Once upon a time, there was a neurologist named Robert Wartenberg. In 1952, he chose to start working as a professor at the University of California. It was during his tenure there that he developed plans for this "toy". He actually created this pinwheel to test the reception of nerve endings. Today, it is still used for neurological testing, but the kinkier side of humanity has given it another use. This, once medical, tool has become a play thing for those who are sexually adventurous.

The most common use this toy will get from the shoppers on Eden Fantasys is as a tool in sensory play. It can be used to gently roll the wheel over the skin and create the "hairs on the back of your neck stand up" sensation. When using gingerly on your more sensitive areas, such as the breasts or feet, it provides the sensation of being tickled. This toy looks like it would be painful, but I promise, it doesn't have to be. You can, however, make it be painful if you choose. When using a lot of force you can create pain, and if you press hard enough, you can even draw blood.

Since this toy is metal, it can be an awesome toy for temperature play. You can place it in your freezer or refrigerator and then run the wheel along your lovers skin. You can also run warm to hot tap water over the toy to warm it.

This Wartenberg pinwheel is very well crafted in my opinion. The wheel has no way of escaping and is fully attached to the handle. If you tilt the wheel inside it's holder, you will see that there is a bit of leeway room. This leeway room is not even a centimeter wide and is nothing to worry about. But when you shake the handle, a bit of rattling can be heard from the wheel wiggling side to side.

The wheel is attached to the handle by one screw. The screw can be tightened or loosened by using a flat-head screwdriver. On the side opposing the screw head, you can see where the screw came back out, but was cut off. Nothing is actually jutting out.

This toy is made of metal, and being metal it is completely solid. The is nothing at all soft or delicate about this toy. It resembles and has the feel of a medical tool. The handle does have three lines on both sides to help with grip, but aside from that it is made of smooth metal with no bumps of decals on the handle.

The instrument itself is 7" long, with 6 1/8" of that being the handle. The grips on either side of the handle run 2 3/4" long. The handle is 1/2" wide and is 1/4" thick at it's widest point. At it's smallest, it is 3/16" wide and thick. The wheel itself is 1 1/4" from side to side, with 3/4" being the solid circle that holds each "pin". Each pin is about 1/4" long. This little guy would really hurt if it were fallen upon.

I think this toy performs very well for what it is. It is well made and the wheel stays in place with no effort from it's owner. The wheel spins with great ease, but can be tightened by twisting the screw that connects the wheel to the handle to the right. The upraised lines on the handle give you something to grip onto so you do not drop your new toy. The pins are just long and sharp enough to inflict pain or tickling without being long enough to seriously injure anyone if you did break skin. This toy is lightweight, compact, not bulky at all.

It is a very multifaceted toy and can be use for creating the tickling sensation or pain with minimal effort. When using, if you gently roll the wheel along your, or your lover's, skin, it makes you want to squirm a bit, as if you were being tickled. This is intensified when using over your more sensitive bits, such as the breasts, nipples, soles of feet, toes, and testicles. When using gently, it does not leave behind any markings.

If you add a bit of force and push down while rolling, it can be quite painful. By pressing down with moderate force, you can create dotted lines on your skin. The spikes, or pins, are very sharp and it wouldn't take too much effort to actually puncture skin.

Since this toy is made of metal, it should be pretty easy to keep clean. You also have many options of cleaning, should it get dirty. It can be boiled, wiped down with rubbing alcohol, wiped down with a 90% water and 10% bleach solution, or can simply be washed with soap and water. It can even be thrown into the top rack of your dishwasher. After cleaning and wiping off excess water droplets, you should allow the toy to sit out and air dry fully. If you should get any blood on this toy, you should pay special attention to cleaning each pin on the wheel.

Storage of this toy is a bit more tricky. It can be stored inside it's original packaging, but that plastic bag will not really protect the other toys in your toy box from getting a random puncture. What I think the best way to store this toy in your toy box truly is, would be getting a toy pouch and storing it inside there. A padded pouch would prevent the pins from poking though and puncturing a toy. For now, I am storing inside the original bag it came in and am not placing it inside my toy box. When my pouch arrives in the mail, that will be it's new home and I will then put it inside my toy box.

The Wartenberg pinwheel comes to you in a clear plastic bag. The bag is 9" tall and 1 3/4" wide. This bag has a zip lock top on one end. This bag is the the most logical choice for storage. While it would not totally protect your toys and other things inside your toy box, it does give it a barrier. At least the pinwheel would have to poke though the bag and then poke one of your toys.

The plastic bag the pinwheel comes in has no product name, company name, or any other kind of information on it. There are no attached tags or stickers to tell you about the use of this toy.

If you are interested in hardcore BDSM or are just looking to add something new to your play scenes, this is a great buy. It is as versatile as you want it to be. If you want it to be used for tickling and light sensory play, it can be that for you. If you are wanting to get rough, mean, and maybe a little bloody, this can also easily be a useful tool for you. Whether you want to tickle your partner, or inflict pain on them, I personally think the Wartenberg pinwheel is a dish best served while your partner is all tied up.

I bought this toy just to try something new. It was only $13 and I figured I didn't have anything to lose. I'm not into getting bloody or being super mean to someone, but I thought the tickling aspect of it would be something very cool to try. After purchasing and having a chance to play around with it, I am a happy camper.

I personally thought it was the most crazy sensation ever when I ran it along the soles of my feet. It was like being tickled, but on a whole different level. Generally, I can block it out when I am being tickled. I absolutely could not block out this kind of tickle.

After further investigation, I found the pain that this toy can create to be intense in a weird way. When pressing down hard enough to leave dots behind but not break skin, I found that the pain was not comparable to most other kinds of pain. The best way I can come up with to describe it is similar to getting a tattoo. It is more of an annoying pain, rather than the pain felt when you accidentally cut yourself or puncture your skin.