My lady and I chat mostly online right now, sometimes on the phone.  We have met, but logistics make it hard for us to be in the same place at the same time, so IM, webcams, and telephones help us bridge the distance until such time as other options become available.  I told her in a chat that I have a CB2K, but don't play with it often because A) I don't find it terribly interesting to do so without a partner, and 2) I can only wear it for a few hours before getting pain in the skin behind my scrotum.  She was interested and had questions for me about the nature of the device, how well it worked, what sort of stimulation she might be able to give me through it for teasing purposes, etc.  The next evening she asked if I was planning to use it that night, and I honestly told her no.

After we logged off, though, I had a change of heart and decided to lock myself up anyway.  I wore my CB2K for about six hours that night, tossing and turning and generally not getting any sleep.  A few times that night I felt a strange popping sensation from the belt.  I didn't think much of it at the time, but when I removed it, it became clear that it is starting to come apart. I suspect it's old enough that the plastic or the connections in the cage (anyone know if it's one piece or if it's assembled from parts?) have gotten brittle, because they've started snapping apart.  There are normally seven connection points between the back ring and the middle ring of the cage piece -- six bars and a point at the bottom where the two rings touch.  On inspecting mine, I found that five of the bars had snapped or pulled out of their fittings (depending on how this thing is assembled) leaving only one of the short side bars and the place where the rings touch holding the device together.

I'd like to make it clear that I don't blame the device -- I think it's just getting old and wearing out, not that it's shoddy workmanship or made of poor materials.  I think after several years of service, the plastic has just given up.

Anyhow, it looks like it may still be usable for a short time before it gives up the ghost entirely, although I'm a little worried that it might break the next time I try to put it on.  I generally have some trouble lining up the guide pins, and I'm worried that if they don't line up properly, trying to push the cage on may be more than the remaining two points can take -- and I'm almost certain that the first time I try to sleep in it will spell the end for it.  My lady says that she likes the idea that it might happen in-scene and give her plenty of reason to punish me, so I haven't tried to put it on again since.  I'm saving that for when my lady and I can play together in person.

However, with the CB2K in critical condition, I decided it was time to go looking for a new device.  I am not well-endowed, so I wanted a short cage -- same as the CB2K or shorter. That ruled out the CB3K and the standard CB6K, leaving me with the CB2K or the CB6KS. I considered the Birdlocked Mini for a while, but decided that I didn't like the idea of the flexible silicone -- I want hard plastic! I invited my lady to help me decide between the CB2K and the CB6KS. She'd had some marvelous ideas for teasing me with paintbrushes or her tongue or such things through the bars of the CB2K, so I put it to her this way: the CB2K is better for teasability and less expensive since it's on closeout, but the CB6KS, with its formed cage instead of bars, is better for security, and I think it will be easier to put on and more comfortable for extended wear. Faced with this choice, she told me to go for better security, as there are other ways she can tease me.

So the decision is made, I'll be getting a CB6KS for us to use during playtime.