A Spanking Bench from Darkstar with a Togepi fettered onto it
At the Kinky Venus a broad range of BDSM furniture makers exhibited their craft. On the lower end of the market, accessibly priced wooden furniture from BDSM Craft and Darkstar were presented. The makers really utilize the material properties of wood by offering highly customizable playroom equipment without breaking the bank. There was one steel furniture maker but their spanking benches, crosses and cages were very basic yet premium priced. If I spend that kind of money, I would like to see the refinement and countless customization options which Stylefetish or Evil Toys offer. From a technical point of view, I was impressed by the multifunctional BDSM bed from X-Design. The a bit bulky frame hides electrically operated drawers for toys, an electrically retractable pillory at the bottom, discreet below bed storage for a St. Andrews Cross, LED lighting and much more. The aesthetic with quilted padding clearly speaks to a straight audience which prefers a discreet design for the martial bedroom. But ingenuity enthuses me!
St. Andrews Cross from BDSM Craft
It was also interesting to see how many new BDSM rental spaces are starting to popping up. From a more rustic ambience of the Verdorbene Welten playspaces close to the Czech border in my current home state of Saxony to the upscale boutique resort of The Kink which will feature a SPA, new developments for every fantasy, budget and within not too long travel distance are entering the market. Since the minority of kinksters have the privilege of an own playroom in their home, having easily accessible location to escape the everyday stress for a few hours and immerse yourself in kink is great! Maybe I should start reviewing BDSM play spaces to give all the Americans traveling abroad to live out the forbidden fantasies some orientation.
There were a few BDSM toy vendors who offered a wide selection of middle of the road toys. There was a specialized booth for Asian made stainless steel toys over, several wood impact toy makers, some restraint specialists and full BDSM assortment shops. Of notice was first Vilain Garcon from Montréal. Formerly only an online shop specializing in heavy rubber bondage gear, they have opened a shop in Berlin just 2½ months ago. I am getting more and more review requests for their gear so sooner or later I will have to put some of their stuff through its paces.
The Multi-Functional BDSM Bed from Design-X
The most exciting discovery toywise was Angletoys from the Czech Republic which focuses on custom made leather impact toys. Most attention grabbing were their crocodile hides. While being a lightweight hide, the bone plate reinforced scales deliver a very unique and biting experience. I could play around with a crocodile’s tail which would make for a unique Dragon’s Tail. Personally, a different toy caught my eye. The basic shape is a long, narrow rectangle like a ruler. Between two layers of leather a piece of stainless spring steel is sown. Unlike most spring steels stabilizing leather impact toys, they chose a very flexible spring. So the impact toy is snappy and quite bitey, at least when you choose soft and thin leather. Staying true to Angletoys focus on custom toys this toy can also come almost be made in absurdly 6mm thick bull hide which feels as solid as wood and has not flex despite the spring steel. The length and the width are defined by your specification like the hide it is made out of. They also offer Saffiano-like textured leather which had a nice abrasive bite. I might need treat myself to one of their toys rather sooner than later.
The Ruler Shaped Impact Toy from Angel Toys
When I talked to the owner, he admitted that their website is basically an enhanced contact form which only features their more basic products. For the (good) custom stuff you should mail them which is a shame. If I only looked on their website, they would never have entered my toy maker shortlist. Because of this expos are so interesting because many of kink makers are excellent at their craft but not good at presenting it online. So they don’t get the attention they deserve. Of course, in order to access Angeltoys’ full potential you already need to know what you want and need which limits the circle of potential customers a bit. Again, meeting them in person at a fair and discussing your custom commission is probably the best way to go.
Another interesting toy design came from the Bavarian whip and impact toy company Weppyland (no link for reasons). They are braided leather single tails with either a short flogger end or leather eyelet at the top and a carabiner at the bottom. Unlike whips with a pommel you fetter the whip around your wrist using the carabiner. The eyelet whip can possibly be equipped with different crackers and tongues though they did not show those at the fair. Probably at the beginning of the next year I will review a completely different toy from McHurt where I show you how that works and where to get tongues. The eyelet whip can also double as a very narrow choking collar (be very careful due to the narrowly focused force!), a leash or a stylish wrist band. Both whips come in different length to accommodate your personal play style. As intrigued and fascinated I am by the whips and the fact that they come from Germany, sadly, for reasons you will find in the final section before my conclusions, I will not buy one of their toys despite.
Bargain on Nipple Clamps at Eis.de
Sometimes you find pleasant kinky surprises in unexpected places like the booth from Eis.de, one of Germany’s largest online retailers for sex toys. They sold nipple clamps for 2.49€ at the fair which is an unbeatable price. Since these kinds of toys are all coming from random manufacturers in Asia, they are as good as from every other place. So visit all sex toy booths even if you don’t think you could find anything worth your while. You might be surprised!
Besides BDSM toys, a few booths selling art stood out to me. They sold appealing and well made art pieces. In tune with the overwhelming male audience, the art mostly only portrait women and a few couples. There were no male only art works, especially ones focusing on male genitalia. Since there are a few women and bisexual males at the fair, maybe one or two male art works could also sell.
Part I: An Expo Review – Part III: The (Non-)Trendy – Part IV: The Challenging – Part V: The Weird & Final Thoughts
