MODERATOR WARNING: ELECTROSTIMULATION DEVICES

[Dark_Lizerd]

Hate to sound this way, but, just because it hasn't happened, doesen't mean it won't....
Take this for a conpairsion....
How many times have you driven or ridden in a car?
How may times have you put on the seat belt?
How many times are you glad you were wearing a seat belt???
For me: #1 - I don't know, many...
#2 - Many, almost every time...
#3 - Once... and it was the airbag that hurt me... go figure...

[lj]

my reply to DarkLizerd's questions is 1, driving for a very long time, so many many thousands, 2 always, 3 saved by my seat belt once (hence answer 2)

TENS units are used by a huge number of people (my elderly mother for one!) as long as you don't use above the waist then there is no significant risk.

Where things go wrong is when you start using them in body parts not designed for them, or the general stimulation of your scenario causes a massive rise in blood pressure leading to stroke, heart attack etc. It's not the electricity that kills, its the massive over-stimulation.

[Hanol]

Though I don't expect everyone to agree or understand, I just want to say, that it's the current and not voltage that is dangerous. For example when you get a static electricity shock, voltage can be thousands volts, however because of low current nothing bad happens. Same with electric fences for animals. They give slight shock that is noticeable, but current is limited, so animals can feel it, but can't be harmed. Same exact idea is behind the electrical stimulators. They limit current to a level that can't be harmful.

However I wouldn't recommend building such device yourself. It really requires knowledge of electronic circuits. And if you do, get FCC approval before use.

[Grinser]

Well, I do not want to advertise for certain companies, but www.wiredpussy.com is doing a series of tutorials about electricity and the related toys in bondage, at this time 3 of them have been published.
I got my hands on one of them and I found it not only very entertaining and arousing to watch, but also very informative. Obviously they did some explanations about safety in electricity play, else I would not have mentioned those videos here.
After watching one of those tutorials (part 2: TENS unit and stickypads), the only thing I can say is, if you have a chance to get those videos, do so.

[marylandsissy]

I want one strictly for my lower back. Since I got rear ended (yes in the bad way) by a woman doing 75 with me sitting still, I have pain. My therapist used them on my shoulders, neck and back. In fact In plan of going again to see a therapist before getting the unit so I know how to do things right. I actually have no plans for sexual use yet.

But if you build one and kill yourself, we, duh?

[nitro]

The price has come down quite a bit on the TENS units form the on-line medical supply houses. Hard to build your own for the price. This one is $69, I remember them over $200.

http://www.cheaprelief.com/shop/CHPstor ... logno=TENS
Sale on 2-Channels 3 mode Medical grade TENS unit.
Shipped in durable plastic case for travel.
Includes everything needed to use, including 9-Volt TENS type battery and Tens pads (electrodes)....
***Special Today: Will include 6 extra packs of peel and stick electrodes with each unit purchased today.

[LoKiT]

I must confess I have played with a shop bought TENS unit for sex play. It seemed like fun at first, initally with a few nice results. But I was getting post play numbness I was growing concerned about. And then heart palpertations even below the waist and on the lowest setting at start of play?

My personal experence with it... well I found it bloody outright dangerous for solo play. To my surprise even below the waist play the heart mussle can be stimulated due to natural chemical stimulation like loads of coffee or nicotine. I'm an electronics professional and I took this thing apart and really checked it out. The electronic spec of this device scared the hell out of me, and there was safety limiters and safety components removed to manufactuer it cheaper (Rebadged China). And the list rattles on how unsutable components were used for effect rather than being medically safe to use. Seriously the high voltage pulse durations will damage nerves and tissue. Compared with the mediaclly safe limits this thing could kill you in a heart beat if you wired it wrong or the sticky pad fell off.

For a so called profesional sex product it was not designed or build for safe play. I think someone just pimped this device up so it could be used with the high resistance sticky pads supplied. I thought coming from a reputable dealership and not being cheap that this was a resonably safe device. I accepted the chance of misuse but not being able to do unrestricted major damage. I was lucky it didn't kill me or put me in a bad way. So I destroy it !

People scare me with safe current talk about fuses and safe currents... hey look in your school boy physics book or wiki up OHMs law. Plus your fatty insulation of your nervious sytem is not built to handle this sort of high tention voltage stuff. There is an imutable physical limit medically you operate at to prevent lasting damage. A lot of these devices simply are not built that way. Sorry fuses will not save you, in the time they take to blow one miss placed jolt can knock your heart out of wack.

Sorry thumbs down! (I luv my dick as it is)

[LoKiT]

Electro-pleasure can be safe, and even though I have a Electrical Engineering background, I would not make one for myself. You have to know the rules of electricity even on medical TENS units. Nothing above the waistline unless you are using a bi-polar (device that has both polls) so that electricity NEVER has a chance to cross the heart. In engineering school we were taught these things when building projects.

FYI, on the amperage that heart can take (the voltage is harmless, just painfull).

• 0.0 - 0.5 amps - no effect on heart
  0.5 - 1.0 amps - heart can stop (and has a problem restarting) - This is the most dangerous situation since it can easily occur.
  1.0 - 5.0 amps - heart will stop, but will restart on its on in most cases
  Over 5 amps - DEATH can occur, heart gets fried (depending on length of exposure)

Of course your mileage may vary.

-cbshackle

Thinking aloud.... Strage how in different countries they quote different currents? I noticed during open heart surgrey they can appearently stop the heart at as low as 20 millamps or 0.02 amps. I guess it depends on the jolt prehaps AC/DC? I offen wonder why do they fry peoples brains stems into charcol in an electric chair if they could just strap estim over the heart ???

Sorry I disagree volts is not harmless... ohms law ( V / IR ) body resitance x current and volts is everything I guess A clever guy Mr Ohms, used to make frogs legs twitch with home made batteries LOL

[bound_jenny]

I like your way of thinking, LoKit. Your disassembly and analysis of the TENS unit impresses me. Proving once again, you get what you pay for. If it's a bargain, it's likely to be of poor quality and with corners cut off, safety-wise, to cut costs.

I have heard (and I suppose that you have read my other posts on the subject) that six or seven milliamps across the heart can mess it up. That is ludicrously little. Is it worth the risk? No way!

So far, there is nothing I have experienced that surpasses a good old vibrator. Matching, maybe. Outclassing, no.

Jenny.

[LoKiT]

I like your way of thinking, LoKit. Your disassembly and analysis of the TENS unit impresses me. Proving once again, you get what you pay for. If it's a bargain, it's likely to be of poor quality and with corners cut off, safety-wise, to cut costs.

I have heard (and I suppose that you have read my other posts on the subject) that six or seven milliamps across the heart can mess it up. That is ludicrously little. Is it worth the risk? No way!

So far, there is nothing I have experienced that surpasses a good old vibrator. Matching, maybe. Outclassing, no.

Jenny.

The take away message here is there are two types out there, the TENS stimulators and the high voltage muscle twitchers And being harmed is sometimes the only way you get to find out regardless of what it says on the package.

[electrodick]

I am stunned!

I have been doing this since I was about 16 (I'm 53 now). I have never had a scare. I have common sense and do what I think is sensible.

We are talking to people here who are at least into bondage, but more prevalent are those who practice self bondage. All the risks! All the things that can go wrong! All of the recorded deaths (far more I am sure than electrostim deaths). But why do we do it? How do we (generally) get away with the abhorent risks? We use comon sense!

There are a number of devices on the market which are purpose made for electrostim. A number of business founded solely on electrostim. I would suggest that if there were ever a death recorded by use of any of these devices the manufacturers would be sued into oblivion.

In comparrison, how many self bondage businesses or products are there? Nearly none. I accept there are a handful. How many self bonders use these failsafe units? Very few.

I venyure to say that all of us on ths site are here as admitted risk takers. Why then pick on one single aspect of sexual stimulation?

There cannot be many electro users that have had more hands free orgasms than me. All of them have been worthwhile. All of them safe.

I'm not wanting a fight here, but I have been seeing this recuring thread for too long.

Don't knock it if you don't understand it.
electrodick

[electrodick]

One more... I don't endorse stereostim... it generally involves something that is plugged into 240volts. People have been electrocuted by household appliances, but none I would think by battery radios.

electro

[mfx]

How many self bonders use these failsafe units?

Small point, just because a unit is commercially available doesn't mean it's failsafe, particularly in the bondage field. It's VERY difficult to design something that's truly failsafe, one example I saw for sale online was a self bondage key release safe that looked like a modified commercial electronic safe. If they've kept the original locking mechanism and simply added a timer than I can pretty much guarantee it's not failsafe. I use Estim a lot but I only use TENS units, they are more than adequate to provide the sensation I need and are mass market devices, much more likely to have been designed with the possibility of being sued in mind. As has been said my concern is not so much about the effect of electricity but more the physical shock when it activates just as would be the case with having a bucket of ice water thrown at you for example, however we all take risks every day and it's up to me what risks I'm prepared to take. Agreed about mains, ALL my self bondage stuff is battery powered including key release and apart from the TENS units I design and build everything I use myself so I know exactly how it works and there's no one to blame but me if it goes wrong.

We use comon sense!

Unfortunately a fair number of people I've come across seem to lack that .

[Kronopticon]

as i always say these days : Common Sense Aint Common!

Though it does seem that a great deal of it + ingenuity is on this forum...

[Jeanette]

I have been a HVAC contractor for 27 years, & know both low and line volts theory and application. I also would not advise ANYONE to construct any kind of stimulator either, unless they know EXACTLY what their doing. Safety IS the best policy!!!