Thwack paddle by Tantus - review by spiced

The Thwack paddle from Tantus is compact and made from soft, flexible, velvety black silicone. It's small - kind of... cute, actually. This may deceive you into believing that it doesn't have much of a bite. Wrong!



Its light weight and flexibility allows the user to inflict a sharp sting with little effort. A simple flick of the wrist is all it takes. It's also possible to deliver a much milder slap, making the Thwack a good choice for beginners as well. Its compact size makes it a good choice for travel.

The Thwack paddle is just under 12" long, including the handle. The paddle portion is just over 6" long and 3" wide. The handle is just under 6" long and 1 3/4" wide at its widest point. The thickness is tapered. At the bottom end of the handle, it's 1/2" thick; at the end of the paddle, it's only 1/4" thick. A 3/8" diameter hole near the end of the handle allows you to hang it on your wall, or to attach a cord. The paddle weighs in at a mere 6 ounces.



This is, by far, the smallest of our paddles, and the only one I'd consider packing in a suitcase.



It's VERY flexible. It can easily be bent completely in half! Don't worry - it bounces right back. The material is soft and velvety to the touch. It had a faint, chemical odor when I received it, but after a quick soap and water wash, it's odorless.

It's nicely made. All the edges are smooth; the handle fits my hand well.

The trick to using the Thwack paddle to good effect is wrist action. The paddle is a bit floppy and I found that made it awkward to begin with. When I swung from the shoulder, or the elbow, I found it a little hard to control. But when I simply flicked my wrist - magic! I found a light flick can deliver a playful tap; a hard flick can really get someone's attention.

I found it works well on the buttocks, thighs and the soles of the feet. It left red marks, but they went away in half an hour or so.

It makes a fairly loud "pop" sound, but no more so than any of our other paddles.

The Thwack is made from Tantus's 100% Ultra Premium Silicone. It can easily be cleaned with soap and water. If you feel the need to sterilize it completely, you can boil it for 3 minutes, you can soak it in a 10% bleach solution for 10-15 minutes - or you can even put it in the top rack of your dishwasher.

We store our Thwack with our other BDSM toys, hidden under some clothes in our "toy chest". You could also hang yours on the wall or stash it away pretty much anywhere. It doesn't require much space. To be on the safe side, be sure to store your Thwack away from any other silicone toys, as there's a risk they might bond together.

Also, be careful to keep it away from silicone lubricants, as they, too, can damage silicone toys.

The Thwack comes in a clear plastic bag, with a small paper tag attached (which sings its praises).

When I first saw this paddle, its small size made me skeptical of its ability to deliver any real pain. When I picked it up and felt how light it was, and how it flopped around, I thought for certain it was going to be a dud. But when I tried it out on my thigh, I was surprised at the intensity of the sting - and at how little effort I had to use to achieve it. I also enjoyed the lovely "pop" sound it made.

That night, I presented it to my wife and asked her to use it on me. She started tentatively, and then, realizing the potential, she really put it to good use! I also asked her to use three of our other paddles on me, so I could compare. In terms of sting, Thwack ranks second, after our leather slapper, but way ahead of our plastic or wooden paddles. In terms of overall pain, it doesn't deliver as much as our wooden paddle, but the wooden paddle requires a lot more strength.

My wife reports that the Thwack is nearly effortless to use. Once she realized that "it's all in the wrist", she was able to deliver sharp, stinging slaps, over and over. "I could do this all night!", she exclaimed. I, on the other hand, could NOT!