Received my MOD Sleeve Bundle from TheHandy/Ohdoki yesterday and gave them a spin.
Very early Second impressions, but here are some notes:
- The basic form factor follows the True Grip Gen 2 sleeve pretty closely. Its got a slightly raised hexagonal pattern on the outside (instead of Gen2’s “Y” pattern). Obviously they have different interiors from the Gen2 and there is some size difference.
- The size difference between the models is pretty dramatic.
The Mod Core is normal sleeve size.
The Mod Tight is very tiny–I am pretty average size across the board and I stretched this thing out width-wise significantly. So much so, in fact, that it impacted the ability of the Handy strap to retain the sleeve*. I think the stretching reduced the effectiveness of the strap retention ridges on the sleeve exterior and the extra force it took to enter the sleeve pushed the sleeve upwards out of the strap.
The Mod Long was actually a pleasant surprise. Its got some real girth and heft–just holding it in my hand was like “damn”. Again, I’m average so I expected to be swimming in this thing. But, because the nubs are so long, they covered the gap pretty well and there was no reduction in sensation. Of course that meant I felt more of the nub tops and less of the nub base so it was a different sensation. - The interior texture is the same across all three sizes. Just different colors per size. Each nub is kind of like a bolt through a hex nut.
I did not particularly enjoy the texture though. It was kind of scratchy–like a bunch of pencil points being repeatedly dragged across your skin. I’m hoping they wear down over time. I’m even considering scissoring off the very ends of the nubs. On the second round I tried the Mod Core rightsideout and the nubs where still kind of distracting. More of the nub base was involved which gave it a somewhat “mechanical” feel–kind of like running a collection of assorted nuts and washers over your skin. I’m unsure whether this will grow on me or not.
Side note: I tried the Mod Core inside-out in hopes of a more subtle sensation and hoping that the dramatic nubs would help keep it in the strap.
Yes on the first–the slightly raised hex pattern did feel nice. Sort of smooth with a gentle corrugation effect. On the second round I tried the Mod Long inside-out–not great, resultant hole was too wide and it was like trying to sharpen a pencil in a tin can. The Mod Core (once secured) was decent. It didn’t have that pure smooth feeling of the POD sleeve but it was def less stimulating and allowed me to really build up excitement no matter the script stroke tempo.
No on the second though–using an elastic strap the nubs were too flexible and numerous for the strap to really grab onto*. Compressing the strap just compressed the nubs into the inside.
A second try with the original nonelastic Handy strap was a success though. Both the Mod Core and the Mod Long held in place fine while inside-out.
Early overall impression? I don’t regret the bundle purchase (discounted), but I think the Mod Tight won’t get much use. If I wanted to save money, I think I would have been satisfied with either the Mod Core or the Mod Long at the discounted beta price of $25 USD, but not at normal retail price of $39 USD.
[* I’m psychotically obsessed with retention. I fucking hate when the sleeve pops out of the strap. If you’re more forgiving, then it may be OK.]