Let me start by pointing out that this is my first glass toy. My opinions about the merit of the Sasha Grey plug may be therefore be tainted by the fact that I simply love the material it's made out of. For those of you who haven't tried glass: try glass. It doesn't soak up lubricant, and it's so smooth that it hardly requires any to begin with.

At least with respect to minimizing friction, there simply isn't a better material for thrusting. That said, the absence of friction, along with the fact that the pronounced bulb gives way to a few inches of shaft makes this plug rather different than other plugs I've tried. Rather than simply staying in place, the Sasha Grey plug has a tendency to slide in and out quite a bit, whether or not you're trying to hold it in place. The pronounced bulb kept it from falling out altogether, but I did experience quite a bit of movement back and forth. The sensation, while generally pleasant, gave me the sense that the toy was constantly about to fall out, which may make it ill-suited for wear under clothing, particularly outside the house. If you are going to wear it out-and-about, I'd suggest a tight pair of underwear or a thong to ensure that you don't end up accidentally dropping it down your pant leg or skirt.

Having had enough experience by now to realize that the sheer amount of anal play I engage in has little bearing on how much I can comfortably fit up my butt, I am loathe to speak in terms of "beginners" and "advanced users". Suffice to say that this toy is fairly small, creates very little friction, and looks very sleek. While those traits are likely to appeal to beginners, I would suggest this toy for anybody who has difficulty with larger toys but still enjoys anal play. The relatively small size along with the rigidity of the glass makes it great for wear by the receiver during vaginal intercourse, and creates an interesting new sensation for the penetrator. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for wear by the penetrator, as the lack of friction makes it prone to slipping out.

As I mentioned above, this is my first foray into the world of glass toys. It's odorless, tasteless (before use, at least), and incredibly easy to clean. Glass is compatible with both water and silicone based lubricants, although silicone lubricant is hardly necessary. The texture of the toy is so smooth and non-porous that, for the first time, I found that even saliva was more than sufficient as a lubricant. This smoothness made thrusting easier and more comfortable than with my other toys.

On the other hand, glass is an incredibly rigid material, which can make vigorous thrusting uncomfortable or even dangerous. However, the plug isn't very long and therefore seems less likely to penetrate far enough to do any real damage. So long as you use a little caution when thrusting, the plug should be well-suited to both novice and experienced users. The smoothness of the glass should make for an easy introduction to anal play, but the merits of the material aren't wasted on those with more experience.

Another interesting aspect of glass is its ability to hold temperature. I personally have not dabbled much in temperature play, and found the experience much more pleasant than I had expected. Users can cool the toy by placing it in the refrigerator or freezer for a short time or running it under cool water, or may heat it up in the microwave or running it under hot water. I personally found the cold sensation more pleasant than heat. I would caution users not to leave the toy in the freezer for an extended period of time, particularly before use. I also prefer the hot water method for heat, as you can easily monitor the temperature of the glass and, frankly, it just seems safer than the microwave.

In the past I have found that many glass toys have a sort of tacky, whimsical, or cheap design aesthetic. The Sasha Grey signature plug, on the other hand, is nothing if not sleek, simple, and sexy. I certainly wouldn't call it a discrete toy, but somehow it wears its function with dignity. It is as elegant as and dignified as a butt-plug could aspire to be.

The size is really the deal-breaker for this toy. The bulb, at it's widest point, has a diameter of about 1 1/4" (a circumference of about 4 inches). The total insertable length is about 3 3/8". The neck below the bulb is about 7/8" wide and about 1 3/4" long. Because width below the bulb remains fairly constant from bulb to base, which allows the toy just under 2 inches of easy movement in and out. If not held firmly in place, it will move in and out. A lot. It's slippery. The diameter of the base is about 1 3/4", so you don't have to worry about any embarrassing trips to the hospital.

I listed all this because frequently the main product page does not specify at which part of the toy the measurements are taken. So while the widest insertable part of the plug is 1 1/4" in diameter, it won't feel like a 1 1/4" dildo. In fact, despite having a wider bulb than many other plugs I've used, the toy actually feels much smaller because the neck is so narrow. This certainly isn't a criticism, but it's something to consider if you, like me, already have a smaller plug and are looking for something bigger.

I have what I like to think is a notoriously tight ass, and I had no problem accommodating this plug. The smoothness of the glass seems to make it feel smaller than some other toys of a similar size, despite the rigidity of the material. While I love anal play, the friction created by thrusting with materials like silicone can sometimes be uncomfortable for me. With the Sasha Grey signature plug, I felt no friction at all. The small size combined with the smooth material should make anal play easy for just about anybody.

Given the ease with which I was able to accommodate it, I could easily see this toy being too small for some experienced users. For those who prefer a larger toy, I'd recommend checking out the Sasha Grey signature plug medium or large.

Having tried a bit of temperature play, with the plug, I can say that it seems to hold cold temperatures better than warm. The tendency to remain cool is just fine with me, as I found the colder temperature more pleasant. Now, I should admit that I experienced a great deal of trepidation about this: I just couldn't get the image of that kid from "A Christmas Story" with his tongue stuck to a metal pole out of my head. Let me assure those of you with similar phobias, if in fact there is anybody with such a ridiculous phobia reading this: that isn't how it works. The cold temperature actually seems to reduce the friction and make the whole experience even more pleasant.

I tried using the plug for "extended wear", which is to say I wore it around my apartment for 2 hours or so. It was comfortable enough, but as I mentioned above, it isn't easy to keep in place when moving around. The shape and material just aren't designed to keep the toy in place, so if you're looking for something to take out on the town, this probably isn't the best choice.

The Sasha Grey plug could not be easier to care for. You can sterilize it by boiling, wash it with soap and water, even put it in the dishwasher. Glass is compatible with every type of lubricant I'm aware of, which gives it a big advantage over most silicone toys. Best of all, unlike silicone, the glass doesn't attract lint! Just don't drop it, and you should be fine.

Given the ostensibly fragile nature of glass, I was happy to see the care that was put into insulating the Sasha Grey plug from incurring any harm. It came in a cardboard box padded with about 3 inches of dense foam cut to fit snugly around the plug. It was packed in so lightly I actually had a difficult time extracting the foam from the box. The box itself is sleek and black, like the toy. The packaging doesn't include any sort of care or use instructions, but one can look up care and use instructions for glass online easily enough. The other criticism I have is that the packaging is far too cumbersome to be used for storage, at least in my apartment, and isn't at all discrete. It bears an image of Sasha Grey on the side, and a picture of the toy on the front, so you won't be able to trick anybody into thinking it's a box for anything but a butt plug.