Review: Oxballs Ergo Butt Plug, Super Soft Silicone

I’ve found the butt plug of champions: Oxballs Ergo. OMG the comfort & filling feeling, and squishy base that cups your crack: mmmm. Update 2021: The Oxballs Ergo plug now comes in 4 colors / 3 silicone firmness options (all in 5 possible sizes), so I’ll be comparing the 3 levels of squish below. The Oxballs Ergo is 100% platinum silicone handmade in the US, so this is a high-quality and very safe anal sex toy.

Chunky and Super Soft (Smoke), my small Ergo is. All Oxballs Ergo plugs — 5 sizes — are thick for their length, to make your ass feel full near the sphincers (anal canal / close to the opening). And, unlike the (also awesome) SquarePegToys Egg Plugs, they’re wavy. These two plugs, Ergo vs. Egg Plus, are similar in several ways. So this Oxballs Ergo review will mainly be a compare-contrast between it and the SquarePeg plug (another anal favorite of mine, and of my colleague All Male Sex Toys). Why choose Oxballs Ergo vs. an Egg Plug?

Oxballs Ergo Curve

Oxballs’ Ergo has this slightly wavy shape on one side, versus the uniform (you guessed it) egg of the Egg Plug (available in NINE different sizes). I was surprised how much pressure that curve translates into when Ergo is actually inside. I can really feel the wave pressing forward (belly-button side) when I have Ergo turned the way it’s “supposed” to sit. I like to wear it backwards sometimes too, because the pressure points remind me of being taken doggy-style, by an upward-curving penis.

I don’t have a prostate, but I do know how to stimulate one. And in size small, the top point of the Ergo’s wave is an ideal depth to gently rub on the prostate. (Especially if you get a harder density like Platinum Swirl Ergo.)

It’s not the force of the Njoy Pure Wand, for sure—that hyped “G spot dildo” that was originally designed for prostate. (See more on prostate-specific dildos & massagers in this guide by All Male Sex Toys.) Rather, the Oxballs Ergo gives a light touch that will stimulate as you go about…whatever it is you’re doing while wearing Ergo. With me, I feel it barely pushing forward into my back vaginal wall.

(No doubt that Charlie Horse Milk Its are better for more intense prostate stim, though less sizes are available in Charlie Horse than in Ergo; you gotta be already anally experienced to take a Milk It.)

Really, it’s about the full feeling with Ergo. In any of the 5 sizes.

The bottom part of the wavy side juts out slightly more, so it’s the most noticeable part. Like the Egg Plugs, I feel it pressing down into my anal canal, the upper inner sphincter, so gently. It’s like a blob…a big, soft blog…to squeeze around.

Oxballs Ergo Variants: Blueballs & More

Options! Ergos now come in 3 firmnesses so you can choose the feel you want. In general, extra-soft silicone is best for comfort when you wear the plug out / when you wear the plug for more than an hour; vs. firmer silicone being easier to insert into your butt & feeling more bulky and intense.

Here’s a listing of Oxballs Ergos from softest to hardest:

1. “Smoke Smoosh”: Squishy-soft (especially in the smaller Ergos!). About 00-50 Shore durometer.
2. Eggplant: A teeeny bit firmer than Smoke Smoosh, yet softer than Blueballs. Along with Smoke Smoosh, still the best for wearing for a few hours.
3. Blueballs Ergos: Fairly soft, not super-duper soft. ≈ 2–3A Shore. Easier to insert.
4. Platinum Swirl and Blue & Black Swirl: The hardest Oxballs silicone has just a little give, and a slightly flexible neck. Still softer than mass-produced-in-China silicone plugs. ≈ 12–13A Shore.

Basically, the firmer a plug is, the easier it is for me to get it inside my butthole, past my tight sphincter muscles; but in contrast, the super-squishy “Smoosh Silicone” is much more wearable in the long-term. It’s a trade-off!

Also keep in mind that the thicker a silicone toy is, the firmer it will feel: one reason why SuperSoft silicone is so popular with extra-large sex toys. If you’re getting a Medium size Ergo or bigger, I 100% recommend the Smoosh-ier varieties (unless you already know you enjoy hard sex toys).

So which matters most to you: Squish, or lazy insertion? I think the Blueballs bright-blue Ergo is a nice middle ground if you’re not sure: fairly soft, but still easy to get past my sphincters. And I like wearing the small size around the house for an hour or so while I sit, do laundry, write, take pics, etc., etc.!

I also got the medium-size (=chunky!) Blueballs Ergo to try out vaginally, because anally I prefer not-big things… And it’s been fun testing. In the end, I would still choose the Oxballs Honcho as my top vaginal plug. Oxballs Ergos’ upward-pointing tabs are shaped for the butt crack, not for the vulva, IMO. They feel a little clunky farther forward, with the front tab poking my clit when I sit on something hard. (No vag-plugged bike riding with Ergo!)

Ergo, though, remains a favorite for my ass (size small!), and I honestly can’t choose between Super Soft Smoke and Blueballs. They’re pretty similar in the long run. If you’re drawn toward the blue color, I say go for it; or pick Smoke if you want a more muted shade and just a little more flexibility in the neck.

Oxballs makes cock-rings, dildos, and plugs in Blueballs, and the blue color looks amaze-balls in the light especially — a treat to photograph. Note that the Blueballs plugs are harder than both (1) Ox’s Blueballs cock rings & ballstretchers, and (2) the Blueballs Buddy dildo I’ve enjoyed:

Oxballs Ergo Base

The anchor shape of the Oxballs Ergo’s base is really pronounced, with a big upward curve in front to press into the perineum. (Or the back of my labia too, in my case.) Or, when I turn Ergo “backwards,” the bigger end of the base cinches right in underneath my tailbone.

Like the Egg Plug, the base is fairly thick so there’s no possible way this soft toy can be drawn up into the rectum accidentally. You won’t forget that the Ergo’s base is sitting in your crack. And that’s good, because the soft silicone feels lovely between the cheeks.

And the Ergo Neck

Ergo’s neck is less floppy than the Egg Plugs’. Thicker, chunkier. For me this makes Ergo a helluva lot easier to insert. Once my ass was well greased, Ergo slid in nicely (even though it’d been a month since I’d taken a toy this size: 5.25 inches around, so 0.75 inches above average penis girth).

Ergo’s neck didn’t fold over so much as I was trying to slide the plug’s head in. I like minor details that make my life easier.

However, it’s then a little less comfortable to wear longer than Egg Plugs, IMO, because I do like it when my sphincters can close up around a plug neck.

Ergo’s Silicone: Oxballs Super Soft Smoke

More on the “Smoke Smush” and soft Eggplant Ergos — which are the most popular density for this thick plug. Oxballs’ Super Soft Smoke silicone is quite soft, approximately the same as Hankey’s Toys’ 75% Soft firmness or the medium/5 density of most fantasy dildo makers.

That said, if you want more pressure (a legit preference), check out this firmer version of Ergo.

That makes Ergo in “smoke smush” silicone just barely harder than SquarePegToys’ SuperSoft Bronze. When I’m holding the two in my fingers, I have to work to discern a difference. Clenching around both toys is great. Still, with long-term wear…I feel like the minimal firmness difference comes through, in that, if I was forced to choose one plug to wear for three-plus hours straight, I’d go with the Egg Plugs.

Also, Ergo in “Smoke Smush” is not quite as glossy / slick as the Egg Plugs—instead, it has more of a (smooth) matte feel. The silicone is described as “Smoke”: it’s half gray, half black, with glittery sparkles. It’s distinctive, and I respect that.

If you like more colors, see also…

Care & Cleaning Ergo

It’s platinum silicone, so you don’t have to be too careful about cleaning. Soap and water is great between uses; just let the plug dry before sealing it in a plastic bag.

If you do want a really deep clean, you can boil the Oxballs Ergo (in a pot, at a rolling boil, for 3 to 10 minutes); or rub it down with 70% isopropyl alcohol, then soap-and-water wash again; or even bake it in the oven in a glass pan or a lined cookie sheet, about 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Silicone can withstand really high temperatures.¹

Softer silicones are functionally nonporous but still can absorb some odor. SquarePegToys’ ingenious solution is to seal the plug inside a plastic ziploc bag along with a few squirts of enzymatic pet odor remover. No need to fool around with baking soda and other remedies sometimes suggested for removing butt odors.

Oxballs silicone is platinum-grade, sourced and made into sex toys within the US, so it’s high-quality. It will withstand silicone lubricant, which people are often afraid of mixing with silicone toys.²

The Oxballs Ergo is also great with hybrid lubes (I suggest Simply Hybrid Jelle, it seriously does not drip, and is thick but not so greasy). I love how much easier hybrid lube is to clean off than silicone lube is.

Or you can use oil-based lubes too, if that’s your preference; they really last. Coconut oil is popular with many anal play fans, as a long-lasting and economical option.

Overall Thoughts

The Oxballs Ergo is extremely ergo-nomic. (They weren’t lying when they named this plug.) It does the work of stretching your ass (comfortably!) for you. I would strongly recommend the Super Soft Smoke version, because I can clearly feel its two pressure points pushing into my anal canal. It makes me think of being stretched before and during anal sex.³

Ergo is very wearable as a long-term plug. I recommend it more frequently than the SquarePegToys Egg Plugs to anyone who wants a really chunky feel with light prostate stimulation.

However, I think the Egg Plugs have a slight edge for truly extended wear, because Ergo’s wavy shape eventually becomes too much and I want to take it out. I’m talking about over three hours here! I am super-sensitive pressure, so I would definitely recommend Ergo’s extra curvy bulk to anyone who wants to feel more pressure in the long run.

Oxballs makes damn good anal toys, and that’s a wrap. 5/5 stars are well-earned.

Find the Oxballs Ergo in Super Soft Smoke or in metallic Blue Balls.

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1. Not pizza-oven heat, 800 degrees and such, it will start to break down if you throw it into the sun; but easily withstands above boiling point at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, up to normal cake-baking-type temperatures.
2. I get this; silicone lube is much harder to clean, and I’ve had negative experiences with cheap mass-produced vibrating silicone like this anal thrusting plug when I tried using silicone lube on it. The thin, cheaper silicone coat was hell to clean off. With better platinum silicone, a silicone lube will leave a slick coat that you have to scrub to remove. It’ll come off with soap and water, and I throw in some 70% isopropyl too, cut that grease. I keep going back to SquarePegToys because I really respect the founder Scott Douglas’ anal education goals, and meticulousness about safety, but: SquarePeg’s hypothesis is that the “silicone lube hurts silicone toys” idea traces back to when many “silicone” toys were actually just more-porous TPE/TPR or even “jelly,” that is, PVC. (This is still frequently the case with sex toys on Amazon, where you really have no idea what you’re getting from too many sellers, or due to warehouse bin mixing.) I don’t generally recommend silicone lube on silicone vibrators because the lube will get embedded around the buttons or if there are any cracks, etc. But with plain, US-made silicone dildos and plugs like everything in Peepshow’s American toys collection, then yeah, go with silicone lube if you like that slippery feel.
3. See also my anal stretching overall recommendations here. Oxballs Ergos are in the “big league” toys, for folks who really know they enjoy being stretched, rather than beginner “oh I think I want to wear a cute jewel plug to the club” kind of butt plugs.