Cock and ball toys|Cock and ball toys are without doubt one of the most unfortunately stereotyped of all sex toys. Those made out of leather and metal, even more so! The Large Parachute|Large parachute - Cock and balls device's description doesn't help any here, citing that "this original cock and ball torture accessory... provides a firm grip over the package" and "has a 6'' long jewel chain that lets you attach additional weights for an increased cock and ball tease."

In other words, this toy ostensibly falls into the "Cock and Ball Torture|Learn more about Cock and Ball Play" -- or CBT as it's affectionately known in the scene -- category, and is the sort of toy I've avoided for exactly the stereotypical reasons that you can conjure up when you look at the thing. Even my kinkiest of kinky sex never involved hanging weights off my balls (especially not hanging them off something I had to buy all special-order like) and that's all that this toy really seemed as though it could do.

The good news is that I discovered other uses for the Large Parachute. The bad news is that it's still mostly useful only for the types of CBT play you'd expect because it's not as durable as it needs to be for some of the more inspired uses I came up with for it.

The first thing I noticed was the way the jewelry chain was clipped -- not closed shut or welded or anything -- onto the leather. This made me suspicious of the amount of weight the Large Parachute could actually hold. What better way to find out than a good old fashioned stress test? I figured that either my balls would give out before the Large Parachute did, or the Large Parachute would give out before my balls would and that would surely be a valid test.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any suitably heavy things that would easily attach to the parachute because the ring at the bottom of the chain seems to suggest that you need clip-on weights or something of that sort (and I don't have any). Instead, after pulling my testicles taut and snapping the leather parachute closed around my scrotum, itself surprisingly easy and comfortable to do, I simply started pulling the parachute away from my body.

To my surprise, the clips held their ground remarkably well and so did the rest of the toy. The circular cut-out was just small enough so that my testicles couldn't slip through the hole (even on the larger of the two sizes), and the rounded leather edges didn't scratch or otherwise irritate me. The sensation was actually kind of a pleasant tugging, not the kind of "torture" implied by the description, but I suppose that's part of what sells.

Then I realized I could probably use the Large Parachute as a bondage toy|Bondage and fetish toys, which I knew would be much more appealing to my girlfriend as well. Together, we played with a few bondage positions that utilized the Large Parachute as a tie point. Using rope, we tied it to the foot of our bed and put me on a ball-leash. That was fun, and simple! Then she tied me down to our bed high enough so the rope, which was slung through the Large Parachute's o-ring, was pulled taut. That was even more fun. Finally, she swung my ankles over my shoulders and tied them to headboard, which pulled my balls even tighter and thus kept my waist firmly planted on the mattress. That was just awesome.

Now this was a cock and ball torture position that made some sense to us. It didn't take long for her to take advantage of my exposed position. She induced a healthy amount of wriggling and groaning on my part. The more I moved the more the Large Parachute tugged on my balls, making for a great predicament bondage scene.

Sadly, the jewelry chain did meet its maker during one particular wriggle when the o-ring snapped open and the rope holding it slipped out. We laughed at that and, unwilling to end our fun, she just tied the rope around the three jewelry chains. Of course, we didn't really need the Large Parachute for this in the first place, since she could also have just used rope to tie off my balls, too. Nevertheless, there's something to be said for the Parachute's snap-on convenience.

All in all, this toy is a solid, reasonably reliable one for scrotum-stretching, CBT-style play. Don't expect this toy to be the end-all and be-all of a CBT or other play session, but you can certainly use it as an accessory to enhance some other kind of play. Of course, I still wish it were made with thicker leather and stronger steel chains so that it could also be used in tighter bondage scenarios, which is how I prefer to play with it. However, for thirty buckaroos, I suppose you can only get so much.