If there was one question I was asked more than any other when I received the Fleshlight|Fleshlight lady original - Masturbation sleeves for review, by both men and women, it was a slightly nervous, So, does it, uh…work? These things can be rather binary, you see, the primary question surrounding a realistic vagina|Realistic vaginas being whether it gets you off. I'm pleased to report that yes, Virginia, the Fleshlight got me off in some style. For those of you unaware of the Fleshlight, it's more or less exactly as the name suggests: a plastic tube containing a simulated pair of labia and a long inner canal. It can seem daunting on a first look; it's a bit bigger than you'd think, and heavier. It's exceptionally user-friendly, though. Simple tap water warms it to order, a bit of lubricant gets it ready, and once used it's remarkably easy to clean. A good flushing of warm water and it's ready to be put away.

Of course, using the Fleshlight requires that the user get over a not inconsiderable mental hump that goes something like, So... I guess I have a silvery plastic tube over my penis. It can be a little bit alienating. And once one's over that, the verisimilitude of this adult toy can be disorienting. The gel center feels a LOT like actual flesh, and even as your dick tells you this is a good thing, your mind may work overtime to remind you of its artificiality. You're not fucking a plastic soul, is what I'm saying. For all that, though, after a couple of uses these issues are largely irrelevant. It's a masturbation sex toy, and on that level, it's really, really something. It just feels good, and it's a smooth enough ride that multiple goes are not out of the question. Depending on the lubricant you use, it's a pretty varied experience. Astroglide gives the smoothest sensation (and the self-heating kind is particularly nice), while KY gives it a bit more tug, if that's your poison. Either way, it pays to be generous with the lube. The only thing I can think of that might improve it would be a vibrating attachment, though this is surely absent only because they actually want you to leave the house once in a while.

So, it works. It's good. And while it'll never be something you'd keep on your coffee table, this sex toy has been designed with some amount of wit. For once, the following phrase can be used in all sincerity and with no backhandedness: it's better than a fist in the groin.