Tool Shed Review #4 - Penis Pumps - Mojo and Vacuarect
This article I hope will provide assistance to men to select and use a penis pump to enable effective rehabilitation following an invasive medical procedure that has caused erectile dysfunction.
When I was preparing for my prostatectomy I realised that I needed a penis pump, but my research found so many devices to choose from. My dilemma was, which one do I need?
Let’s put it into a car purchase analogy. Do I buy the Sedan or the SUV?
If I was going to buy a car, I needed to have some idea of the route that I was about to navigate, and when I got there, how was I going to use this new vehicle?
Now this is the same dilemma for someone who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and has surgery or treatment to cure it. What is the rehabilitation route, is there a destination, and what does the final destination look like? Because all of that will influence your decision of buying one of the many varieties of pumps on the market.
I was advised by my urologist, my physiotherapist and my prostate cancer nurse, that I needed a penis pump. The cancer support group websites reiterated the same message, “for a healthy recovery, a pump is needed”. But, none of the “specialist” could advise me on what type of pump to buy, none of them could give me an indication of the route that I was about to embark on, and none of my specialist advisors could tell me how to or when to use it.
I remember visiting the recommended prostate cancer physiotherapist and asking about the route to regaining erectile and sexual function. Their reply was, “I don’t know, it’s not my field.” I was not given any other referral for specialist advice, but I was handed a one page guidance note on how to use a penis pump. I left the clinic feeling disappointed (and angry) in this failed holistic approach to my prostate cancer recovery.
Now by chance, the one page penis pump guidance note was produced by an adult toy shop, just around the corner from where I was living. I dropped in and introduced myself to the owner, and told her of my prostatectomy recovery issues and my desire to regain full recovery (as promoted by all of the “specialist” references). In the short time I spent with the shop owner, I received more support and realistic advice than any of the “medical specialists” in this field. Through her, I learnt about pumps, lubes, cock rings and toys and I was given a referral to an online support service. (https://www.atouchysubject.com/)
With my head spinning with this new knowledge and a plain white bag of toys under my arm, I was armed to start my rehab journey. Now at the same time as I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, I was planning another journey, a well earned gap year of travelling around the World. So, once the surgery was completed and having completed a seven week post-op recovery period, I left Australia with my rehabilitation kit in my backpack to see the World!.
So which pump did I purchase? What were my pump experiences and what advice can I offer someone who is about to embark on a similar penis rehabilitation journey?
The pump I purchased was a Mojo (brand name) Vacuum Erection Device (VED) and as it was my first VED, I was amazed with what it did for me and during the 10 months of travel overseas, I used it regularly to successfully extend and stimulate my very stumpy penis. For those men who have not yet had the prostatectomy or have just completed it, your best friend for many years, will become post surgery, a very stumpy shadow of its former self.
Yes, it is true, when the robot cuts out your prostate it also removes up to 30mm of your urethra, and to reconnect it to your bladder, your urethra is tugged and tugged so that the robot can reconnect it to the bladder. Your pride and joy, I call him Pedro, when exposed to this treatment, turns into a turtle and disappears into its pubic shell. Think of swimming in freezing cold water and experiencing maximum shrinkage, got the picture?
Post operation, I was shocked to see the stumpy appendage downstairs and I was determined to recover the lost length. That’s where the penis pump is necessary, to stretch and draw blood into your flaccid member. So for the 10 months of travelling across numerous international borders with a penis pump in my bag, and fearing an “Austin Powers” moment at the airport security scanners, I became very intimate with my perspex and rubber tubing vacuum machine.
Source: www.goodreads.com
And it worked. Pedro got bigger and bigger with each month and my rehab program was successful. So I thought.
Upon my return to Australia with my rehab kit of pump, cock rings, lubes, and vibes and not once being asked to embarrassingly declare the contents of my kit to a customs officer, I acquired a Vacurect (brand name) penis pump or vacuum erection device (VED).
Wow. The difference between the two devices was amazing. I could now retire my first pump and upgrade to the Vacurect. So what are the differences and the benefits associated with the two VEDs?
Ease of Application
Both of the devices are easy to use, requiring lubricant to slide the pressure ring over the flaccid penis.
The Vacurect VED comes with 10 constriction rings with varying diameters. After a bit of trial and error, I found the preferred diameter, and I was ready to go. But I did find that if I did have a half erect penis, my preferred diameter Vacurect ring was difficult to apply. Sort of like pulling a tee shirt three sizes too small over your head. Persist and use lube and it will slide on.
The Mojo VED has a single sized rubberised pressure ring which is easier to apply, but that flexibility in the rubber ring is not a good thing, as I will explain later.
Ease of Use
The two devices are very different in their use and efficiency of pumping Pedro.
The Mojo VED requires two hands, one to initiate and maintain the vacuum seal and the other to compress the VED suction bulb. Whereas the Vacurect can be mastered by using one hand.
Now, my need for measurement and performance may be a personal thing (a possible autism or astrology star sign trait), but one feature that the Mojo has over the Vacurect, are the measurement markings found on the wall of the vacuum tube. For those who have experienced post-op penile shrinkage and are attempting to tease the turtle out of its shell, the measure markings on the tube gave me hope that over a period of time I could see advances in my penis stretching exercises.
This hope is extremely important during those dark periods of prostate cancer depressive thoughts. During my initial post-op period I was desperately looking for signs of recovery, and these increasing and small measurable achievements in penile length, gave me that hope.
There are no measurement markings on the Vacurect VED. But do not let that sway your decision, as the Vacurect has some impressive features, as I will expand on. Bad pun intended !
I found the Mojo VED is only good when I am in the horizontal position. If I use it in the standing position, the weight of the device exceeds the device’s suction capacity, and the rubber pressure ring is not capable of holding the weight of the vacuum tube and the seal breaks. So it is a two handed device when standing up, one to hold in place and one to pump. The Vacurect on the other hand, is a one handed device, whether I am in the vertical or horizontal position. It is light weight and the suction seal to the pelvis is more than adequate to hold the unit in position without any hand support. The Vacurect is great for using in a shower, or simply walking around the house. The choice of where and how you use it, is yours.
Pumping Outcomes
When I used the Mojo for the first 10 months of rehab, I was happy with the outcome. It provided the necessary rehab for Pedro and I could actually see the progress. I used it in conjunction with Viagra to get the blood into Pedro and I used a silicone cock ring to keep the blood from flowing out.
Once I started using the Vacurect, the pumping outcomes elevated my rehab to the next level of achievement. The use of the device as I mentioned above, made pumping so easy in different locations and positions.
But for me, and it may vary for other guys, it was the increase in penis engorgement that made me go, WOW!. The pumped length achieved was about the same, but possibly due to the tighter constriction ring, the Vacurect produced an amazing increase in penile girth or circumference. I was impressed !!!
A failure of mine prior to surgery, was to not measure Pedro, so in a quantitative sense I have no idea whether I have regained my pre-op dimensions. So if you are reading this article before your prostatectomy, get out the measuring tape and record your dimensions (length and circumference) as those dimensions will be one way of gauging your return to your “old self” or in my case, to becoming more endowed.
Another benefit of the Vacuerect is its ease in re-applying the vacuum tube during a rehab or sex session and giving Pedro a top up pump to regain a renewed level of rigidity. Which in turn, makes your partner happier over and over, again and again.
Feedback from my sexual partners is that the Vacurect is less industrial in its pumping action, whereas pumping the Mojo vacuum bulb is a touch on the industrial heritage side of VED design.
Oh, how could I forget this pumping outcome? I mentioned previously that the Mojo constriction ring is very flexible, well, if the pumping technique is not correct, within a microsecond of distraction, at least one of my testicles has been sucked through the ring into the vacuum tube to join Pedro. (Think of a fruit and vegetable market with pickled onions and pickles in a glass jar ….. ouch!!)
Use of Cock Rings
If you have not used a cock ring, give it a go. Whether I am using a VED or Viagra, the cock ring gives me a longer duration of achieved erection. A wide soft cock ring is my preference over the small diameter black rubber “O” ring style, and I use it in conjunction with my Vacurect constriction ring. After pumping Pedro to the desired dimensions, I apply the cock ring and stretch it over my testicles. In this position, it applies additional restrictive pressure to prevent blood backflow and can provide an extra enjoyable “water hammer” sensation as the urethra is compressed during orgasm.
PS ….. You or your partner may have dreamed of having a large black penis, but when using a cock ring and Pedro starts turning blue, please remember to remove the ring after 30 minutes. A Black or blue penis is not always a good thing!!
Condoms & Safe Sex
Contrary to the majority of prostate cancer support publications and forums, not all men impacted by prostate cancer have “life partners”. Some of us are non-monogamous, with casual sex partners and use condoms. A difficulty faced by men with erectile dysfunction is the fitting and wearing of a condom. A half hard-on is not receptive to applying a condom, and having it stay in place during sex is fraught with the danger of losing it.
With experimentation I have found the best process to apply a condom and keep it on whilst you are "getting it on". After pumping Pedro to the desired maximum dimensions that you can achieve with a pump, apply the condom as you would usually do, and to stop it from slipping off, place a cock ring on over the condom. The cock ring has the benefit of keeping Pedro "standing to attention" by stopping backflow and holding the condom in place in the event of premature shrinkage.
An added benefit is that the safe sex condom wearing Pedro, is that the condom also captures all of that climacturia that otherwise may end up on the mattress protector!!
Use of Lubes
There are many personal lubricants on the market and everyone has their own preference. In my post-op life I have experimented and found the silicon based lubes are better than water based. This is only because during playtime, climacturia (weeping urine) dissolves the water based lube and the lubricant feeling is lost.
I have also been using scented or flavoured lubricant instead of plain lube. Due to the obvious dribbling issues of having one less urinary sphincter, the scented or flavoured lubes do remove the smell and the taste of urine during oral sex.
Another lube discovery has been the use of warming lubricants, which gives Pedro a bit of a heated tingly stimulation feeling. Experiment with the varieties available but take care with the jalapeno strength lubes.
Cleaning & Packaging
This is another area that the Vacurect design beats the other VEDs. The Vacurect is compact and all components can be hidden in the supplied protective pouch whereas the Mojo VED has numerous bulky components. So for me travelling around Europe, staying in backpackers and Airbnbs with an Austin Powers-style Penis Pump, I could not easily walk to the shower with it under my arm. And it is really embarrassing if I accidently leave it on the bathroom bench!
Finally, the Vacurect is easy to clean and dry whereas the Mojo occasionally gets urine into the pump bulb and if not thoroughly washed, produces a not so pleasant smell.
So I hope I have assisted you in choosing a VED that suits you. There are many on the market and they all have different benefits and costs. Good luck with your selection, and happy pumping.