Full disclosure: I don’t have porn star sex. I don’t have particularly elegant sex. I have very ordinary, funny, occasionally profound, awkward, regular person sex.

In that context, here’s roughly how my first attempt at exploring my inner dom with the rubber whip| Animal print handle rubber whip went:

“You’ve been a naughty boy, haven’t you?”

Swish. Thwack.

“You do need to be punished properly.”

Swish. Thwack.

And so on. You get the idea. Nothing fancy. No elaborate set-up. Just me, a man, some PVC bondage tape|Fantasy bondage tape (to keep my bad boy’s hands in place behind his back), and my rubber whip. Good times.

There’s a lot to like about this whip. From the moment you begin swinging it around you can tell the whip is very well constructed. The handle is made of solid, barbell-shaped wood. The center is hollow with about two hundred (yes, I counted) thin rubber strands pulled through and secured with a cord that can also be used to hang the whip.

The animal print is cheesy and a cheap add-on - think of the fabric that those stuffed animals you win at carnivals are made of and you have the general idea. In a way, though, that only benefits the whip. This is something for the novice. It’s perfect for those couples who are curious about exploring what it’s like to tie each other up and do a little light whipping. What better way to send that message than with fake fur?

My favorite thing about this whip is how much fun it is to use. There’s a great swish sound when you swing it and a very satisfying thwack when it lands. I feel dominant holding that whip.

More importantly, it’s almost impossible to do anything wrong. Even putting everything I had behind it, I couldn’t muster more than a sharp sting. To see if it was just my complete lack of physical strength, I asked a friend to humor me and smack me on my bare bottom with the whip as hard as he could. He obliged and it definitely hurt, but only for a second.

In terms of maintenance, this whip has its pluses and minuses. The rubber is a definite advantage if you need to wash the whip. Let’s say some lubricant happens to get on it or you’re whipping someone that happens to be very sweaty. No problem. Wash the rubber strands with antibacterial soap and warm water and hang it up to air dry.

The one thing I don’t really like about the rubber is that it seems to attract hair. There’s also a slight problem with getting the strands tangled up, but the kinks work themselves out with a few shakes of the whip. Neither concern is a particularly big deal and it doesn't get in the way of the whip’s use.

On the whole, if you’d like to add something new to the bedroom, this whip is a great choice.