This crop is really nice if you are into light BDSM play or if you are curious and just starting out in the world of erotic spanking. It also makes a nice addition to a costume or role play scenario. The Impressions crop would be best suited for beginners, because of its length and quality level. Advanced users may find this crop flimsy and besmirching to the sex toy genre of crops in general. I think this crop is decently made, and looks fabulous, but looks aren't everything, sometimes it what's on the inside that counts (unless its a one night stand).

The design of the Impressions crop gets a hardy 'Meh'. Could the quality be better? Sure. Could the handle be more sturdy? Probably. Could the faux-leather be a little less apt to split with slight use? Yeah. Could you do all of that and keep the price low enough for even the broke-est of the broke to experience the thrill of erotic spanking? I rather doubt it. The 3 1/2 inch long head of the crop is a loop of faux-leather that folds over a piece of red cloth and attaches together at the top of a plastic rod. It has a heart shape cut into the front of the 'leather' that lets the bright red cloth show through nicely. The head of the crop measures 2 inches across, a nice width for getting into some of those nooks and crannies when spanking and leaving a stinging feeling. There are 3 plastic studs that connect the two sides of the leather over the 14 inch rod. On the bottom of the crop there is another section of faux-leather measuring 6 inches that is attached to the rod and turns into a loop handle that is also 6 inches long (it opens up to approximately 4 inches across, large enough to fit around a cardboard salt container with room to spare. The whole crop is just a little over 22 inches when laid flat. We have owned this toy for over a year, and it still looks like new. Compare how much we use it with how much we use our other toys, and it practically is new. The lifespan of this crop is going to depend on your frequency of use, and the duration/intensity of your play. If you take it out and enjoy it every couple of months in a bit of light play, you'll be cropping with this for a while. If you are an advanced crop slut and enjoy welts and bruises, you could eat this thing for breakfast. The loop on the end of the handle is a nice feature for a beginner, since nobody wants you to bust a window with a flying crop, mid-scene. The faux-leather does indeed feel very faux, but it looks nice, and smells very, very lightly of plastic. Faux-leather is a water resistant, durable material with a high tensile strength and high resistance to tear (theoretically, anyway).

The Impressions crop worked well for our intended purposes. It delivered what we expected it to, loud smacks with light damage. It has kept its shape and color nicely and we've found it makes a nice addition to some light BDSM play. If you swing hard enough, a light 'whoosh' can be heard, and there is consistent smack each time you hit skin, even if you do it lightly. As far as leaving a heart impression on your partner...that may be the part that's best suited for advanced players, because its never happened for either of us, even through more heavy sessions. The sting left behind by the crop is light, but its fun, and you can tell that it gets your blood moving to the area being spanked. You'll have to be fairly close to your partner to be able to reach them with this crop, however, that will help the beginners feel more confident as they begin to wield their weapon of minor destruction. The marks left by the crop are light red and only last for a few minutes, but the smack that you hear when this hits sounds dastardly.

The easiest way to care for the Impressions crop, is to wipe it with a damp cloth or if it gets really dirty you can clean it with a soft bristle brush. Use only a mild soap without detergent if you need it. We just throw this in our suitcase-o-doom. Its short enough that it would lay flat if we took the time to put it under our other stuff, but we don't, so shame on us. That being said, it has held its shape like a champ,because is still looks like we just got it.

I know this crop isn't the most well made crop in the bunch, but it has served us well and held up splendidly against our minor use. We are just getting our toes wet in BDSM, so having such a cost-effective addition to our collection has really been fun. I don't vouch for this product standing up to the toughest of the tough, and maybe not even to the slightly vanilla at heart, but for us it has been quite fun.

The Impressions crop has a loud smack when it hits, with only a light sting. I find that it is very enjoyable to use, feels nice, even over sensitive areas like the breasts and labia, and doesn't leave me with bruises or painful welts after we play. My husband is, shall we be tactful and say 'jumpy' about pain, and he can handle this crop. We have a lot of fun using it to make the other jump with impact, and we both like the fact that it can be used lightly so that you don't feel like you've been dragged naked down a gravel road afterwards.