I got the Doc Johnson Leather Gates of Hell on a bit of a lark. I’ve never done anything with BDSM before, but my girlfriend brought it up once and I thought I would surprise her with this. However, when I managed to get it on and she took a look at it, she just thought it rather silly. As she explained, the ones she might be more interested in are generally thin metal rings and actually show the penis straining against their grasp, whereas the Doc Johnson leather version is just bulky – its leather loops are quite wide and, together with the connecting strip down the top, basically make it appear like you’ve encased the whole penis in leather. I guess this does make it a pretty good package enhancer, but as far as using it for its intended purpose, I really didn’t get to try it out.

I can nevertheless offer some observations. It really is thick leather – both in the width (as mentioned above) and also in the thickness. I’m not sure why it needs to be so, as (in addition to the aesthetic properties listed above) it makes the device relatively stiff. Perhaps it will loosen up the more use it gets, but I found it pretty awkward trying to wrestle the leather bands into place.

Each ring has a choice of buttons to clasp, so it’s somewhat adjustable. My problem was that the bigger size was a bit loose, and had the unfortunate tendency to slip off even when I was hard – it’s hardly a restraint device if it does that! The smaller size, however, was quite painfully tight, well past the point of being merely constricting. This might be a positive for some, but I’m not one of them. (I’m average or slightly below in the girth department.) Maybe if I ever buy a non-adjustable device like this again, I’ll try to find a place that has fitting rooms…

The leather is still as stiff as ever, even after a few attempts. It's now just taking up space and I may as well throw it out.