Ah, the Fleshlight. How iconic is the Fleshlight? It's been referenced by brand name in movies, been the source of material for stand up comedians and is the brand people think of when they think of masturbatory aids. But, I didn't have one. In truth, my husband has never really wanted one. But after reading so many reviews glowing about them, I decided he didn't know what he wanted. I got him one.

I opted for the Sword. You can't go wrong with a theme, right? I pictured knights and ladies fair, riding horses to castles and frolicking in canopy beds. Romantic and sexy right? I think so too.





The Sword is a masturbation sleeve, housed in a pretty case. I don't really see how it could effectively be used for anything else. It doesn't vibrate, so I can't even make the leap that it might be used for external clitoral stimulation. It is used by lubing up both the Sword and the penis you intend to stimulate, and inserting the penis in the asshole shaped hole in the end of the Sword. You can then move the Sword up and down the penis in question, or thrust the penis in question in and out of the stationary Sword.

Rolling the Sword up in a sturdy blanket or positioning pillows around it does allow you to thrust into the Sword hands free, and allows for a more realistic intercourse experience, if that is important to you.

I do think the Sword will fit a very wide range of penis sizes. It would be an a fine choice for anyone in the market for a masturbation sleeve. I also enjoyed using it as a couples toy.

The textured internal sleeve of the Sword is made of Superskin, which is a very smooth and soft feeling material, and rates a 5 out of 10 on the Eden Safety Scale. It feels very close to skin, and if you poke it or run your finger along it the feeling is very convincingly real. It provides a nice cushion for thrusting, and feels like skin on skin contact. Superskin is non-allergenic, so it shouldn't cause an issue for anyone with sensitive skin or who is prone to allergic reactions. It is also latex free. Superskin holds on to body heat, and warms to your temperature. I am very impressed with the touch and feel of the sleeve.





It does, however, tend to collect hair and lint. If the sleeve gets too sticky and tacky feeling you can dust it with cornstarch and shake off the excess. This will return it to its realistic feeling state, and not the state where it feels like one of those sticky hands that kids play with. After a wash or two, I noticed that it felt tacky and not as nice, but a quick dusting did the trick.

The exposed portion of the sleeve is meant to mimic an asshole and the surrounding area, and is complete with puckering. It looks fairly realistic and is uniform in color. The inside of the Sword has a moderate amount of texture, in the form of a series of tighter rings and areas with nubs and bumps.

The housing for the case, the cap at the end of the sleeve and the small seal are made of a fairly firm yet easy bendable plastic. Plastic rates an 8 out of 10 on the Eden Safety Scale. It will hold its shape well, but you can squeeze the housing with your hand to provide a tighter feel to the sleeve inside. It is a firm enough plastic to allow you to loosely grip the Sword and not add additional tightness internally, if that isn't something you enjoy. The outside of the housing and cap are decorated with texture and symbols intended to call to mind the image of sword's hilt. I like the look of the decorated housing; I think it helps add to the theme and makes the toy have a bit more flair.

The Sword isn't a lightweight, easily portable toy. It definitely has some heft to it. I enjoy that the shape is more rounded triangle shaped, instead of just being a tube. It makes it easy to grip, along with the texture, and also gives it a more realistic sword hilt look. It is designed with a man sized hand in mind, but I didn't have any issues wrapping my hand around the hilt or keeping hold of it, so it could he held controlled by a man or a woman.





Although the cap covers anything that is obviously sexual, it would be hard to explain the Sword away as anything but what it is. If you live with roommates, or aren't comfortable telling guests that you use a Fleshlight, I'd suggest storing it out of sight. It does take several hours to dry after use and cleaning, and you can't reassemble it until it is dry. So, using this does mean you are committing to having it out in the open for a chunk of time. I don't know that I'd consider it discreet, because it is interesting looking and is bound to invite questions. For the same reason, it wouldn't be ideal for travel. If I was going to take it with me on a trip, I'd be sure to pack it in checked baggage, and not take it in a carry on.





The Sword is 8" in total length, and the portion you grip is 3" tall and 2 3/8" wide. The portion of the sleeve that sticks out of the housing is bulged and larger than the area you grip, measuring 3 1/2" by 2 1/2". The actual asshole opening is 7/16" by 1/8", but it has an amazing around of stretch. The more girth to the penis you're using this toy with, the snugger the feeling you're going to get. Of course, you can always apply pressure to the housing to add snugness. So, because there is a way to adjust the fit, I'd say it will work for anyone.





There is a small cap on the end of the housing with is meant to either allow for, or eliminate suction. If you remove the cap, there is place for air to escape during thrusting and you don't have any suction. If you put the cap on, you feel an increase in suction when you draw the Sword away from the penis you're stimulating. It isn't a total or extreme amount of suction, because there are four small holes around the removable cap and those four holes are open no matter what. I assume this is for ease of use, to ensure there isn't so much suction that the backstroke is difficult.

Superskin isn't a material that I was familiar with when I got the Sword, but because I was impressed with the feel of it, I was hoping it would hold up to cleaning and wear. So far, so good. Cleaning Superskin is a little bit different than other sex toy materials. You are supposed to remove the inner sleeve and give everything a good rinse in warm water, but do not use any soap. Soap will damage the sleeve. After a very careful and thorough rinse, you allow all parts to dry before putting it all back together. As mentioned above, if the sleeve gets sticky you can dust it with cornstarch.

The plastic portions of the Sword could be cleaned with a mild soap and water, but be sure they are thoroughly rinsed and free of any soap residue before you allow them to dry and reassemble the toy, to avoid exposing the Superskin material to any soap.

Only water based lubes should be used with the Sword. Any silicone or oil based lubes will damage the Superskin. Because the Sword has a convenient plastic cap over the Superskin portions of the toy, it is easy to store. You can place it in a drawer or in your toy box, confident that the sleeve portions are covered and protected until you wish to use the Sword again.

The packaging for the Sword was fairly minimal. It comes already assembled, in a cardboard box with a clear window. There is a cardboard form inside the box to secure the toy and make sure it doesn't shift around in the box and get damaged. The package can be recycled if you don't wish to keep it for storage. I wouldn't call it classy or elegant, but it isn't trashy looking either.

The Sword comes packaged with a sample of the Fleshlight lube and a booklet which shows the other Fleshlights available. The outside of the box gives you information about care and use, as well as a cross section photo which shows the internal texture of the sleeve.

Packed:



Side of the box:



Unpacked:

Ok, first things first. I was a little surprised that the Sword was an asshole. When I think of swords, I think of knights and ladies fair. I think of being swept up on horseback and taken to a canopy bed in some romantic castle in England. I don't think about taking it up the butt. Doesn't jive with the whole chivalry game. But, maybe that's just me. I like anal play as much as the next girl, but somehow it doesn't match with the knights of the round table fantasy. Whew. Glad I got that off my chest.

My first impressions were pretty favorable. It did seem much heavier than I thought it would be, but somehow that seemed a positive thing. It was a serious toy; a toy that meant business.

The main issue we encountered when using the Sword is balancing too much lube and not enough lube, in an effort to find the sweet spot. Too much lube and you lose a lot of the sensation and have to put up with a slurpy gloppy noise that is totally unappealing and mood killing. Too little lube and the penis in use tends to grab on to the Superskin around the opening and drag it along a bit, which isn't a pleasant feeling, and not how the toy is intended to be used. Because you can only use water based lubes with the Sword, it is continually being absorbed by your skin or running out the back of the toy and you need to re-apply quite a bit. Even when you get the balance just right, it only stays that way for a short time before you need to work to fine that equilibrium again.

My husband noted that it clearly isn't meant for long term masturbation sessions, but more of a get in/get out kind of session. He enjoys a long session, and found that the Sword wasn't working with him as much as he wanted it to, and having to monitor the lube ratio and balance things in that department was annoying to him. This is a matter of personal preference, of course, and for short, quick uses you won't notice this issue nearly as much.