Sensations of Common Impact Play Toys
Impact play toys have a wide array of sensations, and are most commonly described as ‘stingy’, ‘thuddy’, or something in between.
In the first part of our survey, respondents were asked to rate 15 common impact play toys across a five-point scale:
All Sting
Mostly Sting
Equal Sting/Thud
Mostly Thud
All Thud
If the participant wasn’t familiar with a toy, they were asked to select “N/A”.
Regardless of role, ratings are fairly consistent across the board.
Toys like bullwhips and rulers rank high on sting whilst boots and fists are thuddiest. An open hand (such as with a spank) is somewhere in the middle, along with hairbrushes and leather belts.
Our data had the largest variance in sensation when it came to implements with the largest variance in sensation are wooden rulers, open hands, and steel rug beaters.
The variance in the rug beater is likely due to the low response rate, with no Tops being familiar with no switches being familiar with the implement. Overall however, variance was minimal which suggests that those on the receiving end and those on the giving end (who have tested the implement on themselves before) have similar understandings of sensation when it comes to these toys.
For those of you who enjoy data, below are the average ratings we received for each implement, from stingy-est (1) to thuddy-est (5).
Bullwhip - 1.28
Dragontail - 1.63
Cat-o-Nine Tails - 1.96
12" (30.5cm) Plastic ruler - 1.76
Celtic knot (steel) rug beater - 2.00
Steel loop rug beater - 2.14
12" (30.5cm) Wooden ruler - 2.16
Leather crop - 2.23
Plastic hairbrush - 2.36
Leather belt - 2.74
Open hand (slap or spank) - 2.80
Ping pong paddle - 2.89
Wooden thumper - 4.23
Fist (punch) - 4.67
Boot (kick) - 4.70
Our Recommendation for play: Go with what you’re attracted to first, but start slow. Be sure to negotiate prior to engaging in any type of impact play. The sting and thud of S&M implements can vary greatly depending on personal pain tolerance as well as how a Top handles the toy.
