The pleasure of BDSM are often very blatant; whips, crops, and floggers of all shades are hailed as icons of the practice, but you don't need to be beaten black and blue to experience kinky titillation. Sometimes less is more, and a Wartenberg wheel is a perfect way to do just that.

With a light hand, the tiny spikes send shivers up your spine and have a pleasant tickle sure to make you squirm. With a heavier touch (but not too heavy!), tiny pricks of pain balance the pleasure nicely. It is the perfect tool for those looking into medical play, but also for those simply looking to add something new to their sex arsenal.

Beginners may be intimidated by the look - and let's be honest, this thing looks kind of like you could murder someone with it - but with a careful hand, this would make a great addition even for couples inexperienced in the wild world of kink.

I was extremely impressed with the sleek design of the wheel when it arrived. It looks like a well-crafted medical device of smooth, shiny metal, with a slightly textured metal grip. The neck curves down slightly for precision, and the wheel turns nicely without any catches.

It has a good weight to it, heavier than expected, but feels balanced in the hand. This weight does the work for you when it comes time to play; you don't have to overexert your force to get a sharp sensation, but this does mean that too much force will likely draw blood. The spikes are super sharp - the designers weren't messing around on this one, so take extreme caution and know your own strength. I highly recommend anybody planning to use this on someone else first test it out on their own skin to get a feel for the right amount of pressure to apply.

This wheel was everything I hoped it would be. You can use it literally anywhere on the body and I would encourage you to use it even on less-obvious places on the body. The back of the hand, the insides of the elbows/knees, and the back of the neck are all great places to try, as well as anywhere else there is especially thin or delicate skin on the body. Put it in the refrigerator/freezer for some temperature play, toss in the usage of a blindfold, maybe a few restraints...baby, you got a very sexy stew goin'.

Should you need to clean this toy, warm water and soap or your favorite cleaner will do. It's metal, so it will withstand pretty much anything you put on it. Make sure to dry it completely before storing it away to prevent rust or other degradation.

If you draw blood with this tool and share it with others, I implore you to take proper precautions for sterilization. Because this is made of metal, you can clean it with a diluted bleach solution, run it under heat/flame, and even put it into an autoclave if you have access and want to take that extra step.

The wheel comes in a hard plastic tube with a paper insert and leather sheath inside. The tube would be great to reuse for storing the wheel and other sex toys within. There were no instructions that I found, but the toy itself is fairly self-explanatory.