Mistress Talia: a sadistic domme

This review is about crops. I don't recommend you buy one at any type of fetish or adult store, but at a tack shop. You can get 3 or 4 good crops at a tack shop for what you'll pay for one crappy one as an "adult" toy.

If any of you have been cynical about our recommendations because we sometimes link to affiliate programs, this should put your mind at ease. We recommend you buy crops locally and cheaply.

Before I get into crops too deeply, let me just say... all our recommendations are honest recommendations. We've highly recommended from Heartwood whips and Adam and Gillian's in the past, and neither have affiliate programs we can make a nickel off of. On the other hand, we've reviewed a few books in a relatively lukewarm manner, even though Amazon does have an affiliate program.

Our basic attitude is to write honest reviews and give our actual opinion of a product, book or web site. If there's an affiliate program, we'll certainly pimp it in our reviews, cause why not? But we're giving honest opinions here - always.

In the case of crops, it is ridiculous to buy crops from adult stores. Tack stores (shops that sell supplies for horses) have very high-quality crops for just a few bucks each. Make it an outing, take a drive to the country, and buy your crops from some nice Amish lady who can't possibly comprehend the twisted reasons you have for wanting it.

A crop is a tool every dom needs. It is so much more portable than other whips, you can stick it in your boot and carry it around until you need it. Good floggers and cats have to be kept hanging at all times, but a crop can be thrown on the floor. It's small enough to fit in a gym bag, so it's discreetly portable. Crops are just incredibly convenient.

There's two ways I like to use a crop.

First, I like to use the flapper on the end to whack very sensitive bits, nipples or balls or cunt lips. The flapper feels pretty darned stingy when used this way. Because crops are so cheap, you can have one for every submissive and not have to worry about sterilizing them if your sub squirts all over the thing while you're tormenting their genitals.

Secondly, I use a crop similarly to a cane, to give a heavy beating across the ass or thighs. It does have a bit of a "cutting" feel to it like a cane, but it's quite a bit thuddier. It leaves spread-out bruises, unlike the double marks of a cane, and you don't have to worry about crossing strokes like you do with a cane because a crop just isn't going to break the skin. It's an ideal tool for someone who wants to be marked as you can bruise pretty intensely with a crop.

The advantage over a paddle is it works much better for seriously beating inner thighs. This is such a terribly sensitive area and a crop used with some force on the inner thighs elicits incredibly delicious squeals from the bottom.

As cheap, convenient and versatile as a crop is, there's no reason every dom shouldn't have at least one in their toy bag.