The "Breathe Easy Ball Gag" by Leatherbeaten, is a great introductory gag, that's not too intimidating, and relatively comfortable to wear. This gag is very well suited for light bedroom bondage, but you strugglers, strict bondage lovers, and dungeon players may want to move on to something more advanced.

The "Breathe Easy Ball Gag" really has a lot going for it; from the removable pure silicone ball, to the soft leather straps, it is obvious that quality is a consideration for Leatherbeaten products.

This single-strap ball gag is perhaps the simplest of gag designs. This gag consists of a 1 3/4" pure silicone ball, with two slots that each accept a section of leather strap (one on each side of the "ball"). The sections of strap are each fed through one of the slots, and secured by an integrated button-snap, which folds the strap back onto itself and holds the ball tightly in place. The opposite ends of each strap are punched with several holes to allow for a plethora of adjustable sizes, as you tighten it behind your head via the "Conway Buckle". To be quite honest, you'd be hard pressed to find a head that this gag wouldn't fit.

The silicone of the ball piece, is soft and flexible, without a trace of any residues or scents. The leather is soft and smooth, although perhaps a bit thin as it consists of only a single layer with no stitching, backing, or reinforcement. For as thin as the straps are, they remain relatively strong though, as pulling hard against them results in very minimal stretching. I would guess that if the gag was completely assembled, and you pulled that hard on it, you'd somehow rip the straps from the silicone long before they themselves would tear or give way.

The ball is a decent size, and is shaped to fit comfortably in most mouths. The gag can be worn without problems for relatively long periods of time (1-2 hours without breaks) unless you really strap the gag on tightly, or have TMJ or other similar jaw problems.

For an introductory, light-bondage gag, made of leather and pure silicone, the "Breathe Easy Ball Gag" performs relatively well. Perhaps the greatest feature of all (at least for us) is the "Breathe Easy" hole in the silicone ball. For years now I've had a problem with my sinuses, that can at times, make it difficult to breathe through my nose. We also know that there are many people who have similar problems. We often find that many gags leave me feeling uncomfortable and sometimes struggling to feel like I'm getting sufficient amounts of air when I'm "breathing heavily," and forced to do so through only my nose. With the "Breathe Easy" hole in this gag, the problem is simply non-existent. At no point when wearing this gag, do I ever feel like breathing is an issue. Bravo, Leatherbeaten!

Another great feature of this gag is the DROOL! And boy does she drool! Personally, we love the site of the glistening moisture building up on the lips, until it forms long, delicious, wet strands cascading uncontrollably from a sub's mouth. We've found the drool to be pretty much unstoppable with this gag, which is always a "plus" in our book.

As great as all of this is though, to be completely honest, the gag is not without its downfalls. The first of which is its security. When worn with the ball in its most accommodating anatomical position, it is fairly easy for the wearer to force the ball out of their mouth with nothing but their tongue. The real pity of it all, is that in order to make the ball secure enough that it cannot be forced out, the entire gag needs to be strapped down so tightly that the straps dig into the wearer's cheeks, and the ball sits way too deep in the wearer's mouth. Essentially, this setup DRASTICALLY reduces the amount of time the gag can be worn for, as your cheeks get pulled, and the ball sitting so deep in your mouth forces your jaw open much wider than is comfortable for prolonged periods of wear, causing soreness in a very short time-frame.

Finally, the "Conway Buckle." This is our first piece of BDSM gear to utilize this type of buckle. Essentially, the "Conway Buckle" is a simple metal bracket that you thread each section of the leather straps through, with a post in the middle. The post penetrates one of the holes punched on each strap, as one sits on top of the other. In theory, this buckle is a good concept, but we've found that this contraption is too easy to undo, and that there is more metal in contact with wearer using a "Conway Buckle," which can become uncomfortable depending on your positioning. In reality, it is more of a matter of personal preference, but we'd prefer a standard roller buckle.

Care and maintenance of this gag is very simple.

Because the leather straps are removable via the button-snaps, each portion of the gag can be cleaned or treated independently of the other. The silicone ball is non-porous, and able able to be sterilized. You can wash it in the sink with hot, soapy water, throw it in the top rack of the dishwasher, boil it, or even wipe it down with a 10% bleach solution. All of these options make for a quick and simple clean-up. The straps are leather so you can spot clean them with a damp cloth, and oil them over the years if necessary to keep them soft. Once cleaned, store the gag out of direct sunlight, and keep the silicone ball out of contact with other silicone toys.

This gag arrived in a simple clamshell type package, with tasteful graphics. None of the cheap, "porn-star" graphics smacked all over it, which is always a plus for us. Because the plastic of the packaging was not melted closed all around the edges, the package is easy to open and close, and we are still using it to store the gag in for the time being.