...never held an erection (even with a constriction ring).

The short answer is to experiment with different brands of rings and/or to try 2 rings. What worked for me(2 Osbons) might not work for others.

side effects like a blueish coloured penis? or a cold penis? Also since the erection starts at the base of the penis, does it aim downwards during a pumped erection? It does get a dark purple color. The first year or so it was colder to the touch. I did a lot of pumping for rehab and practice. Also...

Don't know exactly how long. 8 or 9 years? Took a while to get efficient at pumping. Then there was some time and money spent on finding the ideal ring or as it turned out, rings(two). Then we changed the sex routine to accommodate using a VED, for example the 20-30 minute time limit before the ring...

Because of Cialis's longer "half life" the formula for daily doses is: (daily dose) x 1.6.
So 10 mg a day means you have about 16 mg active.
20 mg would mean 32 mg active.

I use an Encore Deluxe. Battery and manual pump both included. I, like others, use 2 Osbon rings and both load on the pump.
Pretty reasonable for a medical grade VED.
https://www.vitalitymedical.com/encore- ... -pump.html

two plugs will work twice as well!

Definitely makes her feel tighter. She orgasms quicker and harder. Doggy style gives an unforgettable view. Mine rubs my prostate.

And can a woman really tell the difference between a really hard erection and one at 95 %?

Can't speak for all women, but in my small subset of one, yes!

FDA approved (lol, if they were so great they wouldn't approve any without a gauge

Actually an FDA approved device is vacuum limited.
What the limit is and whether it is a safe limit is is certainly a topic for discussion.

I have broken a few rings and always have a spare of each.

In addition, I went the extra mile and bought a back-up pump.

recommend There are a variety of VED's that work well for their users. I "recommend" the type that works for you. I use one of these https://www.vitalitymedical.com/encore-deluxe-vacuum-therapy-system-battery-or-manual-pump.html I use 2 Osbon rings for sex. 2 Osbons fit on the Encore so b...