I understand what you mean now, yes I was also in the same mindset when I started in 2001.
It wasn't good to use a pump and the forums I lurked at and than later become active with, were also shy about them. It was only in around 2004-2005 when I started using a pump, a normal conventional one. Members here at
MOS and other forums were more open about them and it seemed like they held potential on doing 'something'.
Than with my usage of the pump combined with mostly clamping I gained really well throughout the years, don't know how much exactly from pumping as you do lose track when your like me constantly swapping things about but the pumping does seem to be permanent .... HOWEVER I STRONGLY suggest its used alongside other Penis Enlargement methods, such as Jelqing, clamping, hanging or the good routine that DLD has created for the
Bathmate.
Now you could think, like I did at first that the gains than are from the 'other' methods right? well what I think happens, is the pump creates the vacuum as we know and draws in the blood blah blah blah and with the
Bathmate you can do stretches, bends and who knows what else that you cant easily do in the normal dry pumps. So as I was saying, the blood is drawn in and than you switch to your other methods such as for example lets say hanging weights off your penis several hours later ... I have found that stretching on my pump days gives me a much more intense, longer and better stretch than without the pump ... so it seems pumping works in synergy with most other methods of enlargement, because as we know the key ingredient to the penis is BLOOD as its essentially a large external valve filled with blood.
I think permanent gains can be made as well from pumping alone, but it will take longer than combining other methods to it.
Something else that puts people off pumping is the disgusting images floating about the web of deformed pumped up dicks, and than its like ''OMG is that what it does'' and it doesn't because guys who do that are merely at it for the FETISH ... the RUSH of it, like a drug to them and I see no harm in that if its the outlet they desire, not killing or harming anyone is it but for real gains its not the way forward.