Simply the Best - A Vendor Review

Snake Pit Leather Works Makes the Finest Floggers

A matched pair of crushed cowhide floggers for Florentine style flogging

I've never tried to hide my love of floggers on these pages, it's a passion I'm proud to wear on my sleeve, as well as wield with my hands. I love a well balanced and effective tool, and I love the great variety of available flogger materials to be found today. I also love the effects I can create with my floggers, the ooohs and ahhhhhs I can elicit from my Serafina.

And, it should be noted that I've sampled the work of a fair number of flogger makers. Hanging in my flogger rack, you find the work of close to 10 individual artisans, 6 of them established and well known flogger makers who's work you could purchase online today.

At IML 2012 I looked at quite a few others, handled their work in person, going as far as taking some test swings right there in the convention center (everyone was doing it . . .) with Serafina as a test subject. Quite obviously, I not only love floggers, I study them, I dream about and covet them, I know them well.

With that said, I'm sure there are individuals with more flogging experience, or a more varied collection of floggers and cats than I have today, I'm not trying to compete with anyone. I just want to establish my basic credentials to judge the available range of flogger makers a BDSM enthusiast can find online today.


And, with all that experience under my belt, I'm here to tell you that there's one flogger artisan artist who's work simply stands ahead of all the others I've had the pleasure to experience - Snake Pit Leather Works. Yes, I still occasionally sample the work of other flogger makers, but in my heart and mind, it is Snake Pit Leather Work's floggers that I dream about and covet today.

Nancy, the wonderful proprietor of Snake Pit Leather Works who creates flogger art, very obviously puts not only great skill, but also a lot of pride, and (I believe) a measure of love into her craft, and it shows. As I said in the title, her work is simply the best.


I currently own three Snake Pit leather Works (SPLW) floggers: an absolutely beautiful Purple Mamba made from bullhide, a delicious Snake Bite from waterbuffalo leather, and a very special deerskin Snake Dancer that Nancy conspired with me to create. I also have three more SPLW floggers on order, a uniquely beautiful matched pair of crushed cowhide floggers for florentine style flogging, and a "Boris", a very special flogger made from wild Russian boar skin.

Nancy's workmanship is outstanding, the braiding of her flogger handles is the tightest and most artistic I've experienced. I count more than 50 different handle styles available on her site, and I know there are at least a few more in her repertoire that aren't shown, as both my Snake Bite and my Snake Dancer have handles that aren't displayed on her site.


SPLW floggers are made from absolutely top quality materials, so they are beautiful to both behold and to use. To my hand they are beautifully balanced. In use, they are wonderfully effective tools to create a superb flogging experience from both the giving and receiving perspective.

Serafina adores it when I use most any flogger on her, but that's especially true when I'm using our SPLW floggers. I like to have her give a respectful kiss to each flogger before they are used upon her, and I have to admit, SPLW are more worthy of this ritual than most of the rest of my collection. The only other floggers which remotely rival Snake Pit Leather Works products for beauty are those made by Adam and Gillian, and their signature handles are so very different from an SPLW handle that it's like comparing apples and oranges; there's no direct comparison possible, but both are certainly tasty!


So, I've been bragging about the floggers themselves, but I've not yet managed to comment on Nancy's customer service skills. We all know that some artists are difficult to deal with, they have a passion for their craft but don't necessarily enjoy interacting with their customers. I know of at least one well known flogger maker who's email responses to customers tend towards one single monosyllabic word, it feels a bit like corresponding with a caveman.

That's definitely not Nancy of SPLW. She's a delight to work with, and she's always there to make sure I'm 100% satisfied with everything she makes. It's a true pleasure dealing with SPLW throughout the entire purchasing process.

I consider SPLW prices to be reasonably priced. To be fair, the prices might seem a little high compared to some other flogger makers, but that seems to be more of an indication of the time and effort put into these products that anything else. It's mostly true that an economy flogger with a plastic handle will feel the same on the receiving end of the toy, and that's going to be good enough for some people.


That's not good enough for me anymore. I want to enjoy some of the finer things in life, and that's especially true when it comes to BDSM and adult sex games. Just as I don't eat at McDonalds and I don't buy furniture from Wal-Mart, I'm not going to purchase economy floggers from Amazon.com either.

When I make any significant purchase, my outlook is the same, I look for quality first, followed closely by an appreciation for functional beauty. That's why Snake Pit Leather Works is currently my first choice when I want another flogger to add to my collection, they make works of art that are functionally beautiful.

1. DISCLAIMER - I, Michael Samadhi, have never asked for nor received any free product, goods or consideration from Snake Pit Leather Works in return for this review, nor for any other reason. Michael Samadhi and SpiritualBDSM.com are not affiliated with, not associated with, nor endorsed by Snake Pit Leather Works in any manner.  This review was simply written from the perspective of a satisfied customer who'd like to share my good fortune and experience in finding an outstanding flogger maker.

2. DISCLAIMER - All images in this post are property and copyright of Snake Pit Leather Works. They are used here for educational and review purposes only.

this Purple Mamba will bite!

A newly revised version of this post can be found at MichaelSamadhi.com.

A pair of true Beauties!

self-photo by Serafina Samadhi - caption by Michael

I've posted before about my love of floggers and flogging, so it should come as no great surprise for you, my dear reader, to learn that my most recent BDSM related purchase is yet another flogger. And let me tell you, this one's a beauty.

I tried a new flogger maker for this purchase, Snake Pit Leather Works, and although I only brought my purchase home from the post office a few days ago, I've had enough time to carefully inspect the quality and workmanship of my new tool.

I am impressed!

My flogger collection is fairly extensive. Although a few of the oldest of my "impliments of instruction" came from unknown sources, all the rest were custom made for me by one of two established flogger artisans, Adam and Gillian or Happy Tails. Both of those flogger makers produce high quality products, beautifully designed and wonderfully functional.

But, I have to say, as well as my previous purchases serve my needs, my new Snake Pit Leather Works (SPLW) flogger looks to be the best of the collection. It's truly a piece of art. Of course I still love all of my older "implements of instruction", but when it comes time to purchase my next flogger, I'll be contacting Nancy at SPLW.

The flogger I commissioned is called the Purple Mamba. Most of my more recent flogger purchases had fallen on the more sensuous side of the flogger spectrum, so I wanted something heavier for this purchase. While looking around online at my various options, I showed Serafina the two pictures from SPLW's website that accompany this post (far bottom), and she fell in love with the Purple Mamba's look.

The tresses or "falls" are a nice heavy bullhide, and, as might be expected from this particular flogger's name, they are colored a beautifully deep shade of purple. Despite being a heavier and thicker leather, the feel of this bullhide is still fairly soft and almost buttery. Running my fingers through the Mamba's tresses is truly a sensuous delight.

The flogger's handle is very tightly and well braided, a real work of artistry. This is what really sets this offering from SPLW apart from the other flogger maker's I've previously frequented. Adam and Gillian's "signature" flogger handles use very different styles and materials than SPLW, so a direct comparison isn't really possible, it's "apples and oranges".

Happy Tail's floggers are made with a similar style handles, so a really meaningful comparison is possible, and I have to say that this is where the SPLW really shines in comparison. The braiding on the SPLW handle is significantly tighter and very much neater in overall appearance. The pictures don't even do it justice!

While this may very well be the most handsome flogger in my case, I don't purchase "implements of instruction" solely for their looks, what matters most is how they perform. Let me tell you, the Purple Mamba by SPLW truly delivers as beautifully as it looks.

I should, however, include one note of caution. Although it's very well balanced, this is a relatively heavy flogger, as bullhide is a thicker leather with significant heft. I didn't use a scale to measure relative weights, but this is the heaviest flogger in my collection.

I love the Purple Mamba's weight and feel. But, it's worth noting that I'm six feet tall and over 200 pounds. Smaller and lighter individuals with less upper body strength will probably tire relatively quickly when using this implement.

The bullhide tresses are weighty enough to produce a very significant thud. When "testing" a new flogger, I always use it on myself first, on an arm and/or a leg. I also will test it thrown over one of my shoulders, much as I've observed Christian penitents performing their own rituals.

It was the "over the shoulder" test that let me feel how this flogger will perform when swung with any real authority. SPLW's Mamba is a nice heavy beast with lots of thud, it can produce sensations much like being lightly punched by very soft fists, like a sudden deep massage.

Interestingly, there's also at least a little bite thrown into the mix of sensations. Despite it's almost buttery feel, the Mamba's bullhide is just stiff enough, the edges of the individual tresses just sharp enough, the textured top grain of the hide just rough enough, that some bite is inevitable.

the strike of the Purple Mamba 
(photo by Serafina Samadhi)

When it's all tallied up, Purple Mamba is a heavy and fairly serious implement of instruction. When wielded strongly, this offering from Snake Pit Leather Works has the potential to be rather punishing. This isn't soft leather taken from Bambi's ilk, it once adorned a mean old bull. There's no escaping that origin, no matter how buttery the finished hide might feel to the touch.

In my experience, it's pretty rare to find this delicious mix of both thud and bite in a single device. Most floggers elicit one sensation much more strongly than the other, but the Mamba delivers both with authority. With a little care, or when wielded by the arm of an experienced flogger who understands nuance, it can also be a sensuous delight.

For a bottom/sub/slave into heavy sensations, this flogger can be used at will during a session, anytime from warm up to cool down, and all times in between. Other individuals, ladies like my Serafina for instance, will likely find this particular flogger a touch too heavy for the very beginning of a session, but should love it after being "warmed up" with a softer and more sensuous implement of instruction.

When it's all said and done, the Purple Mamba is a very special, and very versatile flogger. I think it's safe to predict that it's destined to become one of my personal favorites. Thank you Nancy for creating this work of art!

SpiritualBDSM.com is not associated or affiliated with Snake Pit Leather Works in any manner or form.  The reviewed Purple Mamba flogger was purchased at regular retail price, and no compensation of any form has been exchanged in return for this review.  The two photos that "bookend" this disclaimer are from the Snake Pit Leather Works website, and are used here for review and demonstration purposes only.