Despite being an avowed eater of ass, I missed out on the first “rimming butt plug.” The b-Vibe Rimming Plug came out in 2016 and almost immediately became a fan favorite. It’s spawned both sequels and imitators – and one of the latter is what I’m reviewing today for SheVibe.

Howdy and hello to the Drive Rimming Butt Plug!

Rimming butt plugs use rotating beads in their necks to stimulate your sphincter (aka the sensitive rim of muscle and tissue that forms your butthole.) They’re not the first toys to use this tech. It’s fallen out of style now, but a lot of rabbit vibrators – like the one infamously featured on Sex and the City – had rotating beads in the shaft.

Despite owning a literal shelfload of sex toys, stimulation beads were new to me. They’re a pretty interesting concept…

drive rimming butt plug design

The Drive Rimming Butt Plug is part of Blush Novelties’ Performance Plus line of butt toys. It’s rechargeable and comes with a remote control for easier use (and fun with partners.) It retails for $60 USD – less than half the price of the b-Vibe Rimming Plug.

This butt plug is in the intermediate size range, meaning it’s a bit big for beginners. The widest part of the insertable portion is 1.5 inches in diameter – that’s the average width of dildos or penises. If you’re totally new to anal penetration, it’s generally recommended you start off with toys in the 1.25” diameter range.

The Performance Plus Drive is a firm toy with a powdery-smooth, body-safe silicone surface. The shaft is tapered for easier insertion and has two sleek ridges for subtle stimulation. Less subtle is the bulky base, which is about twice as big as it needs to be to make this toy anal safe.

(Presumably the base is so big because it has to house the plug’s motor or other mechanics. But still, it’s awkward.)

The Drive Rimming Plug has 5 swirling settings for the rimming beads, and 10 vibration settings. There’s a single button on the base to click through the settings, which are all combinations of vibration/rimming. If you want to control them individually, you’ll have to use the remote.

I appreciate the Drive Butt Plug being waterproof. I can toss it in the sink with regular silicone plugs and not worry that I’ll accidentally flood the motor.

what does the rimming feel like?

Despite the name, there’s no way for a sex toy to emulate oral sex – we just don’t have the technology. By “rimming,” these toys mean titillating your rim with a rotating bead massage. (As opposed to the Sir Richards Rim Joy, which utilizes a flicking tip for external stimulation.) That’s a very different experience from having a hot, undulating tongue press inside your hole.

Very few plugs stimulate the wearer’s sphincter, which is a shame because it’s rich with nerves. (Previously, if I wanted a lot of rim stim, I’d reach for a pair of anal beads.) So while I didn’t expect the Drive to provide a rim job, my partner and I were still hoping for something special.

(In fact, my partner Buster did 95% of the testing for this review. My IBS has been debilitating lately, so I haven’t been comfortable with anal.)

Unfortunately, at least for us, the Performance Plus Drive’s performance wasn’t a plus. It was essentially non-existent.

The plug’s 7 settings are all combinations of vibration and the rimming functions, and the rimming is indistinguishable. You can switch to just rimming with the remote, but even then Buster pointed out, “the best way I can describe [the rimming] is a distant, gentle thumpy vibration. I can tell the beads are whirring around but they’re not strong enough to feel like anything specific.”

The Drive’s neck is smooth, firm silicone. I’d barely know the beads were there if I didn’t turn the toy on and grip the neck with my fingers to check.

We both have chronic digestive issues that might impact the sensitivity of our buttholes. I don’t have anything to compare the Drive plug to in order to say it’s just the Drive’s motor. But I did see a few reviews of the famed b-Vibe Rimming Plug that lamented a lack of sensation. Perhaps it’s not just the budget-friendly Drive that would fail to titillate us.

Luckily, the Blush Novelties Drive has more to offer than rimming!

drive rimming plug vibrations

The Performance Plus Drive Plug is a firm toy, so it conducts its vibrations pretty well. You can feel them through the plug’s shaft and tip – but you primarily feel it in the base, so if you don’t like vibrations buzzing your butt cheeks, that’s something to keep in mind.

The vibrations are hard to describe as specifically either buzzy (shallow/numbing) or rumbly (resonating/thumpy) but at least internally they feel rumbly. The three steady settings are weak-to-medium strong (not enough to pleasure power royalty.) They’re about as strong as the middling settings on the Satisfyer Yummy Sunshine.

One big pro for the Performance Plus Drive is how quiet it is (relative to other vibrators, anyway.) The rimming beads are actually louder than the vibrations. You can definitely hear it if you’re in the same room, but not from behind a closed door.

wearing the performance plus drive

The Drive Rimming Plug’s tip is easy to insert because it’s narrow and firm, like an insistent fingertip pressing against your hole. The plug gradually flares out to its maximum width to allow you time to adjust to the toy’s girth, then narrows again so your sphincter can relax and hold the plug in place.

Unfortunately, the Drive plug’s base is big and heavy, and the neck isn’t narrow enough to let your hole fully close (like a b-Vibe Snug Plug.) This means the Drive is constantly straining to pop out. Buster could only wear it while laying on their back (occasionally reaching down to adjust it) or sitting directly on it. If you move too much, stand up, or clench when you orgasm, the Drive immediately slips out.

Because it’s both rigid and long, we were worried the Drive might be pokey inside. But Buster didn’t experience any jabbing even when moving around. The plug’s slight ridges were completely imperceptible once the toy was inserted, so there was no discomfort from that either.

Despite not liking the base, Buster likes the Performance Plus Driver for sitting at their desk and gaming. The bulky base reminds them to stay in place, and the plug’s length and firmness makes it an unforgettable presence in their ass. One thing Buster noticed during their gaming sessions is the plug’s tendency to heat up during wear. It never became too hot for them, but if you’re not a fan of warming functions (intentional or just a byproduct of a busy motor) that’s something to keep in mind.

taking issue with the drive’s base

The base is round (rather than T-shaped), so it doesn’t tuck between the wearer’s cheeks. Some people like circular bases, but I kinda hate them. I’ve got a big ass and the last thing I want is a toy spreading and chafing my crack. I’ll make exceptions for interesting tech, but the Drive Rimming Butt Plug is definitely a ‘wear briefly while having sex’ plug and not a ‘wear around the house’ plug.

A wider plug would have made more sense, honestly. It would have more resistance to popping out, and the proportions wouldn’t seem as aesthetically weird.

One thing the base is great for though is solo insertion. If you don’t have a partner to plug you up, you can easily grasp the chunky base and slide the Driver home. The Driver’s button is big and easy to push by yourself too, but the remote is still a convenient addition.

final thoughts on the drive

The Blush Novelties’ Performance Plus Drive Plug didn’t work out as a rim massager, at least for us. The Drive’s vibrations are decent, but its uncomfortably bulky base and lack of girth make it difficult to wear as a plug. This plug has enough going for it that it wouldn’t be a total loss if you bought it and didn’t feel or enjoy the rimming feature, but not enough that I’d enthusiastically recommend it over other regular vibrating plugs with remotes.

You can find the Drive Rimming Butt Plug on SheVibe for $60 USD as of this posting. SheVibe has a number of other rimming plug options, if you’re looking for alternatives.

Thank you, SheVibe, for sending me the Performance Plus Drive Butt Plug in exchange for an honest review.

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