If you’ve ever picked up a $10 “pocket pussy” at a sex shop for an impromptu self-love sesh, it might seem outlandish to spend $180 on a product from the same category — especially if your hand alone does the job perfectly well. But reviewers are so rabidly complimentary of the Tenga Flip Zero EV that it’s hard not to be curious.
This stroker has upwards of 2,000 five-star reviews on Amazon, which is already pretty impressive, but I became the most intrigued by the Flip Zero EV when I saw that it had earned a rare 10-out-of-10 rating from Dave at The Big Gay Review, a long-running sex toy review blog for people with penises. If a seasoned stroker critic thought this was the cream of the crop (or the cream of the… cock?), surely its makers were doing something right.
What Is the Tenga Flip Zero EV?
Tenga is a company known mostly for their masturbators. If you’ve got a penis, they probably make something you’d dig, at a price point you can handle. Their disposable egg-shaped strokers start as low as $7, and you can get a few uses out of each one if you rinse it thoroughly in between. They also make disposable masturbation cups starting at $8 that offer cool features like vacuum control and a self-lubricating opening. These blessedly cheap toys are a great option if you’ve been curious about strokers but aren’t sure they’re worth the investment — spend a few dollars, have a few orgasms and you just might see the light.
From there, you can move on up to Tenga’s pricier offerings, like their “3D” masturbation sleeves — which always make me think of M.C. Escher paintings you can stick your dick into — and their Flip line, the fanciest and most durable strokers they make. Each Tenga toy is lined with a soft, squishy material featuring a texture that’s both pleasurable and beautiful, in a “weird modern art” kind of way.
While a Tenga toy won’t run you as much as a Banksy original, the high-end ones do range in price from $65 to $200. Short of getting a fucking machine or commissioning a custom sex doll, these are some of the biggest investments a penis-owner could make in their own pleasure — which may seem intimidating, especially given how much stigma still exists around men using sex toys. But there’s no reason you can’t spend your hard-earned money on things that make you happy, whether those be video games, vacations or vibrators for your dick.
Yep, the Tenga Flip Zero EV vibrates. The “EV” in its name actually stands for “electronic vibration.” In addition to the swirled, ridged texture on the inside of the toy, it’s also got two motors embedded in it — one near the base of your dick, one closer to the tip — to add extra stimulation while you use it. In case you’ve never tried a penis vibrator before, let me spread the good word: Vibrations can feel just as good on cocks as they do on clits, especially in combination with the stroking or thrusting motions you may be more used to during masturbation. You can cycle through five different vibration modes by pressing a button on the end of the toy.
The Flip Zero EV also comes with a storage case that doubles as a charging stand and a drying rack. After using the toy, you just open it up, wash it out and place it upside-down on its stand so it can dry fully before you close it back up again. Its multitasking base makes it a super travel-friendly toy — just toss a mini bottle of water-based lube in your suitcase too, and you’ll be good to go.
Why People Love the Tenga Flip Zero EV So Much
A one-way valve creates a vacuum effect inside the toy, making for a tight sensation that many users rave about. “This toy isn’t the best for full strokes (but trust me, the suction is so intense that you won’t need them). It’s best for quarter/half-strokes with no air inside the toy,” one Amazon reviewer wrote. “This will provide intense suction, similar to a certain extreme form of oral, and will provide a sensation like nothing youve ever felt before.”
Dave at The Big Gay Review agreed: “Squeezing the sides to implement the suction also created a delicious (if slurpy) effect that felt not too dissimilar to getting a good deep throat blow job.”
Meanwhile, one reviewer’s life was turned upside-down by their new Tenga treat — in a good way, presumably. “This toy can actually make you crave [its] use over and over again. It will control your life for the first two weeks so be careful if your work requires 100 percent of your brain to complete your tasks,” they raved.
A few words of warning, though. Several reviewers — plus my partner, who’s tried the non-vibrating version of the Flip Zero EV — noted that it might not work for you if you’re on the larger side. The orifice inside the toy is two inches wide, so if your dick diameter exceeds that, it might feel uncomfortably tight or you might not be able to push into it at all. Or, as one user in the r/BigDickProblems subreddit put it, you might end up “splitting [the toy] in twain” trying to use it. In a long thread about sex toys suitable for girthier members, Fleshlights came up a lot, so you could try one of those instead — although, sadly, they don’t usually vibrate.
Toward the other end of the size spectrum, you might find that the head of your dick doesn’t quite reach the second motor if you’re shorter than about 4.5 inches. However, the vibrations will still transmit through the rest of the toy — the stimulation just won’t feel as direct as it would if the vibrator was pressed against you.
The toy’s durability seems hit-or-miss, too. One reviewer said theirs is still going strong after “three years of using it and ONLY it,” while another user has gone through three of them and finds that each lasts for “about six months of near-daily use before it begins to fall apart.” Tenga does offer a one-year warranty for their electronic products, but the warranty “does not cover damage incurred through improper use,” though it’s hard to say exactly what type of use they would define as “improper.” In any case, probably don’t try to repair yours with glue and a wood-burning iron like one reviewer did, whether or not your warranty period is up.
Lastly, a few reviewers pointed out that the Flip Zero EV is so stimulating, it might not be suitable for super-sensitive users. Vibration plus texture plus suction is quite an intense combination, and while you don’t have to use all three at once, at this price point you’ll probably want to get your full money’s worth. Some users found this toy useful for erectile dysfunction because of how much stimulation it serves up, but if you tend to cum too fast or too easily for your own liking — during masturbation or sex — then you might prefer a toy you can last a little longer with, like a non-vibrating stroker.
Overall, though? The Tenga Flip Zero EV is widely beloved, and if you’re looking to branch out from your normal masturbation routine, it might be just the shake-up you need. As one reviewer put it, “I’ve tried all of the major products. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars. By far, this is the best you can buy.”
Kate Sloan
Kate Sloan is the author of the books '101 Kinky Things Even You Can Do' and '200 Words to Help You Talk About Sexuality & Gender,' and has reviewed over 300 sex toys on her blog at GirlyJuice.net, to the chagrin of her high school guidance counselor. She also cohosts the podcasts 'The Dildorks' and 'Question Box.'
