Click on the photo to purchase the pictured flogger, but read this post first, so you can decide if it’s the right one for you!

Hello, Horny Readers!  As promised, I’m writing to provide a general overview of floggers, for those of you who like to have “a whipping good time”!

This post is meant for beginners to pain play, but it might also be useful to those who are more experienced with other forms and have just never given floggers a try.

You might recall that in My last post, I mentioned floggers and paddles as among the only exceptions to the sadomasochism toys and tools you could find in your very own home.  I decided that the explanation as to why I still think a good flogger can be an excellent asset, and how to choose the best one for you, deserved its own post.

The main reason floggers are sort of irreplaceable and exceptional is the reach they’re capable of giving a subbie. There are tiny floggers (that one would be cute for cbt by the way) and really long ones, but for self-wielding, and letting the will of your Mistress flow through your own arm during a femdom phone sex session, I find that those between 1 and 2 feet long from hilt-end to fall-tip (falls are the long blades of either organic or synthetic material that do the actual whipping) are best.

When I’ve got you face down, ass up, and wanting you to spank yourself for Me, most of you do well enough with a doubled-up belt or a paddle, but stinging those cheeks can be as easy as a flick of the wrist with something in this size range. Further, if you like the idea of a classic whipping, i.e. on your back, a flogger is the only way to go, but be careful to cast the falls directly over either shoulder to avoid the spine and kidneys.

So, how to choose a flogger for your whipping?

The main thing you’ll want to consider is the material from which the blades are made.  Different materials have different effects.  The effects are generally referred to as a degree of thud, or a degree of sting, and they feel just about how they sound.  A thud is a heavier, more focused sensation, and a sting is a sharper, more diffuse sensation, kind of like the difference between a slap and a punch.  You can find floggers with falls made of almost any type of material, but the most common are some type of leather (any type of cured animal hide).

For beginners who know they want some degree of discomfort, but not out and out pain, I would suggest suede.  It provides a nice “punch”, with just the right amount of sting.  Not too overwhelming.  On the other side of the spectrum is oiled leather.  This is really only for the most serious of pain pets, because oiled leather packs a strong enough stinging wallop to buckle your knees if you’re not careful.  You can even find floggers that are made of a combination between these two, and the results are somewhere in between.

There are falls made of rabbit (for those who want to be tickled and teased, not punished.  Doesn’t really factor into impact play), buffalo (very thick, heavy skin so the falls are thick and heavy too–not for use if you don’t want to get marked up), and pretty much any other four-legged mammal people eat regularly, but for whipping meant to make you tingle with endorphin, suede or another lighter leather is best to begin with.

If you want to try a synthetic material, the rule of thumb is, the heavier the material, the greater the impact it will have.  Rubber is good for in between, but stings more than it thuds, depending on the weight of the rubber used.  And don’t forget to factor in the width of the falls.  Wider falls will provide more of a thud, thinner ones will provide more of a sting.  The standard width is .5″.  Most suede floggers have falls of this width.

Lastly, I would avoid falls with knotted or metal-tipped ends or weights of any kind until you’re very experienced.  These can cut skin and/or add more weight than you might be ready for, and a well-made flogger isn’t cheap, so paying for something you can’t handle is no fun.

Keep in mind that this is just an overview.  There’s a lot to the science of a good whipping, and if you’re interested, it’s worth taking the time to look into.  And as always, if this post inspires you to buy one, you and I have a standing date for breaking it in!