GayDemon's review of Hard Friction

Hard Friction is the latest site from Raging Stallion, and it's the work of gay pornstars and real-life partners Steve Cruz and Bruno Bond. They're both over 35, masculine and hairy, and so are most of the men who fuck, suck and jack off in their site - although there are a couple smoother more slender guys in the site, as well. Steve and Bruno not only star in some of the videos inside the site, but they're also producing and directing, so this is their site that shows men and action they find hot. The tour includes a trailer for each episode and promises members HD videos. Sound good? Then join me for a closer look at Hard Friction!

The member home page is easy to use, with links running across the top, the latest news on the left, a search box on the right just above a poll. Next come the latest video, newest model and the latest live show, most recent archived live show. There is also a schedule for the next 8 live shows, which happen every 3 to 4 days, plus links to more updates and up and coming update previews. At the bottom of the page is something you don't see very often - support phone numbers including one for international members. The site is brand new, but planning to update every week.

There are currently 10 videos - 4 in XXX Hardcore, 4 in Screen Tests and 2 in Erotica. The downloadable WMVs and the largest streaming videos in both WMV and Flash are shown at 1280x720 or just below, the bitrates at around 1.8 Mbps. Quality is average, and the videos are large without going full screen. The streaming videos are also offered at 3 smaller sizes. I found the largest streaming videos didn't play smoothly for me, but the downloadable vids play pretty smoothly. One thing that's important to know about the downloadble videos is that they use DRM, which means that they will not play after your membership has expired. Also Mac and Linux users will not be able to watch them.

The pics here are screencaps, and there's one set with each video. The pics are average vidcap quality, and are shown at 1280x720. If the pics don't seem that big to you, click the link over any full sized pic that says "switch resizing on/off", and when you go to the next pic, it will be shown at its full size. The pic sets are on the small side, 7 to 20 pics being offered per set, but they do a good job of previewing each video.

On the tour there's an video that acts as an introduction to the site. It's narrated by Steve Cruz and Bruno Bond, and although it's pretty long, I actually watched it through. It gives a very good idea of what the site is about - the men and the action Steve and Bruno are turned on by. For the most part, this site features pornstars and first timers with a masculine, somewhat muscular look and in many cases tattoos. The action here is a mix of hardcore and solo jack-offs, and the men seem very into what they're doing. The hardcore is very passionate, more so than the average site, and amateurs in the screen tests are hot enough that it's hard to tell them from the pros. Overall some very sexy stuff!

Let's talk about extras. Hard Friction offers members twice a week live shows, and there was one happening when I logged in today. It was a 2-guy show, a dominant/submissive scenario with fingering, fisting and lots of dirty talk. The video quality was pretty good for a live show - streaming was good and sound was very good. The site also offers 269 archived live shows and 30 video feeds in a variety of gay categories. Overall a good collection that adds value while the site is growing.

The most important issue here is that the downloadable videos use DRM. That means that any videos you download will not play after your membership has expired, and also that Mac and Linux users can only watch the streaming versions of the videos. I was unable to find the amount that the trial memberships rebill at, and it's also worth noting the the site's trial membership is limited, which means trial members do not get access to all the content and features. And one last thing that bothered me a little is that on the tour the site says that the latest episode includes 159 pics, but in the member area there were only 20.

Hard Friction is the work of pornstar couple Bruno Bond and Steve Cruz, and I must say the men and the action are hot! I also liked the mix of pornstars and amateurs, lots of masculine tattooed men with a couple smooth slender guys thrown in the mix. While the site is new, currently offering 10 videos, and weekly updates, the twice weekly live shows, 269 archived live shows and 30 mixed gay feeds definitely add value for members. The catch for some is that the downloadable videos use DRM, although there are streaming versions also available. Whether you're a fan of Bruno and Steve or just like exclusive content and horny men, Hard Friction is worth checking out.

Things we liked:

• Exclusive content
• Hot masculine men
• Videos are downloadable
• Site is searchable
• Twice a week live shows

Things we didn't like:

• Site is new and needs time to grow
• Videos use DRM
• Limited trial
• No easy way to find the cost of rebills for trial memberships

Click here to visit Hard Friction