vinyl Archives - of Sex and Love

“Paint Brush” Whip

November 22nd, 2009

Paint Brush Whip

This product is no longer available.

The Paint Brush Whip is a flogger-esque impact toy, the unique shape of which lends itself better to novel uses than demanding ones. Because the vinyl falls are sewn in two long rows so they land wider on the skin. It’s a unique sensation which is flogger-like, with a twist. This also means that the weight of this whip is distributed differently and it handles differently than a true flogger. I imagine that flogger elitists would be opposed to this because it does wield a bit sloppier than most floggers (not every fall hits the mark and there are always several which seem to have a mind of their own) but if you just want to try something new and don’t mind that this is more novelty than anything else, the Paint Brush Whip is fun.

Made of a hard leather handle and vinyl falls, the Paint Brush Whip is heftier than most of the other impact toys I have tried, despite its relatively short stature. It measures in at only 13″ in overall length, 5.5″ belonging to the falls – rounded strings of vinyl which are blunt cut at the ends – themselves. Of course, this means you must be relatively close to your target which is not necessarily a con, just something to be aware of. In fact, it could be a pro if space is limited.

While the individual strands have some elasticity, because of the material, there is much less as a whole. Combined with the short length, this toy isn’t the best if you want to be able to pull the falls back and let them snap forward. In my opinion, basic over or underhand throws are most efficient. The paintbrush whip is easy enough to use with just a flick of the wrist. Of course, you can use heavier full armed throws if you so choose. Although heavier than other impact tools I’ve used, the Paint Brush Whip is still quite comfortable and easy to use. In fact, I think the weight of the falls makes it easier to throw and maximize sensation. The sensations fall in a light to medium range. They will sting, warm and redden the skin but they are not ferocious.

The vinyl falls were quite stinky, I might add. They don’t smell like phthalates but they definitely smell like something and the smell was strong. I can even still smell it despite the fact that I’m sick (but it has lessened since day one). It might be better to store this whip with a little space, not locked up tight with other toys which may take on the scent. Luckily, it can be hung with the provided loop, sewn into the handle, so it can be aired out easily while stored. The loop is too small to wear around the wrist, however. Also, it’s sewn in permanently and nonremovable. The loop is also where the tag was attached. It was the shape of a paint bucket with metallic purple paint “spilling” out and was quite pretty.

The leather of the handle is quite firm. Like the slapper I just reviewed, it’s two pieces sewn together near the edge. Unlike the slapper, however, the sewing is much messier. There are loose threads in a few places and more than one place where sewing errors are visible. It seems that, in these places, the sewing just backtracked and went through the holes one more. It’s definitely not as nice looking at the slapper.

The falls are attached through the widest edge (3″) – which gives this piece its paintbrush appearance – and there is an additional row of stitching to secure them. For my purposes, I think the paintbrush whip will hold up well but I wouldn’t expect it to last a lifetime. Where the falls are pressed between the layers of leather, the handle is thicker and it thins toward the opposite end. There does seem to be some sort of reinforcement between the layers in the narrow part (1 1/4″ wide) of the handle, which makes it the firmest part of this whip. The narrow part also has “Sportsheets” etched into it which actually looks pretty neat. Although the leather is fairly smooth, the handle widens just a bit at the end, which makes it more secure to hold.

Although I do not anticipate having to clean the Paint Brush Flogger much, I would simply wipe it down with a damp cloth and pat it dry.

Ultimately, I found the sensations of the Paint Brush Whip by Sportsheets to be unique. I enjoyed using it but recognize that it’s perhaps not the best example of a flogger overall, because of its unique design. If unique is your thing, give it a try but if you are one of the aforementioned flogger elitists, I might get something a bit more traditional.

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Categories: BDSM, Reviews

Vibratex Pearl Thunder

April 25th, 2009

Pearl Thunder
N/A from

This is an archived review of a discontinued toy.

A while ago, I mentioned that, hey, I must just like ’em big and eagerly took up TabuToys when they offered a larger sized toy for review. After all, why wouldn’t I be curious just how much I can take? The answer is, at least, a diameter of 1.75″ or a circumference just shy of 5.5″. Not bad if I do say so myself. Still, my experience with Vibratex’s Pearl Thunder illustrated that maybe a toy of such size isn’t the best for rotation. Or maybe I should just be done with rotating toys in general.

Although billed as an X-tra Thick toy, I found only part of this rabbit style vibrator to be really large: the head. In fact, only the head is truly 1.75″ in diameter. The rest of the shaft is slightly smaller at about 1.5″ in diameter (and around 5 insertable inches) which seems pretty average to me.

Although, that’s probably the only “average” part of this vibe. I found the whole thing to be really unique, perhaps even weird. With 2 different faces on the toy – 1 which gives new meaning to “head” of a cock toward the top with the engorged tip seeming like hair and one molded into the back of the shaft – I almost want to giggle. The description on TabuToys lists it as the “Thunder from down under” and I conjured up a sort of purple, Aboriginal totem pole.

And don’t worry – there are animals too! The clitoral stimulator, which is some sort of fork-tongued panther-like animal over a small, unique, cylindrical (rather than bullet-shaped) vibrator. And we’re not done yet. On the back of the shaft, around the same height as the clitoral bullet is some sort of rodent (squirrel, otter, beaver?). Whatever it is, it does nothing as I couldn’t feel it at all during insertion.

It almost seems like Vibratex took a bunch of leftovers from the production of other toys to make the Pearl Thunder, and, as you can imagine, there is a lot of texture. There are little etching-like markings over the whole shaft that provide friction if I stroke my hand my over it but aren’t felt as much upon insertion. The clitoral stimulator also has some slightly raised nubs that provide a bit of external stimulation. The added friction, especially with a toy this large, requires a healthy dose of lube, and although I used water-based, silicone-based will work as well. This is also helpful with the stickiness of the “food-grade,” latex-free vinyl (AKA Jelly). The toy will pick up a bit of lint and could possibly react with toys of similar material so storing it in a cool, dark place and away from other toys is the way to go. Furthermore, sharing or anal use is best done with a condom because of the porous nature of the Pearl Thunder.

Looks and texture aside, the functions of this toy are pretty standard. There are two rows of 6 beads each which spin and are controlled by the same sliding button as the rotation. Turning on these functions also shines a red light below the clear beads. As I don’t love rotation like others, I long for toys where shaft and beads have separate controllers. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the strength of the beads. It took the complete strength of my hand to halt their movement and once inserted, they spun despite any clenching of my muscles. I think this is the first time I can say that for any toy so Vibratex hit the jackpot with the beads.

The head of this shaft is on a bendable wire so that it can be bent to hit all the right spots, but if someone is really looking for an extreme angle, they won’t find it with the Pearl Thunder. Only about an inch and a half can bend but because of the super-engorged head, it can only be bent right above the beads to the extent of a 25-degree angle (approximately). I didn’t find this to be an issue because I don’t require my toys to be bent, and I’m not a big fan of rotation: the less, the better.

The issue I had with this toy was that it was actually uncomfortable, even painful, for the shaft to rotate. There is a lot less space for movement when the object inserted is as large as the head on this vibrator, and the front wall of my vagina wasn’t liking it. I was even sore a bit the next day. Unfortunately, I did like the sensation of the beads, which was, as I mentioned, pretty strong, so it was either all or nothing.

I did prefer the clitoral stimulator of the Pearl Thunder over another Vibratex toy I recently reviewed, the Rock Your World vibe. Although not quite as large and powerful as I like bullets to be on rabbit vibes, it did the trick (and with 4 AAs, it better!). The vinyl material is just a little more solid, so the clit stimulator lay snug against me, and the toy hugged my pubic bone how I like. Ultimately, I achieved clitoral orgasm with the shaft turned off, and the bullet turned up to high as I rocked the toy against my pubic bone.

Although I’m usually not a fan of sliding controls like the ones Vibratex uses, I noticed something on the Pearl Thunder that I do not recall on other toys. On maximum, the controls seem to click into place. Although it’s not a secure lock, it does help somewhat to prevent the controls from accidentally moving when you’re in the throes of passion.

One snafu I ran into was the foil-like gold sticker around the controls that describe the functions and direction of strength. When I opened the Pearl Thunder, this sticker was only partially pressed on and seemed to be slightly off-center. The sticker itself looks tacky, but that it wasn’t even completely on was even worse. I pressed it on, and it stayed, but I wound up peeling it off, ultimately. The toy looks infinitely more attractive without it, in my opinion.

I think Vibratex did some things really well with the Pearl Thunder, but there is still room for improvement. The size was nice but I would have preferred a vibrating head as opposed to one that rotates – or separate controls. The beads felt nice and effectively stood the clench test and the body-hugging clitoral stimulator with its slightly raised nubs hit all the right spots (but could have been larger). Although not the safest material, the vinyl was comfortably pliable, and the controls were surprisingly effective once the tacky sticker was removed. Out of all the Vibratex toys I have used, the Pearl Thunder is probably the one I like the most, despite the painful rotation.