Cockrings have been made of hard materials like metal, plastic, wood, and stone since the beginning of cockrings. Long before the advent of elastomers and silicone. Yet I encounter a lot of misinformation about solid-state cockrings, often accompanied by Emergency Room horror stories of rings getting stuck.
Using a metal ring is incredibly dangerous and I highly suggest you stop. Cock rings are made to be stretchy so that they can be removed easily. If you become too erect and the metal ring can’t be taken off, you risk cutting off blood flow and severely injuring yourself. Real cock rings can be found as cheap at $3, please invest in one of those. — Respectable Tumblr Sex Advice Blog
There is nothing incredibly dangerous about rigid rings, nor are “real” cockrings made of stretchy materials. If that were the case, chastity devices and such would be putting people into hospitals on a regular basis, and they aren’t. ((Of course there are some legitimate cases of people making Bad Decisions With Their Penis Accessories, but they are far from the norm)) There are, however, a few things you want to be aware of when using a rigid cockring:
SIZE— You don’t want to size too far down, if at all, from the natural snug measurement of your anatomy. How do you know the right size?
- Use a piece of string, narrow ribbon, or shoelace (my favorite) and bring it up behind your nuts ((testicles, testicular implants, plump labia majora, saline-infused tissue, or whatever other part of your body you deem to be your nuts in this situation)) up around the base of your dick, where it meets your body. Pull this comfortably snug but NOT tight. Mark your shoelace on both sides where it overlaps.
- Measure the distance between the two marks. This will give you the circumference of your cock-n-balls ((Which is where your ring should rest. But you knew that right?)). For some brands, this is all you need. But for most brands, who size based on diameter, there’s one more step.
- Divide your circumference by π (aka 3.14) to get your diameter.
MATERIALS— It’s true that with cheap metals, which may contain things like zinc, people can develop or have allergies. Most decent metal cockrings are made from surgical stainless steel, niobium, tungsten, or in some cases gold or titanium. These are the same materials used for body piercings, and are totally safe. Generally if you have a metal allergy you probably already know about it from mishaps with necklaces or mood rings won in vending machines.
PROPER USAGE— It is also correct that you shouldn’t wear a cockring that provides constriction of bloodflow (which not all cockrings do- some are more designed for perineum stimulation, while others are often sized with no constriction and are worn for aesthetic reasons) for too long. Typically 20-30 minutes of active constriction if the whole package is involved, an hour or so if just the shaft. If you experience discomfort or a loss of sensation while using ANY ring, rigid or stretchy, remove it.
Yes- rigid rings are harder to remove while erect. The key is to relax and go gently. If you stress, your blood pressure goes up, and the erection says firmer. Lube can help. Sometimes you can work your balls out of the ring during an erection, depending on the anatomy you’re working with, sometimes you can’t. Applying a cool cloth can help to return things to their flaccid state and make removal easier. If you absolutely cannot remove ANY form of cockring, you can head to your local ER. They’ve seen it all before (trust me- people have livetweeted the removal of all manner of foreign objects lost in rectums), and can help remove the ring.
The following are some favourite cockrings which have passed the Good Idea Meter test amongst my friends, colleagues, and myself:
- Velv’Or J’Naja is great for those looking for a comfortable rigid ring that provides a bit of perineal stimulation. After gifting one to a friend I received the most romantic text ever: “I am wearing the J’Naja and the pressure against my perineum makes me think of you~” Apparently it also meant shopping at Costco got extra interesting, and having sex with watermelons was more-than-briefly considered.
- Nob Essence’s Rendezvous ring is beautiful wood for your, well…
- basic sets like these Chrome Rings are great for testing out sizes before investing in something fancy (and can double as o-rings in a strap-on harness)
- Mr. S Leather has a glorious selection of all things cockring and it’s pretty hard to go wrong with any of them. Bonus “How to put on (and remove) a Metal Cockring” video on their classic Anodized Aluminum Ring page.
- Body jewellery, particularly the “captive ball ring” style, or even sized finger-rings can be great for those of us working with bodies which are more than a few standard deviations away from the majority cockring market. Measuring is pretty much the same, though you’ll want to familiarise yourself with your country’s ring sizing scale.
If you like the look and the idea of a rigid ring, but aren’t quite ready to commit to something which can’t be removed with a pair of safety shears? Tantus makes nice silicone versions of the classic and teardrop style rings, also Laid makes sightly stretchier but quite firm rings and slings, any of which would make a great alternative to a metal ring.
Used properly, rigid cockrings won’t send you to the hospital or make your dick fall off. Just make sure your materials are sound and you’re choosing the right one for your body. Just like any other sex utensil your first foray isn’t the place to get overly ambitious. And remember, if it can get a boner you can put a ring on it and it’ll probably feel pretty good.
