The medium Tantus Silk is the perfect anal toy for warming up or for beginners new to anal stimulation. It has a large flared base, which prevents it from completely passing through the anus. In addition, the flared base provides a nice handle for using it solo. It has a slight curve that corresponds with the curve of the rectum, ensuring smooth insertion. This is the first toy I use to penetrate myself when masturbating anally, since it has a rather small size and no bumps or ridges. The head is not bold, the shaft is not too thick or long, and the texture is silky smooth. However, because the medium Silk is on the small side, it will not stimulate the P-spot nor give you a feeling of fullness.

The Silk is made of 100% platinum medical-grade silicone. That means it's hypoallergenic, phthalate free, sanitize-able, and simply overall the safest material you could insert in your body. It has absolutely no smell, and it's incredibly easy to clean.

Tantus Silk is a non-realistic toy, though it clearly looks like a dildo. It has a smooth cylindrical shape with a rounded tip. The tip isn't necessarily tapered with a pointy head, but the roundedness of the head and the smaller size make it incredibly easy to penetrate with. It is in no way bold (unlike the head of the Large Silk). It's very firm to the touch, but obviously not as firm as plastic. It has just a little bit of give, and it will bend if you try to bend it, but it retains its shape and form when inserting. It does not easily bend the opposite way of the curve, as much as I tried. These attributes make it a very top-quality dildo.

When inserting, you will notice that the Silk feels silky smooth. Thrusting in and out will feel fluid, even in a tighter ass. The silky smooth texture and the absence of any bumps or ridges makes this absolutely perfect for beginners. The size is not at all intimidating. I personally believe that the Small Silk would just be too small (comparable to the size of a finger). However, you should choose the size you feel more comfortable with, especially if it's your first time penetrating yourself. Of course, you must use a lubricant when stimulating anally.

I had been previously using the Tantus Acute for initial penetration and warming up. Over time, I began to really despise the bold, pronounced head and the ridges on the shaft. It's not a good warm-up toy. This compelled me to purchase the Silk. I love the shape of this dildo. It's so simplistic and not intimidating at all. It feels incredibly comfortable in my butt, whether I'm making slow in-and-out motions, thrusting hard, or simply leaving it in there for my ass to get used to. The 1.1 inch diameter of this toy and the 5.25 length is also great. Also, as I mentioned previously, the curve matches the curve of the rectum (I inserted it lying on my abdomen, legs spread, and with the curve pointing upwards). I can insert it all the way without feeling any discomfort.

Beginners will love it for its small size. Intermediate (me) to advanced users will appreciate its function as a warm-up dildo for bigger toys.

Everything is great about this toy. It performs as expected and delivers as it should. However, if you're not a beginner and are not looking for a warm-up toy, this toy will probably not satisfy. Personally, I typically do not use this toy to reach orgasm, as it's simply too small and unsatisfying for this function. The flared base is large enough to prevent it from completely passing through the anal sphincters, while also functioning as a handle.

The silicone will quickly absorb your body heat and will feel really nice inside you. It never feels cold when initially inserting.

I use this dildo solo, so I do not know how well it would perform if a partner used it with you or if you tried to use a harness. Sometimes I attempted to use the base as a suction cup. There was a little suction, even when I dabbled the bottom with water, but it will eventually lose its suction and is not a reliable way of using it hands-free. This is not entirely unfortunate since the Silk was not specifically designed to be used this way and was meant to be held. So if you're thinking you could stick it to the bathroom floor or the shower wall and ride it, it won't work.

Silicone toys are very easy to take care of. I simply wash it with hot water and anti-bacterial soap before and after I play with it, though you can sanitize other ways as well. The silicone will attract dust and hair, so make sure you don't wipe it with a paper towel after washing it since it will leave a residue all over it. Leaving it out for a few minutes should leave it dry. Alternately you could hold it out in front of a fan for quick drying (yes, I know it may sound weird). Once I'm done drying it, I place it in a medium-sized Ziploc bag. This is much easier than taking it in and out of the plastic box it came in (and it keeps it fresh :)). I keep all of my toys in separate bags in a small, discreet safe.

Almost any water-based lubricant will be appropriate. Personally, I use Cal Exotics Anal Lube (non-scented); it's thick, longer-lasting than most water-based lubes, and it's smooth; it almost has a gel-like consistency. However, you can also use Pjur Original Bodyglide Super Concentrated. This is a silicone lubricant that is compatible with Tantus' platinum silicone, the very silicone lube that Tantus recommends for use with their toys. Of course, I first applied a small amount to the base to look for a chemical reaction. Alas, there was no reaction to my relief! I was very excited because silicone lube is slick and does not dry out.

Remember that before you begin to penetrate, make sure you apply a liberal amount of lube to both the dildo and your anus. If you thrust it in and out a little bit and notice there isn't much lube on the shaft anymore, reapply more.

The Tantus Silk comes in the standard Tantus packaging: a small, translucent plastic box with red accents and writing in white. You can clearly see the dildo through the box, so it's quite indiscreet (however, if you buy it from Amazon.com, they will wrap the box in a black or white cellophane wrapping, keeping it discreet).

There are no instructions included. As I mentioned previously, the box really isn't best for use as a storage box for your toy. I tried it for a while, but I found it immensely exasperating.

I love this toy so much! It does exactly what I want it to do: it makes initial penetration silky smooth and easy. It prepares me for larger dildos and plugs. However, I should mention that the Medium Silk alone would not suitably warm me up for a dildo as large as the Large Silk. That's a big jump in diameter.

Beyond a warm-up toy I do not find the Medium Silk to be too fulfilling. However, if I'm in the mood for a quick anal session and don't want to spend the time warming up for larger toys, the Medium Tantus Silk is perfect. It requires no prior preparation and is a breeze to clean.

After warming up with the Medium Silk by using slow in-and-out motions, I use a Medium Pop Plug by Doc Johnson (it's identical to the Plug of Lust and is 1.25 inches in diameter) to further prepare my butt. The Pop Plug pops in with ease. After that I use the Tantus Ryder plug to warm-up for dildos 1.5 inches in diameter. This steady and gradual increase in diameter is essential when masturbating anally. A sudden increase in size may be painful and even harmful. Always remember that you're making love to your butt, not punishing it, so treat it with gentleness.