| February 26, 2023
As I hung around Reddit, a fellow redditor reached out for some advice.
Hey there Mr. ManAdorned! I hope this doesn’t sound too crazy, but I was wondering if you were willing to give a little advice on purchasing a cock ring? I’m having a little bit of decision paralysis and your website makes me feel like you’re an expert ha.
Of course I was happy to assist and asked for some details. So he broke it down for me quite well:
Hey thanks for taking the time! Sorry in advance for the massive chunk of words - I’ve never been able to send a short message 🥲. If you’re not really in the mood for all this reading, you can probably just jump to the second to last paragraph. Currently I’m in the market for a curved metal cock ring for long term wear under my clothes - I have a gear essentials imperial 1.75’’ that’s just a little too tight to be comfortable when I’m hard and some 1.8’’ and 1.9’’ silicone rings that fit great, but they don’t have the weight/aesthetic that I’m looking for. Curved rings seem to be a little bit of an easier fit/are better for long term wear, which is why I’m looking for one now. Unfortunately, I have a little bit of decision paralysis in terms of my options. My biggest concern is getting the sizing right. Buying a poorly sized cock ring isn’t going to bankrupt me, but hopefully it won’t have to be a repeat purchase, though one day I hope to have a collection as extensive as yours! I’ve been really drawn to the primal ring brand for the quality and aesthetic, but the price point makes me hesitate, especially considering the sizes are in 5 mm increments and I think my perfect curved ring is just under 45 mm in diameter. They also don’t seem to be as heavy as other metal rings I’ve seen. I’ve also been looking at Etsy for some rings, but I’m not sure if I can trust the quality of what I see, especially if they’re manufactured out of the country. So now that I’ve given you a whole bunch of probably unnecessary backstory, do you have any recommendations for any curved cock ring brands that really caught your eye for quality, weight, and comfort? I’m not exactly a cock ring connoisseur, which is why I hoped you could help out. So sorry for the big ol block of text. I really appreciate any advice you can give!
It is always nice to come across someone that has already started to think and experiment. I certainly was happy to provide some feedback! My reply follows:
Of course! And no worries at all about the wall of text. Heck… if you’ve seen my blog, you’ll know I’m not afraid to sling some words either!
As I mentioned in my recent getting started entry, knowing your size is absolutely critical - so you’re off to a great start. In fact, it sounds like you are pretty close in size to what works for me. You’re also not wrong to worry about wasting money on something that isn’t great for you.
I would suggest at least trying out a rigid 1.875" (1 7/8 or 47.5mm) ring. Silicone is a great material, but can sometimes stretch and belie your true size. Unfortunately, this is a somewhat “in between” size so you may need to do a little searching to find an inexpensive (I would aim for something in the $5 to $10 USD range). I don’t usually recommend wire rings for comfort unless they’re super thick, so something with a little more band width would be a good thing (classic donuts are great here).
Aside from trying out a new size, you raise an interesting point about curved rings and proposing a size that you mention is a bit uncomfortable for you. There’s something about them that just plain changes the dynamic. My immediate and top recommendation is to try out a thick but curved wire ring. These are cheap and plentifully available in 1.75". You can even go a step further for a tapered and curved ring which will still be cheap and still fit closer to a Primal ring (indeed - a ring that has earned the favorite tag in my collection)!
Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention where to source such rings. Your best friend for cheaper rings is aliexpress.com. It can be a PITA to find exactly what you’re looking for because of the sheer volume of options that will come back when you search for “curved cock ring”, but that can be fixed with enough paging through the results. The concern about quality is valid, of course, but practically every ring in my collection tagged as generic manufacturer came from a cheap Chinese source and I’ve had only a few junk rings come my way. Given that Aliexpress is a huge online store, and that charges on the card show up as being from them, my biggest complaint is the time that overseas shipping takes moreso than the cost!
You also mentioned Etsy as a source, which I am a huge fan of. I’ve been able to find many of the cheap Chinese options there, but also, something I’m much more fond of: one of a kind rings. I’ve taken much delight finding makers that either focus on actual cock rings, or even folks that do other kinds of rings that are willing to try their hand at cock rings (see: 1, 2, 3). At some point, when cost and size/fit anxiety is less of a concern, you’ll find similar delights with a custom piece.
And with that, my new friend shared his appreciation for the tidbits and agreed to let me share this post and this information for the greater community.
So there it is, community. What other questions do you have?