Paddles and riding crops are my favorite things that fall under the BDSM category. I love giving my little girl a nice beating on her bottom with such implements, as the effects are more than satisfying. With a black plastic handle and red shaft, this one is definitely different from most riding crops available because of its coloring and interesting design.

The Lover's Super Strap Riding Crop comes in a long plastic bag, closed by the stapled label with its name on it. The packaging wasn't very attractive, like some good quality toys are, but hey, it works. On the label, it claims that the tip is made of high-quality leather—from the smell and texture, it does not seem like it. It also claims that this crop has a rubber handle, which it does not; the handle is actually plastic.

This crop's tip is very smooth, folded over for less bite, and instead of smelling like leather, it smells like vinyl. Though made of leather, the leather used is cheap and not something that's good for leather fetishists—it lacks that wonderful smell and also lacks that nice feeling that you get in higher-quality leathers. It will impact the skin with 1 1/2" of cold, hard, agonizing pain, but because it’s folded over, you can also use it lightly, and when used this way, it sort of bounces.

The crop's handle, which is described as rubber and allowing you to be able to get a firm grip, is a smart idea—it sort of makes up for the bad quality of “rubber” that they used! (It’s actually a plastic, which can get slippery if the wielder’s hand gets sweaty.) It has little upraised half-spheres that make it so that the wielder’s hand does not slip or that they don’t lose their grip. The handle also has a seam and a little hole (not a manufacturing flaw) on the bottom, but that didn't bother me much, though it might bother you. It also has a bit of a revolting smell, which will go away if it's aired out.

The entire crop is very firm and well made for its low price tag of $17. My favorite thing about this crop is actually its length, not its different color. It's not too long and not too short at about 25", from tip to handle. Its shaft is a little odd in that the material looks almost like a shoelace's, almost like a plastic rod was inserted into an opened up shoelace—which also means that you can get rug burn if you slide your skin against it too fast!

When used, it does give a nice swoosh in the air and an attractive smacking sound when it hits skin, which is very pleasing and enjoyable, to both lighter and more experienced users. It can give hard pain and red marks, with a feeling of intense sting and bite, but it can also be used playfully as the folded-over crop tip allows for light, bouncy hits. When used lightly, it can give red marks after many repeated bounces, but the actual feeling of each “bounce” is dull but stingy. Because of the size and craftsmanship of the crop tip, it isn't good for someone who enjoys more risky crops or for a "seasoned veteran," unless they're wanting something cheap for the moment.

The Lover's Super Strap Riding crop is good for its price if you want something cheap to use for a medium amount of time that also doesn't delve too much into the world of BDSM. It’s fairly well-made, can withstand a lot of uses, and is cheap enough that if you don’t like it, you can either pass it on to a friend or leave it in your closet. If you're in the mood for something that's more high quality or gives more excruciating pain, then this crop isn't for you. But if you are simply dabbling into crop use or enjoy lighter-pain crops, then The Lover's Super Strap Riding Crop is definitely a good choice.

This crop, though the "non-slip-grip" handle makes it a bit uncomfortable to use, is actually a very, very good crop for its price. I really do love using it, as I can play around with it, lightly smacking my little girl, or really give her hard beats. Its effects are better when used on bare skin, though one layer of clothing will only give slightly less pain.

After as long as I've had it, the smell has gone away and is barely detectable. I really do wish that the crop tip was made of a better leather, but that probably would have raised the price tag a few dollars. I am really pleased with this crop, and do recommend it to anyone wanting a lower priced crop to add to their collection.