I'm always on the hunt for a good cock ring, a good cock ring my pleasure, it can increase the duration of an erection, and it can help stimulate my partner in some of the right places. Our friends at the awesome Chicago sex positive erotic boutique Early to Bed gave me the Zero Tolerance Crossbones cock ring and decided to give it a look at see what it could do!
This packaging for the Crossbones cock ring bills itself as a powerful cross bullet vibration system, complete with a diagram of six ways of equipping yourself for pleasure. Materials for the cock ring include thermoplastic rubber (TPR) which is porous meaning this is not a toy meant to be shared with multiple partners without protection, and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (abs), and do not include phthalates or latex. The vibration system consists of two standard bullet vibrators and three holes in the cock ring, one at the top of the ring that sets up the bullet vibrator parallel to the shaft of the penis, and another two for the other bullet vibe running perpendicular to the penis. There are two nubs that jut out of the top of the cock ring that look a little like antenna, and a ball strap at the bottom.
The Crossbones has six suggested usage diagrams; extreme clitoral stimulation with ball strap, extreme penis stimulation with ball strap, both combined, intense clitoral stimulation, intense penis stimulation, and both of those combined. The difference between extreme and intense is a 180 rotation of the cock ring. Extreme clitoral stimulation runs the vibe along the shaft pointed directly at the clit while intense clitoral stimulation runs it parallel to the shaft right under the ball strap which would hit the clitoris. Extreme penis stimulation orients the cock ring's perpendicular vibe underneath the shaft, while combining both lends itself to some interesting sensations.
As just a cock ring without and vibrators this actually works out pretty well, it stretches as far as I want it to, I can guide it straight down the base of my shaft, it has a nice snug fit that doesn't move around with vigorous amounts of movement, and while I've never been able to get my balls successfully / comfortably into a ball strap this small, it does stretch far enough that if you do enjoy ball straps this will work. It's a tricky thing, both stretching the cock ring far enough to get it down your entire shaft while keeping the vibrator in the perpendicular orientation. The sides of the vibrator constantly slip out because you're stretching the cock ring. It takes some practice to get the orientation right but it's doable. This is something to practice before trying it out in the heat of the moment. Once the perpendicular vibe is in it pretty much stays in. The big problem is the parallel vibe orientation. The Cross Bones is not a thing or flimsy cock ring, but there just doesn't seem to be enough material at the top to hold the parallel vibe in unless you secure it half way through the hole. However, since these are fairly small vibrators, maybe about 2 inches long, they don't vibrate much of the cock when oriented perpendicular to the shaft and they have very little chance of actually reaching the clitoris.
There are, unfortunately, some significant issues in usage with the parallel vibe. In addition to it falling out constantly unless it's halfway into the cock ring itself (meaning you're losing some length especially because you really want to position cock rings right up to the base of the shaft of the penis) you lose a little length when doing so. It really only works for your partner mid thrust when you're, pardon the expression, balls deep in someone. During actual thrusting I found the parallel vibe is just long enough to get in the way (since it isn't meant to be inserted with this particular cock ring along with your penis) and not long enough to actually give a partner any real pleasure. I didn't really see any scenario where the parallel vibe works in partner play. The perpendicular vibe on the other hand does a good job of giving good vibrations both under and above the penis depending on the cock ring's orientation.
The vibrators themselves seem to have about ten different settings, with one button on the back you can cycle through low, medium, high, and multiple repeating patterns. The highest setting isn't incredibly intense but I don't think it's meant to be. Having a vibe strapped to your cock is about subtlety and I think these vibes do a good job of respecting that. I get anything from little shivers, to some positive numbing action at the higher settings for the base / underside of my shaft. I prefer the vibrator at the bottom, having it top side didn't do much for me but that will definitely vary between cocks.
My verdict: There are just a few too many downsides that prevent me from really recommend going out and purchasing this cock ring if you're really interested in partnered play. The usability issues with the parallel orientation of the vibrator make it both hard to use and don't lend it to stimulating a partner. However, if you're more interested in solo play, this may just be the cock ring you're looking for as it does -very- interesting things when everything is seated -just- right!
Full Disclosure: We did not purchase this product, it was sent to us specifically for review. Our policy is to, regardless of how we acquired a product, review it fairly and openly. No writer for Life On The Swingset will ever deliberately mislead our readers into believing that a product is good because of anything we received from the company. We are open and honest, and cannot be bought or bribed. If we love a product, we'll tell you, if we don't, BELIEVE us, we'll tell you that too. End disclaimer.
