I looked at several custom devices but narrowed it down to the MM Jailbird and MCN Contender. Both designs were very similar in many ways, and both MM and MCN had excellent reputations for build quality and customer service. I chose the Contender in the end for a few reasons. It seemed the Contender was slightly lighter than the Jailbird, (~4oz vs ~5oz), and I wanted the cage to be as light as possible. The Contender started about 70$USD cheaper than the Jailbird, and the build time was only a few days vs 6-8 weeks for the Jailbird. Lastly, MCN offered the custom security screws to use instead of a padlock which make the cage even lighter with no noisy parts. In the end I decided to go with the Contender.
I wanted to get this right so I spent several days taking measurements, doing research, testing out my existing cages and talking with Mark at MCN. In the end I decided to go with an oval base ring since most people find the more comfortable than round rings. I wrestled with the inner diameter and cage length the most.
My Chinese cages all had an ID of about 1 1/4 and I found them snug enough to be secure, but not too tight. MCN's suggestion was to go no more than 1/4 smaller than my erect girth, which is 1.75". It seemed like a good suggestion because one of the problems I've been having is when I get aroused while locked, the cage would push very far away from my body. My erect width was too wide to fit in the device, so it pushed the cage very far out. I wanted the width to be small enough to be somewhat snug, but wide enough that the cage wouldn't slide off me while aroused.
I found the length difficult to judge. Flacid I'm a little over 4" long (although I'm uncut so I had to judge through the skin), and I figured the cage wouldn't rest tight against my body. I chose an overall length shorter than 4".
These are the options I finally chose:
- Contender
- Finish: Satin
- Base Ring (inner diameter): 1-3/4 inches
- Base Ring Shape: Oval
- Ring to Cage Gap: 1/4 inch
- Cage Ring (inner diameter): 1-3/8 inches
- Flaccid Length: 3-3/4 inches
- Lock Style: Medium Security Screw +25$
My initial impression was that the build quality was excellent, and I was shocked at how light it felt compared to my Chinese cages. After wearing it for a few days I decided that the width was perfect but the length was a too long by 1/2". I spoke with Mark at MCN and he offered to shorten the front of the cage for me. I shipped the cage back to Mark, and it only took him 2 days to make the adjustments and ship the modified cage back to me.
I'm now back in my adjusted cage and am very pleased with the result (so is my Wife/KH). I think the fit and weight make it easy to wear 24/7 long term. The security screw was also a great choice. It uses a custom hex key with a hole in the end, so not something I had laying around. It's easy enough to put on and off (with the key), and it ads no extra weight while keeping the device very secure. The only down side is my wife can't wear it on her neck, instead she keeps it locked in a jewelry case.
My experience with Mark and MCN's customer service has been excellent. His communication has been very timely and his build/modify turn around times are awesome. The quality of material and construction are very good. I don't have any other custom cage to compare my against, but I would recommend the Contender to anybody looking for a custom cage.
Let me know if you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer.
