A short comparison of Malleables and Inflatables

[principles]

Hello everyone!

To summarize the background story, I had a Titan implant, the tubing failed within 2 years of the initial surgery. I underwent a revision surgery that got infected on week 4, and then I had a salvage to a Malleable implant (Tactra). I have documented some of this in another thread for those who are curious.

There is a lack of information on malleable implants, so I wanted to share my experiences with it so far and make a quick comparison to the Titan, which I had before. I hope this information can help someone.

Main points below.

Concealment:
The Titan (IPP) wins in terms of concealment. It remained hidden perfectly, just a long flaccid penis without any issues. With the malleable implant, I position it downward, pointing towards the ground, and it naturally bends slightly to the left (around 5 o'clock). I have to wear tighter underwear, and sometimes, for added comfort, I wear two regular underwear to avoid any potential markings on my pants or shorts. This can be problematic, and I'm not able to conceal it just as well as was able to conceal the IPP, but I can conceal it enough to live with it thus far. Positioning it comfortably and using tighter underwear is key with the malleable.

Sexual Performance:
The Titan (IPP) wins in terms of rigidity. It is simply more rigid and has no issues with maintaining axial rigidity. Even with my looser than normal suspensory ligament, the erection quality was fantastic, and I had no issues with any sexual positions. However, with the malleable implant, I am unable to perform satisfactorily in all positions. There is some slight bending during anal sex or with a partner who is tighter than usual. Sex with the Titan was definitely superior. The downside of the Titan is that if you are concerned about concealing it from a partner, you can't let them touch your scrotum, as they might notice something is different. With the Tactra (malleable), this is not a concern as it feels completely natural. However, the trade-off is that it is not as hard, and in my experience, it did affect some positions that I previously enjoyed. Unfortunately, there are trade-offs here. While one implant is more performant, it is also more unnatural.

Post-operative Recovery:
The Tactra (malleable) wins in terms of post-operative recovery. Just one week after surgery, I felt basically normal with no scrotum pain at all. I could function almost normally. This was not the case with the IPP. My recovery from the initial surgery with the Titan was close to traumatic. I experienced intense pain for three weeks straight and couldn't walk without feeling pain >= 8/10. For the first year, I also felt discomfort and pain around the reservoir during intense workouts, such as running.

Comfort:
The Titan (IPP) wins in terms of comfort. After the initial recovery phase, the IPP felt as normal as my regular non-implanted penis. I could sleep normally and wear any clothes I previously wore. As mentioned earlier, the only discomfort I had with the IPP was around the reservoir area during heavy workout sessions in the first year post-surgery. With the malleable implant, I currently feel no discomfort unless I wear tighter underwear. After a long day wearing tight underwear and formal work clothing, it can be annoying and induce some pain. Basically, when I have to force concealment for a long time, I have to tighten up my underwear, which generates some discomfort (pain ranging from 1 to 2 out of 10). Also, I have to be mindful of certain movements, the current positioning of the implant, and how clothing or my body will interact with it. Essentially, I don't want to accidentally hit or hurt my erect penis. Being mindful of its position has become second nature, but there are situations where I need to be more cautious, which can be slightly annoying and decrease overall comfort.

Post-operative Lifestyle Adjustments:
The Titan (IPP) wins. Except for heavy exercising (which is a big deal for some, and it definitely was for me), there were no major adjustments with the IPP. Sleep, work, and daily life remained unchanged. Sex was phenomenal after the initial recovery. However, receiving oral sex or handjobs from unaware partners can be problematic if you don't redirect their attention from your scrotum. You can use underwear to keep your balls inside and always redirect their hands if you want to completely conceal your implant. If you are married or have a fixed partner, this is not a concern. On the other hand, with the malleable implant, sleep, work, exercise, and sex require adjustments. I can sleep in any position, but I have to be mindful of transitions. I need to position my penis first and then transition into a new sleeping position. I cannot simply throw my body weight over my penis as I used to do before the implant (or did with the IPP), as it can cause injury. This is a minor annoyance that requires some adjusting. As for work and daily life, clothing needs to be assessed to ensure proper concealment of the semi-hard penis. Sex also requires adjustments depending on body anatomy and erection angle, as the malleable implant doesn't have the same axial rigidity as the inflatable one. Some positions that require acute angles have been problematic for me with the malleable implant, such as regular missionary sex. However, any positions that require an erection angle of 90 degrees or greater (like reverse cowgirl) are normal and great.

Partner's Perception:
Split.
You will have better performance with the IPP, but you need to conceal or have your fixed partner get used to the tubing and pump paraphernalia contained in your scrotum. As for the sensation during handjobs or when touched, both types of implants can be felt by your partner's hand without any natural engorgement. However, with some engorgement, both the IPP (if not pumped to the max) and the malleable implant can feel relatively natural. Overall, I think the malleable implant feels more natural. It provides no clues as to whether you have an implant or not. Thus, it won't affect your partner's perception of your erection. In my experience, using the malleable implant with a cockring has been a very good combination. With this combination, you cannot tell that I have an implant at all.

Revisions, risks, and costs:
Malleale wins ahnd I have zero concerns about my malleable implant breaking at the moment. Even if it were to break tomorrow, I know that within a week of surgery, I would be living as close to normal as possible, with a very low chance of infection compared to an IPP revision. I also know that I'm not dependent on a few specialists who have experience with installing an IPP. It is easier to find surgeons to perform a malleable implant revision than to find a highly experienced IPP specialist. In short, there is a much smaller chance of needing a revision with a malleable implant. Even if it breaks or extrudes, the recovery is faster, it costs less (if you are not insured), and it is easier to find a surgeon to perform the revision.

Girth/Length:
I initially omitted this part of the comparison, given that today, there are options to increase girth if you opt for the malleable device, which indeed provides less girth than the IPP device. The other caveat is that this difference will be mostly noticeable if you are at a point with your erectile dysfunction (ED) that your natural engorgement is basically null. Otherwise, pairing the malleable implant with a proper cockring (I like simple/thick rubber shaft-only rings) will keep your natural engorgement 'trapped,' and you'll basically have the same girth as you naturally had before the implant. This combination has been great for me personally, and it doesn't make me feel like I lost a lot of girth going from natural to the IPP to the malleable with a cockring. That is my biased reason for omitting this part of the comparison in the first place. However, without any other aids (such as pills, rings, Peruvian maca, etc.), the girth provided by a Titan is definitely greatly superior to the unenhanced malleable girth. Length is surgeon dependent and not really implant dependent, but yes, an inflatable device can be slightly oversized and provide an additional 0.5-1cm of length. However, I wouldn't count on it, and I cannot say that is an advantage of the IPP device.
Lastly, currently, there are safe fillers that can be used to enhance girth beyond even what you could achieve with a Titan device. I think it's easier to apply those fillers if you have a malleable device as you don't risk perforating the inflatable cylinders. In short, unenhanced girth is greater with the IPP. A malleable device with some additional aids will likely provide you with the girth you naturally had, and with the current fillers, you can have a very thick penis even with the thinner malleable rods. This is something I'll consider if I decide against the IPP in the future.


Summary:

IPP:
+ More comfortable
+ More performant
+ More girth
- More unnatural
- More expensive
- More revisions (infections and failures)


Malleable:
+ Simple device and surgery
+ Cheap
+ Fewer revisions due to infections, failures, and improper installations
+ With some engorgement, it feels as normal as a regular penis (use a cockring)
+- Girth can be enhanced up to your natural potential and more with fillers, rings, pills.
- Performance is inferior to IPP in some positions
- Less comfort during regular activities
- Need to be mindful of concealment
- Sleep takes some adjusting
- Greater risk of accidental extrusion over a lifetime

Lastly, remember that both will help you have a fullfilling sex life.
As for myself, I'm still unsure If I want to deal with all the issues and risks associated with the inflatable device in exchange for the added comfort and performance.

[principles]

TLDR:

Concealment:
-Titan wins in concealment, looks natural.
-Malleable requires tighter underwear and positioning, not as concealed but manageable.

Sexual Performance:
-Titan provides better rigidity and versatility in positions.
-Malleable has some bending issues in certain positions, not as rigid as the Titan.

Post-operative Recovery:
-Malleable has faster and less painful recovery compared to the Titan.

Comfort:
-Titan is more comfortable in the long run, feels normal.
-Malleable can be uncomfortable with tight underwear and certain movements.

Post-operative Lifestyle Adjustments:
-Titan requires minimal adjustments except for heavy exercise.
-Malleable requires adjustments in sleep, work, clothing, and some positions during sex.

Partner's Perception:
-Titan offers better performance, but requires concealing tubing and pump paraphernalia.
-Malleable feels more natural, can be completely hidden from short term partners.

Revisions, risks, and costs:
-Malleable has lower risk of breakage, faster recovery, and easier revision surgeries compared to the Titan.
-Malleable is cheaper and easier to find surgeons for revisions.

In short:

-Titan: More comfortable, better performance, but more unnatural, expensive, and more revisions.
-Malleable: Simple device and surgery, cheaper, fewer revisions, but inferior performance in some positions, less comfort during regular activities, and need to be mindful of concealment.

Ultimately, it's a personal decision considering the issues and risks associated with the inflatable device for added comfort and performance. Both implants can help achieve a fulfilling sex life.

[wolfpacker]

Hell yes! Amazing post dude. You have a very rare perspective of both devices that not many people get. Thank you for posting your thoughts!

[New_Member]

Thank you for the giving your firsthand comparisons, this is an excellent write-up!

The only thing I didn’t see you talk about was size differences. I’ve heard from other posts that IPP usually provide size gains/maintenance but with the malleable you’re more likely to lose size. Was that I your case?

[Mark1974]

You spoke before about as S shaped disfigurement immediately after getting the Tactra. Has that changed?

Also is it possible to point it in a north-east or north-west direction when you are clothed? Instead of straight down. I know some other guys will malleables preferred to do that, but they had the Coloplast malleable instead of the Boston Scientific

[implantguy1]

Hello Principles thank you so much for this post as I am considering malleable too.
Brother I have some questions, Can you please guide me.

1: If I ask you that despite all the problems what do you think that you will lice your life with malleable?
Means obviously sex is necessary part of our lives but if young man like you develop ED so what do you recommend he should opt malleable implant?

2: -What are the chances of erosion in malleable and had you discussed this issue with your Dr? And how we can reduce the chances of erosion?? Do the erosion chances increase with time or it remains constant??

3: What about concealment? Can you now easily sit in gatherings? By looking at you can someone know about your implant?? And if we are living in combine family system how can we conceal it?

4: What do you think if a man avoids anal and rough sex! so the rigidity of tactra is enough for happy sex life?

5: I think Malleable can stay with u life time but you have to change IPP after some years. So if a young man have ED obviously if he goes towards IPP he have to repeat surgery again after some years and he needs 3 to 4 surgeries in life. IF he goes towards malleable may be one implant will be enough.
After all the negative of malleable what do you recommend to a young person as you have a experience of both.

[easymoney]

Great information .. your right there is little info around for us guys with the malleable implants.

[woodturner]

I have had both implants as well. Last December had revision surgery. They implanted a Titan and about 3 weeks later I was infected.
They removed the Titan and replaced it with a Malleable as a place holder. I was given the choice of keeping the malleable or in 6 months install another Titan. I chose to have the Titan installed. I learned the following:

* In my opinion if you are satisfied with malleable it is up to the job of having sex
* I did not like that it was erect all of the time. I am a bit on the larger side and finding a place to park it can be difficult at times.
* With the malleable I lost about 3/4" of girth and a little over a 1/2 inch of length. To me it felt way to small because of what I am used to.
* Surgical recovery with a malleable is easier.

Almost 8 weeks ago I went through another revision to have the malleable replaced with a Titan. I was told the greatest chance of infection is at the 4-6 week time frame. I seemed to have made it past that. However, I will feel more comfortable in a couple of weeks.
Since receiving the Titan I have recovered all but 1/16 inch of length and I picked up an extra 1/4 inch of girth. i.e. for all practical purposes I have recovered all of my previous size.

[principles]

I have added another point of comparison to the first post of the thread which relates to the potential girth/length differences between these devices.

[principles]

You spoke before about as S shaped disfigurement immediately after getting the Tactra. Has that changed?

Also is it possible to point it in a north-east or north-west direction when you are clothed? Instead of straight down. I know some other guys will malleables preferred to do that, but they had the Coloplast malleable instead of the Boston Scientific

've come to realize they're not really device related but instead the issue was related to the specifics of the situation I was in. The proximal portion of the right malleable rod has been stitched to the tunica to prevent it moving forward and extruding the distal portion of my tunica, which was weakened by the infection during my revision. The S shape situation is better but still not currently fixed and it will require a revision in the future to remove the stich from the tuninca and allow it to move freely. That is what has caused the S shape. Since it was not related to type of the implant, I also decided to ommit it from the comparison.

As to your second question, I have tried pointing it upwards, to the left, right. None of those were naturally comfortable to me. I naturally always had a lower than horizon erection angle so it was pretty comfortable simply forcing it down a bit more with a tighter underwear than having it pointing upwards. I think it will depend on each persons natural tunica positioning. If you had a >= horizon erection angle before your implant, then it could be the case that you will opt to position it north-east north-west as you've mentioned. Different setups for different anatomies.