UPDATE MAY 2020: The Player Paddle from ASLAN Leather is no longer in production. ASLAN Leather is still around – just not this particular paddle. This kink toy review remains as a reference for those who are interested. (And even 9 years later, I still regularly use this paddle)
The Player Paddle is a leather paddle made by ASLAN Leather. The paddle is black with a cute, red heart on one side of the paddle. It’s about a foot and a half in length, and the paddle also is about eight inches in width, so it will completely cover most average-sized butts. The handle has a strong backbone in it while the area of the paddle itself is pretty flexible. All of the leather is smooth and softened. The paddle also includes a leather-made wrist/hanging strap for storage purposes. This paddle doesn’t really include any packaging; it just includes a small tag that lets you know this is from ASLAN leather. (Fun Fact: EF doesn’t sell them, but ASLAN actually makes these in different “suits” including a diamond and club)
The paddle is definitely made with quality in mind. The paddle is made up of two layers of leather, and with those two layers, the sides of have sanded down to an amazing softness and the leather itself is very slick. It’s like the “glass” material of sex toys. Along with this, the handle has a “backbone” on it that makes it stand up straight. While the paddle portion isn’t floppy, it will bend if you move it with your hand while the handle will not. The entire paddle smells of yummy leather which was sexy in itself. The heart and the wrist strap are made from a metallic-looking leather. I can’t vouch 100% that it is leather, but it is very metallic, pretty, and a sexy red.
I think one of my bigger complaints with this paddle is probably the wrist strap. I know it’s gorgeous, and I know it looks really pretty, but at the same time, the wrist strap is very, very annoying. For one, if you use it as a wrist strap, it’s pretty unwieldy because it’s made from leather instead of the (usual) string or braided leather. This means it may rub annoyingly up against your wrists (though I didn’t have that problem). Along with that, if you don’t use it as a wrist strap, it just flails around during use since there’s really no way to remove it. This makes it pretty annoying during use. It’s nothing that is a huge issue, but it is enough to frustrate me once or twice during use. I wish ASLAN would have made this strap smaller, made it removable (with some buttons), or just made it a string-like strap instead of this flat leather.
I like how this paddle handles. It’s actually probably one of my favorite paddles. It’s large, but it’s not unwieldy. It’s flexible, but it’s not annoyingly so. The handle is thick and provides a nice backbone to the paddle, but the paddle is still nice and light. You can use this paddle for a long time without ever feeling like your wrist is going to fall off. The paddle’s handle is very comfortable in my hand, and I feel like it is very unisex in design. The heart on the front is really cute, and the paddle hits very evenly. This paddle is extremely easy to control, and I’d definitely recommend it for beginners for that reason.
The paddle hits with an in-between sensation. It’s not horribly stingy, but it’s also not horribly thuddy. It just kinda exists. It’s one of those paddles that makes the muscles of the butt feel fatigued long before the skin is red or screaming for help. It can leave a slight sting, but it’s nothing like a wooden paddle or a slap with the palm of the hand. It’s more like being hit with a piece of very heavy cardboard; you know it’s hitting you, but there’s no sting, and your muscles feel it more than the surface of the skin does.
The leather of the paddle’s surface is pretty flexible. This leads to a slight bit of sting if you use a lot of force behind your swings. For the average swing, you won’t get too much of a sting though. I also didn’t have any luck with attempting to leave marks on the person’s body. The heart is cute on the paddle, and it’s raised up from the regular black leather of the paddle, but even with a hard hit, it doesn’t seem to leave any sort of an imprint. This might be because the handle itself actually does stick out a bit, so there’s not really that “flat” surface to allow the heart to give a good print. I’m not sure. Either way, the paddle ends up working amazingly for a thuddy feeling, but it won’t deliver those stingy blows that some people love.
While I normally call my kink toys intermediate-or-above types of toys, this one is actually beginner-friendly. It’s not ONLY beginner-friendly; it also is fine for those who are experienced with kink items. However, if you mix the fact that it’s very easy to aim and control with the fact that it’s more thuddy than stingy, that makes this paddle the perfect choice for someone who is looking for their first kink playtoy.
You should attempt to keep this paddle away from lubricant or bodily fluids; it will not clean out very nicely from the paddle. If you must, wipe this down with a slightly damp washcloth, but do not submerge it; leather doesn’t like water much. For storage, I recommend storing it by the strap on the handle. That will keep it looking nice. Ours goes next to our bedside table.
Me? I love this paddle. Like, a lot. This is going on the “Favorite Products” list. It provides a sensation that is so different from most paddles, and it’d be the perfect paddle if the hanging strap was a bit different. It provides that thuddy sensation while still being light, easy to use, and just downright cute-looking.
