Fleshlight Reed Valve Mod (better suction)
A reed valve is a type of one-way flow valve, most commonly used in
2-stroke internal combustion engines. The valves in your heart are reed
type valves. In this mod, we use this type of valve to control the
suction action of the FleshLight.
The stock FleshLight's vacuum effect can be somewhat controlled by how
tight the end cap is adjusted. The problem here is that while you get a
vacuum effect while pulling out, you also get a pressure effect
going in since the air has no place to go. This results in "FL queifs" as
well as lower total suction on the way out as even with queifs there will
be more pressure once you've bottomed out. What's a FLer to do?
So the task is how to allow the air to leave easily on the in stroke
without either queifs or pressure buildup, while still providing good
suction for the out stroke. If you're really fast you could adjust the
end cap loose on the way in and tighten it on the way out, but that's
impractical to say the least.
The solution is a reed valve. By building a reed valve into the end cap,
we can allow air to leave the case on the in stroke as easily as if the
cap wasn't on at all, but instantly and completely close the valve on the
out stroke allowing for "tight cap" suction. Infact, better then tight
cap as we don't have any pressure buildup.
The following pictures detail out the mod. A drill is the only tool
required and you can likely find the materials around your house. Total
project time was about 20 minutes including stopping to take pictures.
The original FleshLight end cap. I don't recommend the Ice case for this
project as the plastic is such that the caps easily get completely stuck
on. Infact, I don't recommend the Ice case at all...it's a neat idea, but
the fact the caps can easely "weld" themself on and thus ruin your case
makes them basically worthless. Use it for display maybe, but never put the
big cap on at all and never tighten the small cap. Yes, it really is that
bad.
The circle pieces are the reed. My "reed" is actually two pieces, mostly
because I didn't have any good, stiff, sheet rubber to use. The left piece
is cut from the soft plastic bag the FL came in and will be used to create a
good seal. The right piece is a stiff piece of plastic cut from a package of
screws, it will be used to keep the soft piece from flopping open too far.
The material for the reed isn't critical, although the more "rubber" the
better the seal and thus suction will be. You can easily just try a few
different things from around the house till something works. I recommend
making the reed valve round to fit within the ridge of the end cap, or else
sand down that edge to allow for a good seal.
Clamp your "reed valve" to your end cap and drill the hole for the bolt that
will be used to secure it to the cap.
Drill a number of larger holes in the end cap only. This is where
the air will be let out. Make sure you don't drill too close to the outer
ring edge as you want the reed to have a good seal. You could drill one big
hole, but a thin read might get sucked into a single big hole easily.
Deburr (sand down) all the edges around the holes to insure a good seal for
your reed valve. -This part is a bit annoying because the soft plastic of the
end cap makes it hard to actually get all the little pieces off. I used an
Xacto knife to trim the last little "hairs" as sand paper wasn't working.
Use a small bolt and nut to secure the reed valve to the end cap (I used a
4-40 bolt I happend to have in a misc screw box). You can't really see my
clear reed well in the first pic, so I've pushed it up a little in the
second. Note the stiff top valve and softer "membrane" under it.
This simple mod has completely changed my FleshLight experience. Especially
with the STWWM it really feels like a Hoover vacuum is going down on you,
it's that good. The read valve makes a little noise on its own, but nothing
compared to FL queifs. I also recommend putting a tiny bit of lube under
the valve to help it seal more. -Something more rubber like then the plastic
bag I used probably wouldn't need it.
Next I need to get a washer or o ring that fits the end cap, as with this
setup the not-quite-perfect seal between the cap and the case is far more
obvious.
Hope you "enjoy" this little tip. :-)