I had been looking around for quite some time for a paddle worth going after and after much researching I chose this *wonderful* beauty.

The Distressed Heart Spank-her paddle has quickly becoming a beloved toy of mine even though I have yet to have someone else wield its awesome paddling powers I was impressed the day I got it and still am today.

The main reason I got this paddle over all the others on this site was I was after something harsh, with sting but that would also hold up to heavy use like a wooden one would, so when a wonderful person *cough* (you know who you are) mentioned in their review that this sort of felt that way, was nice + thick, and provided a wonderful sting to it I knew I had to acquire it; and what better way than to get it for free?

The SECOND the package with all my new goodies arrived I tore it open and grabbed the Distressed Heart Spank-her first and whapped it against my exposed wrist, even after just one hit I was one happy kitten! The paddle produces a very distinct sensation, the closest idea I could refer it to is a raindrop hitting a puddle in that it sends waves around the surrounding area that it lands. I tried it on my thighs, all over my arms and my rear (tricky when spanking yourself but still) and was very pleased with the residual sting left after several whaps to those parts of the body. I quickly started drooling about how it would feel if held in the hands of another although that may be revealed in a follow-up review at a later date heh.

The paddle is made of two halves of VERY thick and sturdy leather (although unless you look at the handles sides you'd think it to be only one) sewn extremely tightly shut with what seems to be a thin rod or something similar sandwiched between the two from the handle to the center; this is only really noticeable on one side of the paddle however.

All the 'cracks' you can see in the pictures of the product are indeed textured, you can feel them if you run your fingers over them although I don't really feel them in use. It does have a string handle to hang the paddle with but that can be removed if you wish, besides that there was just a Ruff Doggie Styles tag on it with no real info as its a fairly straightforward product (whap whap whap!).

As for maintaining this toy I'm not entirely sure leather conditioning products would do much for it as it is a very thick and sturdy toy unlike soft supple leather (like in cuffs and floggers) though if you get fluids on it I would suggest wiping it down...if you manage to draw blood or get bodily fluids on it I'd suggest keeping this as a 1 person (or couples only) toy.

For the price, even if I hadn't gotten this for free I would probably eventually have bought it and am overjoyed I now own this fantastically made paddle as it is quickly becoming a favorite and will probably only become even more so if I find a partner willing to use it on me.

I still love this paddle, its so hard and solid and makes the most powerful thwaps I've felt from a paddle to date and is my 2nd favorite in my collection of 6. For the price and quality you honestly cannot go wrong with this one, just be wary that it is a fairly harsh paddle due to it's super solid construction.