I’ve come a long way from turning kitchen spatulas kinky. Silicone paddles designed for spanking and sex play are serious tools: made to not break, while delivering more impact. Some hit harder than others, though: I’ll rate silicone slapper paddles I’ve tested recently vs. other silicone impact toys.
The hardest hit may not the best either: For example, I personally prefer paddles that sound loud (have a “slapper” feeling) but don’t hurt too much, while I have several hardcore kinky friends who sincerely enjoy pain and bruising. So, keep your preferences in mind while looking for a new silicone impact toy! This paddle comparison, accordingly, will assign a value for “Experience level,” “Impact force,” and “Slappy noise level.” Which silicone spanking paddle might be right for you? But first, why choose silicone for a kink paddle, anyway?
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Silicone vs. Leather Paddles
What is a silicone paddle? It’s an impact tool, made fully of silicone for extra sting during spanking. I have to admit, I love leather paddles too. So why choose leather vs. silicone for a spanking paddle?
Silicone benefits:
- Feels heavier.
- Builds more force pre-impact, if swung hard.
- Imprinted designs can leave consistent marks on the skin (see photo in this section).
- Easy to wash and sanitize: Important if skin is being broken.
- May have a handle that doubles as a dildo.
Leather benefits:
- Smells like leather!
- More likely to be hand-crafted.
- May have a thuddier feel with less bite (depending on the impact toy’s shape).
Best Silicone Paddles for Spanking
These terms can all describe impact, and here’s what I mean by each: “Thuddy” means a blunt weight; “Sting” means a sharper pain; “Bite” is similar to “sting,” but slightly less focused; “Slappy” includes a pronounced noise upon impact.
When you spank with a paddle, you can decide exactly how hard you’re hitting. Even a thick, heavy paddle can be a fun tease, lighter stimulation, when wielded gently. I’ll compare the dominant’s arm to a vibrator with fully adjustable speed range: There are some limits (the highest and the lowest intensities the vibe can operate at), but within that larger range, the toy owner determines exactly how intense the stimulation will be. With paddles: Fast or slow, light or super-stingy, full-on or only an edge hitting the skin; directed at butt cheeks, thighs, or genitals, etc.
With that in mind, I’ll rate the following sex paddle list for each tool’s bravado when it’s moved with forceful purpose, for direct full impact. The impact force ratings run low on a 1 to 10 scale (where 10 is “most painful”) because I’d reserve 8.5+ for “you might need medical attention” kind of intensity. The noise level ratings are on an A-F scale, like grades in American schools, where A+ equals “the slappiest, smackiest paddling around.”
Slappy!: Tantus Pelt
Full-on impact force: 5.5/10
Experience level: Beginner-friendly; but can leave welts if swung extra-hard.
Price: $23.99 Here
Tantus Gen is definitely the best beginner option among silicone spanking paddles. It can have a distinct thud, but—because of how it’s thinner—the Gen’s paddle swings around and makes a slapping noise when it hits the skin.
Gen is not as thick as the Tantus Pelt, next; and the Gen’s handle is narrow, too, so it may be less convenient for bigger-fingered doms. I think it’s a great light-weight tool that I like a lot, because of the swingy-slappy-sounding smacks.
Versatile Smacks: Tantus Pelt
Full-on impact force: 7/10
Experience level: Can be thuddy & gentle-ish if swung softly; but multipurpose, can also be used for real hard hits
Price: $37.99 Here
My boyfriend considers the Tantus Pelt as the most balanced paddle, from the giver’s perspective. You know where your spanking will hit your partner, since Pelt’s paddle is thicker. It doesn’t bend, or twist, much when moving through the air.
It’s like a narrowed ping-pong paddle, but bites so much more upon impact. The Tantus Pelt looks unassuming compared to the sudden jolt of pain I feel at receiving it on my butt! It carries some weight.
Heavy-Duty Heft: Tantus Wham Bam
Full-on impact force: 8/10
Sting & bite: Slappy, with lots of heavy sting
Experience level: Intermediate to “collector”
Price: $36.00 Here
Bam, for sure! Wham Bam is the most affordable hard pelting you’ll find, with 15 inches of silicone (over 9 inches of paddle) arching and curving through the air: before banging into you/your partner’s butt. It will leave the red marks!!!
I’ve called the feel “intense” because the swinging slaps are quickly a lot. I would recommend it to more hardcore pain-play enthusiasts, where the dom likes the sensation of a paddle curving and needing extra control.
Split Tongues: Tantus Tawses
Full-on impact force: 5/10
Sting & bite: Stingy tips, but very flexible: so the impact is milder. (Tawse Small’s thinner tails most of all.)
Experience level: Intermediate-advanced / variety-seeker
Price: $23.99 Here for Tawse Small; or $44.99 for Trip2Tawse’s thuddier tails
This is my personal favorite paddling sex experience, since I’m into sensation over pain play:
Tantus “Tawse” split-tongue paddles are really the ticket if you want to spank genitals. But be careful: These super-flexible tongues sting and are difficult to control. If you’re not really experienced, they’re better for lighter swats. (They’re not the kind of toy you’d want to go all-out femmedom with and start spanking the sh*t out of your partner’s cock with as part of ruined orgasm play.1)
The silicone is firm, but thin for its length! Practice first.2 My fave is when my boyfriend will start by slapping my butt cheeks, then will move over farther to *zing* the back of my labia. It’s a unique feel, I haven’t found in other spanking paddles.
The Tawse Small contains less silicone (it’s indeed smaller, with thinner tails), while the Trip 2 Tawse larger model has thuddier tails and a handle that can be inserted as a dildo:
Other Tantus impact toys:
Tantus is the originator of silicone paddles, and the one maker who makes them consistently over the years. Here’s a rundown of other spanking toy options from Tantus:
- The Dragon Tail is super-duper flexible, with a thin liiiiitle tip. It’s for advanced, focused swatting where the dom has good aim! See how thin the Dragon’s Tail is here.
- And, for advanced impact: A Silicone Cane, which is your tool if you want the absolute most stingy, focused impact. When swung hard, the Cane will for sure leave marks better than a leather flogger, while biting harder too: this kind of direct impact can really cause damage, so know your limits & play safe!
Dildo-Pong: Fun Factory Buck Dich
Full-on impact force: 7/10
Experience level: Advanced / Collector
Price: OOPS, seems discontinued; Fun Factory Germany is selling these for cheap, 58% discount, and no North American vendors seem to carry it now.
The Fun Factory Buck Dich is one of the first silicone paddles I tried, and I most definitely would not recommend it for beginners. With how much force the thick, firm paddle can deliver… it’s a lot. The name, Bück Dich, is German for “bend over” (…and take a helluva lot of force on your ass!).
Obviously, if you swing less hard, it’ll be less painful. But the Buck Dich is not versatile, in that its paddle side isn’t great for sensory play / pleasure-focused BDSM, IMO. There aren’t tassels you can tease with, a slappy sound that heightens anticipation, or a front edge that swings and bites, lightly, without a ton of pain. Instead, this Fun Factory sex paddle will give big, broad, hard thumps.
This is why I call it a more advanced tool than other spanking toys.
The two-sided design is intriguing, but IRL didn’t do everything I’d hoped for during sex:
- Unyielding ping-pong paddle on one end,
- Dildo/handle on the other.
The dildo’s ridges are tougher to hold onto than a normal smooth handle, then you’ve got this fucking massive paddle hanging out when you try using the handle as an actual dildo. (Personally, I’m also biased against the dildo because I prefer super-soft silicone & dual-density / triple-density silicone; so the Buck Dich handle’s “firm-cored plus firm silicone” composition is ultra-hard. Again, reminding me that this spanking paddle is really not a pleasure object, it’s BDSM sex toy.)
Why Use a Silicone Paddle During Sex
Of course, all dominant/submissive play should be both (1) fully consented to, by both parties, before play starts; and (2) both should know they can change their mind and back out if something upsets them (have a safeword ready, especially if you’re new to kinky play, or are exploring any new frontiers3
- Punishment play: Smack their butt hard for not correctly following your directions.
- Teasing and sensation play: Lighter hits & thuddy paddles are the best for creating erotic feelings that aren’t painful. (This is a “foreplay”-oriented kind of BDSM, for “spicing up” a couple’s routine.) “Slappy” paddles are excellent here: they “bark louder than they bite,” creating anticipation.
- Pain, if you like it: For sadist + masochist pairtings, who like dishing out hard hits & enjoy feeling pain on their skin (then seeing the resulting marks). Hardcore impact play is great if everyone is a willing participant. These kinksters will seek out sturdy, biting paddles and will delight in bruising and broken skin that will turn others off. This is a spectrum, so you can enjoy giving out occasional smacks once in a while (without turning into a leather daddy), or you may be someone who requires S&M play on a regular basis.
Silicone Paddle Safety Tips
Impact play with paddles, canes, and other heavier tools should be undertaken carefully. (Especially if either partner is new to spanking during sex.) Floggers are most-often included in beginner bondage kits because they’re unlikely to hurt anyone.4
If you’re a new dom, please do whack yourself first with any tool you plan to hit another human with. (Front of the thighs is easiest for gauging force.) Be gentle at first, gain more experience. Allow your partner to communicate. Have your safeword. (No gags for beginner impact play.) Then, communicate with them about the session went after it’s over.
Stick to safer areas, in particular if you’re either using really focused tools (canes) or swinging hard. Impact play safe zones include most of the body’s backside that’s not (1) the kidneys or (2) spine. Of course it’s most fun to slap someone’s ass; other meaty back areas like the thighs are a nice reprieve, too. Here’s a handy diagram:
Genitals & breasts can be slapped lightly but, again, use common sense there; don’t be rough with extra-sensitive areas. This is especially true for weighty silicone paddles or stingy leather ones.
Takeaway: You’re in control of your partner’s well-being when dominating them. Use your power wisely. Check in with them afterward too: right away and (if either of you is new to spanking or the D/s relationship) the next day after they’ve had time to process.
Enjoy being naughty! 😈
NOTES
- As one might do more safely with a flogger: Those can sting, but in a less-impactful way.
- I absolutely would not trust a dom who’s not willing to slap their own skin, to a fairly hard degree, with any silicone paddle, leather paddle, or even light-weight flogger, before using it on another human being. Know your tools first.
- Safewords may seem like an overcautious step, but they absolutely exist as a standard BDSM practice for many good reasons. Setting up an unexpected safeword like “hookah!” will absolutely break the mood of a scene (and stop play) faster than a moaned “no,” which might be taken as sexy, rather than as revoking consent.
- Unless you’re being really stupid and hitting in the eyes with the flogger.