The Hearts Leather Whip is great for those who enjoy light BDSM play. It's also useful as a light warm-up toy. It warms the skin and prepares it for more intense sensation. Though whips and floggers all require a degree of experience, this would be a good one to learn with before working up to something with more thud or sting.

For those who really know what they're doing, the Heart's Leather Whip can become an intense sensation when used at the right time, with the right amount of energy behind it. It's a great tool to use after other intense sensations, and a perfect cool down toy.

Where can you hit with this toy, you ask? A better question is where can you not hit with this toy. Avoid the kidneys. You can find them if you let your arms hang straight down. The kidneys are at the level of your elbows, between them, on your back. I've been known recommend newbies put masking tape on the area or use a sharpie to locate them, just as an added precaution. That said, my favorite spots to hit with this toy would be the back, and of course the ass, particularly the "sweet spot". That's the area right where the ass meets the back of the legs and that forms that nice arc on the bottom of the ass.

The Hearts Leather Whip felt fairly comfortable in my hand. The handle was slightly too short, though an appropriate thickness. The handle doesn't have a leather feel to it. It feels like smooth pleather. The edge of the handle that runs lengthwise is sealed well and the touches of red hearts and studs adding stability are attractive. I'd prefer the D-ring be a bit larger so it could be stored more easily on a wooden peg.

At 14 1/2", the 22 falls, I believe, are a little shorter than I prefer. Around 18" would feel more substantial. one side of the falls feels soft and feels like leather should feel. The other side is smooth and shiny. The shiny side looks better to me after some wear. It's more aesthetically pleasing with a weathered look to it. I enjoy the angled tips on the falls, though I've notices that after a month of use they split a little bit and are fuzzy now. The tip of the handle has a loop of leather attached to a D-ring, which is used for storage purposes.

The Hearts Leather Whip feels very light in my hand, at only a half pound, which you don't tend to find always with toys of this nature. I prefer toys that a light if I'm either using it at the end of a play scene that has run longer than a half hour, when my throwing arm is fatigued, and also when I'm using this particular toy for that entire length of time.

Initially, my impression of the Hearts Leather Whip was lackluster. I've had a fair amount of experience with BDSM toys of this nature. As mentioned in the design section, this is not a whip. This is a flogger. There are many types of floggers, but in general some types sting and some give a thuddy feel. When I first wielded the Hearts Leather Whip, it neither stung nor felt thuddy. As such, I see it as a good warm-up toy and a good toy for someone just starting out with BDSM play. It's a pretty safe practice toy. You're not going to permanently scar someone or take their eye out with this toy.

However, I found that I like using this flogger (we're going to call it what it is) after doing other forms of impact on a bottom. A "bottom" meaning not the bottom part (because that's an ass), but the role of receiving impact. Once a bottom has already experienced intense sensations with other toys, this flogger makes more of an impression. Not marks, but I've seen a bottom wake right up when I strike them appropriately with this toy, in the right spot, with the right timing.

So, is it stingy or thuddy, you ask? Well, it's complicated. One would have to do their own experimentation (and isn't science fun?). I've found that if I wind up and strike with a lot of force and then follow through, so the falls are only in contact with flesh for barely a second, that feels stingy to a bottom. However, if I use slightly less force and instead of following through, I leave the falls to come to rest for a second on the skin, holding my wrist in position, this feels more thuddy. Mind you, if you want real thud (and you don't want to have to put as much effort and thought into turning a toy not meant for it into a thuddy toy) you likely should find an elk flogger.

I store the Hearts Leather Whip by the metal ring on the handle. It should stay out of sunlight and be in a well ventilated area. When I travel to parties with it, I put it in my toy bag in a separate bag so it doesn't get any other fluids on it (use your imagination). Some players might put a stocking around the falls so they don't get mangled in a toy bag.

After use, if necessary, you can decontaminate leather with 70% isopropyl alcohol. Simple cleaning can be accomplished using a mild dish washing detergent and then blotting dry. Leather doesn't like to be wet and will stiffen if left to air dry. Decontaminating and cleaning leather removes the necessary oils so to regain the supple quality, use a product like Lexol. Work it in with your bare hands, allow a couple of hours for absorption, and then remove any excess.

Though this toy is called the Hearts Leather Whip, this is not a whip. This is a flogger. Anything with falls like this is a flogger. A whip is an entirely different toy. If you'd like to see whips, go to my friend Google Images and put the word whip into the search engine. That's what whips look like. If you want to confirm that the Hearts Leather Whip is a flogger, again, Google images can help you out.

If I am looking for more than light sensation with the Hearts Leather Whip, I tend to use it after other types of intense play. My preferred "other types" might be caning, fire cupping, spanking, or other toys that provide a stinging sensation. It's much easier to get a bottom to vocalize (which I love) if I've brought them to the edge of their pain limits before picking up the Hearts Leather Whip.

I've used this on both men and women and find that the results are similar with both sexes, though women tend to have a slightly higher pain threshold.