TENGA Flip Air Melty

Sucky! Sucky!

Reviewed: 13 Sep 2011 by Mr.P.York., a Single Straight Male

Sucky! Sucky!

The Flip Air Melty features an unobtrusive outer case with only 2 buttons that are easier to operate instead of the original Flip Holes' 6 buttons. It also has a non specific entrace/opening that can be used as either a "mouth" or "vagina" as desired by users.

The 2 external buttons are designed to alow entry or exclusion of air from the unit to tighten or relax the internal grip as desired and in use the escaping air can produce sucking squelching noises.

A New Addition to the Flip Family

Reviewed: 18 Jun 2011 by Pixieking, a Single Gay Male

The TENGA Flip Air Melty White should be the answer to my dreams. The sexy design and materials of a Flip Hole with all the inconvenient parts removed? I’m in there. This should be a winning formula. Well, read on and see if it is.

The packaging of the Flip Air duo is a simple and stylish plastic box that you could expect either a game accessory or toiletries to come in. It isn’t particularly sturdy, but the toy is self-storing so there is no need to hang onto it. It comes with a small sample of lube and a small instruction book.

The Air is advertised as being smaller than the original Flips, but it’s a bit of a mind-bender. It looks smaller, it feels smaller, it’s advertised as being smaller, but in its dimensions the two are near identical. With caps on, both are roughly 7 inches in length and roughly nine around (which translates to 6.5 inches insertable and roughly 6 inches max in usable circumference for the Air). You’ll have to trust me that it just feels easier in the hand than the original Flip did. I believe it may be down to the two protruding clips of the Flip Hole being awkward. Being a solid plastic case, you don’t have to worry about how you hold the Air, unlike the original Flip where the external silicone sections can make handling fiddly. The Air also contains less silicone material than the Flip, making it lighter.

One of the main differences between the Air and Flip is how they open and how their caps work. The TENGA air opens lengthways like a book, making it feel a lot more stable than the Flip Hole, which sometimes felt unsettlingly flimsy. Opening like a book also means that the cap only needs one arm to secure the free seam in place, instead of the awkward two of the original. The arm of the Air has also been designed to fit flush against the body of the toy, leaving no ridges to get in the way of handling. Over all it feels a lot more stable and ergonomic than the Flip Hole.

The Air’s inner silicone sleeve is unmistakably TENGA. It’s **very** soft, squishy, stretchy and looovely. I have no idea what’s in the material and I haven’t been able to find out, but as there is a faint plastic smell to it I’d assume that it is some sort of blend. While it is a great material and phthalate-free, it is a more fragile material and can get quite sticky. The inner texture of the toy is far less pronounced in the Air than in the Flip, and there is appreciably less material in the Air. From my experience, I found that, while the sensations of the Air were not exactly up to the level of the original Flip, they were still **very**, very good, and the lack of pronouncement doesn’t make as much of a difference as I thought it would. With the Air it seems that the sleeve is very efficient, making lots of sensation out of less material where the Flip Hole is all gung-ho, some areas out-performing others.

One thing I would change about the Air is to make the entrance more like the Flip Hole. The air is a little mean with material when it comes to the opening. The lips of the Air feel flimsy compared to the thick fleshiness of the Flip, and I found the hole was a little too loose to get the hugging feeling I get from the Flip. I really did miss this in use. I do like a bit of tightness so this may not be a problem for everyone, and if you are marginally larger in girth, the small size of the toy should feel quite tight to you anyway.

The Air gets its name from the two foam pads that rest under the sleeve sections on either side of the toy. These foam sections are intended to provide customisable tightness. By inserting yourself while holding down one or both of the valve buttons, air is pushed out of the foam and the toy moulds itself to your shape. Letting go of the buttons locks the toy in whichever state you leave it.

This system is interesting and does have a profound effect, but it has problems. Firstly, I find that the tightening is really only prevalent in the top half of the toy and doesn’t affect the entrance to the toy that much, though this may be down to the lack of material more than the foam. You really have to play with the levels of suction to find one that works or you. I find that when both foam pads are full of air, it’s really difficult to insert yourself, and the manual says that this can be damaging for the toy. When both are empty, there isn’t enough going on. When I insert and let in the air, it’s better, but it still isn’t quite right. What I do is, insert myself, release both valves to let it hug me, remove myself from the toy, press one button to let one side inflate, reinsert, then play with the button till I reach a nice level.

This might sound a hassle but it really isn’t in principle, and you can get a lot of variation of feeling from just those two buttons. There certainly isn’t as much personal imput as you get from the Flip, but there is a level of variation.

Another consideration for me was thinking of it more in terms of receiving oral. There is less depth involved than you could get from a Fleshlight or similar, but the sensations are very, very amazing. While there is enough going on for the quick and dirty, I think I am going to really enjoy it in the times I want a long, slow session.

Noise-wise, the Air is quite adaptable, and it really depends on how you use it. If you go reasonably slowly with a lesser suction, then the toy is very, very quiet for a masturbator. There is a slight squishy noise and a light sighing. If you use a higher suction or go faster it of course gets louder. If you choose to hold down the air valve buttons while trusting then the whooshing sound of the air from the foam pockets is added. Really, this toy can go from very loud to very quiet depending on what you do with it. At its tamest, I find it produces less noise than the Flip.

After use, I found that the design of the toy makes the time before cleaning really easy, which is something I don’t really think about when choosing a toy. You can remove yourself from the toy, slip on the lid so there is no worry about spillage, set the toy down, and then you have all the time you need to relax, clean yourself up a bit and make your way to a bathroom without worrying about leakage. There is no mad rush to withdraw and run to a sink before anything spills like in other toys; very handy.

Cleaning and drying the Air is a lot, lot, lot easier than the Flip Hole. The textures of the Air are much less manic than the Flip and that means fewer places for lube and such to hide while cleaning, and fewer places to trap water for drying. Since I live in a shared house, quick cleaning and drying is important to me, and I sometimes had to go at the Flip with a soft cloth and a hair dryer and it would still take me a while to dry. The Air is a lot quicker. Because it lacks external silicone like the Flip has, the Air also attracts less grime and dust and doesn’t have to have special storage considerations. The only thing to remember is to avoid pressing down the air buttons while cleaning or while water is left on the toy. If water gets into the foam it will not come out and it can grow mould. I blow out any water trapped in the little gaps around the buttons before I use them. It’s just easier all round.

Positives the Air has over the Flip:

* Lighter and easier to hold

* Easier to clean and dry

* Cheaper

* No external silicone

* Hands-free customisation

Positives the Flip has over the Air:

* More variation in pressure over a larger area

* Easy to alter manual control

* More give for larger folks

* More pronounced texturing

* Thicker lips around the entrance

One thing to consider before you take the plunge for either is that some larger gents have had trouble with the Flip being too tight - and the Flip has a lot more give than the Air.

In the end, which do I like more, the Air or the Flip? Really, I like them both for different reasons, but I can see myself using the Air more simply because it’s less fussy and easier to clean. I find that, however much I love a toy, if it takes forever to clean then I use it less often. If I want to push the boat out then the sensations the Flip can produce are amazing and are totally unique.

Overall, the Air is a fantastic toy, and I am so, so happy to have it. It has its problems, but so does everything, and it really is a cracking bit of kit. The sensations you can get from it are simply astounding.

Lightweight Flip Hole

Reviewed: 06 Dec 2011 by Insepctor Gadget, a Married Straight Male

I purchased this after my superb Flip Hole gave up the ghost this week. It is much lighter and more covert than the Flip Hole and in general more practical. The insert is very nicely made but there is simply too much suction and not enough give. This has two effects:

1) The noise (slurping) is not exactly discreet

2) It can detract from the enjoyment as it is too tight

By comparison the Fleshlight is slightly wider inside so with the cap closed and full suction there is still enough room to move, but without the buttons pushed the Melty can be hard work.

To work for me I found the best compromise was to remove the sliding part of the case and use it with hand pressure holding it together. In this mode it was very good, but at this price TENGA should have considered the average girth of their western customers.

Overall I would have the Flip Hole over the Melty every time for home use, but the Melty is much lighter/covert for travel and still does a very good job.