A while ago I was lucky enough to finger a pussy.

I spent some time delicately caressing the outer lips.

I gently ran my thumb over the edges of the clitoral hood.

And I slid my fingers in so deeply that they got stuck.

I did try to pull them out, but the inside was so tight that even gravity couldn’t assist the exit of my fingers: they were fully trapped.

Of course it was fortunate that the pussy I was fondling didn’t actually belong to a real woman (although I’m sure that the vacuum created wouldn’t have been displeasurable).

Rather, it was the closest thing that I have ever felt to one: a Fleshlight.

I heard about Fleshlights a while ago and have been intrigued by them ever since: a male sex toy that looks like a flashlight, but feels like a pussy and makes masturbation even more pleasurable for a man? Yes please, I’m all for that.

It seems to me (ironically, given how much of the sex industry and pornography is geared toward them), that men are seriously under-represented in the sex-toy for-self-pleasure arena. Faced with a either a blow-up doll or an eerily-odd-looking fake rubber vagina, it’s no wonder that so few men explore the pleasures of a good sex toy; instead prefering to resort to the tried-and-tested self-administered-hand-job method.

With the variety of toys to hand that we have, it seems that in this aspect of life, women really do come out on top. Quite literally.

So when I recently found myself in a New York sex-shop that happened to have a Fleshlight on display, I jumped at the opportunity to test it out and find out whether it was as good as I had heard and read.

For scientific research you see.

I wasn’t at all disappointed.

At first glance, the torch-like appearance made it look like something out of a DIY box: fabulous for when the in-laws suddenly appear during those bank holiday last minute home-improvement moments. (And it can be quickly stored away with all the other tools without appearing out of place, should they care to investigate).

Upon removing the cap (the top face of the Fleshlight), I found the opening. This one resembled the female vulva (you can also get mouth, arse and non-identifiable neutral openings too, in a variety of colours).

Not that I am obsessed by appearance, but speaking as someone who rather likes the look of a pussy, I found this aesthetically and realistically pleasing; it wasn’t trying to pretend to look authentic (in the porn-star-fake-rubber-pussy way).

But the main thing was that it felt real.

Upon sticking my fingers inside, I was struck by how closely the ‘Real Feel Super Skin’ material resembled my own pussy: smooth, soft, and - ahem - tight. So tight in fact, that with my fingers deep inside it, I was able to lift the entire thing up, turn it upside down, swing it around and my fingers were still buried deep within.

Not that I suggest trying this on a real woman. (At least, not unless she specifically requests it).

I can imagine with a bit of lube, and some preheating via a hot tap, the Fleshlight would perfectly resemble the feel of a real pussy and I should know – having one of my own to compare it against (as well as a couple of others I have had the pleasure of exploring).

So it looks great, it feels marvellous, you get a choice of inserts to further stimulate your cock with (ribbed, studded, wavy etc) but does it work? Is it the ultimate sex toy for men? Is it the male equivalent to the Rock Chick?

I can’t answer that – at least, not yet. The day I meet a partner who is as eager as I am to try out the see-thru Fleshlight, so that I can watch his cock go in and out of it, will be a happy one.

Though not as fun as getting to watch him fuck another woman in front of me.

But it will come a close second.

Quite literally I imagine.