The Small Cone (from the Tantus XL Toys line) is probably one of the most difficult toys to review I’ve ever owned. And that’s not because I dislike it—I don’t! Instead, it’s because the things I normally point to in a review—like texture or internal stimulation—don’t really apply to the Cone. It is, as the name suggests, a cone. It feels exactly like you’d expect a cone to feel when inserted.
However, one of the benefits of having sat on this review for a while (sorry SheVibe!) is that I’ve not only experimented with using the Small Cone while note taking for reviews, but also had the time and opportunity to reach for the Cone when having sex or masturbating in my own time. And it was when thinking about when and why I’ve reached for the Cone off the clock (as it were) that I figured out the main points of what I wanted to say about it. While I still don’t have a huge amount to say about the sensation of the Cone when it’s inserted, I do still have a lot to say about the design of the Cone, what excited me about it in the first place, and when and how I’ve ended up using it.
The Small Cone
The Small Cone isn’t as big as the Large Cone in the same XL line, but it still isn’t a small toy by many people’s standards. With a total length of 8 inches and a diameter of between 0.7 and 2.25 inches, it’s a hefty chunk of silicone. The silicone finish is matte, and is both firm enough that I have no trouble with insertion (unlike the super plush silicone of the most recent anal toy I’ve reviewed, the Oxballs Ergo) and squishy enough that it doesn’t feel uncomfortable.
The matte texture doesn’t feel rough in use, but I would recommend using a thicker lube.
The Cone comes in two colours—Byron Black and True Blood Red—and both are available for $44 from SheVibe. While I’m happy with the True Blood Red of my Cone, I’d love to see some of Tantus’ more bright and fun colours on these toys.
While ‘affordable’ is a relative concept (and I’m aware that $44 is still out of some people’s budgets), I’m excited to see more body safe large toys, especially at more affordable prices. In a discussion about safe sex toy materials I had with some friends a while ago, they pointed out that large silicone sex toys can be financially inaccessible to a lot of people, which is why they may choose rubber or other unsafe materials. I think that was a really good point, and it’s why I was excited to see the cone available for $44.
Using the Small Cone
I’ve mentioned what I didn’t use the cone for—sensation while inserted—but what did I use it for? Primarily, stretching up for other kinds of sex or for other toys.
I don’t want to discount that a lot of what I enjoy about anal sex is the stretch of my butthole itself, rather than any kind of internal stimulation, so while the Cone doesn’t have any curve or texture to it, I still enjoyed using it. However, I found what kept drawing me to the Cone was prep for other kinds of penetration, especially when I used the Small Cone during partnered sex. The gradual increase in girth makes stretching up with the Cone much more comfortable and easy than switching between toys of different girths, although I found I did have a limit to how much I could take in terms of length. While the Small Cone is a little too small for warmup for fisting, it worked really well as warmup for anal sex, as well as for larger toys. The base is firm enough that I was able to ride the Cone hands free with it remaining steady, although I tended to use it lying down because I am far too often a very lazy masturbator.
I do want to add a caveat that the Cone does not really stay in place by itself once inserted. If you’re looking for something you can wear like a plug, the Cone is not that (and despite my earlier snark, I genuinely would recommend the Oxballs Ergo). It’s definitely a ‘squat over or hold in’ kind of toy, and I found that it did start to slowly slip out if I just left it in while lying down. But if you’re prepping for other kinds of penetration that are imminent, that’s not an issue.
Conclusion
I think the Tantus XL Small Cone is fantastic if you’re interested in a very specific type of toy for a very specific reason. If you’re looking for a toy that will give you a lot of internal stimulation, it’s not the one. But if you’re looking for a large anal toy that will just create the feeling of being full and stretched or want help stretching out for larger toys, then it works really well. If you’re specifically looking for a toy to help you stretch out for fisting, it might be a bit on the small side (depending on the size of your partner/s’ hands), but there’s always the Large Cone if that’s what you’re specifically looking for.
Buy the Tantus XL Toys Small Cone for $44 from SheVibe
This product was sent to me by SheVibe, in return for a fair and impartial review. Affiliate links were used in this post.
