MIRROR: Download from MEGA
Ok, well to get specific about floggers, here are a couple of things to consider:
1) Singletail vs multitail: The flappy bits of a flogger are called the tails or falls. A singletail flogger is what we call a whip, while a 'flogger' per se has multiple tails or falls. A whip is much more challenging than a toy with multiple falls, so get an actual flogger. Only graduate up to a whip if you want to spend a LOT of time practicing and you feel you've already substantially mastered the flogger.
2) Materials: Probably the biggest consideration in a flogger is what the falls are made of: leather, rubber, rope, sissel, and more. The weight, flexibility, and harshness of the falls will all affect what it feels like to be hit with the flogger. Also, impact pain comes in two basic types: thudding and stinging. Thudding pain is a dull pain, while stinging pain is sharper; stinging pain sometimes seems mild but then intensifies with a 'second wave' after a few seconds. Different subs react differently to the different types of pain; some like thudding pain but find stinging pain too intense, while others find stinging pain more interesting than thudding, or like both for different reasons. So ask your sub to think about what kind/s of pain she enjoys. For home experimentation, most paddles and hand spanking are more thudding than stinging, while spanking with a thin rod (like a cane) is generally more like stinging.
Now what does this have to do with floggers? The material the falls are made out of affects whether the flogger produces stinging or thudding pain. Thin string-like falls (which move faster and concentrate the impact on a smaller surface area) produce stinging pain, while thicker, heavier falls produce more thudding sensations. From my limited experience, rubber falls are more stinging while leather is more thudding. There are also different kinds of leather: cow, deer, moose, buffalo, and so on. The type of hide affects things like how heavy the falls are, how supple they are, and so on. My flogger is moose hide, and my last slave was very happy with it. I can't speak real knowledgeably about the different qualities that hide type brings to a flogger--you might want to google the issue. My advice is to go with some type of leather fall, and leave other materials for later, unless you know you want stinging pain.
3) Type of fall: Most falls are just strips of hide, but some falls have studs, balls, barbs, and so on, like the classic cat-o-nine-tails. The things embedded in the fall intensify the pain, and may break the skin. My advice is to consider such floggers more advanced. Go with plain falls.
4) Try it out first: If you have access to a shop that sells floggers, try them out before you buy. (While roadside porn shops usually aren't good places to do this, a woman's sex shop often is. They are often much nicer places to shop, and you can examine the toys in a more friendly atmosphere. And many such stores carry at least some BDSM gear.) You probably can't disrobe and flog your sub right there, but you can pull up your sleeve and flog your arm to get a sense of what the falls feel like. Make sure you like the feel of the flogger in your hand. Swing the flogger and see if you like its weight and balance. A good flogger is balanced just below the point where the falls are connected to the handle. If the balance is off or the weight is too heavy, your arm will tire out much faster, which means a shorter flogging session.
In general, I would be reluctant to purchase a flogger online. If you can't easily get to a shop or a BDSM conference where you can browse the merchandise and therefore have no option except to order online, I would avoid sites that carry all kinds of toys (like Adam & Eve or Things4Fun). I think the quality of the merchandise is likely to be highly variable, and some of it will be cheap and poorly-made. Focus your search on stores that specialize in hand-made leather goods. An artisan leather store doesn't guarantee high quality work (the artisan might not be very good), but I think your chances of getting a serious craftsman who takes real pride in his/her work are much higher, so you're more likely to get a durable, well-made toy. One place to start would be Mr S Leather, in San Francisco. They are one of the best, most reliable makers of kinky leather gear around, and I know they make floggers (though I've never used on of theirs). I can personally vouch for the quality of their work (I have a $375 pair of chaps they made, and not only do they feel amazing and are well-made, they look excellent--I get compliments on them regularly.)
However, quality is expensive. A good leather-fall flogger will probably run between $75-200, depending on what hide is used, what wood is used on the handle and so on. Do NOT skimp on the quality of your sex toys. A cheap toy is likely to break during use, which can result in an injured sub. Given a choice between a cheaper, mass-manufactured toy and a more expensive hand-made one that challenges your budget, go for the more expensive toy and save up for it.
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