Oh, BABY! This week’s merch item was ever so much fun to review!! Black Sun Products is an over-21 fetish shop specializing in handcrafted smackers. Everything is made with sensation as the ultimate goal, so while there are evil-looking floggers with tails of ball chain and stainless steel “turnings,” and a classic rubber paddle, some of the items, like the handheld “texture pads,” might look a little more…odd. As in, not quite something that goes with the rest of the shiny black leather things in the toolbelt…right?

Well, if you’re buying this stuff just for fashion – which you shouldn’t, you poseurs – you’re really going to miss out if you pass over this rubber crop for looking a little…nontraditional. Which, we admit, it does. We weren’t quite sure what to make of it at first after getting it out of the package…is there more? Er, no – a question which was immediately answered with the first swift smack into an open palm. And then: damn this thing is a fun little toy!! Not only do you get a nice noisy wallop, but there’s enough give and smoothness to the silicone that you get a sweet little sting on the skin – something you just want to keep repeating immediately and continuously, in our case. Whee! Suffice it to say The Chateau cannot stop playing with this thing. The web site says this one is the most popular. We are not surprised.

Crops are customizable with your choice of textured handle (one of which is available with a riff on “The Nutcracker”) and rubber tip. This keychain also came in our package – rare is promo item that would make some pretty cool tribal-industrial jewelry. So you do get something to wear in your bondage belt after all.