Alternative approach

[KnownAsHerbert]

@slave d wrote (elsewhere) "You’re supposed to feel aroused, that’s the whole point"

Generally, over the last six and a half months since starting chastity, I have come to agree with this. It's especially true in my current cage, House of Denial S99 'Standard', which gets and keeps me hard multiple times per day.

However...

I want to propose that the Cobra, and specifically the Cobra Nub has other intentions.
I now believe that its whole design is based on preventing any feeling, sensations, and arousals.
That's why I called it the 'deep vacuum of space' among other variations on the same theme.

I believe that the Nub does what it does because it is (deliberately) smooth inside and very accurately shaped to match the head of the penis. Nothing rubs, presses, or stimulates. It just sits there and surrounds you. You only feel it during those involuntary erection attempts, usually at night.
A totally different approach but it does, of course, still do the same basic job (and very well too), just without the deliberate arousal.

That's my observation.
Anyone care to endorse or refute my assertion?

[Tongue+groove]

Been nubbed for several months now. I must agree with the deep vacuum of space analogy. For example I woke the other night aroused. Then had a sudden fear that my penis was missing. No joke here. I couldn’t feel it at all. I reached down with my hand to confirm it’s existence. Breathed a sigh of relief, got up went pee just to make sure it still worked.

Ok so the making sure it still worked was a little overblown. Point is I was confused as to how I was so aroused and couldn’t feel a thing.

I will also mention that taking the nub off for cleaning or Mrs. Grooves pleasure can be a bit stressful. It’s odd to feel something after several days of not feeling. So yes mr. Herbi I will confirm your description and challenge anyone out there to try it for two weeks.

Just my personal opinion.

[Curiousrk]

I’ve never been nubbed as Miss Emmie would say. In the months since you (Mr. Herbert) started describing the different feels of your four cages I’ve become more attuned to differences as I wear the Jail Bird.

Unlike you I really only have the one device. It’s not the “shorter is better” design. It’s the recommended length based on Mature Metal sizing instructions and phone discussion with them before ordering my custom size cage.

The cage itself is about 5/8 inch shorter than my measured length but it’s exactly the same inside diameter as my measured normal diameter. So it is designed by MM to literally “fit like a glove”. And it really does!!

Now for the base ring discussion. I measure as needing a base ring that is in between two Mature Metal base ring sizes. So, I have two. One is slightly smaller than my measurements and one is slightly bigger.

I have come to discover that when wearing the larger base ring the shaft is less pressed into the cage and I very much have a deep void of space sensation. I cannot feel my dick. I sometimes have the same feeling when not caged. Yet it’s on and locked and hugging my shaft with equal pressure all along the shaft and the tip is the same pressure also. My choice of underwear and the temperature of the environment I am in, also affects the feel. If it’s below about 72 degrees / 22 degrees the sack is tighter/higher and it affects the base ring which then affects the cage sensation. But all in all there is a deep vacuum of space feeling with the larger base ring more often than not.

With the smaller base ring on, even before attaching the cage I can see and feel that it squeezes my bits in a way that the shaft cannot retract at all back into my body. So it is all out in front. That means that when the cage goes in there is quite a bit of pressure on the head (I’m cut). This pressure is constant and noticeable all the time. I KNOW I am locked and restricted. But it’s not too small that it’s tough to pee, or otherwise function. I do need to make adjustments more frequently with the smaller base ring because my sack has less ability to move as the temperature changes. So I make adjustments to keep pinching and hot spots from forming.

I love the sensation of the small base ring. I can really feel like my dick is secured and straining against the front bars all the time.

I dislike the larger one because it creates the deep void feeling. Locked without the sensory benefits. But I love the larger one because it’s no muss no fuss. Just lock it and forget it. No adjustments. No need to remove to clean. Long term prison with the jail bird.

Depending on where I am in my cycle of days since orgasm the small one or the big one is preferred. Days since orgasm is key because I am super horny day 10 until about day 33 then it’s constant level, and the cage provides nice sensations without getting me all wound up and wanting to fuck anything round. The tighter one during this time, feeds my horny nature and allows me to feel like I am at least getting SOMETHING even if that something is just some basic pressures in my dick. Better than the deep space sensation of the larger ring. And better than no tease at all.

The larger one during the horny time drives me more crazy because I get nothing at all. Not even a little tease from the cage. It puts me in the Herbert void. (The deep space chastity void has been named The Herbert Void??!! -at least in my mind)

The larger one after the horny spell is nice because it goes on easier and weather is getting chilly so more room for the balls to move with cooler temperatures.

So after putting all these thoughts on the screen I think that I agree to some extent cage design does affect sensation of the cage. But I also believe that such a small change like base ring size, temperature, and underwear choice can also lead to a locked male entering into The Herbert Void also regardless of what the cage manufacturer was trying to accomplish. It’s so personal to each individual cock.

How to get to the Herbert Void has been an enjoyable process of discovery for me. Now that I’m aware of it, I wonder if it will affect my decision on which base ring to use?!?! My KH has little interest in this day to day type discussion. She’s more bigger picture that I’m a better person when locked.

I believe that if I had a KH tuned into my chastity so closely, like Miss Emmie, that I may not share this for fear the journey into the Herbert Void for her enjoyment and at my expense would be a regular occurrence!

[KnownAsHerbert]

The Herbert Void!
I feel like I've made it into the world at last, to have a void named after me. Just like Pluto had a radioactive element named after it.
Anyway, yes, it's already clear that the deep void (or vacuum) of space, henceforth known as the Herbert Void is real and others know what I mean.
We're getting some good terms and phrases. The Nub: Locked without the sensory benefits. That's a good one. Miss Emmie will like that.

And as for the term 'nubbed' well, yes, Miss Emmie uses that word to describe me when she has me, ermm, nubbed!
I'm not convinced that I like that word as much as the Herbert Void but I'm not complaining.

Even the penis missing thing has been named somewhere in the forums too. I think it was called the Absent Cock Syndrome.

Back to the question of design intentions, I guess we don't know, but it does feel to me that the makers of the house of Denial thing intended their device to deliberately arouse and the Cobra aims to do the opposite and deprive the wearer of all sensations.
But as @Curiousrk says: It’s so personal to each individual cock. (and other factors such as temperature)

They are both evil in their own separate (and opposite) ways.

So following this mornings discussion, I know I have another week of enhanced stimulation and unavoidable arousal. After that I might be nubbed again and be in the Herbert Void. Who knows? Miss Emmie I guess.

[KHEmmi]

Interesting.
My mind is working on it...

[KnownAsHerbert]

Interesting.
My mind is working on it...

Oh dear...

[KHEmmi]

Ok I have thought and here are my thoughts.

First though, that “Oh deal...” from Herbi has just earned him the ouchy stick before bed tonight.

But anyway, when I first read Herbi's post I decided that it was complicated to answer but then found myself awake in the night thinging about it.
It must have been on my mind.

It seems we need to separate two things.
First there's arousal and second there's everything else.

By everything else I mean erection, sexual activity, climax and for want of a better word, recovery.

Any good cage that it properly fitted to the man should take care of the “everything else” bit so we're left with arousal.
I'm not ruling out sexual activity for men that are caged.
Herbi takes part in a lot of sexual activity while caged. It just doesn't involve using his penis.

So putting 'everything else' to one side, I thought about arousal and what causes it. There are many causes.
1. Physical contact (self, others, or incidental such as clothing)
2. Sensual (setting, visual stimulus, etc.)
3. Mental (thoughts, imagination, memories)
4. Spontaneous (such as nocturnal erections and others for no known reason)
5. The cage itself (?)

So a good properly fitted cage should prevent erection in all these cases, but the only cause of the underlying arousal it can hope to prevent is No. 1, the physical contact.
Some cages score more highly in this than others.
The more open style, such as the steel that Herbi is wearing now, does allow some contact because the gaps in the bars are wide enough for a little stroking, but not enough to be fulfilling. The middle-sized closed in cage prevents this entirely.

Given that a cage doesn't prevent any other sources of arousal (You're supposed to get aroused, that's the whole point) I arrived back at Herbi's original question, or a variation of it.
In fact it leads to two separate questions.

1. Does the Cobra style deliberately attempt to cause the “Herbert Void” and reduce at least one source of arousal? A kind of denial at source, so to speak.

2. And also, do other cages deliberately attempt to increase sensation to cause more frequent arousal than would otherwise occur? In other words, drive him crazy.

Based on Herbi's recent experiences, I think the answer to both of these questions is 'Yes' but I could be mistaken. After all I am not the wearer of the cages!
Perhaps Herbi should answer these two questions, as I've phrased them, himself.
But Like he said somewhere, there are evil minds at work if I'm correct.

Herbi accuses me of over-thinking, over-analysing, being obsessed with numbers and facts, etc.
Maybe my mini essay here has proved him right, but I just couldn't sleep without trying to get to the bottom of his question. And now I've written it all down.
Now, where's that cane?

[Tongue+groove]

After all I am not the wearer of the cages!

This morning while helping in the kitchen I bumped the counter top with the cage. I felt the contact but didn’t ‘feel’ anything. This caused me to wonder how to explain the herbi space to a non cage wearer.

Think about wearing well fitted leather gloves without the fingers. Like bicycle gloves or good driving gloves. You know your holding the steering wheel but you can’t feel it with your palm. But you can feel it with your fingers. So like with the cage you know things are touching your penis, but you can’t feel them. But your balls still feel everything. Maybe that why a good ball massage feels so good.

Slipping the gloves off is a lot like taking the cage tube off. It feels good to stretch and feel every molecule of air.

And for what ever reason you can’t wait to get back in herbi space.

[TwistedMister]

So a good properly fitted cage should prevent erection in all these cases, but the only cause of the underlying arousal it can hope to prevent is No. 1, the physical contact.
Some cages score more highly in this than others.
The more open style, such as the steel that Herbi is wearing now, does allow some contact because the gaps in the bars are wide enough for a little stroking, but not enough to be fulfilling. The middle-sized closed in cage prevents this entirely.

Given that a cage doesn't prevent any other sources of arousal (You're supposed to get aroused, that's the whole point)

I still have my first and only cage, the CB-3000, which is more than 20 years old at this point. At my smallest, I don't completely fill it, so there is enough room to allow for some movement, which I can feel. Feeling the movement, reminding me that I am caged, can cause arousal, along with the other causes.

There is enough room to allow an erection to start, but it can only go so far before it gets restricted, which reminds me that even though I am aroused I can't do anything with it. That reminder causes me to become more aroused, which causes more pressure, which causes more arousal, like an increasing feedback loop. I know that if it keeps going it will be...uncomfortable...even painful (especially if pleasuring Mrs. Twisted) and that knowledge causes even more arousal. Even something as simple as bringing Mrs. Twisted a cup of coffee or giving her a foot massage can cause arousal and start the cycle.

If I am not aroused, Mrs. Twisted enjoys rubbing my balls and teasing, starting the cycle so that she can watch me straining against the restriction of the cage.

I don't think that not being able to feel anything would work for us, being somewhat masochistic the partial erection getting forcefully stopped turns *me* on; and Mrs. Twisted is turned on by being able to cause it, watching me strain and struggle, enjoying my frustration in not being able to do anything with it until and unless she allows it.