SeriousToyS “Janus” Paddle

Left: Cow hide side of the Janus Paddle
Right: The all lacquer coverd paddle

As you might know when it comes to impact play I am more a fan of thuddy sensations. So purchasing paddles is always a bit depressing since most of them sting. When I visited Demask Dortmund to take pictures of the Rubber sarcophagus I was surprised to find a new kind of paddle: It has the form and basic construction of the McHurt Mini Bat but is offered in new and exciting varieties: The first variety is an all black paddle covered in lacquer which has SERIOUS sting. The second one I have named “Janus” Paddle: One side comes in normal cow hide, the other side is made out of padded suede. While the cow side has the same sensation as the McHurt Mini bat, the suede has despite being small and light a nice, deep thuddy sensation which I love. This version of the paddle comes in different color schemes: All black or with red suede. Apparently there is a all brown version in the making and one with lacquer on one side and suede on the other side.

Left: Padded suede side of the Janus Paddle
Right: The all lacquer coverd paddle

This toy has earned itself a place on my desiderate list  because it is the first toy I have come across that combines small size and light weight with great thud.

All versions of the paddle cost 39€ and can be ordered via e-mail.

DeTails Toys Set of Flogger

Vendor: DeTails Toys

Detail of the handle

As I have written about in this blog post a couple of month ago, I had a VERY intense experience getting flogged in the USA. Besides the unique sensation of getting flogged I was stunned by the craftsmanship that went into weaving the leather into the handle, the knot both providing enough strength to hold the tails together when thrown onto a sub with full strength.

Detail of the knot

A quick and honestly very superficial survey of the European and especially the German market showed that there weren’t any vendors providing me with what I want: A custom woven flogger. Turning to the US market showed that not surprisingly considering the amount of crafting and using of high quality leather getting a custom made set of flogger on a student budget proved to be difficult. At the end of my market analysis I ended up ordering my set a DeTails Toys who were considerable inexpensive and still showed some level of quality.

The four floggeres reviewed in the article

Construction

My order consisted of four floggers: Three with 50cm tails for torso flogging and one with 25cm tails for CBT, tit and ass play.

The three long floggers are an 18 tails deer skin with round ends for warm up, a 45 tails elk with angle cut as a universal flogger and a 45 tails bull thudder with a straight cut tail ends. The small one has 10 tails and is made out of medium stiff buffalo so it can either sting or thud with straight cut tail ends.

The leather quality for the floggers‘ tail is quite good. It has a natural feel to it and isn’t taned to death like you often see with low cost toys made in Asia. If I look at some friends’ floggers there is a better leather quality out there. Also the color from the loop rubs off a bit. But still the value for money is really good.

Different tail end cuts from left to right: Angle, round and stright cut

The biggest cost factor when making a flogger is the time it takes to create a tight knot and handle patter so that the flogger won’t fall apart. This is one of the reasons most flogger makers sooner or later go out of business: Getting a decent hour wage and still selling their floggers for a price that the consumer accepts is nearly impossible. So when I compare my DeTails floggers to some which cost between twice or thrice that much you can again see that they haven’t been given the same attention to detail as other ones. The knot and handle aren’t painstakingly tightly braided. But after excessively playing with my set nothing got loose and I am very confident they will give my fun for years to come.

Detail of the four handle colors

Playing with it

When it comes to throwing the flogger at a sub’s back they perform quite well. Some tails are a bit longer than the rest and on each flogger there are one or two tails who don’t fly with the rest. So these floggers take a little bit longer to master them in order to let them fly in a controlled way. But this is a process you have with every flogger so every testee I gave them for review experience barely noticed the longer personal breaking-in period.

While the Deer skin is very well balanced the heavier Elk and Bull flogger are a little bit tail-heavy which is

Conclusion

Different length of the tails

Different length of the tails

As skeptical as my review might have sounded I really enjoy playing with this flogger set. Once you mastered them they perform as good as way more expensive ones. Of cause there are floggers out there which are better made. So if you are looking for a perfect piece of craftsmanship these floggers might not be the right ones for you. But if you look for a good, custom flogger for intense play, I really encourage you to look at the ones from DeTails.

Price at the Date of Publishing: Between $80 and $130

Link to the Manufacturer

McHurt Long & Mini Bat

Vendor: McHurt

Construction

Long Bat and Mini Bat compared to each other

Long Bat and Mini Bat compared to each other

The bat is one of the more classic paddle forms with round ends and increasing width towards the top. It is made out of thick bull hide and has a metal inlay to keep it stiff. The inlay has a bit of a flex so  after a sever spanking using only one site of the paddle, you have to bend it into shape a bit. On the bottom you will find a loop made out of soft leather.

I own both versions of the paddle: The long bat with the measurements 41cm by 4,5cm at the widest part and 7mm thickness and the mini bat which is 28cm by 3,5cm and 6mm thick.

Detail of the stitching and the embossed logo

Detail of the stitching and the embossed logo

Playing with it

The paddles are very flexible: Depending on how you use them the pain sensation can range between a light thud to a sever sting. While the large paddle is more for spanking an ass or for lighter bastinado (depending on your subs feet size), I tend to like the smaller a bit more. First of all: It is handy, fits in most briefcases or even the inner pocket of your jacket. Also the stiffness of the inlay at the mini bat is just right so that you can snap it precisely against small areas like nipples, single balls or the glans.

Apparently both paddles have been balanced to fit a hand of my size (European glove size 7 ½). Holding and swinging them are effortless and even after long spanking sessions my wrist didn’t get tired.

Leather loop

Leather loop

Speaking of getting tired: As with every good impact toy, the character of the toy changes a bit over time. The leather gets softer over time so the sensation shifts a bit from sting to thud. If you want to create the same sensation over time you need to alter your movements a bit and/ or increase force.

If you are into coloring your sub’s skin this toy is good for it. Even after some lighter hits the skin turns nicely red but not as quickly as with for example a rubber prisoner strap. So this toy is good if you want to engage in a longer spanking session with nice coloring but not wearing your sub out.

Conslusion: Basic yet versatile paddle
Pro Cons Where to get Price
Versatile Deforms easily McHurt (Manufacturer) Mini Bat: 16,50€

Long Bat: 27,50€

Good coloring  
Wide range of pain sensation  

Regulation Rubber Flogger

As a rubber fetist myself I sometimes find the dominance of leather in the kinky scene annoying especially when it comes to toys. Of cause, leather is the ideal material for many purposes but nevertheless when you are into the feel and the smell of latex nothing else will do. So I am always happy to find a toy made out of rubber.

A few weeks ago a friend of mine told me about the rubber flogger from Regulation which he tried out in London. Being into rubber himself he was delighted by the smell and feeling and amazed by the build quality. Even though rubber isn’t as strong as leather this flogger will probably be good enough for a strong and serious flogging session. And serious it will be due to the rubber being softer than other rubber flogger but as an artificial material it is still harder with sharper edges than a soft leather flogger.

The flogger comes in various color variations and costs £99 each at the time of the publishing of this article.