Lotion vs. Oil for Cage Lubrication

I’ve brought it up a handful of times now that I’m currently rocking the [[A272 stainless steel cage]]( Throughout the New England winter, it has been hands down the most comfortable and hassle-free setup I’ve tried—maybe even surpassing my heavily modified CB3000.

One drawback of a tight tube is that your member gets tugged and pushed around as you go about your day. Without enough lube inside, things can shift into awkward positions that make peeing tricky, particularly at public urinals (I struggle to slide a finger through the cage opening to fix it). I’ve experimented with various lotions over time, but this year I shifted toward oils. The two I keep coming back to are silicone-based JO lube for its durability and coconut oil for being fully natural.

My past experience with oils was that they trap sweat, grime, dead skin, and urine, leading to odor issues. The A272 (honestly, could the name be more boring?) features a very tight 33mm tube—smaller than the CB3000/6000 narrow width of 35mm. Because it lacks a “head” component, the fit is snug from top to bottom, leaving little space for thorough cleaning.

I noticed silicone lube was tougher to wash off, but even coconut oil stayed put inside the tube. Despite scrubbing thoroughly in the shower every night, I’d still detect some funk by week’s end when I took it off for a quick two-minute clean. Mrs Edge once described it as “smelling like feet.”

So, purely on impulse, I switched back to lotion. My go-to is Gold Bond or similar brands; they tend to be thicker than average. I tried the Shea butter variety, but since Mrs Edge wasn’t fond of that scent, I opted for their mildly scented Healing with Aloe version. Every morning, I apply a small amount inside the tube using a Q-tip and coat some around the cuff ring.

Although it’s denser, lotion is much easier to rinse away. Since I usually shower in the evening, the product washes out of the cage without any trouble. I’ve been on this routine for four or five weeks now, and honestly, you might not even need to take the device off for that weekly deep clean: I haven’t picked up any smells at all. We recently skipped a cleaning week entirely with no problems.

Of course, there is a trade-off: lotion doesn’t last as long during the day if you want extra lubrication around the ring. It tends to wear off by lunchtime and needs reapplication. I haven’t experimented with using oil outside and lotion inside because that feels less convenient for me. Fortunately, the small amount left over at the end of a workday is sufficient; I just adjust things slightly more.

Since this topic comes up periodically, I’m reaffirming my stance from 15 years ago: lotion is likely the superior choice for most men.

Useful details. I plan to test some Gold Bond when we experiment with that device.