Metal Compared with Plastic

I have to confess, I am having a tough time right now. Every plastic cage I own leads to severe ball burn - even with plenty of lotion, and I’ve tried the products from Kink3D. If I go up on ring size to avoid that burning sensation, then my testicles slipping out becomes the main problem. Oddly enough, none of my metal cages give me ball burn. My issues there are different in nature. Last night I put on my Kink3D cage - a Cobra S with a Size 3 XD ring. Within about half an hour, I could feel it because the ring was causing some discomfort. I wore it through the night, but my sleep was choppy - no problems with morning erections, just that nagging sensation from the ring. This doesn’t seem to be purely a heat issue - I had it on in France when temperatures hit around 36°C (97°F), and that was in another cage. Most of my metal cages feature two prongs flanking the lock mechanism. My scrotum sits quite high, so the skin folds up and covers those prongs. This works well for a day or so - the cages are very comfortable, barely noticeable at first - but then the shaft skin starts to tear. I’ve suffered real damage twice in the last two months or so. One time I took it off after five or six days and found bleeding gouges along the top of my shaft. These healed up slowly, only for it to happen again when I tried another metal cage with the same prong layout. Maybe I just don’t suit flatter cages because they are too short? How do you manage? When switching between plastic and steel, does one cause more ball burn? Is longer actually better than shorter for some people?

Nick0965 Hi there. I own **many** different devices and am always hunting for something new or distinct. In the beginning, I wore plastic CB-6000 cages exclusively. Now, I wear steel ones almost all the time, only switching to plastic when I want a change in sensation or my key holder insists; she likes how they look stuffed into clear plastic LOL. Some of my plastic devices are cheap, and actually MOST of them have casting lines that needed filing down. Filing around the front of the base rings made a huge difference for **me**. I also struggle with D-shaped rings having balls slip out even when fitted correctly. I discovered how significant **BALL GAP** really is. After experimenting with cheaper steel cages that caused ball burn and general discomfort, I widened the gap slightly and suddenly wore them without issues. On plastic devices, however, opening the gap on each one either ruined them or made them loose enough to shift and twist. Regarding shorter cages: I recently started trying **MUCH** shorter ones and really enjoy being crammed in, especially with urethra tubes. After a few days of comfort with these very short cages (not flat), I began having issues with skin squeezing out oddly and getting irritated. I stopped using the ultra-short ones and switched to slightly longer ones; they were still much shorter than my usual fit, and those irritation problems ceased. I also found that ball burn from very short cages went away by using a slightly larger cage size. I believe at a certain point, shorter cages press the base ring harder against the testicles than slightly longer ones do. I'm not 100% sure about everything here as it's based on **my** experience and everyone is different, but I know for sure that **BALL GAP **is crucial and can dramatically affect ball burn. I started with a 50mm base ring and slowly worked down to my current 44mm. I've tried smaller ones, but I think I've found the right tightness for most times; when it gets colder, I move up to 45-47mm to ease tension as things get high and tight. I hope this helps give you ideas for your search. Currently, I am wearing a cage that is 23mm long (cage only) with a glans ring urethra tube and a 10mm diameter 44mm base ring. All stainless steel. This has become my go-to unit, worn over 200 days a year. It took a while and lots of experimentation to find what I believe is the perfect device FOR ME. Note: vibrations make this cage's glans ring chafe, so I can't even be vibrated by my key holder to an **orgasm** while wearing it. Mikel

I've spent considerable time in metal cages over the years. My longest stint was four years in a super expensive custom-made steelwerks extreme titanium cage with a locking PA ring. It was secure, comfortable, and pricey. I still have it, but I'm currently using a Kink 3D that is more comfortable, lighter, and just as secure because I added my screw-on locking PA barbell. All this to say we are all different. I don't mind which material I wear, but if forced to choose one for life, I'd pick the few-hundred-dollar cage over the three-thousand-dollar one.

It’s a trade-off between friction (plastic burn scales with surface area) and ligature constriction (metal burn results from the smaller diameter ring pressing into delicate flesh, causing skin contusion). I greatly prefer the smooth, rigid desensitizing confinement of a Holy Trainer Nub tube over the exposed/squeezed feeling of a small metal cage. To each his own. The trade-off involves the wide flat ring that reduces bruising by distributing pressure but increases friction burn due to greater contact area. (The same applies to the Kink3D XD base ring I use occasionally.) I apply a couple BB-sized dabs of Aquaphor on the skin behind and especially in front beneath the ring after showering and drying to reduce rubbing. Amazing relief!