A218 and A223 Chinese cages

I have decided to put something together for a pair of Chinese cages that I bought from DHGate, but could equally have come from various other sources. I have not seen these reviewed here so far. These are numbered on some of the web sites as A218 (www.dhgate.com/product/2016-latest-design-medium-male-stainless/388566129.html), the shorter of the two models, although it could be described as medium as there are shorter versions and A223 (www.dhgate.com/product/stainless-steel-chastity-device-cage-pa-lock/379931268.html), the longest member of the family.


Firstly, to cover why I bought these two cages. I had previously bought another of the common cages, sometimes called the A274 (www.dhgate.com/product/stainless-steel-stealth-lock-male-chastity/402747633.html) with the shaped base ring and a ring style tube. I could wear this reasonably well and comfortably, it was about the right length and I found that the 50mm ring was comfortable if a little loose. However, the inside diameter of the cage is only 32mm, I am somewhat larger than this flaccid, which meant it was a hassle getting it on and as everything was so tight inside, cleaning things was not easy, I was always in tight contact with the bars.


Therefore, I looked around for something with a larger inside diameter that was cheap that I could try in an attempt to see if something larger was better for me. I plan on getting something custom made and wanted to try things out first. However, it was not easy finding Chinese cages larger than 32mm diameter apart from the ones that look plated / chromed finish. After some time I found the A218 and A223 cages that are 35mm inside diameter and claimed to be stainless steel, plus they use the integrated lock, which I happen to like. In the initial viewing I was not sure about the pepper pot design of the end of the cages, but as these are cheap ones for testing, I could manage. I bought two devices, one is shorter than my first cage and one is longer, unluckily there is nothing between these two to match the length I would ideally like. This also gave me the chance to get a 45mm and a 50mm base ring to try both as per nicoftime’s cage sizing recommendations, and it is actually cheaper to get a second whole cage rather than just a single ring at times.


The longer A223 turned up first and my first thought on seeing it was gulp, it is huge, the cage is 100mm (4”) long, more than I really need. What makes it appear so huge (see the photo comparing it to the A274) is that fact that the cage rings are from 5mm rod, so they are 45mm outside diameter. The A274 is 32mm inside diameter, but the rings are only 2mm thick, giving 36mm outside diameter. The second thing I found was the weight, it weighs 270g compared to 170g for the A274. The base ring is an equally sturdy 8mm diameter, meaning it grips well without too much pressure due to the larger contact area. Despite these initial thoughts, I decided to put it on, and when it is on it looks like a serious bit of kit and I found it comfortable. The welds have all been ground smooth, some of them may not look great but there were no rough spots. The pepper pot head is quite thick, I have not been able to measure it, perhaps 2.5mm or 3mm. The holes are all chamfered on the inside so there are no sharp corners. By using a stocking I could get my flaccid member to fill to almost the end of the cage, but I was not pressed hard into the end. After some time, I shrunk back a bit. Erections have not been painful because the rings are large diameter there is no pinching or sharp corners as you expand a little between the rings. I went to the gym in it and with supportive underwear the workout went well including cycle, cross trainer and treadmill and despite the size was not noticeable under baggy shorts. The only problem came when I went into the sauna (with baggy swimming trunks on). When I sat down on the wooden bench there was a noticeable solid clunk as the device is so curved and long that the pepper pot head meets any seating surface. Luckily I was the only one in at the time. The central hole in the end cap is quite large so I never had any problems urinating in the device and everything could drain out OK. The metal is dull finished rather than highly polished, hence it is definitely not chrome plated. The steel is partially magnetic which probably means that it is quite a low grade stainless steel, so far there are no signs of any corrosion, but time is required to fully confirm this.


A few days later the A218 arrived (I had bought from 2 separate suppliers to get the cheapest of each version), luckily this weighed just over 200g and was less intrusive. It has the same 5mm rings on the cage and 8mm base ring. When I put this on I found that as expected it was a bit shorter than the A275 and I filled right up to the end. This did not bother me too much as there is a lot about benefits of short cages. However, after a few hours I started to find that the end of my urethra was getting a bit sore from rubbing on my underpants. The central hole in the pepper pot is quite large, and with being pushed against the end of the cap I found that I was protruding. Other than this, the comfort level was as for the A223 and was acceptable.


After a few days use and taking them on and off to try the different base rings and cages I found that as with many of these devices, it is possible to pinch some skin in the locks, both during fitting and during wear as there is some movement between cage and base ring. I have reduced this somewhat by pinching up the cut rings that accommodate the lock barrel so that there is less free play.


My view is that these are reasonably comfortable devices; they have some the usual drawbacks of the cheap devices plus they are heavier than average. I really like the solid look of them, you know you are locked up with one of these on. I am not too keen on the pepper pot head in a short cage, but it works OK on the longer cage. A cage somewhere between the two in length would be an ideal fit for me, perhaps I will look into taking one or two rings out of the longer one. In terms of using them as a cheap source of a 35mm inside diameter cage for testing, then they have fit the bill perfectly.

 

I have persevered with the longer A223 cage after bending it so it was less curved and therefore on average shorter and more suited to my length, it is perhaps still a little bit longer but not by much and with the rings closer together there is less swelling when trying to become erect and also, I feel that I am now more isolated from stimulation. It is certainly now less bulky than it was and the end of the cage does not bang onto hard surfaces when I sit down. However, having something 45mm diameter (1 3/4") in my trousers is still somewhat noticeable. I am also beginning to appreciate that stuffing a 36 to 38mm flacid cock into the smaller 32mm inside diameter cages was never going to work long term and this 35mm cage is certainly better, still not sure if it will be entirely acceptable long term.

 

After longer term use I remain happy with the longer cage after I made it shorter. It is comfortable to wear long term and I have got used to the weight of it, which has surprised me, even during the night without any support from underwear. The closed pepper pot head is a source of extreme frustration as I can not get any stimulation on the end of my cock. I still need to use the stocking method to get into the cage as when flaccid I am slightly larger in diameter, but once in it is comfortable and there is no room for growth in width or length. The steel of the cage remains a slightly dull surface and shows no signs of tarnish ing. The only downside is that as I fill the cage is that swear can build up at the bottom, which has a strip of steel, which reduces air circulation in this area. This means frequent cleaning is required.

The purchase has been successful and has met my goal of a cheap cage that I can wear long term to provide confirmation of my sizing. I will continue to use this cage while I sort out a custom device. I will look into a cage that is more open for improved hygiene without removal and that has less bulk and weight. I do like the look of the Beast Muzzle by Rigid Chastity.

 

I have continued to wear these cages but swapped to the shorter one, which I bent to make it slightly longer. in the end the longer one was too heavy and quite noticeable in my jeans. I had my longest lock up ever of 10 days in the shorter one. However, I found that during this lock up, after 2 days it started smelling quite gunky and I had to remove for frequent cleaning, which was a bit of a hassle to keep asking for keys for release. Even with frequent cleaning, the cage still retained some odour, even with daily removal. I also found that my skin was getting sore on the underside of my cock which goes against the closed part of the cage where all the rings bunch together, but not on the sides or top. In the end, I have decided that this cage is not ideal for long term use.

As I have something that is currently doing a vastly better job (lighter, more comfortable, much more hygienic) I cut the shorter cage in half. This showed that there was a large crevice formed between the rings and the strip of steel on the underside and this is somewhere that would be hard to clean out unless you perhaps have pressure washing equipment. This was probably allowing a build up of crud / bacteria, hence the smell and perhaps the skin irritation. Therefore, this is a word of caution on this type of device, great for short term play but not for long term use.