Flight - masturbation sleeve by Fleshlight - review by Gdom

The Fleshlight Flight masturbator is a fantastic toy for anyone with a penis. While it certainly hasn't replaced my hand, the sensations it creates are wonderful and distinct from those associated with manual stimulation. All said, this toy is a winner and one of my best purchases on Eden.

Using the Flight is relatively straightforward. Simply lube up your cock, squirt some lube into the Flight itself, dial in your preferred suction, and you're ready to go! I find that a relatively generous amount of lube works well, but since the Flight's material doesn't seem to absorb the lube (unlike a hand), I only rarely need to add more lube once I've started. Although the Flight is not made of silicone, the manufacturer states that only water-based lubes should be used with the toy.

The Flight's case is made of an ABS plastic, giving it high impact resistance and toughness. In practical terms, there is virtually no chance that the case will crack or break from normal use; you'd have to try pretty hard to actually damage this thing. The majority of the case (except the areas within 1/2"--1-2cm--of the lid and bottom, which are smooth) is covered in small dimples of varying sizes. The dimples on the sides of the lid and bottom make it easy to screw these components on and off and the dimples on the main body provide a comfortable, sure grip during use. The case has two small seams running down either side, but these are rarely (if at all) noticeable during use. The word "FLIGHT(R)" appears in raised plastic in two places on the case: the top of the main body near the lid and the area on the bottom just before it meets the main body. While slightly more visible than the seams due to placement, these are also unlikely to be noticeable during use. Finally, the case's lid has a small ridge to keep the Flight steady when placed upright.

The inner sleeve of the Flight is made of Fleshlight's proprietary Super Skin material, which is not composed of latex, rubber, or silicone. While the company describes Super Skin as a "company secret," U.S. patent #5,782,818, filed in 1998 by the Fleshlight's inventor, states that the material is a mixture of 90-94% by weight of plasticizing oil and 5-9% by weight of an admixture of SEBS copolymers and SEPS block copolymers, with trace amounts of pigments and fillers. Perhaps most importantly, Super Skin does not contain phthalates. Overall, the sleeve is highly elastic and is soft and supple. However, if the user does not powder the sleeve with corn starch as the company recommends, it will be somewhat sticky to the touch. Fortunately, this stickiness does not leave any substantial residue and seems to disappear completely when the sleeve is lubricated.

Much like Fleshlight's other products, the inside of the sleeve has a variety of enjoyable textures, some more noticeable and pleasant than others. After the initial swirl of the opening is a short, medium-width chamber with very small bumps. In my personal experience, however, these bumps are completely unnoticeable during use. The sleeve then opens up into another short, but wider chamber (shaped like a small sphere) with more pronounced, noticeable bumps. Next is a very short, tight passageway, which feels absolutely fantastic and leads into the longest chamber of the Flight, which is relatively wide and has a series of large, soft, and pleasant protrusions lining the edges. After that is a ring of medium sized bumps followed by a series of slight, ring-like ridges. Finally, there is about 1/2"--1-2cm--smooth area before the end of the sleeve. Broadly speaking, the Flight's textures are extremely pleasant and, with the exception of the initial small bumps and perhaps the final series of slight rings, each texture is noticeable and provides a unique sensation during use. While it may be the simplest part of the inner texture, I'd have to say that the short, tight transition chamber feels the best, but really, the Flight feels great all around.

The Flight is a non-realistic masturbator, which may be a good or a bad thing depending on your preferences. Personally, I prefer the sleek, non-realistic look of the Flight over "disembodied vagina/ass/mouth in a can" masturbators. If you strongly prefer realism, the Flight isn't a good choice, but if you like non-realistic (or if you just don't care about the looks as long as it feels great), then this is one of the best non-realistic options out there.

Compared with other models in the Fleshlight line of toys, the Flight is a bit on the small side at 8" total and 6" insertable. While the Flight may not be suited toward users who are above average in length, average or small guys should have no problem with the size. The smaller size also makes the Flight lighter and perhaps even easier to hold onto during use than its larger cousins, which is definitely a plus. And if you need to pack a toy for travel (or hide one from prying eyes), the Flight will take up less space than most other masturbators, making storage even easier.

As for the width of the sleeve, again, average to small users should have no problem at all. Even for users above average in girth, the Flight's easily adjustable tightness (just partially screw or unscrew the bottom cap to adjust suction) should make it a good fit.

While the average person has a decent chance of figuring out what it's for given enough time, especially if they spot the "FLESHLIGHT(R)" logos on the case, the Flight is reasonably discreet. I wouldn't recommend leaving it out on your kitchen counter during a dinner party, but at least if someone caught a fleeting glance of it in a closet or a bag, it wouldn't scream "SEX TOY."

The Flight does have one design flaw, however, which I find quite bothersome: the bizarre angling on the case's bottom cap. Unlike the lid, which is flat and has a ridge to help stand the Flight upright, the bottom cap is slanted. This makes it effectively impossible to stand the Flight on the bottom cap. This may not seem like a very big problem; after all, the Flight can just stand upright on its lid instead. But when in use, that lid is going to be off. And if you screw the lid back on to set your Flight upright, you're going to have to deal with all of the lube (and, if you're finished, other fluids) leaking out onto the lid. It certainly doesn't ruin the toy--and I still highly recommend it--but something as simple as a flat base would have made this great toy even better.

The Flight is relatively easy to care for, but there are a few things you should do both before and after use to keep it in top condition. Before use, I highly recommend running the Flight's removable sleeve under warm to almost-hot water to warm it up. While it can be used without doing so, I usually find that the sleeve material is unpleasantly cold (even in summer) if I haven't warmed it up first. After drying the sleeve with a towel or paper towel (microwaves and hairdryers are pretty obviously a bad idea), push its base into the case (making sure that the end is straight; you may need to reach into the bottom and pull it a little to straighten it out) and screw the bottom cap on. Then apply a generous amount of your favorite water-based lube to the inside of the Flight's sleeve (and around the entrance) and to your cock. And that's about all there is to it! For the curious, I usually find that the before-use prep takes about 4-5 minutes at most.

After using the Flight, you're going to want to remove the lube and other fluids. By screwing off the bottom cap, it's usually fairly easy to pour most of these out to dispose of them. After that, remove the sleeve from the case and run it under warm water. Position the sleeve so that the water runs through it (not just over it) to help wash out the remaining fluids. Using your favorite toy cleaner (I recommend JO's foaming cleaner), wash the inside of the sleeve (if the case is messy, I'd recommend using some toy cleaner there as well). Once the sleeve is clean, dry it off with a towel or paper towel and then leave it to air dry. Do not put the sleeve back in its case before the sleeve is dry unless you want to risk having a moldy Fleshlight. Note that you can cut down on the air drying time significantly if you do your best to hand dry the inside of the Fleshlight (I usually run a paper towel through it once and that tends to soak up a lot of the water that's inside before I even start air drying it). Finally, if you so choose, powder your Flight with corn starch. The company recommends this as a way to keep your toy feeling soft, supple, and like-new, but I have not found it necessary so far, so I usually skip this final step. Without powdering the toy, I find that the after-use cleanup usually takes about 4-5 minutes as well. Overall, the Flight is relatively low maintenance and as long as you follow these simple steps, you'll be able to use it for a good, long time.