What initially attracted to me to the Doggin Bat was its nice, wide tip. I figured it would be easy for my BDSM-inexperienced partner to pick up and start using without much practice. I was really glad to find that it actually suits him even better than I initially thought.

This crop arrives in a clear plastic sheath with a small piece of cardboard stapled to the top to keep it shut. I can't recall that there was any information presented with the packaging. Here's what I can tell you about it: the crop is about 24" from base to tip, with about 8" of that being the handle. The tip is made out of leather (though without much of a leathery smell) and is secured to the shaft with some wire wrapping. It is about 5" long, 1.5" across at its widest point, and made of two pieces, which are separate at the end but sewn together where they meet the shaft. There's a metal tip at the very bottom of the handle with the Spartacus logo imprinted on it.

The shaft is somewhat springy, the tip quite flexible, and the balance point fairly close to the handle. Overall it's a very light crop. All of these factors combine to make a gentle impact toy. It's really difficult to get this crop going fast enough to do any real damage. Avoid striking with the shaft as the metal wrapping could cause more damage than you're trying for.

As a top, I enjoyed using the Doggin Bat for its slight whippiness and satisfying smack. The two halves of the split tip come together upon impact and make a popping noise that makes you think you've hit harder than you actually have. My partner, who isn't really into pain, tolerated several dozen whacks with this thing. I appreciated the wrapped handle but found myself wishing for a wrist strap, if only for style.

As a bottom, I also found myself enjoying this crop. I *do* enjoy a good hard spanking, but my partner is sometimes reluctant to give me as much as I'd like out of fear of injuring me. Somewhat counter-intuitively, putting a gentler spanking implement in his hands made him feel comfortable playing a little harder than usual. After I used this toy on him, he saw that he couldn't do any actual harm with it, so he really opened up to giving me a full spanking. While the first thwack or two is mild, several in quick succession will start to ramp up the intensity. Aside from the usual rosy cheeks, it left no noticeable marks, and certainly nothing that lasted until the next day.

I wouldn't call this toy either particularly stingy or particularly thuddy, but I would call it a lot of fun! I would recommend this to those curious about spanking, and to those who want to introduce their partners into spanking. I would not recommend this to anyone looking for a heavy impact toy, but that's not to say it would be a bad choice for more advanced players. For those with multiple implements in their arsenal, this crop would make a fantastic warm-up to a heavier spanking later on.