Review: 26" Plain Crop

While I've played with other kinds of impact toys, this crop was a first for me. A first that took a while to grow on me, but has come to be a favorite.

The design is simple, but well executed. There are no bells and whistles, but honestly? A good crop doesn't need them. The handle is narrow, about half an inch wide with a slightly flared back end. It's molded of a rubbery material with a slight texture, like it was pressed against sand. Most of the length is covered in ridges, and it compresses slightly with pressure. The end result is a handle that is comfortable to hold for extended periods, but won't go flying at inopportune times.

The shaft has a bit of flex and is rather springy. After wielding it a few separate times, my boyfriend said that the ~15 degrees of flex were great for getting a nice springing snap going without wearing out his wrist. The entire shaft is wrapped in a herringbone-like weave with a black synthetic thread. After banging around for a while, there are a few black fuzzies showing, but otherwise it looks pristine.

The leather tip is whipped onto the shaft for about two inches with what appears to be button cord (nice and strong). There is some kind of glue or epoxy between the leather and the cord to secure it, which dried to a hard and glossy finish. The end result is that I wouldn't be able to remove that tip without cutting the leather off, or trying to cut the shaft itself. The leather tip is stitched down around the very end of the shaft. This stitching may be too tight or too flush to the shaft, as there are a few spots where the leather looks like it may begin to rip around the thread.

The tip itself is made of a nice leather. The dye is not struck through, so while the outsides are black, the suede inside is a medium gray. Unlike many crops I've seen, this tip is two pieces of leather open at the end, instead of a single piece folded over, looped end out.

The edges are rounded, so the sensation is almost purely the slap of the leather instead of the bite of corners. Aimed correctly, (which is harder than it looks for a beginner like me) it gives a powerful stinging slap felt mostly at the skin surface, then blooming downward. I also found out the hard way that if you are not a fan of canes, you want to avoid accidentally hitting with the shaft end with great care - it seriously hurts, and at the speeds crops are often used it could cause some serious damage. That said, the shaft itself could be used as a decent slightly-springy cane in a pinch.

I have one complaint, and one complaint only about this crop: I wish it had a hanging loop. I prefer to store it with my other impact toys, and I store them all on a series of hooks. It's not the end of the world, though - some cord and a quick larkshead knot around one of the grooves of the handle lets me hang it just fine.

This was a great introduction to crops for us - it's inexpensive yet well made, and there's nothing fancy like rose tips or funny shapes to make it harder to learn to use consistently. Thanks for a great toy, Fascinations!


This product was provided to me free of charge by Fascinations in exchange for an unbiased review. This review is in compliance with the FTC guidelines.

Review: Fun Factory Share

A curious thing seems to happen when a female-bodied person starts wearing something like the Share. It can happen with any strap-on dildo, but I've heard of it happening a lot more often with this style of toy. We start calling it things like "My cock," "My dick," and "My gloriously radiant fuck-stick of rapture." Ok, maybe not the last one, but you get my point. In some strange alchemical process, they cease to be toys and start to become part of us.

The first time I inserted the bean-shaped "giver's end" of the Share and looked down to see a lovely onyx cock bobbing between my shapely thighs, I began to proudly think of it as "my cock." After I masturbated with it a few times, it was most definitely a part of me in a strange and wonderful way.

Given that my psyche has, without my intent or consent, absorbed an inanimate sex toy into my being, then I guess it's a damn good thing that it's an absolutely fantabulous sex toy, isn't it?

And it is fantabulously glorious. Fun Factory started with their usual soft, velvety, plush, squeezable silicone for this toy, and then made some magic happen on the design table. The bean-shaped giver's end, while definitely girthy (1.9" in diameter at the widest point), is a very comfortable shape once inserted. It stays put pretty well, as long as you have the PC muscle strength to support its weight. The receiver's end is a smooth, sleek, gently curved penis with a slightly pronounced head. It tops out at 1.75" in diameter all the way at the joint, but the portion that is actually usable once it's in use stays between 1" and 1.25", which is a great beginner to intermediate size for vaginal or anal penetration, and a decent size for faux-jobs (like a blow job, but given to a non-biological penis).

The joint between the two ends is shaped to accommodate a wide range of anatomies. I had no problem using it alone or with a harness, or with a small vibrator wedged behind it. The flexibility of the joint makes the cock droop when inserted, but allows the bean to fit many body shapes, and even be inserted anally and still be used (even fitting around the balls of male-bodied users; just be careful not to crush them). I'm torn over whether or not I want a hole for a bullet. As long as I wasn't using a harness, I could easily get a bullet in to my clit, but I do wish I could make the whole thing vibrate. For now, I press my Mystic Wand to the joint to make the magic happen.

In many ways, the Share is the easiest dildo to peg with that I have ever tried (and the hardest in others). I can actually feel what I'm doing, so it's more than just a psychological turn-on for me now; we both get a lot of pleasure out of pegging with this. I can't "feel where I'm going" like I could if my cock were flesh-and-blood, but this is the next best thing. Steering the Share is both easier and frustrating - because of that bendy joint, there's a lot of hand maneuvering of my cock to get started, and once I'm in, some of the force and direction of the thrusts is lost when the joint just... bends. I highly recommend a harness to help with this: I used my Joque Harness, and I could still feel everything while getting a bit more control over the Share. It also helps with the issue of retention, because anal muscles are strong. I don't care how strong you think your PC muscles are, if they haven't fought with sphincters for a dildo before you may be very surprised.

My darling receiver of the pegging was an instant fan of the Share. He prefers slimmer dildos with a nice head for pegging, because it makes it more comfortable for him when he asks me to go hard and rough, so this was right up his alley. While I was frustrated by the bending of the joint, he had a different point of view. The bending meant that if I thrust too hard, the joint acted as a shock absorber to keep him from getting stabbed in an unpleasant manner. He preferred lying on his back facing me so that the upward curve of the Share spent a whole bunch of time cozying up to his prostate.

But did it generate orgasms? It was fun, but did it really deliver?

Yes. Yes it did. Not only did get off, but for once I manged to orgasm from pegging. I actually had trouble concentrating on what I was doing at times, because I was busy having wonderful g-spot orgasms from the inner portion of the Share moving inside me. I finally understand what guys mean when they say they suddenly reach the point of no return when fucking.

The Share is epic even if you don't plan to use it for penetration of a partner or gender play. As a solo jack-off toy, it's a glorious g-spotter. I love hard, pounding lovin' on my g-spot, but my poor joints seriously start to hurt if I start thrusting away at Warp 2 with a regular dildo. It's an awkward angle to hold anything at for long, and with my joint problems it's often not possible. The Share goes after the g-spot completely differently. With the bean inserted, it nestles up to the front of my vagina as happy as can be, my silicone cock bobbing in front of me. I can put my hand in my lap, in a very comfortable position, and grab the phallic end of the Share to start jacking off "guy style." Pumping away at the penis end of the Share starts banging the bean around in my vagina in a wonderful manner, thumping it against my g-spot over and over with a minimum of effort. The only difficult bit about the whole thing it is not shooting the Share across the bed when I orgasm. (Yes, really. Quite amusing, if a tad frustrating)

This isn't the usual semi-direct rubbing the g-spot as a dildo thrusts past, by no means! It's not quite like anything else I've tried, but I like it. A lot.

After play care of my lovely new cock is wonderfully simple. The Share is made of 100% silicone, so it can be wiped down, washed, bleached, dumped in the dish washer, or boiled. It's totally inert, so you can toss it in your toy storage container of choice without a care in the world. Just don't use it with silicone lubes - the one thing that can destroy your Share is silicone lube. Pjur Bodyglide and Sliquid Ride Silicone both tested safe with my Share, but always test your silicone lubes on a small, unobtrusive patch to make sure they won't ruin the toy.

To make a very, very long story short, I love my Share. I adore my Share. It's everything I hoped it would be when I started wishing for it way back when, and more. If anything ever happens to my wonderful black cock, I will be immediately running for the nearest internet access point to buy three more. Just in case.

Thank you Fascinations for sending me the Share to review!

This product was provided to me free of charge by Fascinations in exchange for an unbiased review. This review is in compliance with the FTC guidelines.

Review: Pink Unity

Once upon a time, I loved a hybrid lube called Liquid Silk. It was a wonderful lube, but our affair was short-lived, for I am hideously sensitive to the parabens it contains. Ever since, I've been trying to find a lube that had the same qualities: the staying power of silicone lube without my lady bits feeling coated for days. When Fascinations offered to let me review Pink's new hybrid lube Pink Unity, I was definitely interested.

Review: Ophoria Bliss #8

The Ophoria Bliss #8, sent to me by Fascinations, is a very well-made vibrator. At this price range, I was actually quite surprised by how well designed it is. The little things that make using and caring for a toy so much nicer are there, showing an attention to detail often overlooked in higher-priced designer brands.