to in other Fun Factory products (see my Photoshopped-vision on the right). Make these improvements and I would recommend it unreservedly, but realistically with such a new product this is a design that’s going to be sticking around for a while, so I can only offer a recommendation with caveats. Do I think you should buy one? Absolutely, but just be aware of the few niggles that might dampen your experience at the time.
Thanks to Fun Factory for sending me this plug. *Please note there is now an updated plug which incorporates the new base that I suggested. My review of it can be found here.
I’ve had the opportunity to play around with them for a bit, and they’re really quite lovely toys, with a lightweight and stylish feel to them. The silicone shell is really soft and squishy, and there’s a good thick layer of it, rather than it just being a simple coating, so it feels gentle when pushed against the skin or inserted. The single vibration setting is quite impressive in strength for a toy of this type, though it is best categorised as nearer to a buzz than a rumble on the intensity spectrum, and it’s whisper quiet too offering maximum discretion. All in all they feel like well-built quality toys, just as you’d expect from Fun Factory. My personal favourite would probably be the Joupie, as it has the most versatile uses for a man, but they’re all great toys for either gender.
The Cobra Libre is the most “gadgety” of male sex toys that I’ve encountered. Not only does it look sleek and stylish, designed specifically to resemble a piece of technology that wouldn’t look out of place on a desk, rather than a crude facsimile of an orifice, but it also devotes its energy to bringing the user to climax in an entirely unconventional manner. The Cobra Libre was the original vibrating toy for men, back when all the alternatives involved thrusting, and it stimulates the penis exclusively through the use of two powerful motors mounted within it.
The opening of the Cobra Libre II is roughly 1 1/2″ in diameter, which isn’t huge but should be sufficient to accommodate most men when inserting the tip of their penis, and the pliableness in the top portion of the silicone aids with this. The inner channel of the Cobra Libre II has the strange oddly-shaped configuration that I struggled to understand in the original model, and the initial diameter of 1 1/2″ only extends to a depth of around 3/4″ before the material at the bottom takes on a stepped-shape which reduces the height of the opening by over half, and then the rest of the cavity continues at this size. The explanation according to the Fun Factory website is that the interior shape of the toy is designed to expose the glans “through the so-called ‘crowding out’ effect.” Perhaps something is lost in translation but this description doesn’t really mean anything to me, so I feel none the wiser. It also states that the silicone is intended to snugly hug the glans of the penis, which is something I can’t deny. Because of the unusual shape of the cavity it’s difficult to get much more than the head of the penis inside it, despite it having a total depth of around 3″, and in the process the snug fit tends to squeeze all of the blood out of the spongy glans, leaving it rather shrunken and deflated. I included a few photos on my previous review of me demonstrating this with a with a modestly-sized dildo, and I may recreate them again here at some point.
The Cobra Libre II is operated by 3 all new buttons on the top of the device. The “Fun” button turns the toy on when pressed for half a second, and turns the toy off once more when held again for the same length of time. The toy starts up not at the lowest setting but at a medium vibration, but this can be quickly reduced by pressing the ‘-‘ button once or twice to take the device into one of two slower training modes. To increase the power of the Cobra Libre the ‘+’ button is pressed, and by using these two buttons it’s incredibly simple to cycle up and down through all the different modes. In total the Cobra Libre II has 11 different modes: 2 slow training modes, 3 constant modes of incrementally increasing strength, 3 vibrating patterns of gradual increasing and decreasing intensity known as the slalom modes, and 3 free form patterns known as the rock ‘n’ roll modes.
The buttons are a vast improvement over the touchpad on the original Cobre Libre model. They give you tactical feedback when you push them, so you know that you’ve actually selected a change in mode, the device automatically responds when you use them, and you can’t accidentally hit one by mistake and ruin what you were doing. I can’t tell you how many times I accidentally turned on my old Cobra Libre when I had it out to compare with the new. It makes me so glad that they decided to make the change. It’s also incredibly easy to use the button locking feature on the new device. You hold down “Fun” and ‘-‘ for half a second and it locks the buttons, perfect for travelling when you don’t want anything starting to rumble unexpectedly in your luggage, and you hold down “Fun” and ‘+’ for another half a second to reactivate the buttons once you’re ready to use it again.
When you first turn the device on it immediately throws you in at the deep end with quite a strong rumbling sensation working away at the underside of the penis. If you’re already quite aroused then it’s a bit like “whoa!” and it can take you by surprise, so it’s good that you can quickly switch down into the training mode and give yourself a chance to become accustomed to the sensation before you explode ahead of schedule. It’s a stark contrast to how the old model starts with a very low and mellow vibration, but it’s evidence of how far they’re gone in overhauling the motors.
At the lowest level of the training mode you get quite a light and pleasant sensation, and the vibrations focus along the underside of the penis all around the sensitive frenulum, giving a gentle tickling and titillating feeling, which could probably be sustained indefinitely without ever inducing climax. As you get more and more used to it you can start to crank up the power to the higher settings, and this increased intensity brings with it a more and more pleasurable feeling which you can gradually sustain for longer and enjoy whilst still not having an orgasm. The highest power level of the constant vibrations is really quite strong, and easily enough to make you climax by itself, so if you want to get the full enjoyment out of the toy then it’s best to skip over it at the beginning to allow an opportunity to play around with some of the patterns. I did a little experiment with the two Cobra Libres to determine just how effective this new increase in power actually was. One of the things I found about the original device was that I couldn’t always orgasm from it, especially if I’d been engaging in traditional masturbation beforehand. On those occasions there just wasn’t enough power to send me over the edge, so I engineered a situation like that, and sat there using the original for a good 20 minutes on the highest setting to see if it could make me cum. When it failed I switched to the Cobra Libre II, and I’m happy to report that in 5 minutes or so the new motors had got the job done.
In contrast to this I must say that the Cobra Libre II still doesn’t feel quite as powerful to me as the Pulse by Hot Octopus, but they do employ quite different technology. The Pulse’s oscillating “Pulse Plate” sits right up at the surface of the toy, pressed against the frenulum, and delivers all its power directly into it with great intensity. The motors of the Cobra Libre II on the other hand are buried deeper within the device, rumbling powerfully like the focus of an earthquake, while the vibrations have to travel up to the surface to find the penis lying over the epicentre. Both are strong and effective, but you experience them rather differently, and of the two the Pulse is the one which feels more full on.
As well as the increasing power of the constant vibrations, the Cobra Libre II does of course have the 6 different patterned modes to offer. Unlike with the original Cobra Libre the patterns are all quite distinctive and much easier to differentiate from one another, but they’re still not particularly easy to explain so again I’ll include a scan of the pamphlet.
One of the positive changes about the Cobra Libre II is that I get a much more consistent experience with it than I did with the original. Over the two weeks I’ve been testing it it’s never failed to make me climax, and that’s not something I could say about the first model. It used to be a bit touch and go whether the toy would be able to give enough to just push me over the edge, but the Cobra Libre II works every time, and I think that’s an important feature of a sex toy, especially one in this price range.
The only real downside to the Cobra Libre II is that it’s now much more noisy than it used to be. Where the old model used the hum quite softly, the new one really kicks out a good old roar and rattle. It’s clearly a consequence of the new motors, but it’s also a little unfortunate if you’re looking for something exceptionally discreet, but still I doubt it could be heard through a door or partition wall, and it’s a little less noisy than the Pulse too.
The Cobra Libre is a rechargeable toy, and it comes supplied with a “Click ‘n’ Charge” magnetic adaptor. The end of the cable clips onto the two little metal electrodes protruding from back of the toy, and it stays in place quite securely. The new charging cables have a USB connector, so you’ll need to plug it into a PC unless you have an adaptor, or alternatively you can use one of the older “Click ‘n’ Charge” connectors if you own one. The buttons on the toy light up and flash in a different sequence to indicate how charged the battery is, so you can track its progress, and all the lights go out when it’s full.