The Viper Tongue is a beautiful, two-tailed whip that's perfect for sadists (like me). It's fairly lightweight, making it easy to swing, but it gives an extremely hard, stingy, shooting pain when it comes in contact with skin, so I recommend people who enjoy more pain (or who enjoy giving it) to buy this. Someone who does not know what they prefer should get something that is lower on the pain spectrum.

In terms of shape, the Viper Tongue looks just like what its name implies it is: a reptilian tongue. It is split down the middle with two long, pointed tails that are used for striking the person on the receiving end of this implement. It's made of black leather that's not a thin, soft leather; it's more firm and hard than anything, and its handle is also doubled over and stitched, making it extremely sturdy and great for hitting. The two tails, however, are only one layer of leather, one side smooth skin and the other a soft backing. The leather didn't have a scent, sadly, but when I put it near my other leather products that do, it quickly retained it.

This was a lot longer and larger than I had expected it to be. From the images, it looks sort of small, but it's really not. In reality, it's 21 1/2" in length (including the handle), each of its tails tapering from 1" width at the handle to a 1/4" width at the tip. The tails themselves are actually 17" in length, which is a pretty good size for use. The handle is easy to grip with its 1 1/4" width, and I was able to hold it easily, even with my small hands.

On the end of the handle is a large d-ring which is great for hanging or attaching a mobile handle to. Due to my thinking that the Viper Tongue was small, I also thought that the d-ring was tiny, but it's quite big.

Because of the Viper Tongue's two tails, this strap whip gives a good amount of pain which can be described mainly as "stingy." I wouldn't say that it's the most painful (certainly nothing like my scratchy barbed wire flogger), but it is pretty high on the amount of pain that it does give. I was able to leave nice red marks fairly easily with the Viper Tongue. It also leaves the area nice and "tender," which some people love as a reminder of the beating they were given.

From the throwing/giving end, this was a really, really enjoyable implement to use. It just has this classic design that made me proud to be wielding it. It's not the best thing to purchase, however, if the person on the receiving end of the Viper Tongue does not like to be marked up or given sharp pain; you might have a very unhappy and displeased partner on your hands then.

Remember that the leather is firm, so breaking this in takes some time. I would say that about four or five uses of this thing (not lashes, uses) would break it in and soften it, depending on how many lashes you give during your playtimes.

If you're new to a piece of equipment like this one, the phrase "practice makes perfect" does come into play. Always either hit yourself on the thigh or arm, or even aim at a bed, before using this on another person. Don't want to cause any unwanted pain now, do we?

Leather can be cleaned with either a leather cleaning solution or a cloth that's been dampened and had mild soap rubbed into it. Either method is sufficient, though it's doubtful that it would be needed as the Viper Tongue is an implement that's rarely gotten dirty or mucked up.

For storage, hanging the Viper Tongue up or laying it down on a shelf or drawer are all good methods to keeping the Viper Tongue in pristine condition. I personally hang mine from the attached d-ring, though you can always string through some rope or cord in order to have a larger hanging loop.

Spartacus's Viper Tongue came in a long plastic packaging. Minimal, can be reused/recycled, and isn't bulky whatsoever. It did not come with any booklet/tag or product information.

Its size is excellent for travel, actually. I was able to fit this in my regular-sized flogger case by FYN. Pretty nifty, right? Also, the leather does shed a bit, so make sure to shake it out over a garbage can before use (this will get the majority of shedding out). It still will probably leave little pieces on the skin that it came in contact with, but it wasn't too bad for me.

The reason why I attached the Doggin Bat to this review is because it has a similar feel when it comes in contact with the skin. It's obviously not as painful, but it is a similar, sharp pain of a lower degree.