Newbie wanting to pump, have a few questions

Hey there! I have been reading on this site for a few days now and finally signed up for an account.
I wanted to try pumping for quite some time now and finally decided to follow through on it. Since I’m not allowed to post in the appropriate forum yet I will leave this here for now.

Anyway, I stumbled on Thickwall’s cylinders which seem to be of high quality and they offer 10% off at the moment which is a nice bonus. I have some questions regarding the sizing and parts needed though. Unfortunately they are on holiday at the moment and didn’t answer my email with questions I sent last week (even though their website said they would check daily). So I want to ask you experienced guys on here instead!

# Cylinder sizing (yes I have read the cylinder sizing thread)

I plan to buy the flanged cylinder () and am a little confused about the sizing. Their measuring instructions state “Our tube diameters are measured in millimetres. The size given in inches is the nearest equivalent.”
- One of the available sizing options is “2 inch (5.3cm)”. 5.3cm is closer to 2.1 than 2 inches though.
- Another option is “1.75 inch (4.8cm)”. 4.8cm is almost exactly 1.9 inches though.
So let’s assume that the actual available options are 1.9 and 2.1 inches.

My current girth measurement is 5.4” at the base (but only like the first 0.5” of the shaft and only when 100% erect) and about 5.25” along the rest. That translates to a diameter of about 1.67” to 1.72”.

Would the “1.75 inch” cylinder really have had 1.75” it would have clearly been too snug and I would have gone with the larger one. But now I’m not sure anymore whether to get 1.9” or 2.1”. I even thought about getting both, one for packing and one for gaining girth. Any recommendations?

# Necessary parts

Since the flanged cylinders don’t come as a starter kit I need to order the pump separately (). Do you know if I need to order any other parts to connect the pump to the cylinder ()?

Thanks in advance!

If I were you I would order their 2” cylinder.

All professional quality cylinders and pumps come with common connectors, so they all can be used interchangeably.

Thanks for your opinion! If I notice that the bigger one is too big after all, I can still order another smaller one and keep the bigger one for later.
I still find it strange that the inch measurements of Thickwall’s cylinders are so imprecise though. At least the ones I compared above are about 1/8” bigger than advertised (if indeed what they say on their web page about cm being the decisive unit is true).

Ok, so I don’t need any other connectors, that’s nice. Do I need any additional parts when I order a water trap though? ()

Extra tubing to plumb it into your system. That’s it.

My pump finally arrived today :) Thanks for the sizing guidance gprent, I think the cylinder has the right size!
The cylinder feels really solid and high quality and I had to try it out as soon as it arrived. I pumped for about 8 minutes at low pressure and I really liked the feeling. Especially at that moment when you press the pump handles together and the pressure increases you can really feel your dick expand and that’s an amazing feeling. And even though I didn’t shave but only trimmed I had no problems getting a good seal.
Besides two small red spots at the base (probably either from a burst capillary or very short prickly hairs) I can’t report anything negative. Anyway I don’t want to overdo it in the beginning so I will take one or two days off from pumping now. I also need to buy a bottle cleaning sponge to clean the inside of the cylinder properly since it is too narrow for a hand.

I still have a question though: The gauge on my pump is a little bit bent, the dial is slightly dented and it shows 5”hg when there is no pressure. The slight bent and dent don’t bother me much but is it ok for it to not be calibrated properly? I don’t want to be pumping at wrong pressures.

You just have to take 5”hg as being zero and 10”hg is 5 and so on up the scale. Pressure vs volume is linear, so you will still be accurate.

Hi Phracture.

I bought the same set up as you about 6 months ago.

Firstly, what I do to clean the cylinder is rinse it in hot hot tap water inside and out, then dry it with a towel. I use a small towel to stuff all the way down the inside of the cylinder (mine is 9” long) until it touches the end. Then I rotate the towel inside the cylinder until all surfaces are dry. My only concern about a bottle brush is that it may scratch the inside of the cylinder. I’m using olive oil at present, as I have a cheap supply direct from the olive farms (natural as it gets) and it’s health for my penis. Thickwall (and others) recommend water based lubricant. However, because of my situation, it is difficult to buy in any large quantity. So far there has been no clouding of the tube, but time will tell.

Secondly, you have paid a premium to buy a metal pump from Thickwall. I did the same to save any trouble with assembly and for piece of mind. There are a lot of cheaper alternatives out there, which are arguably just as good. Therefore, I would not have been happy if my pump arrived without being in perfect condition. I would contact Mister Thickwall, and explain the fault to him, and ask for a replacement. He is reasonable guy, with a great reputation, so I’m sure there wont be any problems. I’m guessing it was probably damaged while in transport. The damage may not affect the accuracy of the device, but you only have one penis…. why take chances.

Good Luck with your new toy! ;)

Thanks for the tips, I’ll see if I can get my cylinder cleaned like that! I meant a bottle sponge though, not a brush. It’s literally a sponge on a stick so it won’t scratch the acrylic.

Can you also use coconut oil together with the cylinder? I love this oil’s features but don’t won’t to spoil the plastic’s clarity.

I’ll send some pictures of the pump’s flaws to Thickwall and see what they (he?) reply. But you are right, I should’ve bought the pump for cheaper someplace else.

Honestly, I’m not sure I recommend coconut oil either. I think my coconut oil use clouded one of my tubes I used to use. As I started using it around the time I was in the tube in question but…I was not using it for PE per se. So…I would be careful. I suspect my frequent coconut oil use may have clouded a tube of mine.

Thanks for the warning, I’ll continue to invest in water based lubricant then.