I am now reviewing sex toys for sextoy.com. You can find the Spartacus 18″ Riding Crop and other bondage, fetish and kink toys on their site. Disclaimer: Although I don’t receive any money for these reviews (unless you purchase something via an affiliate link to the vendor), I am receiving free toys.
I got this crop into more hands and onto more bodies than I expected since I received it to review. First, though, I want to talk about its arrival: this foot and a half long crop came in a gigantic poster tube — it was a good three feet long and very wide. There were no other toys shipped with it. I don’t know if this is normal shipping, or just how I happened to receive this toy as a critic but it seemed fairly wasteful. Additionally, the leather handle of the toy was shrink-wrapped in plastic that was fairly difficult to remove.
Other than this minor quibble about its arrival, I am extremely happy with this riding crop. The handle is sturdy and made of leather — something I perversely enjoy despite my vegetarian eating habits. The metal part of the handle has a tasteful imprint of the Spartacus logo, a Roman soldier, on it. The shaft and tip of the crop are about 18″ from tip to handle, but the toy is about 26″ long in total length when you include the handle. The tip itself is about three inches long, and about an inch and a half wide. Unlike my last, more cheaply made riding crop, the tip is reinforced at the spot where it meets the shaft of the crop with wire wrapping. Since my last crop broke when the tip fell off, I expect this one to be a lot more durable. I do wish that the handle had a loop or hole so I could hang it with my other toys.
My crop arrived (to great curiosity about the tube from my apartment-mates!) right before this year’s Burning Flipside. A brief test run with my “pet” showed that it did indeed sting to be struck with it. Despite the fact that it’s length made it more difficult to pack than some of my toys, I brought it with the hopes of testing it out at the event.
On Saturday night of that glorious long weekend, I filled up a toy bag with this crop and another one loaned to me by my friend Jennifer. This other crop was much shorter, probably half as long or a bit smaller still but similarly constructed. Together with both my “pet” and my “babygirl,” Trouble, we set out for the Whores of Babylon theme camp, where we were told there was a St. Andrew’s cross available for play. As an aside, it seemed like there were a lot less theme camps devoted to kinky behavior this year than in previous years of the event.
Whores of Babylon had set up a porn temple as the main entrance to their camp. There was porn playing continuously and pornographic ‘offerings’ on an altar, along with a box of wine for drinking (we all stopped for a sip). When we were ready we continued through the temple to the shade structure in back where the cross was set up.
First we put my pet on the cross with some wrist cuffs kindly loaned to us by a member of the camp. My babygirl and I teamed up on her, using a wide variety of toys on her from my favorite flogger to the paddle I had earned earlier that event from Camp Smack That Ass. My pet tends to giggle, moan, and make a variety of other happy sounds when you hit her with impact toys or engage in other pain play, and my babygirl soon got into the action with me. She looked deliciously wicked wielding this riding crop in her tight little dress and pig tails with her glow-in-the-dark penis pacifier clutched in the corner of her mouth.
When we were done with my pet and had given her water and cuddles for aftercare, it was my babygirl’s turn on the cross. My pet is less of a sadist than me though she loves to top and use toys in the right moments. At first she was more hesitant about hurting her “little sister” on the cross, but as she realized that Trouble’s “ouch” sounds were mixed with pleasure and delicious endorphins, she started hitting even harder than me. She left some wonderful bruises and was even taunting Trouble a little by the end of the scene, saying things like “Aww, does it hurt?” before swinging the paddle or crop again.
In comparing this 18″ crop to Jennifer’s much shorter one, my pet preferred the shorter crop because it was easier for her to aim, but Trouble liked the Spartacus better, because she thought the tip was a better shape and size. If you aren’t sure which crop is right for you, I recommend trying out a few different ones by swinging them around at a shop, borrowing them from a friend, or by trying out loaner toys at a play party. Overall I really love this crop, and the length is perfect for me. While it’s just right for general play, I’d want a shorter and narrower one for some activities such as clit-spanking.
The three of us grew a lot closer that weekend, with my two subs bonding enough to truly become sisters. That play session on the cross where they got a chance to lovingly hurt each other seemed to be a big part of their growing closer.
And the crop survived the weekend’s misadventures, including being dropped a couple times on the way back to camp, without any visible damage. I anticipate using it in many more scenes to come.
