Review: Tantus Anaconda

He Says:

Firstly, I have a couple of things to get off my chest. Everytime I hear the name of this dildo, I cannot help but think of the phrase "trouser snake". I don't know whether this was deliberate on the part of the otherwise lovely people at Tantus, but I wish they hadn't named their dildo this, as it is a horrible phrase. The other thing this name makes me think of in rather gruesome detail is the fact that an Anaconda is a constrictor snake, killing its prey by crushing it in massive, powerful muscular coils. Of course the exact opposite process takes place in the use of this dildo.

At least this dildo is massive and powerful. Although the concept of a dildo with a handle is not new, I have never before seen it implemented in silicone. It is an intriguing proposition, so I was very pleased that Lovehoney generously sent us this to review.

As a prelude to what is about to come, I would like to declare that I am a massive Tantus fanboy. I think that it is pretty clear from the long section of our toy list that is dominated by the name Tantus. But although no disaster, this dildo falls short of the usual exceptional standards of this brand.

The problems start with the material. Rather than the typical smooth, glossy finish I would associate with a Tantus product (and which is present on the head of this dildo), the company has elected to go for an extremely matte, almost rough, finish for the shaft of the Anaconda. This causes high friction to the touch nevermind in use. The surface also doesn't seem to grip lube very well, with a couple of different brands I normally find really good for anal play virtually rolling off.

Being silicone, this dildo has the advantage it can be thoroughly sterilised by boiling for a few minutes, but it is a little tricky to clean the grooves under the glans of the Anaconda.

In use this dildo is brutal. Sometimes this is a good thing. The handle allowed Lucy to savage me with this on one particular occasion, and I hugely enjoyed that. However, most of the time I find this a bit much. This is a big dildo, x cm around the head puts this firmly in the girthy camp, and it reduces only slightly from the point. but this is not really my problem. I could probably take the larger Tantus General from a standing start on even an average day if I put my mind to it. But the comparative bluntness of the head of this toy, and above all the roughness and firmness, mean I don't enjoy this most of the time. This is a shame, as the handle makes thrusting considerably less effort in several positions.

As I've already said, the handle is great fun. I would bet money that every single review of this has mentioned the desire to use this as a weapon. Just the feel of waving this wildly about in your hand, like a bizarre truncheon or cosh. I will happily admit to giving Lucy countless whacks on the head with the Anaconda during the course of our testing. Sadly, I think this might be the most fun I have had with this toy. I really don't understand the rationale behind the choice of finish to this (and it clearly was a concious choice, as the head shows), but it has pretty much ruined this for me. However, I think the main feature of the Anaconda, the handle, is actually a success, and I would certainly be interested in other models with handles in the future if they decided to change the texture.

She Says:

I have to say, my thoughts on this dildo largely echo those of Alex's. Tantus is one of my favourite sex toy brands, but this one just doesn't tick all the boxes.

I'll start with the size and shape. The Anaconda is pretty girthy and definitely wouldn't be classed as a beginner's dildo; it is too large for me to use anally at the moment. Strangely it tapers from a large head down to a smaller base, the opposite to what you would usually expect; meaning that it is the initial insertion that is the most difficult. As Alex has already explained, it has a strange matte finish which adds a lot of texture and increases friction whilst in use. Personally I prefer a smoother glossy finish for use vaginally, especially when using a larger toy. Even with copious amounts of lube I found this particular finish a bit uncomfortable after being in use for just a short amount of time. 

Now onto what makes this one different: the handle. I actually think that this a fantastic ergonomic development. For years now I have often chosen to use a double-ended dildo for a bit of self-loving, purely for the fact that the other end works as a great handle and can make light work of a good thrusting action.  This handle works even better than that, as the narrow diameter means that it is easier to grip and causes less hand cramping than a double-ender or normal dildo would. I have also thoroughly enjoyed using this dildo on Alex, it certainly allows me to give him a good pounding! Another potential market that I see for a handle like this would be for people suffering from arthritis or weakness in their hands; maybe it should become part of the occupational therapists tool kit!?

So in summary, I love the handle but don't really rate the dildo itself; and I'd love to see this design incorporated into a more conventional dildo.

Thanks again to Lovehoney for sending us this product in exchange for a fair review.

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Related Posts:

1. Review: Tantus Acute
2. Review: Tantus General
3. Review: Tantus Silk Large
4. Review: Babes n Horny Angela

Review: Babes n Horny Frisco Harness and Mack Dildo

She Says:

We were very generously sent this fantastic harness and dildo set from the lovely people at Babes n Horny as a bit of a treat a while back. So many of you will have seen the pictures we took originally of them, it has proven to be an extremely popular post of ours, and I'm not surprised; it's an extremely sexy set. So here we are finally getting round to doing the review, but fear not, it was worth the wait...

Stepping away from the traditional sex toy colours we have the Mack in an electric blue and the Frisco harness in red denim (combined with the white shoes and socks I have on it's very patriotic don't you think? I should have done this post for the jubilee weekend!). I absolutely love the colours, often strap-on sex can be seen only as a BDSM activity, but these fun, vibrant colours shout out to the world that strap-on's can be for anyone!

I'll start with the harness first. Frisco was extremely easy to put on, even for the first time. All you have to do is step into the leg pieces and then tighten the straps up by pulling the excess material through the D-rings. I'm not sure what size I got sent, but there is a lot of excess material. For me this is probably one of the only downsides to this harness, I might get round to cutting the ends off and sewing them at some point, but in the meanwhile I tend to just double the straps back over on themselves and tuck them in somewhere so that they're not dangling about and getting in the way. On the plus side, this does mean that this harness will fit a huge range of figures (perhaps up to about a UK 22... don't quote me on that, it's a guess!). There are two ways of wearing the straps, either with them spread wide and going around your bum like a jock-strap (I find this more comfortable) or with the straps closer together at the back, more like a g-string.

Frisco is not only extremely comfortable, but it is by far the strongest of our harnesses.  Mack (the dildo) is absolutely huge, and weighs in at a whopping 800g! The Frisco harness supports it's huge weight effortlessly, without causing any discomfort to the wearer. It is the only harness we own that is able to cope with this beast! Because the straps have no give in them, once the harness is tightened, it stays tightened. If you have used strap-on's before you will be aware that one of the most annoying things is when the base of the dildo pulls away from your pubic area when you're trying to thrust, resulting in a lack of control of the toy and a much less satisfying experience. We've used the Frisco and Mack combination loads of times and we've never had this issue. In fact this is probably our most secure set, it allows me to have much more finely-tuned control over my actions and because of that I find it extremely satisfying to use.

If you decide to buy a Frisco harness you have to make a decision on what size O-ring (the ring that holds the dildo) you would like, as this is permanently sewn in and is not interchangeable. This does mean that it is slightly less versatile than other harnesses, but there are few positives that emerge from that. Firstly, it's much stronger as there aren't any fastenings to come undone. Secondly, it's much easier to use as there's no faffing around changing O-rings. In addition to this it also adds a luxury personal touch, to know that this harness is being hand-made for you to your specification; something which I think certainly helps justify the price tag. Obviously there is also the fact that many of your dildos (if you have a large collection!) will actually fit into the same sized O-ring. However, I would say that a Babes n Horny Harness is a must if you want to get a Mack (or similarly large dildo from them) for strap-on use; but I will talk more about that later.

The Mack dildo itself is an absolute beaut. Like all Babes n Horny dildos it comes with a choice of 39 different colour options! These range from classic primary colours, through to neons, skin tones, metalics and even camo; so there really is something for everyone. I would highly recommend checking out all the colour options on their website if you haven't been there before; it really is very impressive. In addition to this, if you're not too fussed about colour you can save some pennies and opt for the "random colour" option.

As I've said already, Mack is absolutely huge; it's classed as extra large on their website; but if you're not into massive dildos I really wouldn't let this put you off. Mack might be long (roughly 25cm full length) and girthy around the base, but the realistic head is actually quite small, and the top 15cm or so a completely workable size for most people. This not only means that insertion is very easy, but that you can warm up by just thrusting with the top half before taking the plunge for some deeper thrusts. In fact, sometimes I will use only the top part of the dildo for the whole session (only occasionally, normally Alex is begging for more by the time he's warmed up!). The length is one of the factors that make the Mack so fantastic for use when pegging. It can be very difficult for girls to thrust in the same way as our male counterparts, just because of our anatomy; our hips are made in a different way. I find that longer dildos make lots of pegging positions much easier (and would of course do the same for lesbian strap-on sex). So although I wouldn't class this toy as a beginner's option, I wouldn't say it's solely for advanced users either. It is definitely suitable for someone who enjoys a medium sized dildo, but has the added benefit of being able to act as a training tool to get you up to wider girths gradually; as well as being able to satisfy those who are more advanced with their anal play.

I think when it comes to attractiveness of the set, the pictures speak for themselves. I do feel very sexy in this get-up; that stunning erect angle of the Mack in the harness is just to die for. It really is a work of art.

I have actually used the Mack on myself vaginally without the harness. It was perfectly fine to use, but as it's so heavy it did really hurt my wrist. I continued with the show however as Alex found it incredibly sexy to see me using such an over-sized cock! I know Alex doesn't find the harness that comfortable to wear (it is designed for women after all), but if ever I had a sexy woman to play with I'd love her to try this dildo and harness combination out on me.; I imagine it would be a lot of fun!

If you're considering buying the Mack dildo for use in a strap-on harness, I would strongly advise that you buy a harness from the Babes n Horny range to go with it. Frisco is the only harness we have that is strong enough to hold this bad boy firmly in place to allow for a really fantastic experience. Not only this, it is the only harness we have with a large enough O-ring, we've not actually managed to find somewhere to buy interchangeable O-rings in this size (65mm) yet, though I'm sure they're out there somewhere. I realise the combination of the two products is very expensive, but I can assure you that you definitely get what you pay for. This is a top quality, reinforced, extra-strong, super-luxury harness with a huge hunk of silicone that has been carefully hand-crafted for your orgasmic pleasure. This is my absolute favourite set for use when pegging Alex, we come back to it time and time again and I know that it is a product that is going to last us for years to come. I cannot recommend these two products highly enough.

He Says:

We received these a while ago, but wanted to give them a through testing before posting a review. Which takes a while, as I'm not always up for such an experience. But when I am... Well.

We have decided to review this as a set for the reasons Lucy outlined above, but obviously you could use this dildo with a different harness or vice-versa. But the combination of the two looks striking and stunning on Lucy; the Frisco harness supports the dildo at a delicious angle, and the size and boldness of the dildo definitely excite me. The Mack dildo is a hefty chunk of fairly firm silicone, meaning it maintains its shape well, but there is a little bit of bounce and give in the material so it is not too unforgiving, in that regard at least.

Of course, being silicone means that this dildo can be sterilised by boiling for a few minutes (if you have a large enough pan, we use a jam pan which we also make our dildo soup in), as well as cleaning normally with a sex toy cleaner or a 10% bleach solution. In addition to this the Frisco harness is fully machine washable as it is made of denim, which is a rather brilliant thing as our harnesses often end up covered with a bit of lube (and perhaps on a rare occasion a bit of Santorum - if you don't know, don't ask), and it is pretty tricky to clean leather satisfactorily.


So how is this monster in me? Well, I don't want to worry people but I find it pretty comfortable - dare I say easy - to use. Before you start backing away slowly, hear me out. Despite the massive length, and huge girth at the base, the first few inches are not such an abnormal size. Therefore the initial penetration is not so brutal. You then have the choice of how much you want to take, with the advantage that you have plenty of handle to work with.

I wouldn't really recommend this dildo for prostate play, as it is somewhat difficult to manoeuvre into precise positions. It also simply seems a bit wasteful if this was your main use, as you wont be able to take advantage of the majority of this dildo.

This is similarly the case for vaginal use. It looks absolutely amazing when Lucy uses it, a real show and treat for me, but it seems to me if you are paying for all that silicone you should be able to use it!

It is in a harness that the Mack dildo really comes into its own. Providing you have a serious harness to tame this beast. The length means you can play in a variety of positions, including those such as (anal) missionary that can be tricky with a shorter dildo. Furthermore, if you find yourself in need of a real seeing to, the length and shape make that possible. I have particularly enjoyed this pairing in doggy-style, where I am able to take it to the hilt.

I have tried this harness on myself, and found it not particularly well suited to a man, as the lower straps pinch the scrotum uncomfortably (though less so than some hard leather straps might). This is unsurprising due to the target market, but it is worth noting that Babes n Horny sell a couple of harnesses designed for male use, if this is something you are interested in.

Overall, I think this combination is pretty spectacular. The harness is very sexy, with a very different look to the vast majority of harnesses, whilst being extremely strong and supportive, not to mention the practical benefits with regards washing. The only major disadvantage is the lack of changeable o-ring, though on the plus side you can choose what size you want. Mack is a wonderfully intimidating dildo (available in an array of colour options), but its bark is definitely worse than its bite. I don't think you would necessarily get the most out of it vaginally (but what do I know- pretty much the point of this blog), but it is capable of satisfying a wide range of tastes and moods anally.

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Related Posts:

1. Sinful Strap-On
2. Review: Babes n Horny Angela
3. Review: Babes n Horny Toni
4. Ding-Dong!

Review: Tantus Severin Large Butt Plug

He Says:

Sex toys, more than most things I can think of in life (excluding marmite, obviously) give people an instant, visceral "love it or hate it" reaction. It can be difficult to overcome one's initial gut reaction. But I would like to report on a rare case where this happened.

When I first saw the Tantus Severin Large butt plug, my instant reaction was a mixture of amusement and disgust, owing to a couple of associations which immediately and unfortunately seared themselves into my mind. To me it looks like a) A giant nipple or b) A dummy (aka a pacifier for our international audience). One of these I would normally associate with sex, the other, thank goodness, I would not (but of course each to their own). Neither of them I particularly desire to stick up my ass.

Review: Rascal Strapping Anal Beads

He Says:

Most anal beads are fairly delicate little things and although fairly long (which can cause difficulty if they are fairly rigid) are not normally too wide. However, the Rascal Strapping Anal Beads could not by any stretch of the imagination be described as delicate. I would perhaps venture "hefty" as a better one word description. Robust would probably also fit the bill.

Review: Rocks Off Naughty Boy

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Review: Tantus Acute

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Review: Tantus General

He Says:

This is one of the largest dildos Tantus make. As far as toy names go, this one seems particularly apt. It is a scene stealer, in charge of any situation. No matter how much I rationally know the dimensions of a big toy, the immediate reaction when I first see it in the flesh will still be an internal "oooph". But it is not only the size of this dildo that conjures this effect. It suits black (red is the other colour option which would also look good, but maybe slightly less intimidating), and also has a wicked curve to it. This dildo looks wonderfully brutal and menacing in a harness. The other thing of beauty about this is that it is not just wide at the base, but also all the way down its length.

Review: X10 Silicone Anal Beads

She Says:

I really enjoy using anal beads, if you've never tried them before, check out this how to use anal beads article from Lovehoney. The X10 Silicone Anal Beads were the second set of beads we purchased that were suitable to be used by me (Alex also has some ridiculously large ones which aren't going anywhere near my ass... for the time being at least!).

We bought them as a replacement to our original Lovehoney Beginners Anal Beads as we began to lust after silicone replacements for all our existing toys. For those of you who aren't yet convinced on this front, silcone is great because it's body-safe, it's soft, it's non-porous and it's easy to clean - even sterilise in most cases (by boiling for a few minutes in water). There are lots of different types of silicone, some are very soft and flexible, whilst others are more firm. Unfortunately I think that the silicone that has been used to make these beads is too soft and flexible. Maybe you think soft and flexible are good qualities for something you're going to be sticking up your bum? Maybe so for a dildo, but one of the most pleasurable things to do with anal beads is to pull them out just as you're climaxing. I find that as I get closer to orgasm all my muscles tense up, at this point I am squeezing very tight around the beads in my ass. As the material is so stretchy, when I try to pull them out the connecting part between the beads just stretches, the beads are stuck in there, held securely by my tight little asshole. I never had this issue with the previous beads, so I am really disappointed that this is the case with these. I would love to find some beads made of a firmer silicone, or perhaps with a metal/firm plastic core to them in order to avoid this problem but still allow me to enjoy the benefits of silicone.

Review: Babes n Horny Toni

He Says:

Angela's little sister! Toni is made from a fairly firm silicone with a slightly matte finish. The quality is extremely high with no visible mould marks. The shape of the dildo is somewhat curved upwards, with a couple of very subtle bumps (as you can see from our diagram there is only a difference of 1cm in circumference between the largest and narrowest points).

Toni with her big sister Angela!

This dildo is one of the most versatile we own and therefore gets a lot of use. For me I find the width just right if I want some quick penetration without any warm up. Alternatively, this is often what I start off with if I am in the mood for some serious stretching. I have also found one of my favourite uses of this dildo is to strap it to a chair, facing towards my back, and bounce up and down on it. The advantage of this position for me is that it hits my prostate. I do enjoy prostate stimulation, but personally don't get off on it in the way some guys seem to. But it is worth bearing in mind if that is something that really appeals to you (though, as they say, everybody's anatomy is a bit different down there!).

The other way I enjoy anal stimulation is by being pegged by Lucy. I would say this toy is not really good for that in most positions as it is a bit short, and does have a tendency to slide out if the thrusting gets too vigorous (which is prone to happen...).

Aesthetics vary from person to person, but this toy is exactly the right level of "phallic" for me. It obviously looks nothing like a real cock, you are thinking, but there is something about the size and shape that I find particularly reminiscent of a cock. I don't often think of dildos this way, but this one does raise that connection in me.

Review: Tantus Silk Large

In ancient greek mythology Tantalus was sentenced to punishment in the deepest level of hell.  There, he was condemned to stand in a pool of water, underneath a fruit tree. As he would reach down to attempt to quench his thirst the water receded from his grasp, whilst the branches of the tree would arch away whenever he tried to sate his hunger with a piece of fruit.  It is from this unfortunate that we get the word tantalising, only too apt to describe the look of the tantus silk (do you see what I did there?).

The tantus silk is made of a very smooth silicone, available in either black or purple.  It also comes in different sizes: small, medium and large.  Subjectively we would say that these sizes are modest, with even the large only 12.5 cm around the widest point.  It has a round cross-section, widest around the head, with a gradual narrowing down toward the base.  As with all silicone toys it is perfectly safe and really easy to keep clean (just use sex toy cleaner and warm water, or boil for a few minutes to sterilise) and works really well with a water-based lubricant.

Review: Silicone Dolphin Vibrator

She Says:

Unfortunately the Silicone Dolphin Vibrator  is one of those toys that sits hidden away in our drawers most of the time.  It's not particularly good, but it's not so bad that we have wanted to throw it out.

The main body is made of matte finished silicone, and the cap is made from a hard plastic.  It takes two AA batteries and is fully waterproof (which I can vouch for).  The silicone it's made from is of a questionable quality. Although it feels nice to the touch, it has become mottled, discoloured (bleached almost) and stained despite being barely used.

There are seven vibration settings, controlled by repeatedly pressing the on-off button which is integrated into the silicone casing (quite a nice feature). They are as follows: strong vibration, medium vibration, weak vibration, strong-weak-strong-weeeeeak (prolonged weak one!), strong-to-low-to-off, strong-pause-strong and weak-medium-strong.  Personally I find that the only one that does anything for me is the strong vibration... and calling it strong is a bit of a misnomer really.  It's not strong at all, in fact it's pretty feeble, but comparatively speaking it's stronger than the other settings.  The silicone does seem to carry the vibration quite well, so it is a shame that the motor isn't a bit stronger.  The shape allows for a concentrated vibration to be aimed at your clit with the tip of the dolphins nose.  The graduated shape also allows for easy penetration, and it does have a reasonable girth for a vibrator - making it a useful toy if you're in the mood for switching between penetration and clitoral stimulation and don't want to use more than one toy/hand.  I don't really enjoy the sensation of using a vibrating toy internally - but this toy would probably be good for that if you did.

Review: Babes n Horny Angela

She says:

Angela was our first ever dildo from Babes n Horny. Babes n Horny, for those who don't know, are a UK based manufacturer of silicone sex toys.  Pretty much everything is made to order, with an absolutely huge range of over 50 models, in over 40 different colours and patterns. These range from roughly the size of a finger to the size of a fist. We ordered Angela in the 'Babes Blue' from the Babes Value Range - meaning we got a top class dildo for a much lower price. As BnH put it, "this is still a handmade dildo, but by utilizing the principle of the model T-Ford (any colour as long as it's BLUE) and streamlining the means of production with basic moulds, we can offer lower prices and a faster service".

All of the BnH toys are handmade in their very own London studio (so you can feel safe in the fact that they're ethically made), to a very high standard, from 100% silicone. This means that they're all fully sterilisable, hypoallergenic, non-toxic and wonderfully safe to use.

Review: Fun Factory Bootie Butt Plug

He says:

The Fun Factory Bootie Butt Plug is obviously designed for those new to anal play, or looking for something that they can wear comfortably for an extended period of time. It is made of a flexible purple silicone, with a fairly matte texture. My favourite thing about this toy is the base. When inserted it sits extremely ergonomically between my butt cheeks due the thinness of it, and the curvature and flexibility of it means that length wise it conforms very snugly to my perineum and butt-crack (lovely, I know).

This butt plug from what I've seen is nearly universally regarded as adorable.  I have a couple of comments on this. Firstly, it somewhat reminds me of a baby's dummy. This is somewhat off-putting. The second point is that I personally find cute and sexy to be very different things most of the time. E.g. puppies are cute, Natalie Portman is sexy.