I received my super short (1-3/4 inch cage length) Jailbird from Mature Metal a few days ago and was happy to see the really excellent craftsmanship.
My review will be a "progressive" review in that I'll detail my observations about the Jailbird over a period of time. For people who dislike reading a lot of information, This first post will start with the TLDR version. Feel free to skip all remaining posts unless you are hungry for all the full details.
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The TLDR version of this review
First, a link to all the close-up photos in one of my member galleries here. Some of the photos have useful descriptive details, so open one and use the Photo Strip to navigate the others so you see the description text.
Don't waste time in trial and error with mass-market CB belts. Ultimately you'll save yourself time and money by going straight for a custom-fit device right from the get-go. I would have saved literally $600 US by going straight for a custom-fit device like the Jailbird instead of trying out one mass-market belt after another.
There are several custom-fit vendors throughout the world and I cannot compare and contrast them all. But I *can* recommend Mature Metal as being a first-class provider of custom-fit devices. Their designs are all functionally superb (and good function outweighs good looks when it comes to CB). Their workmanship and quality is superb. Their customer service is superb, their turnaround time is superb. Their prices are relatively low compared to all their competitors, and seem quite a fair value given the hand craftsmanship involved.
The Jailbird, when sized correctly, is as close to perfect as you can possibly get for practical, full-time 24/7/365 wear from a trapped-ball (base ring and cage) design. I've tried no less than four different mass-market products and none of them even come close. In fact, none of them were wearable for more than 1-3 days without causing significant hygeine/health and comfort issues. The Jailbird, by contrast, I was able to put on in literally 1 minute right after unpacking it (and washing it, lol) without any lube or struggle, slept like a baby, can wear it under even tight clothing without constant pinching and adjusting, get up and down from sitting or in/out of cars with no pinching, etc. 24 hours later, it's clear that this will never *require* being removed. No "break-in period" or needing my body to adjust to it. And the design of the Jailbird, in particular, allows for plenty of airflow and soap/water flow where needed to keep all the skin surfaces healthy, dry, and clean without needing to oil/lube "problem areas", poke around with Q-tips, etc. And no potential for funky smelling skin from surfaces that trap moisture.
I can unequivocably recommend both Mature Metal and the Jailbird design. The key, however, is to measure yourself correctly and here is where I feel a lot of people overestimate and misjudge things. Mature Metal is very good about correcting your measurement errors where feasible, and being reasonable with their adjustment costs, but errors in cage length and inside diameter are common from what I've seen on the forums and the cage is more difficult (and expensive) to rebuild accordingly. I got a perfect fit right on the first try, but I was very anal-retentive about my measurements and have a specific system for measuring. I recommend that you read up on my measuring system and consider my ideas and observations when measuring for your own custom device. I cover my measuring system here: BLAH BLAH.
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Goals of the full review
My real goal with this long, detailed review is to save other folks time and money in choosing and measuring for a trapped-ball CB device. I will provide *lots* of detailed information--and close-up photos--about the fit, feel, and quality of the Jailbird in general. And will also detail my specific technique for measuring for a perfect fit on the first try, and how well (or poorly) that measuring technique has turned out for me.
I've been through four other mass-market CB devices before the Jailbird, and every single one of them was painful, irritating, and literally impossible to wear full-time for more than a day or three at most before obvious hygeine/health and excessive pain issues would crop up. Specifically, they were the CB-n000, the Birdlocked, the Green's "RingMaster", and the Exobelt Extreme.
Now that I'm wearing my custom Jailbird, I am a total convert to the concept that a custom-fitted device is the only real enabler for full-time 24/7/365 chasity for many, if not most, of us. Had I known then what I know now, I could have saved literally $600 total by skipping all those other devices and going straight to a custom device like the Jailbird. If I can reduce/eliminate the same expensive trial-and-error for others, then I'm happy.
While the notion that custom devices are better isn't news to most of you, what might be new is my specific technique for measuring for a good fit with a custom device, 90% of which applies to any custom-fit device, with a few specific notes/tips for the Jailbird itself. That other thread also clearly explains why the standard mass-market devices tend to cause strong to severe "night pain" for many wearers, and why you don't need to put up with such pain at all to achieve a good fit. And for those who have ordered custom devices and had to go through a round of readjustments with the builder because it turned out too large even though you're certain you measured right, I'll explain why that happens and how to avoid it.
My review will be a "progressive" review in that I'll detail my observations about the Jailbird over a period of time. For people who dislike reading a lot of information, This first post will start with the TLDR version. Feel free to skip all remaining posts unless you are hungry for all the full details.
-----------
The TLDR version of this review
First, a link to all the close-up photos in one of my member galleries here. Some of the photos have useful descriptive details, so open one and use the Photo Strip to navigate the others so you see the description text.
Don't waste time in trial and error with mass-market CB belts. Ultimately you'll save yourself time and money by going straight for a custom-fit device right from the get-go. I would have saved literally $600 US by going straight for a custom-fit device like the Jailbird instead of trying out one mass-market belt after another.
There are several custom-fit vendors throughout the world and I cannot compare and contrast them all. But I *can* recommend Mature Metal as being a first-class provider of custom-fit devices. Their designs are all functionally superb (and good function outweighs good looks when it comes to CB). Their workmanship and quality is superb. Their customer service is superb, their turnaround time is superb. Their prices are relatively low compared to all their competitors, and seem quite a fair value given the hand craftsmanship involved.
The Jailbird, when sized correctly, is as close to perfect as you can possibly get for practical, full-time 24/7/365 wear from a trapped-ball (base ring and cage) design. I've tried no less than four different mass-market products and none of them even come close. In fact, none of them were wearable for more than 1-3 days without causing significant hygeine/health and comfort issues. The Jailbird, by contrast, I was able to put on in literally 1 minute right after unpacking it (and washing it, lol) without any lube or struggle, slept like a baby, can wear it under even tight clothing without constant pinching and adjusting, get up and down from sitting or in/out of cars with no pinching, etc. 24 hours later, it's clear that this will never *require* being removed. No "break-in period" or needing my body to adjust to it. And the design of the Jailbird, in particular, allows for plenty of airflow and soap/water flow where needed to keep all the skin surfaces healthy, dry, and clean without needing to oil/lube "problem areas", poke around with Q-tips, etc. And no potential for funky smelling skin from surfaces that trap moisture.
I can unequivocably recommend both Mature Metal and the Jailbird design. The key, however, is to measure yourself correctly and here is where I feel a lot of people overestimate and misjudge things. Mature Metal is very good about correcting your measurement errors where feasible, and being reasonable with their adjustment costs, but errors in cage length and inside diameter are common from what I've seen on the forums and the cage is more difficult (and expensive) to rebuild accordingly. I got a perfect fit right on the first try, but I was very anal-retentive about my measurements and have a specific system for measuring. I recommend that you read up on my measuring system and consider my ideas and observations when measuring for your own custom device. I cover my measuring system here: BLAH BLAH.
-------------
Goals of the full review
My real goal with this long, detailed review is to save other folks time and money in choosing and measuring for a trapped-ball CB device. I will provide *lots* of detailed information--and close-up photos--about the fit, feel, and quality of the Jailbird in general. And will also detail my specific technique for measuring for a perfect fit on the first try, and how well (or poorly) that measuring technique has turned out for me.
I've been through four other mass-market CB devices before the Jailbird, and every single one of them was painful, irritating, and literally impossible to wear full-time for more than a day or three at most before obvious hygeine/health and excessive pain issues would crop up. Specifically, they were the CB-n000, the Birdlocked, the Green's "RingMaster", and the Exobelt Extreme.
Now that I'm wearing my custom Jailbird, I am a total convert to the concept that a custom-fitted device is the only real enabler for full-time 24/7/365 chasity for many, if not most, of us. Had I known then what I know now, I could have saved literally $600 total by skipping all those other devices and going straight to a custom device like the Jailbird. If I can reduce/eliminate the same expensive trial-and-error for others, then I'm happy.
While the notion that custom devices are better isn't news to most of you, what might be new is my specific technique for measuring for a good fit with a custom device, 90% of which applies to any custom-fit device, with a few specific notes/tips for the Jailbird itself. That other thread also clearly explains why the standard mass-market devices tend to cause strong to severe "night pain" for many wearers, and why you don't need to put up with such pain at all to achieve a good fit. And for those who have ordered custom devices and had to go through a round of readjustments with the builder because it turned out too large even though you're certain you measured right, I'll explain why that happens and how to avoid it.