With a mechanical appearance and tiny tapered tip, CEPHALLUS is more than just another tentacle dildo, and Magic Within brings it to life with their detailed handpainting to turn it into a spectacular fusion of art and function.
Design & Specs
Magic Within, based in the Czech Republic/Czechia, crafts products with stunningly sculpted designs and exceptionally detailed handpainting. Their toys are mechanical and alien themed, with crisply sculpted details that enhance the fantasy. I’ve previously reviewed their MERCIO, a mechanically augmented human dildo.
CEPHALLUS, the first model they launched, depicts a tentacle made of wires and cables with plates covering the outside, emerging from a metal base. In medium firmness 00-50, it’s moderately squishy and the tip is very flexible.
CEPHALLUS comes in a single size: 9″ tall (7″ usable length) with a maximum usable girth of 6.5″ circumference/2″ diameter. The website says 9.8″ circumference is the maximum, but this is at the very base of the shaft, which flares out significantly. You could maybe fit an extra half inch past the 7″ usable, which then reaches 7.75″ circumference, but the shape doesn’t make that easy to do.
The taper is gradual. At 2″ down from the tip, girth is 2.75″ circ/0.8″ diameter. At 4″ down, girth is 4.3″ circ/1.5″ diameter. At 5″ down, it jumps up to about 5.5″ circ/1.8″ diameter.
I requested mine as a handpainted custom with design assistance from Magic Within. I specified a couple of colors I wanted to see and provided a photo for inspiration, after which they sent me a few mockups. I selected one and edited it myself to make some of the cables bronze, which Magic Within accepted. The final mockup included a dark teal green fade with brown base, green glow and glowing squares near the base, bronze cables, and a handpainted gold design on the side of the base. All colors (except glow) were requested to be metallic or shimmery.
Below is the mockup next to the inspiration image (painted by Craig Mullins) and the mockup next to the toy itself.
The end result is pretty good compared to the mockup; I’d say it’s about 95% there. The squares are desaturated when not glowing and the green fade is very subtle, but otherwise the handpainting is clean and the visual effect is spot-on. I love this particular shade of shimmery green as well.
To my delight, I received a squid squishy (also named CEPHALLUS) with handpainted details. It’s adorable.
I also received a custom large ÅLTHORION for review, a HOLSTER as a surprise, and two satin bags with the brand’s logo. The bags are really nice for keeping lint off and don’t shed at all. One bag can fit both CEPHALLUS and ÅLTHORION, or should be able to fit 2-3 typical medium size toys.
CEPHALLUS starts at €90/$95 for a single color custom. A detailed custom like mine would cost €190/$200. For single color customs, Magic Within works with customers to determine which exact pigment to use, so there are lots of options available.
In Use (Vaginal)
The top half of CEPHALLUS is firm enough and textured enough for me to feel it for the first couple inches, where I’m most sensitive. The tapered tip is too thin for me to feel well deeper inside, but that’s typical for me with dildos this thin. For the couple inches that I can feel it, I enjoy it at a fast pace with plenty of lube, with the outer side of the curve against my front wall. The mild pressure and moderate texture rub nicely against my front wall just inside the entrance. While I generally prefer girth and this isn’t enough to get me off, I enjoy this more than I expected.
The curves create the sensation of the tentacle wiggling into me. I have never experienced that with my other tentacle dildos. It doesn’t literally wiggle around, but the sensation makes it really damn easy to imagine, especially if I rotate it slightly while inserting. It only feels this way when moving slowly.
The tip is thin and flexible enough to be difficult to insert, even vaginally, but it’s easy enough to guide inside manually with a hand on the tip. Despite the thinness of the tip, it doesn’t feel pokey. I only feel some discomfort if I’m going hard and deep and it happens to bump my cervix, but it’s flexible enough to make that only minimally uncomfortable.
One side of the dildo has metal plates layered on top of each other while the other side has metal bands atop wires and cords. The plate side is surprisingly mild; the hard-looking edges are prominent enough to feel some nice texture, but they don’t stick out much and don’t feel uncomfortable.
On the wire side, I mostly feel the bands, with some increased sensation from the wires. The sensation is smooth, more akin to bumps than the noise-like texture of some intensely textured dildos. The wire side offers constant stimulation whereas the plate side is more staggered.
Given the way the bands act as a buffer against the intense wire texture, I would consider CEPHALLUS to be moderately textured rather than highly textured.
My favorite part of the dildo is about three quarters of the way down, turned so that the zone where the edges of the plates meet the wires presses against my front wall. The curve and texture at that part press perfectly against my favorite spots with the girth that I crave. It’s thick enough to feel comfortably filling at my entrance, although I lack a filled feeling deeper inside.
The base is very easy to hold, but awkward to thrust depending on the position. I like to recline when thrusting, but I have to lean back further than usual so that the base doesn’t catch against whatever I’m sitting on. It’s okay for thrusting, but works better for riding, and stays in place well thanks to the wide base.
Holding it upside-down by the base, I can frot against the tip, with the wire side having a very nice curve and texture for this.
Overall
CEPHALLUS from Magic Within is a beautifully designed tentacle dildo, with an extra layer of realism added by the expert handpainting. The texture is pleasant and well placed, and the curves actually make it feel like it’s wriggling for part of the length. I find it best for riding rather than thrusting.
While it feels filling at my entrance once I reach a certain girth, it lacks a filling sensation deeper inside and it’s too thin to provide enough pressure for G-spot stimulation or deeper front wall stimulation.
CEPHALLUS may suit those who enjoy tapered models and tentacle or robot fantasies, especially those who like moderate texture. The texture is milder than the tentacle dildos I own that have suckers on them. And as an art piece, it’s spectacular.
Magic Within Website
CEPHALLUS Model Page
I received this item in exchange for an honest review.