I'm finally down to the last piece from the lovely box of goodies that Tantus sent me over Christmas, their Ripple anal toy. It's one of those funny toys that's not quite a dildo, not quite a butt plug, and not quite anal beads, in fact it's quite similar to the Groove by Doc Johnson which I reviewed a little over 2 years ago, so expect some comparisons.
The Ripple is what I like to think of as a 3-in-1 toy, because while it doesn't neatly fit into any single category, it pulls design features from different sources to give this interesting fusion. It's a toy that's made very much with people who love texture in mind, and thankfully I count myself among them. If you're someone who's just getting into texture then conveniently the Ripple comes in two different sizes, intended to cater to your preferences and level of experience, but as you might expect I'm going to be looking at the large.
The shape of the Ripple can be summed up quite simply with the word "bumpy" because it exudes that on every level. It consists of a series of four balls, each with an ever increasing diameter, spaced out by short flat sections which also widen as you go down the length. It rather reminds me of one of these quirky Oriental skyscrapers, or a denuded artificial Christmas tree stood there without its branches. Despite bearing the suffix "large" it isn't actually that big of a toy, and it measures in at 6 1/2" of insertable length, with a circumference of 5 1/8" at the widest point.
Like all Tantus toys the Ripple is made of Tantus's own formula of 100% premium platinum silicone, which gives you all the usual benefits of being odourless, non-porous, completely body-safe, and sterilisable. As you'd expect from Tantus it's made to a very high standard and is defect-free, and the finish is smooth and shiny with minimal drag. The silicone has the same consistency as that of most Tantus products, so it has a good degree of flexibility and a little give in the surface when you squeeze it, but in terms of this particular product I actually find the silicone to be a little firm, and I'll explain why shortly.
When it comes to using the toy it's not really much of a surprise, because it feels exactly how you would expect it to from looking at the shape. The tip slips into the body nice and easily because it's no bigger than the size of a grape, and the next two bulges follow seamlessly as they gradually step up in size. The fourth bulge can be a little bit of a challenge at first, and not because of its size, but more because of the length of the toy. Once you have the first three bulges inserted, and are halfway down the fourth, the tip of the toy will be pressing right up against the top of the rectum, and in order to get that last bulge inserted the tip needs to turn a right angle and pass through an internal sphincter and into the sigmoid colon. This is something you can't do too quickly, so you have to slowly apply pressure and wait for it to pop in without causing any discomfort, but rather usefully the flat section above the bulge is a comfortable place to briefly pause before you give it a try. This is the area where I find it most useful to compare it with the Groove, because the Groove has a slightly smaller tip, and is made from a softer and more flexible silicone, so it's far easier to get it fully inserted. This is why I said earlier that I find the silicone in the Ripple to be a little too firm, because when you have a toy that needs to go that deep, and make that sharp of turn, something softer and more flexible is really preferable.
When the Ripple is fully inserted you get quite a full sensation, more so than with the Groove, but it is rather prone to slippage due to there not be a great difference in size between the largest bulge and the neck section above the base, so it's not ideal for wearing as a sort of deep plug. The sensation you get from the Ripple is very much anus-based; some textured toys work on the prostate, but the pleasure you get from the Ripple comes from the feeling of each bulge popping out of the sphincter as you remove it, just in the way that anal beads are enjoyed. It is quite an enjoyable sensation, especially with the larger bulges, and you can amplify this by thrusting with the Ripple as well, which gives a more intense feeling as you build up speed, due to how pronounced the bulges are. Thrusting with this sort of texture is much more pleasurable for me than say the Buck, which feels far more subtle. The only limitation you have with thrusting is that you can only really use the first three bulges, as the fourth can't be inserted at speed due to the depth issues I mentioned before.
I really do like like the Ripple, but then I took out the Groove to compare the two, and using them one after the other it became apparent that I actually prefer the Groove. The softer silicone and the slight differences in shape just make the Groove feel better for me during use. It flexes around more easily inside the body and feels a little more comfortable, while next to it the Ripple feels a little hard and less friendly on your insides.
If you're looking for an anal toy like this then I would still recommend the Ripple as being a good and enjoyable product, but if you have the option to pick up the Groove instead then personally that's the one that I'd be inclined to go for. It's pretty rare that I recommend something above a Tantus toy, but in this instance it just doesn't quite fulfil the brief as well as it could.
The Ripple is available directly from Tantus, and get 30% off in their Summer Sale with the code "WETNWILD"
It's also available from SexToys.co.uk
The shape of the Ripple can be summed up quite simply with the word "bumpy" because it exudes that on every level. It consists of a series of four balls, each with an ever increasing diameter, spaced out by short flat sections which also widen as you go down the length. It rather reminds me of one of these quirky Oriental skyscrapers, or a denuded artificial Christmas tree stood there without its branches. Despite bearing the suffix "large" it isn't actually that big of a toy, and it measures in at 6 1/2" of insertable length, with a circumference of 5 1/8" at the widest point.
Like all Tantus toys the Ripple is made of Tantus's own formula of 100% premium platinum silicone, which gives you all the usual benefits of being odourless, non-porous, completely body-safe, and sterilisable. As you'd expect from Tantus it's made to a very high standard and is defect-free, and the finish is smooth and shiny with minimal drag. The silicone has the same consistency as that of most Tantus products, so it has a good degree of flexibility and a little give in the surface when you squeeze it, but in terms of this particular product I actually find the silicone to be a little firm, and I'll explain why shortly.
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| My Ripple has the old-style thinner base |
When the Ripple is fully inserted you get quite a full sensation, more so than with the Groove, but it is rather prone to slippage due to there not be a great difference in size between the largest bulge and the neck section above the base, so it's not ideal for wearing as a sort of deep plug. The sensation you get from the Ripple is very much anus-based; some textured toys work on the prostate, but the pleasure you get from the Ripple comes from the feeling of each bulge popping out of the sphincter as you remove it, just in the way that anal beads are enjoyed. It is quite an enjoyable sensation, especially with the larger bulges, and you can amplify this by thrusting with the Ripple as well, which gives a more intense feeling as you build up speed, due to how pronounced the bulges are. Thrusting with this sort of texture is much more pleasurable for me than say the Buck, which feels far more subtle. The only limitation you have with thrusting is that you can only really use the first three bulges, as the fourth can't be inserted at speed due to the depth issues I mentioned before.
I really do like like the Ripple, but then I took out the Groove to compare the two, and using them one after the other it became apparent that I actually prefer the Groove. The softer silicone and the slight differences in shape just make the Groove feel better for me during use. It flexes around more easily inside the body and feels a little more comfortable, while next to it the Ripple feels a little hard and less friendly on your insides.
If you're looking for an anal toy like this then I would still recommend the Ripple as being a good and enjoyable product, but if you have the option to pick up the Groove instead then personally that's the one that I'd be inclined to go for. It's pretty rare that I recommend something above a Tantus toy, but in this instance it just doesn't quite fulfil the brief as well as it could.
The Ripple is available directly from Tantus, and get 30% off in their Summer Sale with the code "WETNWILD"
It's also available from SexToys.co.uk