Riding crops are one of those impact items I tend to not use nowadays. Don’t get me wrong, I own a whole bunch of them and I do have a love for them aesthetically. But I mostly top for kink with partners other than the one I live with, and while other toys like paddles are easily packed for travelling with, riding crops are one of the types of toys that tend to give me an issue when packing.
While I have managed to make some kind of solution by upcycling a poster tube, sometimes I want to travel with something a bit more subtle. So I’ve always got my eye out for travel sized but still effective riding crops. When Liebe Seele asked me if I wanted to review any toys from their new Angel’s & Demon’s Kiss collection and I saw there were a couple of mini riding crops in there, a match was made.
I’ve reviewed a fair few toys for Liebe Seele and my experience has been a bit of a mixed bag. I’ve reviewed a wonderful cat o’ nine tails for them, as well as my now go-to gag and cuffs. But I’ve also been a bit disappointed by their tawse, and found a whip they previously sent me to be not very well balanced. Still, I was tentatively excited for the two items I received this time around, and (without spoiling too much) I wasn’t disappointed!
The Angel’s & Demon’s Kiss collection is one of two halves. While united aesthetically in having an ostrich finish to their leather and matching gold hardware, ‘Angel’s Kiss’ items are a peachy pink shade, while Demon’s Kiss use a black leather.
As well as this mini riding crop, the Angel’s Kiss collection also has wrist cuffs, ankle cuffs, a ball gag, a blindfold, a whip (I’ll be reviewing the Demon’s Kiss version), a cat o’ nine tails (I reviewed a white version), four different collar options, a flogger, hog ties, a spreader bar, a paddle, and a full sized riding crop. Many of these other items are also available in the Demon’s Kiss colour option, although there are some slight differences in collar options between the two halves of the collection.
The Mini Riding Crop
Ok, first things first — this crop is cute af. I’m a bit of a boring goth who tends towards black in both my everyday fashion sense and taste in BDSM gear, but the pink and heart shape combo is absolutely adorable. It’s giving princess domme, it’s giving Barbie, it’s giving femme. At the same time, the ostrich finish gives the style a sense of elevation or sophistication if you’re more into that than the party girl/boy style of pink.
It’s pretty short, at just 15 inch length total. The tip itself is made of two layers of pink leather, which are both stitched together and sealed on the edges. This means the crop tip is one solid piece, as opposed to the more classic folded leather tip.
At $25.95, the Angel’s Kiss Mini Riding Crop is actually the most affordable piece in the collection (alongside the Demon’s Kiss Mini Riding Crop, which is identical except for colour).
Sensation
So while it’s not something I paid much attention to when choosing items for review, that crop tip really has an impact on the sensation I get from the Angel’s Kiss Mini Riding Crop. It’s very thick, without the give that a traditional folded over leather tip has. As a result, it’s a lot more thuddy in terms of sensation than the more traditional stingy of a riding crop. Even the closest thing I have to this crop in terms of tip design — a coffin shaped studded crop — has a lot more bend and give to it.
This means that the Angel’s Kiss Mini Riding Crop feels a lot more on the ‘thud’ end of the spectrum than the traditional stingy riding crop sensations. In fact, the only crop I have that feels thuddier (and I did field test them all to be able to say this) is my solid silicone ‘pussy whip’ from Sh!. I don’t by any means think this is a bad thing — I find the sensation pleasant personally. But if you’re looking for something über-stingy, a more traditional riding crop tip might suit you better.
That said, I do think the thicker end suits the Angel’s Kiss Mini Riding Crop here. The short handle means there’s less swing to it, so I think a more traditional riding crop tip would offer too little sensation at all. The wide tip combined with short length means it’s easier to use this crop more lightly, but that thick tip means it’s pretty easy to ramp up the intensity. It also makes a wonderfully smacking sound.
Comparison To Other Crops
I think the two closest points of comparison I have are my Hot Octopuss Leather Riding Crop and the Rouge Garments Leather Short Riding Crop Slim Tip, which is my other mini riding crop. The Angel’s Kiss Mini Riding Crop is a bit more expensive than either, but I think feels a bit more luxurious (with one caveat).
The Hot Octopuss Leather Riding Crop is a lot longer and less travel friendly. While affordable and with a large tip, it’s a lot less intense than the Angel’s Kiss Mini Riding Crop can be.
The Rouge Garments Leather Short Riding Crop Slim is more travel friendly, but is still a little longer than the Angel’s Kiss crop — I can fit it into a weekend bag, but struggle to fit it into a handbag or backpack in the way I can the Angel’s Kiss crop. The thin tip also is a lot stingier than the Angel’s Kiss tip, and doesn’t deliver quite as nice a noise.
However, while I do think the leather of the Angel’s Kiss Mini Riding Crop is wonderful, the stem leaves a bit to be desired. Like the Hot Octopuss Leather Riding Crop, it’s just bare plastic. While I do prefer the rubber handle to the leather wrapped handles of the Rouge Garments or Hot Octopuss crops, I feel the plastic stem does feel a bit… cheap. While I was willing to forgive that on the Hot Octopuss crop because of the super budget friendly price, I do wish The Angel’s Kiss Mini Riding Crop had some kind of stem wrapping, as it undermines the otherwise luxurious feel of the product line.
Overall
Despite my personal taste issues with the stem wrapping of the Angel’s Kiss Mini Riding Crop, it is a toy that is going to make it into my regular play bag rotation. It’s super travel friendly without skimping out on how intensely it can be used. While the thuddy sensation isn’t for everyone, I’m a big fan of it as a bottom, and am a big fan of the loud noises it produces as a top. It’s such a good little crop that part of me is considering buying myself a second one in the Demon’s Kiss colour way.
Buy the Angel’s Kiss Mini Riding Crop for $25.95 from Liebe Seele
This product was sent to me by Liebe Seele, in return for a fair and impartial review. No affiliate links were used in this post.
