I have some difficulty breathing through my nose and am also quite vocal in the bedroom. I had never used a gag before and was looking for a simple beginner-friendly gag that was breathable and effective in muffling sound. The Breathable Ball Gag by Aphrodisia with its pickle-ball design and sexy faux-leather straps seemed like an attractive option to help solve my problem.

The gag arrived in a discreet brown shipping box, and inside was the toy packaged in a white box that had a picture of the product on it. At first, I actually thought I might have received the wrong product as the picture looked nothing like the picture I saw on the site.

Packaging


But after opening the box, the gag inside looked just like I was expecting. I suppose the photo on the box was simply another color option.

Inside the box


I gave the gag a quick spray with my toy cleaner and wiped it down before affixing the gag on myself. The ball is made of hard ABS plastic and had a distinct plastic taste. I was concerned the gag might be too loose on me, but the adjustable buckle made it easy to secure the gag around my head. The many belt holes can accommodate a wide range of head sizes. Unfortunately, the ball itself, at 1 7/8" in diameter, was too large for my small mouth. I could barely open wide enough to get my lips over and definitely could not get it past my teeth to bite down on. I imagine that ball-shaped gags may get hard on the jaw after a long period of use, but I can't say this from experience. I think that I'll either need a smaller ball or another type of gag such as a bit gag instead. This gag may be a stretch for some people or not even work at all, as was the case for me. Because I wasn't able to wear this properly, I can't say how effective it is in muffling sound or how breathable it really is when worn correctly. Generally speaking, I could only assume that the holes would help with the passage of airflow, making breathing easier, but at the same time, some sound may pass through, making it not a totally soundproofing gag. The good thing about some sound passing through at least is that it would make communication easier and potentially safer, especially for beginners like me.