I loved this crop. Loved, loved, loved it. And when I say loved, i definitely mean past tense. Because, sadly, due to what can only be shoddy engineering, this crop survived all of one night of use.

In fact, when I first received the Red Rose Buds Crop, I took it out of its packaging, swung it once through the air and it snapped in half. It didn't even strike anything. I contacted Eden and they quickly replaced it without a problem. But while the second one handled a night of swinging around and a few solid thwackings, it ultimately couldn't endure being used as anything more than a prop for show.

It's gorgeous to look at: a simple, single stem rose with smaller buds along its length made of quality leather of beautiful color. The handle is well enough constructed, but the rest of the length can't stand much force and there's a serious weak spot where the handle meets the rest of the stem. Perhaps the stem is just a little too long, or maybe the inner structure that provides the length is too hollow to handle the weight of the leather around it.

The thin tubing around which the beautiful leather is wrapped can not handle much momentum. If you want this crop to be a part of your BDSM play, as opposed to being a decorative piece, ultimately you will end up with with a handle loosely attached to a stem by a few threads.

Ironically, the crop came with a tag that read something about how "like your love, this leather will last forever." Perhaps the leather will last forever, but I have little use for a handle and a stem separately. There definitely is something satisfying about knowing that a riding crop broke over your ass, but unless your budget is unlimited, you may want to get a ruler or something instead.

while the product surely isn't meant to survive for long, I did really like it. after it broke (after only a night of being swung around during a burlesque show), i let someone in the audience keep it. now i miss it. :(