A leather stretcher is generally not good at creating stretch as it produces no downward pull, so the name is somewhat of a misnomer.

It does however work well at retaining and consolidating stretch achieved and to this end is used a lot.

Leather, of course, has the irreplaceable sensuous cachet of feel, smell and looks. Few can resist the temptation of wearing soft black leather next to their skin, especially next to such a deliciously sensitive area as the balls.

A good leather stretcher is made of leather that is soft enough to have a pleasant feel, yet firm enough to avoid wrinkling up under the pressure of contracting cremaster muscles. it needs two sets of snaps for adjustment and the snaps need to be heavy duty. The top edge should be turned over to produce an edge that offers some comfort. It is common for sweat to cause sticking to the leather and this is difficult to avoid. Talcum powder should be considered when using leather or latex stretchers.

Some use rubber instead of leather, but it is generally less yielding and more prone to sharp edges.

Neoprene is another alternative. Whilst it is potentially very comfortable with its combination of soft edges yet firm control it requires significant pre-stretching to be able to get over the testicles to encompass the scrotum and this tends to weaken it as they are usually made using a glued construction. Non petroleum lubricants must be used with rubber and neoprene to avoid degradation of the latex.

Silicone stretchers have made a relatively recent appearance. They are stretchy, able to be used with any lubricant, and generally comfortable but of course will not produce any downward pressure, and tend to have slightly less erotic appeal.

Rubber rings can be used as ball stretchers. It should be noted that rubber has quite a high co-efficient of friction (why cars have tyres made of it) so lubrication is important to avoid excessive skin abrasion. Petroleum based lubricants are out, and water based lubricants are generally not effective for long enough, which leaves only silicon.