ToyTorture’s Stocking Stuffer II –Riding Crop & DD Strap

Nikolaus Day 2018

The German Christmas tradition knows many rituals. One of the is Nikolaus Day on December 6th. On December 5th you place a well polished boot – or nowadays well cleaned sneaker – in front of your door, hoping that Sankt Nikolaus will come by at night and fill the footwear with candy and small toys when you have been good. But in the German folk lore he does not travel alone. He is accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht, a sinister and violent helper of Nikolaus who will leave a bushel of birch twigs in your shoe when you have been a naughty boy, warning you he will return to spank the naughtiness out of you.

The London Tanners Riding Crop

Looking at my Shox ID, apparently I have been a good boy. But this doesn’t stop me to put some toys on my wish list that would make Knecht Ruprecht’s duties easier. A couple of weeks ago I reviewed the London Tanners Mill Strap which I like a lot for being well made. Having a growing urge to spank a greedy, noisy bottom on a regular basis, I wondered what is missing in my collection – and my readers‘ and thus worth getting my hands on to review.

First, a traditional riding crop. Already in the iconic drawings of Tom of Finland, many BLUF men had a riding crop sticking in their boots’ shaft. After finally having gotten proper engineer boots as the last piece of a complete leather uniform, this accessory would both be hot and functional. I would choose the London Tanners’ riding crop over equestrian riding crops from sporting good stores because the quality probably higher but with a length of 67cm it is considerably longer than commercial ones which would just look absurdly small on me.

The London Tanners DD Strap

Second their DD Strap. I have many spanking implements. More than I can actually store easily accessible in my playroom. But despite the vast collection, I am actually lacking a basic piece: A leather paddle large enough to hit both cheeks. I have bullet-proof and aluminum paddles which do this job but not a leather one. The sound and feeling of high quality leather compressing warm, soft skin is simply something completely different and arousing! So the DD Strap is something that would make my dick hard and my spankees scream.

As much as I love the rich tobacco color of the Mill Strap, both toys being classics, I would want to add them in classic BDSM black to my collection. While the Riding Crop at 79€ and the DD Strap at 109€ are on the higher end of the impact toy price range, if their craftsman’s quality and material is like the Mill Strap, they are worth their money! They are something to bequest.

ToyTorture’s Stocking Stuffer I – Vector Heavy Padded Bondage Sleeves

ToyTorture’s Stocking Stuffer I – Vector Heavy Padded Bondage Sleeves

From 2012 to 2015 on each  Advent Sunday I presented you some (unusual) kinky Christmas gifts. The last two years due to being too busy with work I let this tradition slip but this year I decided to pick it up again. I did some research – and found only the same quirky stuff I recommended the last years. Since one of the most often asked reader questions is “Is there anything a guy with your toy collection still wants?”, I decided to write down what would be on my kinky wish list.

Detail of the Arms Tied Down on the Sides

The first item on the list are the Mr S Vector Heavy Padded Bondage Sleeves. They are basically the arms of their amazing Vector Ultra-Padded Straitjacket with a harness instead of body. I know, for most bondage aficionados, stricter, tighter, more layered bondage is appealing but I am more a practical kind of guy with a bit of claustrophobia. So these sleeves are perfect for me. They appear to be as effective in immobilizing a sub as a straitjacket does. You can even tie the arms parallel to the body. But instead of enclosing the torso in a layer of leather, there are just harness straps leave all the important parts like the nipples, ass and junk fully exposed. A skilled flogging top might be able to hit the shoulder blades between the harness’ leather belts. Each roller buckle strap on the sleeves to runs through a D-ring, providing enough anchorage points to fetter the sub down tightly for example to keep him from moving too much when being exposed to wax play. Otherwise the hot wax might tarnish the leather.

Detail of the Harness and the Straps holdign the Bondage Sleeves in Place

Besides the play aspect, I like the aesthetic component of it. When being bound in a straitjacket, the entire torso is covered, hiding the leather uniform, rubber gear of body writing the sub is proudly displaying or forced to wear. This limited coverage is also great for outdoor play in the summer or street fairs like Dore Alley, Folsom (Europe) or pride marches when a straitjacket over gear might cause the sub to overheat.

Being made out of a lot of leather and needing a lot of manual work to create the beautiful vector-quilted padding, the Vector Heavy Padded Bondage Sleeves are on the more expensive side of gear purchases at $879.95 but I am certain I will get my money’s worth once I add this piece of bondage gear to my collection.

Slap Stick

My set of Carved Kink Slap Sticks made out of Iroko, Purpleheart and Teak

Vendor: Carved Kink

Addendum April 2019: Sadly the Purpleheart stick did not withstand my play long and broke during a scene at Easter Berlin. If I designed them again, I would make the wood at least 8mm thick. This would probably also improve the handling a bit.

Now I am very curious how the remaining two will hold up in the months to come.

Construction

The Slap Sticks are small, narrow wooden bats, almost like rulers. I experience them as a bottom at Inferno 46 last year and since I could not find them in any store, commissioned a set of three at Carved Kink this summer. A small Teak one measuring 15x200mm, a medium Purpleheart one in 20x250mm and a large Iroko with the dimensions of 25x300mm. Their thickness varies between 3mm and 5mm depending on the chosen wood and the size.

Detail of the Slap Stick’s Finish

All edges and corners are rounded and the surface is first perfectly sanded and then oiled to not only prevent splinters from forming or causing unwanted cuts but to really bring out the grain and character of the wood. To keep the Slap Sticks this way, they should be rubbed off with a cloth soaked in olive oil every few months. At the bottom of each bat there is a countersunk bole through which a thin leather strap is threaded. The leather loop is short and thus just for storage and not for attaching the Slap Stick to the wrist.

Playing with the Slap Stick

As the name already says, these mini-bats are made for slapping. Hold one of them between two or three fingers, take the other hand to pull is back and let the tip hit the bottom’s body. Their easiness to target and control predestinate the Slap Stick for CBT and TT to hit the nipple, individual balls or glans. But they are also great, bruising tools for general impact play. The targeted sensation comes close to a cane but since the stick lacks the flexibility of one it will leave the sub puzzled at first what has hit them. Other uses are body drumming or just tapping. Especially when tapping just one spot, an easily dismissed sensation will soon become an annoying and ultimately agonizing.

Detail of the Different Woods

The pain sensation depends on which area hits the body: The sides are a bit thuddy while the flat surface will create sting, the more intense the longer and narrower the stick is. Because the wood is so thin, the impact will make it oscillate adding a unique acoustic dimension to the spanking.

Handling the Slap Sticks properly takes some time and patience. As written in the last paragraph the Slap Sticks through the thinness are somewhat flexible and give in, but they are still thin wooden sticks which will break under too much force. They are made for delicate, targeted impact which develops over time instead of a brute-force spanking scene.

Detail of the Leather Loop for easier Storage

Being made out of wood and not having a sealed off surface, they are difficult to clean after a scene. I usually wipe mine off with a wet cloth and then use a sanitizing wipe. Never soak them in water because this will damage the wood! If you are doing heavier play, keep in mind that through the open pores of the wood, blood will leave stains on the bat.

Conclusion: Small, nifty and nasty impact toy for delicate play.
Pro Cons Where to get Price
Unique combination of impact sensation and sound Difficult to clean Carved Kink Around  £10 per Piece depending on the size and wood
Customizable Can break easily when used incorrectly
Very well made
Beautiful surface through exotic woods