Tulip plug by Tantus
Well it has finally happened, I’m giving a negative review to a sex toy other reviews seem to love, the Tulip small butt plug by Tantus. I can see the lure of the plug but some design choices ruin what could have been an otherwise great plug for me. What ruined this plug for me? Read ahead to find out.
The Tantus Tulip. Note: I bought this on closeout. The color in the screen shoot is "raspberry" a slightly different shade of pink then the retail pink.
Design and Dimensions
This toy starts out with a gradual taper that flares outward to its maximum diameter of 1.65” before tapering back down to its neck diameter of approximately .75”. This design emulates the shape of a tulip giving the toy its name. The toy has a total length of 4.25” with an insertable length of 3.75” and weights a little over 3 oz. The base is an hourglass design, which measures two and half inches across. Widthwise the hourglass base is about an inch and a half at the widest point of the hourglass and about an inch and 1/8 at the narrowest point of the hourglass. Lastly, this toy is available in three colors: pink, purple, and black and is also available in large.
*I should note that Edenfantasys has a different set of measurements for this plug. The diameter above is the one Tantus lists which I measured myself to confirm. The measurements for the large version of the plug also didn’t seem to line up with Tantus’s specs. I post this question on the forums 2 week ago and haven’t received a reply. Another reviewer did comment on inaccurate measurements for the large and the large version’s page has been updated however the small version is still showing an inaccurate diameter of 1.25.
Material: Cleaning and Safety Concerns
Like all Tantus toys (with the exception of their Alumina line), this toy is made of 100% platinum silicone. Silicone is hypoallergenic and free of phthalates or latex and is easy to clean. To clean the toy, just use some good old-fashioned hot soapy water or one of those newfangled toy cleaners if you prefer. If you are going to be sharing the toy, you must sterilize it between partners, that is easily done by: boiling the toy; cleaning it in a 10% bleach solution or putting it in the top rack of your dishwasher (without any soap.) The one down side to silicone is it doesn’t play well with silicone lubricants (they could damage the toy) stick to water based lubes (or at least do a test patch on the base of the toy to see if a reaction occurs).
Pleasure and Use
As I said above the toy does some have positives, which is what I’m going to start with. Firstly, the toy’s gradual taper out to its full diameter makes for easy insertion, (although the relatively quick taper down to its neck diameter might be a bit much for some). Once inside the toy provides a very nice feeling of fullness and the design of the toy means it will stay in place even during powerful orgasmic contraction if you enjoy using the toy during play. So far, the plug sounds good right? Well ,if the head of the plug is the tulip’s blossom and the neck its steam then this toy’s problem is in its roots, the base of the toy. As stated above this toy has an hourglass like base, this base creates four pressure points which are uncomfortable even for short term play wear and is a downright literal pain in the ass for long term wear. To compare the Tantus Ryder (which I recommend highly and have also reviewed) has a oval base to it. This isn’t the only hourglass base on the market (other hourglass base I’ve used: Severin (medium) and the new design of the little flirt), however this base is problematic as the difference between the widest and narrowest point of the hour glass is greater for this plug then for others. Example, by my rough measurements and calculations the difference is about 33% for this base vs. about 17% for the Severin (medium). Since this hourglass base is the toy’s major downfall, I’ve taken a picture of the base to illustrate the problem:
The Tantus Tulip's Base, note the pointy corners.
But wait it gets worse the bottom of the base also has a lip to it which makes the toy even pointer at its four corners adding to the problem even further. Looking at my other Tantus butt plugs (The Severin (medium), the Ryder and the little flirt(1) none of them have this lip to them. Here is pic to illustrate:
The Tulip's base. Note the lip.
Lastly, if you look at the pic you will notice it has a thick base. This also adds to the problem, because compared to other silicone plugs (such as the ones mentioned above) this makes the plug harder and more rigid and in the case of this plug this only adds to the “pointy, pokey, ouch!” factor. Although this base may appeal to those who fear the sides of more flexible base may increase the odd of the plug being sucked inside were it does not belong.
Who is it for?
Because this toy’s problem is all in the base for me, the biggest question is whether the base will bother you or not. If you think the base will not bother you then this may be a good plug for you. The other group this may work for are those that like to modify their toy, again if you can remove those pointy corners and make the base more rectangular or oval shaped you’d have a good plug on your hands. (and If I ever get around to taking an X-Acto knife to this I’ll make sure to post the results as a follow up) I’ve seen other reviewers suggest this as a beginner plug, I disagree. Although the plug is easy to insert, 1.65” is more then I’d recommend for a beginner and again; the base, one should probably have some experience with some more reliably comfortable bases (such of those of aforementioned Ryder or the Fun Factory Bootie for example) before trying out this design.
Packaging
I ordered this from Tantus direct so it came in their non-retail bags. Tantus’s usual retail packaging (and I don’t see any reason for this one to come in any thing different) is a clear plastic packaging that is tasteful but being clear is not very discreet and not a great choice for storage of the toy.
Closing Thoughts
If the base does not bother you then the tulip plug may work for you; however, the base was just too uncomfortable for me. The toy does squeak out two stars for the good head and neck design and for body safe silicone. I’d recommend the Ryder plug which I mentioned several times above as a good alternative.
Disclosure Statement: This toy was purchased by the review no compensations was given in exchange for this review. Review may contain affiliate links.
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- both the old and new design [↩]
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My Tulip plug lacks the lip that yours has on the base… I wonder why.
.-= Britni TheVadgeWig´s last blog ..Spiral Staircase =-.
I so completely agree about the corners! I have another model of Tantus with a smaller head but the same hourglass-shaped base, and I cannot count the number of times I’ve painfully pulled those corners out of my flesh during long-term wear. OUCH. It gets worse when I sit down. As an office worker, this means that it gets “worse” almost immediately. Again I say OUCH.
Great review!