Ever since I first jumped into the BDSM scene, I've seen and heard a ton about ball gags. I've looked at ones of all different sizes and shapes, some that inflate and some that run across a rainbow of colours. Since I had never tried one before, my partner decided to order this breathable ball gag from Pipedream as an affordable first attempt. I had no idea what size ball to look for, let alone whether I would find a ball gag appealing in practice at all.

This ball gag came packaged in a small little box, and I was originally quite excited when I opened it. The rubber blend ball has twelve or so quarter inch holes in it, which makes it reminiscent of a wiffle ball. The holes also create the breathable aspect of the gag. However, the smell and taste of this ball were pretty awful. The first time I put the ball gag into my mouth, I spat it out because the rubber blend tasted terrible. It was like putting my mouth on a bunch of brand new sports equipment that had never been aired out. After drinking a ton of water and deciding I was ready for another go, I put the ball gag back in and my partner and I attempted a bit of mummification and BDSM play.

While the play itself lasted a while, I probably managed to keep the gag in for a maximum of five minutes. It was extremely difficult to keep my mouth open wide enough to accommodate the 1.5 inch diameter ball. In order to relax my jaw, I needed to press my teeth into the hard rubber blend, but that attempt really hurt my teeth. Instead I clenched my jaw open, which after a minute or two hurt like hell. Combined with the strong and unpleasant taste, I decided this gag wasn't for me and we swapped over to our makeshift gag made out of a bandana. Much more comfortable on my jaw, and better tasting too.

After deciding that I wanted to write a review of the gag, I asked if we could try using it again. It's starting to grow on me a bit more than the first experience. I'm learning how to relax my jaw around the ball more easily, and the taste (though not the smell) has mostly dissipated after airing out the gag and keeping it nestled with towels and things. This gag does have some good points, despite the terrible first experience. First of all, the 13" straps on either side are extremely comfortable against the skin. The leather exterior is soft and flexible, and the interior fabric (some kind of felt?) is fuzzy and comforting to the skin. These straps connect with O rings to the actual ball piece, which unfortunately is not removable. I found the gag to fit my head with ease, though it was on the very last hole. You may need to punch more holes depending on the size of your head, and may even want to cut off some of the excess strap if it bothers you.

Even though I thought this ball gag was retired to the bottom of our drawer permanently, I'm glad I gave it another chance. The holes make it really easy to breathe while wearing this gag, and they gave me something for my tongue to play with while our scene played out. I wish that the rubber ball was softer and more flexible, and I really could do with a shorter strap, but this ball gag will be sufficient until I figure out what I want to try next. Despite this, I wouldn't suggest this ball gag for a first-time user. It almost put me off to ball gags forever, for reasons that probably aren't valid for a lot of available products out there. My suggestion is to spend a little more money for a more comfortable product, and skip this one unless you find everything else too constricting of your airflow.

I'd also suggest finding a ball gag with removable straps - cleaning something like this without destroying the leather or the ball is a nightmare. Right now we've been running the ball piece under hot water, but I'm worried that without soap or another cleaner, bacteria may be caught inside the ball. However, cleaning with anything else might destroy the leather. Better that you find a gag that allows you to clean the straps and the ball separately, and you can get rid of this problem altogether.

I was never a huge fan of this gag, but the more I try and use it the less I like it. The awful taste hasn't gone away, and I'm constantly annoyed with how unforgivingly hard the rubber material is. I love using gags but this has stayed at the bottom of the drawer because I'd much rather stuff a blanket in my mouth. I'm currently saving up for a nicer gag so that I can throw this out.