Are you a beginner looking to buy your first flogger?
Yes – We recommend the suede flogger in a standard length or the leather flogger in a standard length. They are thuddy and feel most like a deep massage. They are not extremely intense, even if you slightly miss-hit, making them ideal for beginners to use. The shorter length makes them easier to control, and means you can be closer to your partner. They are always great for the initial warm up part of any impact play scene, so even when you are a more experienced player you will use it in most scenes. 
No – Carry on reading!

Do you want stingy or thuddy? Sensual or intense?
Stingy – Feels more like being scratched, recommended if you have a thuddy flogger and you want a different sensation, or if you enjoy having nails scratched down your back! Take a look at the stinger flogger.
Thuddy – feels more like an intense massage, recommended for beginners. Suede and heavy leather floggers are thuddy. The heavier a flogger is and more tails it has, the thuddier it will be. Long length floggers will be thuddier than short length floggers. Try our thuddy suede flogger.

The great thing about floggers is their versatility. You can use them gently or with force. You can use a wrist roll for a repetitive thuddy sensation, or flick them for a stingy sensation. You can shake them over the skin, and drape them over the face for the submissive to smell them. This means how the flogger is used influences how it feels, as well as what the tails are made of. Therefore if you are looking for a particular sensation e.g. very stingy, then pick carefully one that seems to fit the criteria. If you are looking for a general flogger that will have some sting and thud buy one that seems to offer this and experiment with techniques to achieve various effects.

Do you want a light or heavy flogger? 
The most important factor when using a flogger is balance rather than weight. A perfectly balanced flogger will balance on your fingertip at the point where you would naturally pinch the flogger when using it. This means the flogger will do a lot of the work for you as the tails will naturally continue a wrist roll with very little effort. This is good if you will be flogging for more than a few minutes to avoid tennis elbow and big butch arms! All our floggers are beautifully balanced when constructed, apart from the ‘very thuddy’ floggers which are slightly tail heavy to create a real thump when using them.

Light – A very light flogger will generally be difficult to control as it will tend to fly all over the place. However a moderately light but balanced flogger is popular with many women as the balance provides control and the lightness makes it easy to use for long flogging scenes. Our lightest floggers are the low intensity floggers. 
Heavy – A reasonably weighty, balanced flogger is the most popular flogger to use, as it will provide thud and be the easiest to control. Also remember the longer a flogger is the weightier it will become. Our medium intensity floggers are perfectly balanced and tend to be a great weight and popular with all, whilst our ‘very thuddy’ floggers in the high intensity section tend to be very heavy and more suited to experienced players specifically looking for a huge amount of thud. 

A very heavy flogger is only advised for strong Dominants who want to feel they have flexed their muscles (which can sometimes feel good as a Dominant and be just what you are in the mood for). They will pack one hell of a punch and feel extremely thuddy for the submissive, and will be difficult to control for long if you are not used to heavy floggers. 
An alternative to one very heavy flogger is two medium weight floggers that you can hold in one hand for the occasional very thuddy hit.

Do you want a long or a standard length?
Long – The extra length gives extra thud and intensity. This makes them more versatile as you can be gentle or intense with one flogger. Not always ideal for beginners as this requires greater accuracy. 
Standard – You can be closer to your partner, making flogging more intimate. You require less space to use them, making them ideal for use in the bedroom. Most people find shorter floggers easier to control when they are starting out. 

Are you a vegan or vegetarian?
Yes – Materials to look for that many flogger makers use are latex, rope, and various plastics. Often synthetic floggers are stingy which make them interesting for all players, whether vegan or not, to add to their collection if they already have some floggers and are looking for something different. 
No – Leather and suede tails are the most popular materials and are generally recommended when starting out. Synthetic materials are popular for adding variety when you already own a few floggers.

Do you want one or a matched pair? 
One flogger – If you are completely new to floggers buying one flogger is sufficient to begin with.
Matched pair – If you have some floggers and enjoy flogging buying a matched pair opens up more possibilities of techniques and rhythms. Using two floggers at the same time adds intensity and allows the Dominant to add unpredictability, making it easier to encourage the submissive to focus on what you are doing. If you are new to two handed work, a matched pair is easier to learn with as the weight and length will be the same. This also makes advanced techniques, such as florentining a lot easier to master. 
If you are completely new to two handed work, before buying a matched pair it is a good idea to use a flogger in your non-dominant hand (in my case my left hand as I am right handed) the next few times you scene to build up your skills and accuracy in using this hand. This will make it easier to use both hands together when you have a matched pair to use. 
With two floggers you can explore different rhythms, and with practice you can florentine which creates a fast paced flogging. You can also use both floggers in one hand for a much thuddier sensation. Or leave one flogger draped over the submissives face so they can enjoy the aroma and feel of the tails, while you use the other to flog them.
To order a matched pair of floggers from Bondatrix simply order two floggers at the same time and they will be made as a matched pair.

If you would like to learn more about floggers or any aspect of BDSM play you can book at tutorial at Bondatrix here or come and see us at an event we are attending. At any event we are happy to show you a few tips and techniques, and at many events we also run workshops and classes where you can learn as a group.