Fluffy flogger - whip discontinued by Ruff doggie styles - review by Mikhaila

This is a really great scene-length flogger that allows for a variety of applications. It is not going to be as potentially dangerous to use as something like the gated barb wire flogger or as heavily weighted at the ends like the roses flogger, so it is good for those just getting used to longer floggers. It is also not overall that weighty which, besides being nice for prolonged use and also for those with tiny hands and wrists like myself, means focus can remain on technique and learning to wield it well and in different ways. As well, it is a great flogger in general due to the solid construction and to the mix of materials. You can go lighter or harder and depending on your aim and if you hold one or the other of the flails up and to the side (so you are using only the suede or the faux fur ones) can get more sting or thud. Getting all this out of one flogger is wonderful, especially if finances, storage space, or both are limited. It also means that for traveling, you can pack one scene-length flogger and still have a variety of options when you go to use it. All around a really great buy and one I am incredibly happy with.

I am absolutely in love with the design. I had been keen on it for months and waiting for it to finally come back in stock, and it was worth both the wait and the investment. It is not as expensive as some floggers on the market but it is really well constructed. There is a solid wood handle wrapped over with a black and white checkerboard of woven (real) leather. The handle is unweighted, which some may find a detraction, but which is a blessing given how tiny my wrists are and which I have not had cause any problems for me personally. Each end of the handle is a solidly attached cylinder of wood (or so I assume that is what it is made out of), this time wrapped in only black woven leather. The top cylinder is slightly smaller and has a black and white woven leather cord attached to the top of it. For many people this will only work for hanging the flogger but I am also able to use it as a hand and wrist strap. The exposed part of it (the rest is solidly attached under the woven leather coming up the sides of the cylinder) is around 10 inches total and as an indication of how small I am, I can work the loop all the way up to around the bottom of my bicep. So, just the right length for hanging but likely too short for some to use as a hand or wrist loop to keep the flogger more secure during use.

Now, as for the flails themselves, I am in 'love' with the look and feel of both materials. I originally had a moment of confusion when I removed the plastic sleeve the flogger came encased in because the black suede reminded me of nice black velvet against the background of the white faux fur. The fur has a nice sheen to it and doesn't look cheap/"fluffy" like the faux fur you might find in a big box fabric and crafts store. If it's possible to call it that, this flogger is classy. Even after enthusiastically testing it directly after its arrival, there is barely any shedding from the suede, so no worries about the fur looking like it has fleas. Each faux fur flail is securely seamed on the back and also at the end. I do not know how they secured the seams but there are no lumps or bumps or anything else to detract from the aesthetics or to provide an odd feel during flogging. The black suede flails are arranged outside a center of white silky faux fur ones and are cut and attached in a two-layer fashion so there are actually two suede flails in each "spot" on the flogger. Almost all of them fall neatly and directly on top of each other and there are only two (and thus four flails in total) that are slightly out of alignment. So, again, really, truly impressed with the construction on this.

Now, although this could actually go elsewhere since I think it counts as sensation play (or at least for me it does), this smells and feels gorgeous. I actually put the flails on my face at one point and it was just lovely. The faux fur has a scent to it but it's different, not unpleasant and the suede also has a pleasant scent to it. Neither is super-strong (I have to have my nose at most a few inches away in order to detect anything) but it is clearly present and also pleasant. So, also a great design if you happen to be particularly tactile, visual, and/or scent-oriented because there are lovely scents, textures, and contrasts in terms of both feel and appearance (I am quite glad the black and pink ran out and then the black and white came in stock - it's gorgeous and quite sharp looking, design-wise).

My forearm is only 10" long (and that's going to the very tip of my elbow)and the flails come in at 20.5 inches and the total handle length at just under 9, so it took some slight adjustment (and a hilarious moment of accidentally flogging myself on the back) but this flogger is really easy to wield. At least for me, the lack of a weighted end on the handle was a plus. This is light in the hand even though there is actual weight to the flogger. Big plus for someone of my size and strength, especially if I want to get more than a few strokes in. This is also good if you want to be able to go for a prolonged period of time without having to stop due to the weight and distribution of weight along the flogger's design causing discomfort.

I believe at least one reviewer commented about this flogger's design also being good if you were interested in pet play since it looks like a cat toy and I will fully admit to rolling around on my bed with it. I am in a hot climate and the mail box it came out of was in the direct sun but the faux fur felt cool to the touch when I took the flogger out of the packaging. It is really fun just to run your hands through and over the faux fur flails and to stroke and play with both types of flails as well. It also works great as a long, mixed-texture sensation play toy. It feels very different depending upon how far away from the body you hold it and how you move it (how often, how fast, etc), and because of the size it can also cover a large area.

As I mentioned earlier in the review, you can get varying sensations and intensities with this flogger. Even without separating out either the faux fur or the suede flails (more thuddy and more stingy, respectively) how you hit with it and how hard you hit can charge the feeling of the blows. Closer, slower, and with less force to them go more towards thuddy and and a massage-type feel (especially if you hit with closer to the middle of the flails than the end), although you will still get some level of sting from the suede flails. Farther away, faster, and more force gets more sting. It was admittedly really fun to test out all of these variables, especially as I actually managed to surprise myself with how much sting I could get out of it and with the faux fur flails still in the mix. To get it as stingy as you can without separating out the faux fur flails and holding them back, I would try for hitting with the ends of the flogger and with a lot of swing to your blows. The momentum certainly helps (or, rather, hurts).

Really, extremely pleased with this and definitely plan on keeping it around as both a flogger and a sensation play toy. And as just a fun thing to play with as well.

There is really good information out there already about leather care, including suede, so I will not repeat it here. However, because this is a mixed-materials flogger, cleaning will be slightly more complex. I cannot see any way to draw blood with this particular flogger so clean-up should not really be necessary. If it does, take a surface clean approach to the faux fur and try to avoid getting the suede wet at all. As for storage, I would personally hang this up or store it somewhere safe and particularly clean because, again, you want to avoid having to clean it if at all possible. If all else fails, you can put the loop over the top of a plastic coat hanger and hang that up on a rod in a closet, which is what I have done and which works really well for keeping floggers stored neatly and properly and is also fairly discreet (just keep the closet door for that side shut!).

Packaging is minimal. There is a small card tag from the manufacturer attached to the handle loop and the entire flogger was encased in a plastic sleeve. This was easy to remove and kept the flogger clean and the flails untangled while in transit. I would not personally attempt to get the flogger back in it for storage (a few good strokes should knock any dust off if you store it out in the open) so that went directly in the trash. The clear plastic does mean it is not discreet and neither is the tag (it is called a flog-HER and the words on the tag continue that theme); so if you order this and need to be discreet, do not open it around others. Otherwise, simple packaging and not more than necessary to keep it clean and neat until it arrives.