These beads were my first anal toy. With nothing to compare them to, I thought they were great! But having expanded on my experience and understanding of anal beads, I can now express to you some of this product's most outstanding flaws.

Some drawbacks of this particular model include important aspects of the design itself as well as the materials used. The body of the toy is a simple, thin, nylon cord on which the plastic beads are strung. The beads themselves are smooth plastic with a visible mark from the molding, but without a raised ridge. They have a certain range of motion, sliding along the string between the two knots that act as barriers on either side of them. I would have liked if the beads had less room between the knots to slide along the string. This would make them much easier to control.

Unfortunately, the cord is rather abrasive... when inserting the beads, the excess cord between the beads has a tendency to get in the way and, even with ample lubrication, can be a bit ungainly and uncomfortable to push in. Being that it's not a stiffer connection like a set of silicone beads might have, it often ends up that I find myself pushing a bead in alongside a looped part of the string, which can sometimes be painful. You need to be sure that the end knot is pointed directly inside of you, so as not to rake the sides of your entrance as it goes in. The end of mine was quite pointy and, frankly, surprisingly sharp, so I snipped it with a pair of scissors to round it a bit. Still, the knot protrudes and can get in the way of comfortable insertion.

Another problem I ran across with the string is that it gets... dirty. It is a pure white cord after all and, with time, the color can become...less than white, which I found a bit off-putting in appearance. Especially around the knots, which are obviously impossible to clean completely due to their miniscule nooks and crannies. However, it's also a good reminder that there is NO WAY to get these beads completely clean and sterilized. These are not to be shared - not amongst partners, friends, or even amongst yourself. If you insert these beads anally, do NOT insert them vaginally as well, for obvious health reasons. Heck, they're so cheap; just buy another set if you'd like them for that purpose as well.

These beads are very small (only a half inch in diameter). They are very unintimidating for someone who hasn't yet been introduced to anal play. And they are very simply and cheaply made, as evident by the price. I would consider the Ringed body beads (which are uniform in size like these, though a tiny shade larger) or the Anal 101 intro beads (which are graduated in size, but still quite small to start) to be potentially improved replacements for these as beginner anal toys.

Overall, these are a fairly decent introductory anal toy that you can get on the cheap and, with some care in their use, they can be quite pleasurable. However, I think that there are better small-sized, beginner beads on the market, though maybe at a slightly increased price. If you are an old hat at anal play, you'll likely find these beads to be too small and too poorly designed to hold your interest.

Sensation-wise I'd say the best times I've had with these beads, are with plenty of lubrication and plenty of time. If I rush, I tend to have those cord issues more. Leisurely play with these beads can be quite enjoyable and I love the feel of pushing them slowly in and then pulling them out bit by bit, one by one.

I do find that they bunch up inside due to the flimsy, flexible cord. This can be a good thing, depending on what kind of feeling you're seeking. Sometimes I can feel them rubbing against each other inside of me, which is rather pleasant. I have worn them for extended periods (up to 24 hours) with no problems, though many times throughout the day, I forgot they were there since they're so small. Truthfully, these guys don't see much action anymore since I've upgraded to bigger and better things ;)

I completely stand by my original review. Having tried a few more types of anal beads, I would like to suggest the Heart Nuts that EF will have available soon. They may be a touch more pricey, but if you want a positive experience, steer clear of these and put up the extra cash for a toy that will last and will give you more pleasure than frustration!