The Petra stroker from Wandering Bard Toys, sculpted by DeviantGardens, is one of my partner’s newest silicone stroker purchases. After finding success with the Dagon we began searching in earnest for companies that made strokers that would be more suited to his girth and preferences. During the holidays I saw Wandering Bard Toys advertising their limited-time only texture “Santa’s Chimney”, and upon seeing the measurements I knew that this would likely be a good fit for him. Since it was a limited-time only texture that’s what he decided to purchase, but it’s not the only texture from Wandering Bard Toys that would accommodate his size.
My partner’s order came fast, well-packaged in a box with no indications of what was inside. The shipping label doesn’t have the business name as the return address so any nosy person looking at your mail won’t know where it came from, either.
My partner gets into the color of his silicone toys more than I do. He’s an artist, and a toy collector (of the action/movie/comic figure variety), so appearance is more important to him. Plus, he can see his sex toys during use a lot easier than I do. The “Krampus” color-scheme is a mix of two reds, and black: a matte red, a more sparkly red, and sparkly black. He really loves the colors and says they were mixed together beautifully. The fantasy design of the Petra is something that you can tell was designed with genuine care and attention to detail. It’s anatomical, while holding onto a fantasy element, and not just being designed to look like human genitals and then given a fantasy creature name.
Specs and options
Petra is a full-sized, open-ended stroker designed after a Kobold, a fantasy creature most notably known from tabletop role-playing games. Kobolds also appear in German folklore, but it’s more a general, or generic term for a household spirit. As you’d expect from a company called Wandering Bard Toys their Petra the Kobold is themed after the role-playing variety. Also true to their theme, the Petra is a “choose your own adventure” stroker, with 6 options (7 when Santa’s Chimney is around) of internal chambers to choose from, and a huge catalog of custom colors, featuring flats, glow in the dark, UV reactive, heat reactive, and color shift options.
The Petra stroker has an opening with a circumference of 3.25 inches, which is an average diameter of 1.02 inches. Considering the opening is not a perfect circle but more of an oval shape the exact diameter varies depending on where you measure it, so that’s why there’s an average measurement. The stroker is about 6.85 inches in overall length. The average circumference of the Santa’s Chimney internal texture is 4.25 inches, with an average diameter of 1.36 inches. You can visit Wandering Bard Toy’s site for more specific measurements of the Petra, and see measurements for each of the internal chamber options. All of their Petra strokers are made with 00-20 soft silicone.
What does the texture feel like?
So the Santa’s Chimney texture is what you’d likely expect from a chimney: bricks. My partner was a little worried that a brick texture would mean some sharp edges, making it painful to use, or the opposite end, it would feel like basically nothing and not be stimulating enough. Upon receiving, and using the Petra, these fears were quickly put to rest. The design may look like bricks but they’ve been carefully smoothed at the edges, making the overall texture more smooth and subtle. The texture in use is very consistent since the bricks are small and stacked close together; it leads to an all encompassing feeling. If you’ve read other reviews here for penis toys (or your preferred term) you will know that my partner’s dick is on the more sensitive side, especially his foreskin, and directly under his head. This means that when textures have sharp, or rigid areas they can be too grating or uncomfortable for him. That has not at all been an issue with the “Santa’s Chimney” texture in his Petra.
While he enjoys textures more on the subtle side, frequent texture is really important to him. He’s tried strokers that have very minimal or no texture to see if they’d accommodate his sensitivity well and he does not enjoy them. He emphasizes that while the chimney texture is on the more subtle side it’s nothing like a smooth tube that doesn’t have any texture stimulation.
Since the chimney texture doesn’t contain any spots of variation that are too intense my partner doesn’t have to be careful with his strokes. He doesn’t have to take the time to warm up a lot before using Petra the way he does with certain intensely textured silicone strokers. He can begin with a steady stroke right away rather than a slow stroke. He can also use Petra for sessions as long as he wants without risking later irritation. When you’re aroused it can sometimes be difficult to notice that you’re experiencing discomfort or too much friction, leading to later irritation, but that hasn’t been a problem here.
Tunnel Size
The internal tunnel size of silicone strokers is one of the biggest issues my partner has, and why he thought he couldn’t use silicone at all for the longest time. My partner’s dick is above average in girth and length and while silicone is a flexible and somewhat stretchy material many of the silicone strokers on the market are just too tight and painful for him. For reference sake my partner’s girth ranges from 5.5-6.5 inches (circumference), which is 1.75-2 inches diameter. Accommodating for the length doesn’t matter near as much as accommodating for the girth since he can just vary the length of his stroke, but if something is too tight he can’t use it. He’s learned that he can’t use any silicone strokers that aren’t at the very least 1 inch in diameter at the opening, and preferably a bit wider internally. The Petra has a 1.02 inch diameter opening like I stated, and the Santa’s Chimney texture averages at 1.36 inches in diameter, so he knew that it would likely be a good size for him.
He says that the tunnel is a perfect fit, and never feels too tight. He can twist the Petra all the way around, and side-to-side and it doesn’t bunch up his foreskin, or get hung anywhere. Unlike with strokers that are too tight he can achieve a full erection in the Petra and not deal with any pushback from the silicone. The lack of any internal tight rings also means he doesn’t have any areas where he feels like he has to struggle to push through while stroking.
While this review is for the “Santa’s Chimney” texture my partner would also fit in the “Relaxed Scales” and “Relaxed Ridges” texture options from Wandering Bard Toys if you need size options similar to him.
Square versus Round Tunnel
You may have noticed that “Santa’s Chimney” is also a square shape, instead of the usual round shape used for the internal tunnel of most strokers, so let’s talk about the differences. He said that the square shape leads to more of a “sandwich style” pressure, meaning more top and bottom focus to his glans and shaft. He says in some ways he actually prefers this over a more round tunnel because these are the most sensitive areas for him. The flat “wall” of the chimney pressing consistently on the bottom of his dick means that the most sensitive and pleasure seeking spots on his dick are being directly stimulated at all times. The flat “wall” pressing down on the top of his dick lends extra pressure to this. Not in a way that the tunnel is too tight for him, but just in a way that keeps the stroker and texture feeling all-enveloping. The sides of his dick are the least sensitive areas for him, so while the tunnel is an even square, he feels pressure from the top and bottom more.
Rotating the square sideways to have more of a “diamond-shape” while being used does change the sensation some for him, but he prefers to keep the Petra upright, for that “sandwiched” sensation. When the texture is rotated the corners lose some contact, as expected.
Petra’s External Benefits and Handling
The Petra is designed with a cute little tail, which my partner was surprised actually has an unexpected benefit. The tail taps against his balls, stimulating them while in use. The longer he’s wanking the less sensitive his balls become so this sensation does get tuned out eventually, but it’s an excellent addition nonetheless. If you’re someone with very sensitive balls or you do not enjoy ball stimulation you could turn the Petra upside down to avoid this. Your own anatomy will also influence whether Petra’s tail taps into your balls at all, and to what degree, because everyone is shaped differently.
The labia minora and entrance of the Petra is super smooth. He said it’s the smoothest spot on the toy and like they designed it to be even smoother than you’d think possible. This is really beneficial to him because it makes inserting his dick into the stroker easier. While the Petra is not too tight for him he does have to be at least semi-erect to push his dick into it since the entrance is a bit narrow; it’s not a stroker he can put his flaccid dick in and use to make him erect.
The shape of the Petra is perfect for handling. When he first held it he was a little concerned it would get tiring to stroke with at its weight, but the weight was distributedly very thoughtfully. The bottom (where the entrance is in this case) is heavier than the top (the exit hole), and the middle dips in, which makes the perfect handhold. It feeling too heavy or getting tiring has not been an issue for him.
Lube and Open-end Adjustments
My partner uses a hybrid lube with all of his strokers, rather they’re TPE or silicone. Water-based lubes all end up feeling too tacky for him, no matter how much he uses, even when reactivating with water. If you choose to use a hybrid lubricant on your silicone toys make sure you do a spot test on an area that won’t be used. Never use full silicone lubricant with silicone toys as it can lead to damage.
Since my partner has such specific lube requirements, each review I do for him pretty much always gets a lube section, because it’s always a factor he questions when purchasing a new sex toy. The Petra’s entrance is a little more narrow than the internal tunnel, as I’ve said, and this makes it perfect for holding lube in well. He hasn’t had issues with it leaking or running out. Also because the chimney texture is not overly stimulating even when the lube starts to dry out a little more than he’d usually be okay with it’s not really a problem.
Since he doesn’t like his lube drying out easily, and prefers to have some suction, my partner uses a clean, soft cloth rolled up and stuffed into the end of his Petra stroker. I discussed this in more detail in the Dagon review, if you’re curious. The “rag trick” as he calls it, works just as well in the Petra, and even with the square chimney design all he has to do is push it into the corners a little better if he feels an air gap.
Final Thoughts on the Petra
My partner said the Petra is so well designed he would expect it to have a higher price tag than it does ($100 USD base price at time of writing this review) and feels it’s immensely fair. The attention to the fantasy elements and overall design feels luxurious and high end, and the internal texture is beyond his expectations. He said the “Santa’s Chimney” texture is the closest texture to the Tenga 3D models, which are some of his all time favorite strokers. He said the brick design feels the closest to the geometric shapes of this line. Before I even started asking him questions for this review he repeatedly talked about how glad he was he bought it, and would hate to think about a world where he passed on it.
Cleaning
Cleaning silicone sex toys is pretty easy. You need mild soap and warm water. Ensure you scrub down all nooks and crevices of the toy to remove body fluids and lube, rinse off, and then dry with a soft, lint free cloth, or just set somewhere to air dry. Make sure the toy is fully dry before storing it away. I personally use a super soft toothbrush for scrubbing to ensure I get everything super clean, but you can use a washcloth, or even your fingers, if they’re long enough to clean the entire tunnel. Silicone is a lint magnet so you may need to rinse your stroker with water before using it if you don’t store it in a bag or something to avoid lint. Wandering Bard Toys also includes a storage bag with their Petra, which is super appreciated!
For my partner, cleaning silicone is a lot easier than cleaning TPE because his anxiety surrounding cleaning and drying TPE makes it a stressful, and long experience. If you don’t dry TPE well enough it can mold and mildew, making it unusable. And since it’s porous it can never be fully sanitized, which makes him always stress if he’s cleaned it enough. He said the peace of mind alone makes silicone strokers more worth it to him.
I do not have a penis, so all penis toy opinions come from my current partner. The reviews are written by me, based on the thoughts and opinions of myself and my partner.
