I Tried "Masturbation Sleeves" to See Exactly What the Deal Is

I've had a strange fascination/obsession with masturbation sleeves ever since I went to an oral sex tips class in New York's Soho neighborhood. The instructor demonstrated how using one with the head of the penis exposed could make a blowjob more pleasurable for both partners. I was perplexed and amazed. This simple, colorful sleeve seemed to take all the "work" out of giving a hand or blow job.

Recently, I'd also been thinking a lot about the social pressures we put on both genders when it comes to sexual pleasure. The clitoris is all but ignored, during sex. Men, on the other hand, feel a ton of pressure to perform rather than enjoy: They need to last forever and have a huge penis to display their manhood.

All of these absurd standards pretty much screw us all (and not in a good way), making the sexual experience so much less fulfilling than it could be. It's a small move to shift the conversation from "you always have to last a long time" to enjoying the sexual experience—actually getting into it and allowing yourself to be present. Men are not just focused on wild thrusting and their partners get the attention they need (i.e.: clitoral focus, please). I was sold. I wanted to try them ASAP.

So, I went to Babeland and procured three different types of sleeves for my grand experiment, ranging from the finite to the extreme: Tenga eggs, a Sir Richard's Element MS, and the Picobong Remoji M-Cup.

But first things first. What are these magical sleeves and how do they work? A masturbation sleeve comes in a variety of materials: Elastomer (an upgraded version of jelly toys, slightly porous), silicone, and cyber skin. Some are a simple, jelly-like sleeve and others have full-on motors inside for a more intense experience.

They can be used both with a partner and for solo sessions. You've probably heard of Fleshlights before, the masturbation sleeve made of cyberskin that looks like a vagina or anus crammed into a flashlight. I've always been skeeved out by them, since they look like something you would buy from a truck stop sex shop: the ones with the plexiglass windows full of dildos and back rooms for peepshows. The sleeve I saw at the oral sex class was nothing like that. It was unintimidating, even a little elegant.

Likewise, the samples I brought home felt more like the equivalent of a woman's go-to, classy vibrator. My partner and I gave each sleeve a whirl over the course of two weeks and documented which ones felt most natural and which ones missed the mark, below.

We started with the Tenga Eggs because they are the simplest and least scary of the bunch. The milky-white sleeve comes tucked inside a plastic egg (hence the name). Nestled inside the sleeve is a small tube of lube for one-time use.

The tenga egg can be bought in bulk, or one at a time for $8.50 a pop. They're good for travel—think handy J's on the go. You use the sleeve one time and then just toss it in the garbage (though Tenga does make higher end sleeves that are reusable). I thought this grab-and-go mentality was inspired, but my partner informed me that while he enjoyed the sleeve, he'd "never pay $8.50 for a handjob."

During our own experimentation, we opted for a quick, pre-work trial run. I cannot emphasize enough how much I liked this sleeve. You just lube it up and go. One of the most annoying things about a traditional hand job is the need to constantly reapply lube. With a masturbation sleeve, it stays on the whole time.

You also avoid handjob-induced carpal tunnel because the elastomer adds extra slip. Your hand and wrist don't get strained. The Tenga Egg made giving a hand job much less exhausting and even kind of hot.

The Sir Richard's sleeve is a simple, navy blue sleeve shaped like a hand making the letter "C." It's made of silicone, meaning it can be easily disinfected and reused. You charge it like you would a vibrator, and can select different vibrations during use.

A male friend of mine who had used it before told me it was, "Great for occasional use, but not something I'd use every day."

My partner echoed similar sentiments saying he didn't think it added much to the experience. I had to agree. My problem with the sleeve was that while it is malleable to accommodate any penis of any size, it doesn't stay in place very well. Once it's lubed up, it slips all over the place, often falling off the penis entirely. I felt like I was being so cautious with the sleeve, that I couldn't really enjoy the experience.

The most intense and, overall, least fun was the Remoji M-Cup. I don't love it. It's a fabulous idea in theory: The half-cylinder design and multi-inset vibrator allows the user to slip it over the top of the penis, and just lay back and enjoy. Men don't usually have the luxury of lying back and masturbating without (some) work.

But the problem with this particular sleeve is that it's just too small. It doesn't fit comfortably over the penis. It felt like I was cramming my partner's member into the base—both uncomfortable and decidedly unsexy. On top of that, it sounds like a 1977 Ford Bronco with a funky engine. It is almost shockingly loud. For a lady who takes her quiet (but powerful!) vibrators very seriously, this was a disappointing factor.

When it comes to masturbation sleeves, simple = better. My partner and I both agree that our favorite is the Tenga Egg. The sleeve makes hand jobs much better, you won't wind up with stiff muscles, and could quite possibly enjoy the visual experience of the whole HJ.

Plus, with a masturbation sleeve, you'll see hand jobs in a whole new light and actually enjoy them rather than finding them cumbersome. Both partners deserve to fully immerse themselves in the act of sex, after all, and explore what truly makes the experience amazing for each person.

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