It's a paddle. Anyone can use a paddle, whether beginner or advanced. But to actually get that impression to appear, you need two things: A spanker who can line up the letters properly so that they don't end up branding their spankee as an 'UT', and a spankee who can take a really hard and painful whack.

The second is the tricky part. The spanker just needs a bit of practice to get his or her part right, but the spankee is the one who has to be able to take it. If you use your safeword when the sensation moves from tingly to ow, then this is not the toy for you. This is a paddle for people who love the pain and beg for more.

The paddle looks beautiful, with two layers of black leather stitched together along the handle, but open at the top to make a slapper effect. The stitching feels a bit rough, and there were some loose threads that needed clipping, but it does not look in danger of coming loose. There's a red paper between the two layers to make the lettering obvious. The handle has a stiff support of some kind between the two layers - perhaps wood, though I can't really tell - as well as a grommet at the top that the hand loop strings through.

The leather feels very nice quality and has that wonderful leather scent, but the paper insert and hand loop bring down the over all impression. The loop is similar to a nylon or polyester shoelace, rather than being made of leather, and it is too small for larger hands to fit through. The paper insert would have been nicer if it were a layer of fabric glued or sewn to the bottom layer.

I like BDSM, but I'm not much of a masochist. I'm more into erotic humiliation than pain. So while I stuck through it for one session, in order to get the nice marking that I wanted, it just hurts too much for me to ask for it again.

This paddle worked best across the buttocks or thighs, when pressed together well enough that you get 'SL' on one thigh and 'UT' on the other, and we also managed to get the word imprinted along the length of one thigh. It wouldn't be safe to hit the back that hard with a paddle, and while breasts or other areas could theoretically be spanked with this paddle, the impression is unlikely to work. We didn't try it.

The double layer slapper effect of the paddle makes it very noisy. This is not something you can use if you have housemates. And if you live in an apartment or flat, you should, for the sake of your neighbours, only use this during waking hours. This is another reason we've never pulled it out again. It just feels like we're putting on a show for the whole building.

When storing your leather toys, think DRY. We once lost a rather extensive BDSM collection to mold, and had to start from scratch. If you aren't sure of the humidity levels of the closet, drawer, or box where you keep them, then get some desiccant sachets, like the little packets that come inside the box with your shoes. These can be purchased from places that sell packing supplies, and you'll need to make sure you measure the size of your storage area. You'll need about 5 grams of silica gel per cubic foot of space.

Cleaning is easy. Simply wipe the paddle clean with a damp cloth, taking care to avoid the paper insert. Occasionally apply a leather conditioner, which are available as wipes, making the job even easier.