I have never tried anal beads before, but I have always been intrigued by them. I have to say that before I even tried these X-10 beads, I was nervous and disappointed. They were extremely hard with absolutely NO give. They had a HUGE part line down the middle that was extremely sharp. No matter how much I bent them straight and reverse, they would NOT uncurl - which, when inserted, became painful because it pressed the seam right against me. Additionally, if care was not taken to prevent the "beads" from spinning, the part line ALSO spun. This is a huge risk for getting cut and thereby infected.

I might try and file the part line down, and maybe soak the "beads" in some hot water to try and soften them up some to see if I can straighten them out. If I can at least remove the risk of injury, I might find it easier to try and play around. I got these as an anniversary present for myself and my beau, as something we could try that neither of us had done before, but I can't present this to him for play if I'm mildly scared of it.

If I can't fix those two serious problems, I do not know that I can use these very much, if at all.

If I can fix them, I plan on using it in conjunction with my partner, so we can both feel them, and so my partner can have a sense of control while in a cowgirl or similar style position. We've tried similar positions and playtimes with other toys, but always with him playing anally and the toys vaginally. So my intent, if I can make it actually comfortable to move the beads at all, is to switch the positions for him.

Though my knowledge is limited, these do not seem very sanitary, so I am going to have to figure out a way to sanitize them as much as possible. Sharing is normally caring, but sharing these beads with a partner is NOT recommended!! As far as storage, for now I've thoroughly cleaned them and set them aside back in their original packaging. I'm not sure what the norm is for storage of these kinds of toys, as I've never had them before.

Pictured is the large overhang of the sharp part line.