ADS concerns

What should I look for when wearing an ADS? Like what are the warning signs that I am doing something wrong? I’ve started wearing an ADS today but I’m not sure if I’m wearing it right because it feels like my glans is being constricted when I wear it after vacuuming it. (Its a vacuum ADS). Is this feeling of my glans feeling squeezed normal or do I need to release some air?

Just keep an eye out for blisters. You might get occasional “raw” or sensitive spots where the opening of the bell rests. The surface of your glans might become rough or fissured; that’s common when starting out, but should get better. Keep it moisturized, and apply some water-soluble lube to your glans and the inside of the vacuum bell while installing. Try to keep the lube off everything else, or you might have trouble rolling the sleeve down.

What kind of lotion/moisturizer should I use? Also should I cut the sleeve if it is too long for my flaccid length? When do I know when I’m getting good suction on the glans? Also I have been having trouble inserting my glans into the bell due to the sleeve being in the way (I roll it up but sometimes its not enough and the opening is still too small), what do I do for that?

Everyone seems to have their own idea of what the best lotion in. Grab whatever’s close and see how it works for you. You don’t need much; put a dab on your finger, wipe some on your glans (not the shaft, you want to keep it away from the sleeve as much as possible to prevent slippage) and then inside the bell.

If the sleeve is long enough, you might cut in in half. After installing it on the bell, found that two inches on the shaft was enough to keep a seal. If your sleeve isn’t long enough to cut in half (most aren’t), the easiest thing is to just pull it up over the bell like a foreskin until the shaft part is the right length. As long as you can get to the air fitting on the end of the bell it doesn’t matter if the sleeve is long.

If you wind up shortening the sleeve, cut it carefully with sharp scissors and keep the cut-off piece to make “girth bands”, or to roll across the opening of a pump tube to make a soft seal. (also, when sleeves get old and tear, do the same with the untorn parts)

If you just roll the bottom of the sleeve up to shorten it, you’re adding more compression to at the base of the shaft; a stretchy cock ring, basically. That’s not necessarily a problem, but it’s hard to monitor skin color through the sleeve, and though some glans caps are clear, your glans will probably change color under vacuum anyway. If you decide to roll the sleeve up, I recommend removing the ADS at, oh, 15 minutes to take a look and check circulation, then extend the interval 5 minutes at a time.

The bell should more or less fit your glans. They’re typically available in three diameters; 33, 35, and 38mm are common. Different vendors may have other sizes. For a proper fit, your corona should be inside the bell (it’s OK to push it) and it should basically be airtight. Since the bells come in coarse sizes you’ll probably have some air gap. Air inside the bell means you’ll have to pump the air out a couple of times as your glans swells to fit. If you try to stretch or hang with air space, you might get a blister instead of edema. You might have to wait until your glans is fully filling the bell before you put a load on the device; I had to experience that lesson twice before I learned. (I blister easily; some guys appear to not have any problem)

Most instructions tell you to “roll the sleeve up over the bell.” I have a collection of sleeves and bells, and it’s not possible with any combination of parts I have. I can fold the sleeve up twice. Three is possible with a couple of combinations, but it’s so tight and takes so much effort it’s not worth the hassle. So the first fold puts the base up to the opening of the bell, and the second fold puts it over the bell. You need the opening of the bell to be mostly unobstructed.

For a completely unobstructed opening, you can just push the bell down over the glans. Try the pump or mouth tube and see if you get vacuum. If so, pump the air out. It will help keep the bell in place when you fold the sleeve down. This is much easier if both your hands and the sleeve are clean and dry.

If you can’t get the sleeve folded completely out of the way, screw the lubricated bell onto your glans. For me, it’s easiest when I’m half-hard. Twist and push until your glans is seated as deeply as possible, remove the air, and fold the sleeve down.

If you have excess sleeve pulled forward into a “foreskin” it’s easier to unfold the sleeve without accidentally pulling it off the bell.

Tugging at the sleeve may unseat the bell, particularly if you’re working with a soft flaccid. If you have to, remove it, re-fold the sleeve, and start over. You *really* want the bell to fit properly.

The default sizes for sleeves seem to be 18 or 20mm unstretched. They also make them in 23 or 25mm. The larger sleeves are easier to fold, install, and remove as long as they still grip tight enough to keep a seal.

Make sure the sleeve is fully unfolded; mine like to tuck under at the very bottom. I have to straighten them out, otherwise they pinch.

To remove, just fold the sleeve off the bell, remove the bell, and then fold the bottom of the sleeve up and pull it inside-out and off.

I’ve only recently begun using a bell-and-sleeve ADS, so I still remember all the gotchas of trying to figure it out. I’m by no means an expert, though.