Paddles like this one can be used for almost any kind of impact or sensation play imaginable. It's small enough to fit nicely between spread legs, yet wide enough to cover a good amount of space on even a larger rump. It packs a solid wallop for the more extreme masochist, but can also administer light love taps to a more experimental bottom. And the softer side, when used gently so as not to damage the stitching, is perfect for use on already reddened flesh.

I'd place this toy in the hands of BDSM beginners and experienced sadists alike. I'd recommend it to almost anyone in the BDSM community looking for an aesthetically pleasing, functional, sensually painful toy.

The head of the paddle is five inches at its widest point, and about seven inches long. The handle is two inches wide at its widest, and about an inch and a quarter at its thinnest. It makes up about four inches of this toy's length. I have small hands, so to me, it feels a little awkward; but M says that other than it feeling flimsy (he's used to solid wood), it fit his larger hands well.

The business side of this paddle is made of black leather. It's solid, smooth and fragrant, if a bit flimsy.

The back of this paddle is made of black velvet. It's intricately embroidered with beautiful gold and red thread. There are red and gold beads and red sequins sewn on throughout the pattern. To be honest, though, the picture looks better than the actual product. There are at least twice as many beads on the paddle in the picture than the one we received.

This paddle's actually a little heavier than our wooden one but doesn't pack quite as deep of a wallop. I'll let you know in a follow-up how the stitching holds up to M's abuse.

When this paddle arrived, I was actually a little worried. It's stiff, but has a lot of give and M hits pretty hard sometimes. Not to mention, I'm a pretty extreme masochist. So I was worried it would be bent in half after the first use, from M trying to make me feel it.

I was pleasantly surprised by how well this toy held up to his strength, and my high pain tolerance. The leather is stiffer and more durable than it feels at first heft. While the weight of the head does make it wobble a bit when you swing it, but it's barely noticeable.

A single swat to the buttocks brings up a nice red mark on the skin, and a decent bottom burn. Repeated swats turn the skin a beautiful crimson, and leave the bottom feeling it for hours. And it's not all that loud, so the only thing you'll have to worry about the neighbors hearing is your bottom's yelps.

To be honest, if it were up to me, I would buy a duplicate of this paddle and keep it hung on our wall. In the living room. Next to the African sand painting M brought back from Africa when he was a kid. It's pretty enough. But this one, we'll keep in the toy drawer with the rest of our debauchery.

You can clean the leather with saddle soap, or some other leather conditioner, but probably all you'll need to do is wipe it down occasionally. The velvet, I'm sure, you can wipe down with warm water, as needed, without doing too much damage. Just don't share this toy if it's used on open wounds.

Paddle enthusiasts, especially those who prefer wooden paddles, might not feel the same way I do about this paddle. I couldn't say. I've never really been one until we tried this paddle.

I'm not a huge paddle enthusiast. We have a wooden one that, while I won't throw a tantrum if M pulls it out, I'd just as soon he leave it in the drawer most of the time. I fell in love with the embroidery on this line though, and suggested them to M because he really likes paddles. He chose this one.

There's something to be said for the difference between the feel of harsh unforgiving lacquered wood, and a smooth pliable leather.

The wood paddle we already owned is just slightly lighter than the Rainbow Nights Paddle, but it's much more solid. It delivers a deep, burning pain that's often a tad too far on the wrong side of stingy for me. Even the delight of being over his knee is rarely enough to sooth the offensive pain wood delivers.

The Rainbow Nights Paddle, on the other hand, is just perfect. It's got a little bit of give, so the pain is dispersed more on the surface rather than deep into the buttocks. The smooth surface of the leather packs a solid wallop while the soft embroidery makes for some interesting sensation play.

I could definitely get down with using this paddle regularly in S&M play. I like it a lot.