I can’t give a definitive start point, but I know that when I was reading Tammad’s website in the late 90s, and he was writing about his explorations on the topic it hooked itself into my brain, and it never left after that. It took until the first knock offs of the CB 2000 were out before I bought my first device and then it was the HTv2 that was the first one I wore for a moderately regular time period. I’ve been in my Rigid since Aug ‘20, almost continuously.
What I can’t tell you is the question you asked: why? I really don’t understand why this has such a grip on my mind, but from the earliest readings I remember on the topic (above) it has just sat with me, and been something I wanted to explore.
Given that I am poly, and a switch… This has made the explorations and desires even more confusing. :-) 
Thanks for coming out of your lurker mode 😉. Great response - thank you, especially to the "why" part because I find the many various reasons (even if unexplainable) fascinating. I myself am a very late bloomer to chastity aspect and cages and a recent switch...
I hope you don't mind my followups: what (or who) makes you remain in chastity? would you consider crossing back to a life uncaged? Do/would you still top even if you are caged?
Sorry to then vanish back in to lurking for a couple of months. I’m still wanting to love Lemmy, but things are still slow enough that my typical 95% consumption model of reddit-like sites means I get bored faster, no matter how much more interesting the people are here…
I have literally never understood my interest in chastity… I read about it sometime in the late 90’s, mostly from Tammad, and something clicked. I needed to try it. I needed to be actively denied. Ironically I was still in the height of my slutting around days then. It’s never been a humiliation/degradation thing - nmk - and I’ve yet to be in a real D/s-y relationship where I’m s-ing.
There’s mild Ds with my keyholder, but tbh she’s mostly doing it - and doing it well beyond any reasonable expectations! - at my behest. As much as I (sort of) want to believe that she’d reject the request if I said I was done with all of this, I truly doubt we’d even explore that CnC road - though I’ve basically ok’d any given instance of such that she may be interested in and we could talk it out later.
It’s been about 10 years that I really started getting serious - when I told her what I wanted to - and about 6 since I’ve been basically full-time… and I feel like a recent trip where I messed up and left home without a cage for a week(!!) has shown me that I’d prefer not to go back to the old ways. Being locked feels more right. As does the restricted hard-on I’m attempting to get while typing this all up.
All that said, yes I absolutely still top, though not nearly as much as I’d LIKE TO BE. I’ve yet to find a bottom that’s also in to denial of this sort, sadly, but going after the “You’re done coming when I SAY you’re done” is almost as satisfying. I’ve just taken (bio)PiV(or A) off the table as something I’ll do with a partner. Most people have been ok with this. One wasn’t, and I’m a bit sad about it, but I survive.
I might go make this a top-level post someplace…
I've been asked to wear one of these once, but I had to request to stop after a month because it was just super painful. I wouldn't have really cared if not for that. It was kinda fun not even being able to do anything if I was hard, or even get fully hard. But not with it feeling like my scrotum was slowly being cut into literally the whole time. 😬
A band aid at the base of the scrotum helps with that. Also, with the cheap plastic ones, you gotta sand the ridge off to make it somewhat comfortable.
Hmm, I've never tried a bandaid. I rely on just a little bit of Vaseline to reduce potential chafing, and to allow the ring to slide around a bit.
So sorry you had that bad experience. I hope you'll try again with a larger base ring. Proper sizing of the base ring is totally necessary to not experience that "being cut into" sensation - you want the ring/base to be snug so it won't slip, but not overly tight that circulation is cut off when you get hard.
But to followup a bit - what dynamics made you agree to put one on?
I first found out about chastity watching femdom Joi videos. I liked the idea of not being in control of my orgasms or if I'm even allowed to have an erection so I ordered a cage.
I've been doing this on my own (no partner or dom) and the constant denial of pleasure makes for a better orgasm when I do allow myself one. I've been keeping a schedule of one per week and staying caged the rest of the time (only when at home, haven't had the confidence to wear a cage to work yet but I'd like to do it soon).
Ultimate goal is to find a dom to use and control me.
I haven't tried it yet but I'm curious to try hitting my prostate with a chastity cage on. I frequently end up giving in and just playing with my dick even when I'm working on a prostate orgasm and I think the cage would help me stay away from my dick.
This is what I do. I have no self control so if I want to touch my dick during a session the cage forces me to go get they keys from another room by which time the urge to touch myself is mostly gone
I’m not really sure where I picked up an interest in chastity. I’m a switch and have always enjoyed orgasm control, both being controlled and doing the controlling. Chastity takes that to its next logical extreme.
My wife and I have a heavily switch dynamic and chastity is how we reinforce that if we want it to carry outside of the bedroom. The longest I’ve been locked was a little over two weeks before I cracked, and I ejaculated so much I thought I lost weight.
So yeah. Her chastity belt will be in today.