Succu dry - masturbator by Fleshlight - review by Shadowfall

Owners of existing Fleshlights can probably skip this section, as nothing has really changed. The basic principles still apply - remove the "top," lube up, loosen the "bottom" and insert your penis. The bottom of the can controls the vacuum, just like the narrow end of all Fleshlights controls the vacuum/pressure.

The difference here are two things. First is the size - while shorter than a normal Fleshlight, the diameter is only marginally smaller than the wide end of a regular unit, which means you are definitely going to build up wrist and forearm muscles with this unit - the shorter length and wider body make it MUCH more work to hold on to and to move. Second is the texture - the themed "Fang" texture, which is made up of a bunch of long nubs with "spiked" tops. Honestly though, this is SuperFlesh we're talking about - the spikes are more thematic than sensory, as once you're in, they're just going to feel like nubs - those with more delicate skin may get the pleasant experience of the tips shifting as you thrust and retract.

Because of the nubs, this thing eats up lube like the Turbo Tube (if anyone out there can remember that design from a few years back) - the distance between the nubs and the inner wall allows the lube to end up getting sucked up. In that sense, the "Succu Dry" moniker is an unfortunate truth. Have a ready supply of lube; I understand certain bulk stores sell lube in gallon-sized jugs with pumps on the top, and I can't help but wonder if this is their target market.

Lube-consumption aside, it feels GOOD. This product shows that Fleshlight has gotten better with age - the texture is more adventurous and a bit tighter than some of their older products, and those who have a more sensitive penis than I will love the subtlety of the pointy tips.

As for alternative uses, I honestly can't think of any other uses besides its designed use, unless you want to create really awkward situations at the annual office gift exchange (anyone seeing a theme developing?). It's designed to massage penises - because of that, it really only has one use, but how you go about that one use is the key. Do you use it like a regular masturbator? Do you tuck it between pillows and thrust away? Do you buy one of the shapes to hold it? Do you have your lover hold it for you for a new form of intimacy? That is up to you. Honestly, I think the last is the hottest, particularly for couples not quite ready for sex but wanting to get more intimate.

Speaking of heat - Superskin is capable of heat-treatment, but only to a certain degree and time. You can soak in hot or (given the vampire theme) cold water beforehand to alter the temperature of the material, but it takes a while to get a lasting effect. Cold is easy - put it in the fridge with the real beer. Warm takes more time and thought, but is possible.

Succu Dry, like most (if not all) other Fleshlight products, is made from Superskin, which has an impressively skin-like texture to it, particularly when new out of the box or when treated with the powder that Fleshlight recommends to condition the skin after drying. It's very soft and giving, which also means that textures are a little less intense when made in Superskin - a realization that Fleshlight is seeming to make with some of their newer textures, such as the Fleshlight Girls and Fleshlight Vibro series.

When newly shipped, the Fleshlight has almost no odor to it, except perhaps for the faint scent of freshly powdered skin. When cleaned properly, the material should have no odor - if it smells, then it's time to wash it again and be more thorough in checking dryness before putting it back in the case. Because Superskin is a non-standard material, I can't say that it will withstand boiling or dishwashers, and I'd advise against them. Also, over time the Superskin develops a stickiness to it between washings - this is normal (if annoying) and can be solved by powdering the Fleshlight in either the manufacturer's powder from the cleaning kit, or in corn starch provided the material has THOROUGHLY dried. For reasons I still don't quite understand, talcum powder (baby powder) is not recommended for re-powdering the skin.

For those new to male masturbators, I'm not sure if I'd say this is a good place to start or not. On the one hand, it certainly beats some of the truck stop toys you can find out there (or end up receiving from other retailers as a free gift), but on the other hand it might make one a bit less open to trying other toys from other manufacturers. "I know what Superskin feels like, but I don't know what UR3 feels like...I'd rather go with what I know since what I know feels good." I can't say that the Fleshlight is the Cadillac of male masturbators - partly because I haven't tried them all, and partly because that metaphor is lost on those under 25 - but it feels pretty good.

Finally, regarding Superskin: in a blind test utilizing one of Fleshlight's Mr. Softies (Med), most participants thought the skin felt very realistic and wondered if there was a gelded man somewhere until shown the product.

There's history in this product, as it is the second re-introduction of an earlier product, but that's academic. What matters is how its design works. Between the last iteration and this one, I can say that the principle has been the same - a more compact Fleshlight so that it is easier to store, travel with, and able to accommodate a wider variety of men. The trade-offs are that it is still a wide, moderately heavy body that takes a bit of effort to use. The other downside is one shared with all the Fleshlights - using one with the vacuum set anywhere above "none" creates a sound like wheezing bellows or an iron lung.

In terms of size, most (cis)men should have no problem using this product - its size and shape are designed to accommodate most of the middle of the bell-curve of sizes. Those with very low girth, those with very high girth, and those with very long penises might want to look elsewhere. But the latter end of the spectrum is still pretty well accommodated - at a girth of ~7", the fit is a little snug at the opening, but the stretch allows for a wide range of girths to experience more-or-less the same thing.

Finally, the shape - it's shaped like a rather large beer can. Now, first of all, it's going to seem a bit suspicious for a bachelor to have an unopened large can of beer sitting outside of the fridge - particularly to those of us who don't drink beer - but, more importantly, there's a functional problem here. Imagine trying to hold a Heineken keg can while thrusting away at an opening that is sucking at you when you pull out and pushing back when you thrust. That is to say, it can be difficult to maintain a good grip, so your hand has to work harder to hold onto the case. And I think there's a Rule 34 in there...

The only control on the device is the cap on the far side, which controls the amount of suction provided. The upside is that you get to control - to some degree - the amount of suction. The downside is that anywhere between fully open and fully closed will make sounds like wheezing bellows or an iron lung. So much so it can become a distraction during rather enthusiastic sessions. Though honestly, your arm is likely to give out if you are going at a pace that the noise begins to become an issue. It's just not likely to be appreciated by any roommates if you're in the dorms or sharing a studio apartment.

However, the material and the suction/pressure provided during thrusting are more satisfying than I've felt on most other products. The Succu Dry can function like an open-ended masturbator, but without your hand having to provide the pressure, and you're less likely to create a mess outside of the device; that's not a slight to the power of your prostate, it's just that you're more likely to hit the narrow canal walls than the end cap.

Frankly, the Fleshlight products are a pain to clean thoroughly, as you need to remove the sleeve, rinse with hot or warm water, wash with an appropriate toy cleanser, rinse again, and then find a way to let them air dry fully. The last part is the most difficult as these are hollow tubes of synthetic skin - they want to collapse on themselves. The Succu Dry is even more difficult due to its small case - getting the sleeve back in appropriately after drying can be a bit of a challenge.

Granted, I'm saying this in comparison to all sex toys, so it's an unfair comparison. I don't have much spare space for sleeves to lay around drying, and I don't know how someone living in a dorm would do it, but there it is. I wouldn't recommend trying the dishwasher or drying with the Superskin as it doesn't feel like it could handle it.

One unintentionally nice feature is that the material shouldn't have a smell to it normally, so there's a built-in warning mechanism. If it smells of anything other than body powder, wash it out and let it dry thoroughly before using again.

Because this product cannot be fully sterilized, I do not recommend sharing the same sleeve with another person, unless both of you are using condoms.

Stock up on lube before playing, also - for this model, you'll need it.

Now, I've been fairly critical of the Succu Dry in this review, pointing out the points that are going to cause annoyance. Here's the thing though - I'm tough because I care.

It's hard to review the Succu Dry without comparing it to its other siblings in the Fleshlight line. Owning several Fleshlights, I can say that the Succu Dry is very similar to Fleshlights in general, but also different in a number of ways that make for a subtly different experience. The sleeve is thicker, allowing for a slightly tighter ride. Because it's smaller, it can be stashed in a number of different places where Fleshlights can't. And I can leave it out on the entertainment stand without (as much) concern about it attracting unwanted attention. And that's an advantage because if you leave it out in the apartment - particularly where it can get some warmth of its own, it's a whole different game from regular Fleshlights.

I said before how Superskin can be warmed, but it loses its temperature quickly - scientifically, that's due to the specific heat of the material, or how much energy it takes to raise the temperature a certain amount. If you're starting low (say, in the bottom drawer of a chest), it'll take more energy to raise the temperature to a decent point and keep it there. If you leave it out, though, say on top of a book shelf, it can warm up for longer, and that energy stays in the material longer.

The short of it comes down to this - between the nubs, the narrower (but flexible) canal, and being able to stow it in the open, I found the Succu Dry to be a much more enjoyable experience to previous Fleshlights. The only reason I don't use it lately (the same goes for all of my Fleshlights) is because of the difficulty in drying and because honestly, my hands can't handle the exertion, thanks to 10 years of computer support. Your parents lied to you - masturbating won't make you go blind, but typing will make it harder to masturbate.