Ever since I started this blog, I couldn’t help but notice that many sex bloggers post sex toy reviews. In exchange, the product seller sends them the item for free.

I’ve always been a bit unsure on this matter, when it comes to my blog. Boy Toy, on the other hand, thinks it’d be cool for me to get free toys. I agree, it’d be nice. But it seems to me that it would feel like a little of my blog was a little less “me”. Does that make any sense? On the other hand, I’d get free toys. And, I’d provide useful information, right? Because one thing is for sure, no matter what I post, I will remain honest. That’s very important to me.

I guess what makes me balk is the idea that I’d be doing it to get free stuff. Would it change the nature of my blog? Would it be perceived as “noise” or even advertising? And when one posts such a review, should there be a disclaimer to let readers know that the product they’re reviewing has been given them for free by the seller?

I did post a review or two in the past, actually. But the items I posted about were not given to me. The Fort Stainless Steel Locking Chastity Device, for instance. I paid for that. Does it make my review totally unbiased? I don’t know. But if you must know, I did make money with my review, indirectly. I have an affiliate account with Extreme Restraints and after posting about the Fort, a few people clicked on my link and bought it. I haven’t made enough to pay for the device, mind you. But it helps   (By the way, the affiliate links were Boy Toy’s idea. Obviously he doesn’t have my scruples!)

That being said, I have been approached at least twice for product reviews. The first time, and I’ve mentioned this here before, I decided to give it a try. I provided my full name and mailing address with my choice of items, and never heard from the seller again. I was definitely put off… This is, after all, an anonymous blog. So thanks, assholes.

But anyway. I got another offer in the last couple of weeks. The site itself didn’t offer that great of a selection, IMHO. What was a little more interesting to me was the mention of competitions, free giveaways and special discounts for my readers. That’s something I might have gone for… but I have no idea if anyone who reads this would be interested. Once again, does it reek too much of advertising?

In the end, I sent a polite refusal because I couldn’t really find any interesting toy (for me) on the site. But I’d like to know, in the future, should such an offer surface again, is anyone interested in contests or discounts? And what are your thoughts on bloggers who post toy reviews? On affiliates?

I guess what I’m trying to do here is throw in a few thoughts and start a discussion. Thanks for your comments

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I want to specify that when I see other bloggers post reviews, it does not bother me in the least. I do not judge others. Actually, I like reading those reviews, especially if I’m interested in the toy.

I may have found a solution to the pull-out issue, as well as the weight of the device!

Boy Toy had mentioned it would need a kind of belt. He also told me that when he went for a walk while wearing the thing, the other day, he tied a string around his waist, passing it underneath the pins holding the two parts of the device together. This got me thinking. I didn’t want a string or leather belt, metal seems more secure to me. And it so happens that we have plenty of chains here. Then it struck me: why not try passing the pins that are attached to the tube through links in the chain?

I took out a fairly small and smooth piece of chain (I want him to be comfortable, after all!) and found larger, circular rings which I opened with pliers, passed through the last links in the chain and closed back up. I called Boy Toy over for a fitting and the result is pretty awesome!

Not only does it hold the chastity cage up, it also prevents him from being able to pull his cock out of the tube. Sure, he could easily cut the chain with pliers, but then he’d have to explain the broken chain to me… I feel much more confident that he is securely locked away, with the chain. And he was leaking profusely all over the place so obviously the psychological effect is back.

It did help with the comfort factor while wearing pants, as well. Boy Toy has always told me that he feels more comfortable not wearing pants, when in a chastity cage, because the pants push the device into him. With the Fort combined with the chain, though, it seems as if there is much less discomfort. He was quite amazed when he sat down and nothing “caught”.

The only drawback is that since the chain holds the device up, when Boy Toy put pants on, he had a quite noticeable bulge. Kinda looks like he has a hard-on, or a very fucking big cock. So yeah, I guess there might still be some more adjustments.

There’s another noteworthy thing which happened with the device lately. I mentioned we switched to the smallest ring and that it fit very nicely. However, one night, Boy Toy woke me up at 4 am telling me he was in pain. Apparently, this ring is just too tight for his nightly erections. We’ve now switched back to a slightly larger ring. With the chain around his waist, I think we’ve got the right fit.

Yesterday, I told you all about how I ordered The Fort Stainless Steel Locking Chastity Device from Extreme Restraints, what the packaging looked like, what it included and how the device compared to the CB6000. Now it’s time to continue my review, with yet more pictures.

Once we were done unpacking and examining everything, all that was left to do was put the device to the test. One thing that did not come in the box is an instruction manual. There was no indication anywhere as to which piece went where. Nothing.

Having used the CB6000 before, we were convinced we’d figure it out easily. I mean, we knew the tube goes over the penis, and the ring goes around the cock and balls (obviously). The spacers, however, turned out to be another story.

Boy Toy started putting things together but after 5 to 10 minutes, we still weren’t sure of how to proceed. A few more trials, and I went to get my laptop so I could check out the pictures on the Extreme Restraints website and see how they did it.

From the picture, it looks like this guy uses the big spacer just behind the padlock. I went on to read the device’s description and sure enough, there were what you could call directions for use: “The spacers can be used in various ways by positioning it in-between the cock ring and cage or on the outside. By using one or all 3 spacers most men should obtain a very good fit and not be able to pull through.”

As for the ring, I selected the one that was closest in size to the ring Boy Toy uses when he wears the CB6000.

We decided to arrange the spacers like the guy above because putting the big spacer in between the tube and the ring made for way too much space. But there’s one little problem with this configuration. The guy on the site is holding the device and it turns out it’s for a reason… The pins stick way out in the back!

Moving around a bit, trying the thing out, Boy Toy didn’t find the pins to be that bothersome, so we decided we’d see how it’d go. The other weird thing about this design is that if you use the big spacer on the outside like we did, the padlock kinda sticks way out. And it clonks when Boy Toy walks around! One thing’s for sure, I know where he is in the house when he’s in the Fort. Putting a rubber band around the padlock would probably fix this but we couldn’t get our hands on one at the time.

Other than that, Boy Toy initially found the device to be quite comfortable. He said it felt just like the CB6000, except heavier. I’m not sure what psychological effect the thing had on him but he sure seemed happy, last night. I followed him around the house, badgering him with questions. How did it feel, that it was stainless steel rather than see-through plastic? This made him blush and he suddenly realized that he couldn’t break out of this device, if worse came to worse. He looked scared. He told me the thing felt totally secure.

Then I decided to put it to a different test: I ordered Boy Toy to strip and had him climb on the elliptical trainer. I had him workout for 5 minutes. When he was done and I told him how comfortable he looked exercising in the device, he said that it’s wearing the chastity device with pants which usually causes a problem, as the pants will push the thing up into him.

He stayed in his new stainless steel chastity cage all through the night and apparently, he slept horribly. But to be fair, he usually sleeps baldy when he first starts wearing the CB and then he gets used to it. This morning, he started pushing down on the tube and managed to pull his cock completely out of the device! He was using the third ring in size. Since he could pull out, I had him change to the smallest ring. I had to leave for work shortly after so I made sure to hide a key in the house, and I instructed him to let me know should there be any unusual discomfort.

I received an email from him towards the end of the workday. He said he had several kinky dreams during the night and that the psychological aspects seemed to follow him into his dreams. He also told me that when he went out for a walk, he had to tie a string around his waist to hold up the Fort, as it was hanging down too much due to its weight. This caused the pins to poke into his skin while walking, which was very uncomfortable.

When I got back home, I asked him to cut and grind the pins, since he would never wear the device with the big spacer in between the tube and the ring. He obliged.

As you can see, the pins aren’t sticking way out anymore. But notice how low the device hangs? That’s due to its weight. It hangs so much that even with the smallest ring, Boy Toy managed to pull out of the thing. The picture below is proof.

He would probably have a damn hard time pushing his penis back in, so if he did pull out, maybe I’d find out. Maybe. Nonetheless, for me, this totally takes away the value of the device. Boy Toy says that there needs to be some sort of lockable belt to keep the device up higher. I guess that could work, and I’ve instructed him to find a solution, as an assignment. Needless to say, I’m disappointed.

However, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider the Fort Stainless Steel Locking Chastity Device. I mean, if Boy Toy could pull out of it, he can certainly pull out of the CB6000. I just don’t think he’s ever given it enough of a try, so he didn’t know he could. I imagine some men would not be able to pull out. No one’s made the same.

This cage does have its appeal. The stainless steel is definitely hot. It feels more solid and secure than transparent plastic. Its heaviness can be a drag but it can also act as a constant reminder that one’s cock is under lock. It’s comfortable, too, once you get rid of the extra lenght on the pins!

In the end, it’ a personal choice whether this is or isn’t the device for you. I’ve provided all the information I could. But stay tuned, I may yet publish a part 3 of my review, after we have really test driven the Fort.

Yes, it has finally arrived, and I’ve decided to provide a complete review for my readers, along with pictures of the Fort Stainless Steel Locking Chastity Device (what a ridiculously long name!). But first, if you just happened to stumble on my blog and you know nothing about chastity play, you’ve never dreamed of locking up your man’s penis and you wonder why in hell I’d want to do that, you might want to read this post, this one or even this one.

Anyway, as mentioned previously, I ordered the The Fort Stainless Steel Locking Chastity Device from Extreme Restraints. It’s only my second time ordering from Extreme Restraints and I’d say everything went pretty smoothly. However, I must mention that I did enter my email address where it says “Mail me when this is in stock” on their site a while back but never got any email advising me that The Fort was back in stock. I just so happened to check, early one morning, and wonder of wonders, it was available. A couple of days only after I ordered, the device went out of stock again and it’s still unavailable as of now.

On the day I ordered, I received an email listing the item ordered, the amount and the shipping/billing addresses, as well as a second confirmation email with the order numbers. A little later that day, I received an email from UPS to notify me that they had received the electronic shipment information for my order from XR, LLC, which is how Extreme Restraints calls themselves on credit card statements, boxes, etc., for privacy’s sake. They provided a tracking number and the date of the scheduled delivery. I seem to remember this email saying I’d get my order by November 17, but now that I look again, I realize it says November 16, which turned out to be correct.

So shipping went well. But I do have a beef with the $88 import charges UPS requested upon delivery of the box. I mean, Extreme Restraints already charged me shipping fees. Add that to the price of the device ($249) and that comes to quite a chunk off the wallet. Or purse, in my case. For the record, here is what Extreme Restraints has to say about shipping internationally (because no, I am not in the US): “Orders over $200 are shipped through UPS with rates starting at $40. At checkout you will be given the exact shipping costs and options. Most orders will arrive within 1-2 weeks and will be not charged a customs fee by the receiver’s government. Occasionally some packages will be stopped/delayed by customs and a custom fees may apply. Please note that we do not issue refunds for seized items not returned to us by customs.” Whether I was supposed to be charged custom fees or not is unclear, as there seems to be a typo. Whatever, when Boy Toy emailed me today to tell me I had received a package and he had had to pay 88$ COD, I was not a happy camper. Extreme Restraints people, if you read this, perhaps you should warn your customers more directly, or use a different shipping method?

The box was quite small. UPS website said it weighted 1 lbs. Once opened, it revealed a second, smaller box (which seemed a little beaten, but not too badly considering how far it had to go), a bit of packing paper and an Extreme Restraints catalog which held a little sample pack of lube. The smaller box contained the device, of course. It includes the tube, five rings, the pin to hold the ring and tube together, and 3 spacers (2 small, 1 large). Each piece was individually wrapped in plastic, with the pin and spacers together in a little ziplock baggie.

According to the Extreme Restraints website, the tube measures 4″ in length, 1.5″ in width and 1.25″ inside diameter. I felt the inside of the tube with my fingers, knowing Boy Toy would be putting a very sensitive body part in there, and found it to be quite smooth. The inside of the tube doesn’t look quite as shiny as the outside of the thing, but who cares, right?

The Fort comes with 5 differently sized rings, all made out of heavy stainless steel. They are hinged, which makes it easy to put on, as we soon found out. When Boy Toy saw all those rings, he said “No wonder the thing’s so expensive!” And no wonder the box is so heavy for its size, too. Perhaps the seller could offer the possibility of ordering only one or two rings with the device? Just a thought.

We took out the CB6000 for comparison.

As you can see, they are very similar devices. One has to wonder if there aren’t issues with the creators of the CB line? In fact, I wonder why the creators of the CB never made a stainless steel device before. Stainless steel is so much sexier than plastic…  But that’s my opinion, and I digress. The tubes are very similar in shape and size, with the Fort being a little chunkier and perhaps shorter. I’d have to check the actual measurements to be sure. Both devices work pretty much the same way, with a ring around the cock and balls, and pins and spacers to hold together the tube and ring, using a padlock to secure the whole.

With the Fort Stainless Steel Locking Chastity Device thoroughly examined, all that was left to do was try it on Boy Toy. And that’s exactly what we did. I’ll tell you all about it in part 2 of my review, along with more  images of the Fort!