The Throb is a very nice, semi-realistic dildo from Tantus. It's sexy looking, sexy feeling, and, well...just pretty damn sexy all around! I love the color, the size, the velvety feel of the silicone, and, for the most part, the insanely raised veins. Of course, one of my favorite things about it is that it's 100% silicone, so it's super safe and body friendly, and it can be completely sterilized. It also has a flared base, so it can be used anally or with a harness. Here's a side view of the Throb.

The Throb is made of velvety 100% silicone, which means it feels amazing and is as safe as it gets. This particular silicone is not sticky; it is smooth and velvety with just the right amount of drag. There is no odor to it, that I noticed, and no taste at all. It's not slick or shiny, except for the bottom of the base, and has a nice, matte black look to it. It does attract dust, lint, hair, and all sorts of other little bits and pieces quite well, so it can take a little care during cleaning and storage to make sure it stays pristine. The bottom will get, or at least look, even more linty, since it's shiny and very slightly stickier seeming. Here's a picture of the bottom of the base. Because it's this wonderful silicone, it's hypoallergenic, non-porous, phthalates free, and latex free. It's safe for anyone to use, and it can be fully sterilized, at which point it's safe to share. The Throb is awesome with some lube; it takes more than a slicker toy would, but once it's lubed up, it's slick but still has some of that great drag to it. This toy can only be used with water-based lube, though. Silicone lubes do horrible things to silicone toys, so I wouldn't recommend trying it.

This dildo has a very nice curve to it and very raised veins all over it. This makes it only semi-realistic for me, because, come on. Nobody has veins THAT huge. It is 5 3/4" long, with 5" insertable. It's 1 1/4" in diameter, 4" in circumference, and weighs about half a pound. As you can see in this picture, the head is slightly larger than the shaft, but it's not too large.

I found the Throb to be a good length and girth, and the curve lends itself to decent g-spot stimulation. It's bendy, yet firm, and somewhat squishable without being soft and floppy; I can bend it in half with little effort, as seen here. The base is pretty easy to hold onto during play, but I find it easier for my partner to thrust it since it doesn't stick out very far and strains my arms to hold. The only problem I had was that the veins are actually a bit too pronounced for my tastes.

I like a little texture, but this is a bit too much and can be uncomfortable at times. When I used it vaginally at the same time that I used my Sexy Spades small plug, it made me a little tighter, so the veins were very uncomfortable, to the point of slight pain and my having to remove the plug to continue. Aside from this, it's pretty good at stimulating my g-spot, and feels filling without being overwhelming.

I also used this dildo anally, though just once for the purpose of a thorough review. It went in fairly easily, though it would have been easier if the head weren't so blunt. I had no trouble keeping it in, but I have a feeling moving around a lot would slide it out. The veins weren't a problem here, and the flared base is bendable enough to make it fairly comfortable; it didn't dig into my cheeks. I only tried it anally once, mostly because I have a very sensitive backdoor. As in, lubes with any kind of parabens or glycerin, like all my water-based lubes, irritate me and give a very unpleasant burning sensation. Silicone lube doesn't affect me this way, but again, silicone lube and silicone toys don't mix. So I had to deal with some burning...for science! If I was able to use the Throb more comfortably anally, I think this is where it would really shine. It's a great size and shape for anal play.

The Throb is silicone, so it can be cleaned in a number of ways. It can be washed in warm, soapy water, wiped down with some toy cleaner, washed in the dishwasher (top rack, no soap). If you want it really, really clean and sterilized, it can be wiped down with a 10% bleach solution or boiled for 3 minutes. I suggest taking some time when cleaning this toy, though. The raised veins tend to collect gunk pretty well, and it takes some time and effort to really get in between all the nooks and crannies and get it all off. Because this toy collects lint like nobody's business, you should definitely dry it with some sort of lint-free cloth and store it somewhere where it can't pick up fuzzies. I store mine in a plastic baggie, and that works well enough.

This toy does tend to retain odors for a bit, especially if used anally. It can help to boil or bleach it, and I usually let mine sit outside it's baggie to kind of air out after I wash it. If it's odor-free but has picked up some fuzzies, I rinse it again, dry it, and store it.

The Throb comes in a clear, plastic box that says "Tantus" on all sides and "100% Ultra-Premium Platinum Silicone" down the front, as shown here. It says that it's "Non-Toxic, Hypoallergenic, Phthalate Free" and has some other information on the back, shown here. The Throb is inside another, form-fitting clear plastic case inside the box. The box could be used for storage, I suppose, but I prefer a baggie since it takes up less space and works just as well. It's not discreet, considering it is see-through and says "The World's Best Soft Toys for Adults" on the front, so I wouldn't keep the package in plain sight. My box is also coming apart on one side, so it wouldn't hold up well, either. The package is recyclable, however, so don't feel bad about getting rid of it.

My boyfriend enjoys using this toy on me because the base if fairly easy to hold onto. He gets paranoid about life-like dildos, too, but he's okay with this one. It doesn't resemble a real penis enough for him to feel threatened (even though he shouldn't be in the first place), and it's not huge, so he isn't afraid I will like it more than him (again, silly).

I have used this toy in several ways, but I think the way it works best for me is when I'm lying on my back with no butt plugs or anything in my ass. I have tried it during double penetration, with my boyfriend in my ass, but it is just too textured to be comfortable that way.