Monday, May 23, 2011

Sportsheets Fur-lined Paddle

Ah, it's been too long since my last review! I requested this fur-lined paddle from EdenFantasys, made by Sportsheets. Sportsheets is known, among other things, for making affordable, "entry-level" bondage toys that are great for the casual experimenter. I wasn't expecting much from this paddle and went into the review with an open mind.



The paddle's packaging is pretty bare-bones, which is fine by me. Just a tag that says Sportsheets on it. The paddle itself measures 14.5 inches long from handle to end, and the "paddling area" itself is 9 inches long and 2.75 inches wide. There's a handle shape built into the paddle as well as a wrist or hanging strap which seems to be made of nylon. One side of the paddle is black leather with "Sportsheets" stamped into the handle. Stitched onto the other side is black fake fur. The fake fur is essentially plush and very, well, fake-looking, which again is fine by me.


This is not the most durably-crafted paddle. Before I even used it for the first time, the stitching on the leather side began unraveling and I had to cut it with a pair of scissors. Not very confidence-inspiring. At $26.99, the paddle isn't a huge investment, but I still think that I shouldn't expect the stitching to unravel before first use.

My partner used this paddle on me in a variety of ways. I enjoyed the double-sided, fur/leather feature of this paddle. You can engage in a bit of temperature play before the paddle warms to your body. My partner rubbed the warm fur side on my naked body before flipping to the cool leather side. It felt good. I also enjoyed the building of suspense on my ass with the soft fur side before getting slapped with the hard leather side. The double-sided feature definitely gave this paddle a leg up from a traditional leather paddle.

However, Sportsheets' paddle does not inflict a whole lot of pain, which may have something to do with its long rectangular shape. I like to get spanked hard, and while the paddle certainly smarted, it wasn't much more pain than my partner could inflict with just his hand. We tested it on my tits and on my ass. I would recommend it for more sensitive areas like tits, but for a really painful paddling on the ass, this guy probably isn't gonna do the trick.

In summary, I would highly recommend this paddle for beginners, people who don't want to commit to a serious/expensive paddle, or people who want to do light experimentation with spanking. The paddle doesn't seem to be particularly durable, but it's not expensive, either. It's also just great for light teasing; I did enjoy having my partner alternate dragging the fur and leather across my skin, with light spanks in between. If you're looking for something that will really hurt, though, I'd suggest investing in a more durable and powerful piece. I haven't used either of the following toys, but this paddle by PHS International and this one by Spartacus have both gotten some delightfully painful reviews.

As for toy care, you can clean the leather side with a damp cloth, but I don't know how you'd go about cleaning the fur side. Remember that this paddle can't be sanitized, so avoid using with multiple partners if there is the potential for an exchange of body fluids.

I had a hard time rating this toy: I ultimately gave it 3 stars because I think it's pretty average for the paddle category overall, but for an entry-level paddle, it does do its job. Sportsheets knew what kind of paddle they wanted to create, and they delivered. If I were rating it among more basic/less painful paddles, I would give it 4 stars.


product picture
Paddle by Sportsheets
Material: Leather / Fake fur
Safety:
This product was provided free of charge to the reviewer.

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