Can anyone with experience with both comment on the difference in material. Specifically the flex of the ring? That's the main thing that has kept me from buying the real one. The knockoffs have flex in their ring allowing the balls to slip out. Currently using a plastic knockoff nub with a metal ring which has solved that flex but I want to try all plastic.
Plastic isn't so good for many reasons... It gets more humid inside, so cleaning has to be every couple of days otherwise it smells and you get sore. This is worse for plastic than steel because steel being a stronger material doesn't need to be as large as plastic does, so your skin is usually much more enclosed when in plastic. Unlike steel which conducts heat away, plastic is also an insulator, so you get a warmer microclimate which also encourages the bacteria to grow. Plastic being weaker, especially at the glued seams, can crack and split open. When that happens the risk of skin getting pinched is bad enough, and even worse when it happens in an inappropriate place and you can't immediately remove the device. The plastic used in chastity cages is porous, so no matter how much you try to keep it clean, it does stain and retain smells. The stainless steel used in cages is relatively soft, so it is possible to bend or squash parts to make them fit together more closely. I've done it with a number of steel cages. Just do small adjustments at a time until you get the desired result.
I agree with you. I am a big fan of steel in it's strength and practicality. However unless I want to swing the cash for titanium, steel is just too heavy and pulls on my PA.