It seems like a new bdsm whipmaker appears on the web every few weeks. Some of them are quite good; others leave much to be desired. Virtually anyone can cobble together a flogger that will look ok in a tiny, low resolution picture on the web. Making a flogger that is comfortable, fun and easy to use, and that will last for many years is another matter entirely. Ideally, you should hold a whipmaker's work in your hand before ordering one of their products for yourself. It is not essential that you examine the specific item you intend to buy (odds are the whipmaker will not have exactly the color and material you want in stock), but it is essential that you assess the whipmaker's quality and attention to detail. When you order, be sure to point out that you have seen their work in person. Because many whips are custom orders, it does help to say: "I want a whip just like you made for so and so that I saw at Leather Extravaganza X."

So, what should you look for in buying a cat or flogger? In general, the tails of a flogger should be even, though they will stretch (probably unevenly) over time. This is especially true of deer and other soft hides. The braiding of the knots that hold the whip together should be tight and the ends well secured. One of the marks of the best whipmakers, is that you can not tell where their knots begin or end. When swung, the tails of the flogger should clump together, rather than splaying out in wildly different directions. The edges of the tress are often dyed rather than left white--especially with thicker leathers. The braiding on the handle should be tight and smooth. The thinner the strands used, the more you should expect to pay. If the braiding is not smooth, it will loosen and may even unravel over time. The same applies to knots. Be especially wary of metal tacks and fittings used to hold handle and knot braiding together. Aside from being uncomfortable and unattractive, they will not last. Suede, the cheapest of leathers, makes good tress, but should never be used to braid the handle or knots. It will not last, is difficult to clean, and it will show wear very quickly.

The whip should balance well in your hand. Regardless of what you have been told, this is purely a matter of personal preference. A whip that is balanced too far forward for you will feel like it is trying to tear itself out of your hand when you are using it. One that is balanced too far back will feel slow and ponderous. Most people like their whips to balance roughly where their forefinger rests when holding the handle in a comfortable grip, so that is where most whips you find will balance. That does not mean that this the best place for your whip to balance. A growing number of people do not hold their floggers by the handle at all, but at the knot. You need to discover what techniques and what type of grip works best for you. Anatomy is also important. One rather large muscular top with overly long arms we know prefers his whips to balance very far forward. He likes the extra momentum he gets when he wields it. Conversely, a shorter top with shorter arms wielding this toy might well wear out long before the bottom. Find out what is best for your anatomy and personal preferences. One of the many advantages of not buying a whip off-the-rack, is that you can specify the balance point.

The item that people spend the most time worrying about is the tress material. Some leathers are soft and sensual, others are harsh and stinging. In rough order from gentlest to most severe they are: deer, moose, elk, various soft cowhides, suede, thicker cowhide, buffalo, bullhide, and latigo and other oil-tanned cowhides. This, though, is just a general guide. You can find moose that is very thick and heavy, and cowhide can be tanned almost as soft as deer. In fact, several whipmakers use deer-tanned cowhide instead of deer, often without informing their customers. (You can tell by tugging the leather. Real deer stretches much more than deer-tanned cow.) If you are not very familiar with how different leathers feel, you should tell your whipmaker what sensation you are after. Deer is best for a sensual whipping that will leave little in the way of marks. Elk will give a similar sensation with more thud. Suede feels very soft to begin with, but builds in sensation faster than other leathers because of its mild abrasive qualities. Buffalo, and bullhide provide a lot of mass for deep, thudding beatings, while oil-tanned leathers provide more sting with the thud. Soft and medium weight cowhides provide the best balance in sensation. Some leathers are glazed, making them glisten attractively, but they also sting more. How the leather is cut also matters. Wider tress will have more thud than sting. Tress cut to a point will sting more than those that are rounded. While longer tress will have more force, it is more important that you have a whip that is comfortable for you to use (and easier to control). Get more force by moving to a more severe leather rather than lengthening the flogger.

These same choices of material are available for braided cats as well as floggers. In general, a flat braid of equivalent material and width will have more thud due to its greater mass and also more sting because of the roughness of the braid. Flat-braided deer, though, remains delightfully sensual. Most whipmakers flat-braid with three strands, though some use five or six. Depending on the type of braid, they can terminate in knots or tabs, or the braid can be continued all the way to the end of the tress. Thin, three-strand flat braids can be more vicious and cutting than round braids.

Round braiding takes much longer than flat braiding and produces a versatile whip that is the acme of bdsm toys. Round tails slice through the air easily and can be delivered with considerable force. The tips can be used to just brush the surface of the skin or the full lash can be landed on the target. Knots at the end of the braided tress (the norm) add considerably to a cat's force and allow it to bruise the skin easily. Tabs are gentler and usually reserved for softer leathers such as deer or a soft, thin cowhide. These softer cats are particularly fun to use in front of an audience, as the watchers will assume the scene is much heavier than it actually is. Thicker leathers, such as bullhide are much harder to braid than thinner leathers, so you should expect to pay a little more for them. In assessing a round braid, the braid should be smooth with no rough edges. Hold one end a single strand in each hand so it forms an half loop, and then roll the loop with your fingers. The half loop should hold its shape reasonably well. A slight wiggle as you roll it is common. If it wiggles all over the place, this means the braider did a sloppy job and did not maintain even tension on the strands while braiding them. The whip will not handle as well as it should. Keep in mind that very loosely braided whips will often pass this test, so first make sure visually that the braid is tight and even. As you use a cat, it will 'break in,' becoming more flexible and much more responsive. Well-made braids start out a bit tight and will loosen slightly as you use them.

For more on buying whips and floggers see the magazine The Sandmutopia(n) Guardian #12 and #24. See #5 for an extensive interview with Jay Marston, a now retired whipmaker who practically defined what bdsm whips should look like and how they should handle. For tips on how to use floggers see Joseph Bean's book Flogging. If you're interested in making your own whips, the best place is to start is Australian whipmaker Ron Edwards' great book How to Make Whips. He describes how to make various types of singletail whips, but much of the information applies to floggers as well.

Original article copyright 1997 by Bedroom Whips and Steve Vakesh. Expanded and updated by Steve Vakesh, 2000.