This is best used as a vibrating anal plug. The Tush trainer beginner by Cal Exotics is a great little plug for users that are just starting out with anal play. It's good users that want a vibrating plug that’s comfortable. It stays in, and it has a price tag that won’t use up the entire toy budget.

Despite its smaller size, the Tush trainer beginner does a good job of stimulating the user with the small vibrating bullet that's inside the toy. The textured swirls on the outside also stimulate. The base even functions as a suction cup to help temporarily hold the trainer in place if playing solo.

It's definitely designed for users that are just starting anal play. The Tush trainer is more like a slight tease for the more experienced user, but it still manages to stay in place as a plug.

It's made of a material called Crystalessence, which is a type of PVC material. The Tush trainer beginner is soft and flexible like most jelly, and some silicone, toys. Unfortunately, the material only rates a 2 on the Eden Fantasy's safety scale. Unfortunately, this toy also has that common jelly and plastic smell to it that still hasn’t gone away. So, the Tush trainer is definitely something that you will want to store away from your other toys that will absorb smells. Or, you could store it in a sealed bag, if a separate container isn’t available.

As far as the texture of this toy, the actual material is a smooth jelly like material. Thankfully, a corkscrew type of pattern was designed into this toy, which adds a wonderful feeling when inserting it. It makes this wonderful for beginners looking for a little bit of texture. The Tush is still able to satisfy newer users that have already tried other smaller toys, as well.

With a design that's a cross between that of a vibrating bullet and a small butt plug, the Tush trainer worked surprisingly well. It managed to stay in, despite that I walking around with it in. It's a smaller size plug, being 3.25” length. Of that 3.25, 2.5” are insertable. The Tush trainer is 1.25” in diameter. The tush trainer is a good size for beginners, but it's still worth having in your toy box if you are a little more experienced.

Unfortunately, this is where the good features of this toy end, and some of the design problems begin. One of the most irritating things that I have found with this toy is the point where the power cord enters the plug from the controller. It's right on the neck of the toy before the base, which means that it rubs against you when it's inserted. It can be uncomfortable as it rubs against you.

The other issue that this toy has seems to plague a lot of toys with a separate battery packs. That is that there's no way to clip the pack to anything. So, there's nothing to hold in place, which is a major bummer if you want to be able to wear it around.

Although the tush trainer is a great little plug, it is a bit lacking in the performance and control areas. I have egg and bullet type vibrators that are similar in size. I would have to say that, although the tush trainer has decent vibrations throughout the plug, on full power it’s still very lacking compared to other toys. For instance, the anal T and egg combo that is also made by Cal Exotics is more powerful than the Tush trainer, even on its lowest setting.

As far as the controller goes, I once again have to give the Tush trainer a poor score. Even though the tush trainer does have variable speeds, there only seems to be 2-3 actual levels throughout the adjustment. This may be because this toy only uses 2 AA batteries, while others use 3. It may also be that it uses a cheap rotary variable resistor, where a sliding switch should have been used in its place. With a control pack that’s lacking a clip and a cord that’s a bit too short, I would say the development team spent too much time on the plug. They didn't spend enough time on the rest of the toy.

Due to the material of this toy being close to that of jelly-like toys, care should be taken to store the Tush trainer in a clean place. It could be stored in its own bag, to avoid it getting dusty. If it does get dirty before and after use, the plug part of the toy can be cleaned with warm soapy water. Care needs to be taken to not allow water to get into the open port where the control wire goes into the plug, as it could short out the vibrating egg.

The one advantage of this material over, say, silicone toys, is its lube compatibility. Crystalessence allows for the use of water, oil and silicone based lubes. This is nice for users that like silicone based lubes. With a safety rating of only 2, I would still recommend using a condom over this toy.