The X-10 beads seem like quite a good buy, for the price - with a few caveats. The shape and design is good, the beads increase in size at reasonable intervals so that these could comfortably be used by anyone new to anal play and the material - silicone - can easily be cleaned with hot water and soap. However, the stretchiness of the material does not seem to have been well thought out. What goes up must come down, or there will be one of *those* trips to the hospital, and to be honest I do not trust the handle enough to insert the last bead. Other reviewers have experienced it snapping, and really anal toys should not have any stretch to them at all, for this exact reason.

California Exotics are hardly novices to the toy game and honestly I am surprised such an obvious design flaw got past them in the design and manufacture of this toy. A good handle on a set of anal beads is important not only for the obvious safety reasons, but so the beads can be used as intended.

If you do decide to go ahead and purchase the beads, the best lube to use with them would be water based - silicone lubes with silicone toys is bad news, as it can degrade the surface of the toy. Lots of lube is a must for any kind of anal play, particularly for a toy which relies upon bumps to be used, like these beads.

I cannot in good conscience recommend these beads terribly highly because of the flaw with the handle: it is a crucial part of the design which has been overlooked by the manufacturer, and until a revised design is released which corrects the issues then the Silicone X-10 beads will be a poor choice, next to better and nicer silicone beads which don't have such fatal design flaws.