There is nothing sexier than the scent of leather. This is why I'll never stand much chance of being voted PeTA's 'Sex Toy Reviewer of the Year' (not that I'd really like to be.)

So with the Premium Suede Flogger from Leather Beaten, which is nothing less than a pound and a half of premium leather, I was in aromatic heaven. It smells gorgeous.

The Suede Flogger is a big, heavy whip ending in a blossom of long leather straps. They're rooted at the base to a heavy, sheer leather handle with a wrist-strap at the end. It's a serious bit of kit - the sort of whip Indiana Jones would be wielding if he was into BDSM (and let's be honest, with that bullwhip of his, it's more than likely he is.)

This whip is a thing of beauty. Made from premium suede, in a contrast of black and purple, it looks like you could flay the hide off a Biblical legion of slaves without ever running the risk of it breaking or snapping. It's got a good weight, that delicious leathery scent and the tightness of a good leather product to confirm that some serious time and craftsmanship went into it.

I don't think you need any instructions on how to use a flogger. Simply pick the body part you need to flog - my wife and I experimented with tits, ass and thighs - and decide what sort of 'kiss' you want to leave. Dragging the tassels along the skin is a delicious tease. A moderate swish lands with a satisfying thud. Put some elbow great into it and THWACK!

The soft suede and blossom of tassels make the stroking a lovely experience, but even with a 'crack' of the wrist, you'll never get the same impact (or satisfying welts) out of this compared to a paddle. Yet it still does a beautiful job and is a pleasure to work with. The fact that it's not so 'stingy' actually means the punishment can last that much longer.

A friend of mine recommended a suede protector spray, which you can douse the flogger in to repel all sorts of liquid (sweat, saliva, sperm, other liquids beginning with the letter 's.') Personally, I was a little dubious as I'm not sure I want to spank and flog that chemical stuff onto whichever lucky recipient is getting punished.

In reality, there's not much care or maintenance needed for a flogger like this. If you get anything icky on it, wipe it off with a damp (not wet) cloth. Otherwise, the sheer quality of the leather means you'll probably be flogging with it for years to come.

The flogger came in a plastic bag with cardboard tag at the top. Minimalist, but did the trick.

My wife was in the mood to be punished when we got this flogger, so it was given a very thorough trial run.

To start off with, she knelt down with her face in the pillows and her beautiful, round bottom presented for punishment. I first used the flogger to tease her - dragging the soft tassels over her back and bottom, and letting them slide between her thighs. She loved this and it soon got her squirming.

Next, I gave her progressively more aggressive slaps across her backside with the whip - making a deliciously satisfying 'crack' but not really leaving overly red marks. My wife has a very high tolerance to pain and I'll admit the whip cracked before she did - even when I was giving it my all and really wailing on her upturned ass, she confessed she could have taken - and craved - a little 'more.'

Next, sitting up on her knees, hands above her head, I went to town on her breasts. Again, I started with the slow tease - which got her pierced nipples like little bullets. Then I placed some heavy slaps, which got her breasts jiggling and produced some satisfying cries. The appeal was in the way the blossom of tassels spread out when they landed - leaving a fan of impacts.

Finally, when she was back on her hands and knees and I was entering her ass from behind, I ran the tassels up and down her back as I sodomized her. I couldn't quite get the angle to spank her ass, which she was demanding - so I tossed the whip aside and left some large, red hand prints on her right buttock.

Afterwards, we both admitted we were very happy with the flogger. It didn't have the sheer punishment potential of other products - like more rigid paddles - but what it lacked in sting, it made up for in flexibility and just the sheer quality of construction.