I have a very on-again, off-again relationship with anal.
When I was younger, it was the only type of penetration that I enjoyed receiving. Then eventually, for no real reason, I became indifferent to it. Over the years, I’ve see-sawed back and forth; in and out of anal lust. It’s been a while since I’ve wanted to receive butt stuff, but it seems that I have come back around again because now it’s basically all I ever want!
Since it’s been a while, I was in need of something a bit smaller to comfortably work myself back up (personally I can’t go from 0 to Pure Plug large!), and thus I got my hands on Blush Novelties’ Luxe Explore (thanks, SheVibe!), the Doxy Don, and new Butnik by Hole Punch Toys.
The Luxe Explore
Part butt plug, part anal beads, this toy is a delight! It has two insertable bumps, and the base is long and narrow, making it fit comfortably between my cheeks, or nestled in my hand between my knuckles.
The Luxe Explore is made out of a delightful matte silicone that is reminisce of my Tantus Twist. I fuuuuuucking love this kind of silicone. It picks up a lot less fluff/cat hair, has a bit of a drag to it, and it just feels fantastic.
When inserting, it’s important to note that this butt plug is flexible between the two bumps, meaning you can’t easily just position it and push from the base in order to get it in the butt. Instead, I hold the toy at the base of the second bump and insert from there, giving me more control as to how the Luxe Explore bends, making it easier to have the butt plug make it into my butt, rather than sliding along beside my hole.
The base is short enough that it doesn’t get in the way when I use toys or fingers in my cunt, and it feels comfortable when I’m up and walking around.
When using the Luxe Explore vaginally, this plug is just as comfortable. It stays put just as well vaginally as it does anally (for me), and is filling without being overwhelming. The base doesn’t get in the way of anal play, nor does it interfere with using a wand vibrator on my dick. It’s just small enough that it isn’t in the way. The insertable portion is small enough to allow for anal penetration while still being large enough to feel good moving inside of me.
Overall, I like it! I’ll definitely be using the Luxe Explore a lot more in the future.
The Don
This vibrator is marketed for people of all genders and body configurements. It can be used as an external massager, externally or internally (vaginally or anally).
It has an interesting, bottom-heavy shape – both in design and actual weight – and has a long cord (12 whole feet!) with the controls 33″ down from the base of the toy. The vibrations are rumbly and strong (though don’t expect it to compare to the original Doxy Massager), and are controlled in the same way that the Doxy massagers are – a power button, an up and a down button. And like the others, pressing and holding the power button makes the vibrator cycle from low to high intensities and back again.
As a clitoral stimulator, I am exceptionally indifferent to the Don. It works nicely; my orgasms are decent enough. The tip of the bowling ball thumps against my clit, and if I angle the toy properly, I can make it hit the specific parts of my clit that I want, or the entire length of my clit if I’d rather more complete contact. But it isn’t the most adept at applying the right amount of pressure in the right places. It works, but I have vibrators that work better, you know? Also, when used like this, the controls are annoyingly far from reach. Whenever I want to change the speed, I have to pause and fumble to shift my hands around so that I can grab the controls. When using the Don externally on a partner, the controls are aptly placed for them to hold the vibrator in place while you do other things, still retaining control over the vibrator’s settings.
When paired with a dildo like the Fun Factory Buck Dich, the Don becomes more interesting for me. With added g-spot stimulation, I don’t need to be as particular about how and where I’m using the toy clitorally (though I still have strong preferences). This way the vibrator is the cherry rather than the entire sundae, and for me it performs much better like this. My opinion of “I have vibrators that do it better” still stands; I wouldn’t be unhappy if someone handed me the Don to use, but it wouldn’t be the one that I reached for first.
Internally in my vagina, I’m just completely uninterested. The nub is too short to reach my g-spot and the external ‘prong’ doesn’t reach my clit. Further, if the vibrations are any higher than some of the lowest settings, the rumbles hurt my vaginal opening a bit with how the Don bounces back and forth (regardless how I hold the toy). Plus, I feel the vibrations strongly on the outside of my anus, in a rather irritating manner. This just does not work for me at all.
My favourite use for this toy is anally. Granted, I enjoy basically any and all anal vibrators, but the Don is no exception. For solo use, it’s cumbersome to try and keep the vibrator in my butt while doing other things; I need to hold it in place somehow, unlike with a butt plug. The good news is that the bottom of the Don is flat and
covered in felt, so if you place it on a wooden table and sit on it while the vibrations are turned on, it is much quieter than I expected it to be. I wish that the felt extended a little bit further up on the toy to make it a little bit quieter, but it’s really not too bad.
Using on someone else anally is a little odd; the Don doesn’t reach their prostate, if they have one, and there isn’t much to do but hold it in place. It’s too short to thrust with much effect, so it mostly just occupies one of your hands.
The Don is much easier to use with a partner rather than during solo use, and the length of the cord makes it even more ideal for use during partnered sex as you have more room to move around, and more cable to stretch around larger bodies.
Overall, I think the Don has a lot of promise, but doesn’t quite deliver. Improvements that I’d like to see:
- Two sets of controls – one where they already are, and one on the toy itself so that you can control it easier during solo use
- Extending the prong so that it can reach the g- and p-spots
- Balancing the vibrator better so that it doesn’t need as much support to stay in place
If a second gen Don came out with the above changes, I’d be all over it. The Don as it is? It’s alright. I enjoy it, but it has its flaws and is not the best out there for what it does.
The Butnik
Last but not least!
The Butnik is marketed as a two-in-one toy; you have the butt plug itself and then a silicone ring. The ring’s intended use isn’t listed, leaving it up to you if it’s a cock ring, a stroker, or a ball stretcher. The concept is that you can put the two pieces together to store them/to have them hanging out looking like a mini rocket, or you can take them apart for use.
The butt plug
I honestly never put the plug in my ass, or anyone else’s, as much as I had been looking forward to doing so. Why? Because the base of the Butnik is smaller than the widest part of the plug itself. What this means is that the entirety of the toy could end up inside your anus, including the base. 1
Therefore, the Butnik is not a toy I classify as being anally-safe, and I’m not willing to risk my health or a partner’s health.
And this is really too bad, because I fucking love the Butnik as a vaginal plug. Seriously. It was an instant favourite for this.
The slope of the plug makes for easy insertion and the shape locks it in place inside of me. It doesn’t shift around or fall out when I’m moving; I can comfortably wear it while doing chores without worry that it’s going to pop out. Further, the size and shape of the plug make it so that I remember the Butnik is there when I move, but I’m not completely overwhelmed by it. It applies just enough stimulation on its own to ensure I am turned on and ready for more. I can clamp and flex my pelvic muscles around the plug, moving it inside me, or I can let it sit still. And it works even better when paired with a vibrator either on the base of the toy or on my dick, or paired with a butt plug.
As someone who really enjoys both forced orgasm play as well as object play; specifically play in which the object is kept plugged when not otherwise occupied; the Butnik instantly became one of my favourite vaginal plugs (tied with the Sidekick).
The ring
I’m honestly not sure what to do with this. Three different folks with penises had agreed to be my test subjects when I described the ring, and all three refused when they saw it themselves.
It’s really small. The silicone is thick, making it harder to stretch, and it just doesn’t seem like something that would safely and comfortably get around balls as a ball stretcher or cock ring. And if you do get it there, it doesn’t seem like it’ll come off without scissors. And as far as a stroker goes; it’s a little bit short and again, it’s very tight. With some work, I stretched the ring around the head of a dildo with a 1.5″ diameter. It took effort. Once on, the ring was on tight, which didn’t seem ideal if using on a flesh-and-blood penis.
So next thought was that maybe it would work as a stroker for someone who has taken testosterone (me 2)? My cock is roughly 4″ and average girthed, maybe the Butnik would be a good fit for me.
It wasn’t. There’s nothing interesting to say about it, because there was nothing interesting about the experience. It just didn’t quite work in a way that was enjoyable as a stroker for my body.
The only enjoyable use I got out of the ring was when I used it to push my foreskin back and hold it out of the way (narrower end closer to my body) and then inserted the tip of the Don into the larger end, which allowed the vibrator to target the extra-sensitive, exposed cock head. The vibrations also carried down the length of the silicone which was surrounding my shaft. This was nice, but in a very fidgety, DIY kind of way. I also had to be careful not to move the ring too much because if I did then either the vibrator would pop out or my cock would, and it proved challenging to reposition everything with the vibrator going and lube covering everything.
Improvements? Easy – sacrifice the plug’s shape for the sake of anal safety, and make the ring larger.
If you’re looking for a great vaginal plug, I completely recommend the Butnik. But if you’re hoping for a butt plug, Hole Punch Toy’s original butt plug is a safer bet.
You can get the Luxe Explore, Don, and Butnik all from SheVibe!
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