Sting vs. Thud: What Your Impact Toy Will Feel Like
The most common question we get about our impact toys is about sensation ā what they feel like when you use them. Is this paddle
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The most common question we get about our impact toys is about sensation ā what they feel like when you use them.
Is this paddle stingy or thuddy?
Every impact play toy you try will have its own unique sensation. And there are a lot of variables that determine what it feels like.
In general, there a few things that contribute to how your kinky toy feels:
Letās go through theseā¦
Leather feels different from wood. Wood feels different from plastic.
On its own, material doesnāt necessarily have a specific sensation to it because all of the other factors are important.
Getting hit with a random piece of leather, wood, or plastic will most likely create a smack of some sort. Youāre likely to feel a sting rather than a thud with any material until size and weight become a factor.
A lot of people get very nervous about large paddles, thinking theyāre going to seriously hurt. And they might. But sometimes the worst pain is from a small or narrow toy ā like a cane.
To be honest, if you want maximum pain, look at both ends of the size spectrum.
Small toys like evil sticks or canes hurt me (Kayla) so much more than most paddles. But the worst pain Iāve ever experienced from a paddle was from one of the largest (longest) ones we make.
Another size consideration is how thick or thin your toy is. A thin toy, in general, will have more of a sting, while a thicker toy will have more thud.
How do you measure thick, thin, small, or large? Itās all relative, especially when compared to other paddles or canes you already own.
In my experience, the biggest determining factor of sting vs. thud comes down to the weight of a toy, especially if youāre specifically looking for a thuddy sensation.
The heavier a toy ā paddle, flogger, cane, whatever ā is, the more likely youāll feel a thud.
Other factors, like size, material, and how itās used, may mean you also feel a sting, too. But if youāre craving thuddy impact, look for heavy toys.
Whatās considered āheavy?ā It depends. A toy that feels light in one personās hand may feel heavy against another personās butt.
Anything can be mild or barely felt and anything can become unbearable ā itās all in how a Top or Dominant uses it.
JB knows I canāt handle too much from a cane, so he tap-tap-taps in a light but consistent way. This makes the sensation bearableā¦until about the fifth or sixth tap.
If he wants me to really feel it, he hits harder. We call that the exclamation point at the end of the scene because I can only take one hard strike from a cane.
We own heavy leather floggers that can feel like a deep tissue massage because of the thud, but with a snap of his wrist and at just the right angle, he can hit me with the tips of the falls, and now all I feel is a sting and burn.
While a light paddle canāt become a thuddy one because weight determines thud more than anything, a thuddy toy can absolutely be a stingy one depending on technique.
Now weāre at the question we get asked most.
Some people shop our paddles and havenāt tried much impact before, so they donāt have a preferred sensation (yet).
Others, though, know exactly what they like. Iām the same way. Iām a thud girl all the way. If Iām picking a new paddle, Iām looking for the thuddiest, most deep-tissue massage experience I can get.
JB likes anything that makes me yell and cuss, soā¦he gravitates toward whatever Iām backing away from, lol.
Hereās how you can figure out if the kink toy youāre buying from us is stingy or thuddy.
As of the time of publication, all of our paddles are made of wood. Though some, like Resin Inlay paddles, also use resin.
This means that you can expect a similar type of sensation from paddle to paddle ā the kind only wood can create.
The two most important factors that determine if a paddle weāve made stings or thuds is going to be the size and weight. The weight is most often determined by the type of wood we use.
Between weight and size, though, weight matters most.
Why?
Because a 7 ounce 12-inch long paddle will feel much different than a 7 ounce 18-inch long paddle.
But weight is also relative to size. Our Pocket Paddles are about 4 ounces but because they’re very small paddles, they pack a punch.
In general, there are certain woods that you can count on to create a thud or a sting.
Thuddy Wood:
Stingy Wood:
Other woods tend to fall somewhere in between sting and thud. Black Walnut, a very popular wood here at the Kinkery, can create both sensations simultaneously.
That being said, a type of wood can have a different weight from piece to piece, based on a lot of factors that happened while it was still a tree. So the best way to know if a paddle will be thuddy or not is to look at the overall weight of the finished product.
What makes a paddle small or large? Thatās subjective.
Here at the Kinkery, we classify any paddle thatās 12 inches long or less as āsmall.ā Any paddle in the 18-inch range (or longer) is ālarge.ā
Weights to look for in small paddles:
Weights to look for in large paddles:
The lower the weight, the greater the sting and smack. The higher the weight, the greater the thud. Just remember that any heavy paddle can also be stingy. But light paddles canāt thud.
Type of wood, size of paddle, and weight all matter but thereās one other thing to look out forā¦so youāre not surprised when you get a sensation you didnāt expect with your new paddle.
Certain details on a wood paddle can change the sensation entirely.
Adding holes to a paddle will turn the thuddiest paddle into a sting so bad youāll think your ass is on fire. We call those Holy Terrors.
A thin, lightweight paddle should be stingy, but when we weave rope across the paddle, it becomes thuddy. We call those Rough Riders. If you want a sharp burning sensation, use the knotty side.
Whether youāre shopping with us or anywhere else, consider those kinds of extra details and how that affects what your new toy will feel like.
A paddle made of a solid piece of wood with a specific shape and weight will be predictable, once you buy a few toys and get some experience. But add a few details to the paddle, and youāve got a whole new sensation.
We use Delrin for our canes, and the answer to that question is neither. They burn like the fire of a thousand suns.
Maybe Iām being dramatic because impact with a cane isnāt my favorite sensation.
A lot of the same factors matter for canes just like with paddles:
Delrin plastic is a hard polymer material. Thatās going to feel a lot different from something like bamboo, another popular material for canes.
And carbon fiber rod feels different from Delrin, too. Thatās what we use for our evil sticks. (We tend to classify the evil sticks as āmini canesā because of their shape and sensation.
The diameter of the rod makes a big difference, too. The smaller the rod, the more of a burn you get.
That being said, in our experience, our largest size cane size ā ā ā ā is thuddy. But it still burns and stings, too.
Our smallest Delrin cane is Ā¼ā and itās all burn and sting with no thud.
Evil sticks use a 3mm carbon fiber rod. It takes very little effort to create marks and bruises and a burn that you feel down to your soul.
The weight of a cane or evil stick doesnāt factor in as much as it does with a wooden paddle. The size of the rod is what matters most. The smaller the rod (Delrin or carbon fiber), the more the sensation burns.
That burning isnāt like a sting that you get from a paddle, either. Itās a unique sensation all on its own. However, if you love a sting, you might enjoy the burn.
You might be tempted to assume that diabolical sticks feel like evil sticks since they also use carbon fiber rods.
But this is where impact play gets fun.
The part youāre being hit with in a diabolical stick is the resin tip, which has its own unique sensation in impact play.
In my experience diabolical sticks both sting and thud.
Again, itās about the size and weight. The larger the tip, the heavier the resin, the more you can expect a thuddy sensation.
However since size is relative, theyāre all still smaller and lighter than a typical paddle, and thereās definitely a sting, too.
And how you use it matters.
Tap the resin against the skin, and you can make it barely felt or extremely intense. Pull the tip back just a little and let it go against the skin, and you get more of a thud/sting combo.
We try to make it as easy as possible to give you the information you need to know if a toy will be stingy or thuddy.
In the product description, we try to provide enough information so you can get a sense of size and weight.
And we have another section in our listings that lets you see the exact dimensions. The weight tends to be an average because ā as we mentioned earlier ā two pieces of the same type of wood can have a different weight.
One paddle might be 6.9 ounces, and the other might be 7.2, and a third will be 7. Weāre likely to list that paddle in that specific wood type as 7 ounces.
To find this information, choose the wood type of the paddle youāre looking at.
Now scroll down the page until you see a section that says Description/Additional Information/Reviews.
Select the Additional Information tab. There youāll see the specific dimensions, weight, and other info about that specific type of paddle.
Itās not always easy to look at a new impact play toy and assume you know how it will feel.
If the sensation matters to you, dig a bit deeper into the details of the product. On our site, we try to make that easy for you. But donāt be afraid to reach out through the contact page to ask questions.
Impact toys can cost a lot of money, and no one wants to waste their money.
If you canāt try it (in your hand or on your leg) before you buy it, you need to have enough information to make an educated guess about whether youāll like it or not.
The most common question we get about our impact toys is about sensation ā what they feel like when you use them. Is this paddle
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