For my eighteenth birthday, my partner bought me my first porn subscription: a few months of Kink.com’s then-named Wired Pussy. I had a deep fascination with electrical play and female domination, and a serious crush on site director Princess Donna. But despite my avid interest, I insisted my shocking fantasies (heh) were for viewing pleasure only, and over a decade went by without these kinks manifesting on my side of the screen.

When SheVibe let me choose a toy for review, I knew the time had come. I asked for the Kink Stinger Electro-Play Wand, a battery-operated cattleprod made in a collaboration between Doc Johnson and Kinkdotcom. It’s been a long time since I’ve patronized one of Kink’s many sites, but to this day their logo – emblazoned on the side of this electrical prod, opposite of Doc Johnson – gives me a little thrill.

I was especially interested in the Stinger for two reasons: its incredibly budget-friendly price (currently $28 USD) and its promise to leave no visible marks. One of the biggest barriers to exploring kink as more than an occasional perversion of hairbrushes or zipties is the price of effective impact toys and bondage gear; there are plenty of cheap crops and flimsy cuffs, but serious kinksters with limited cash need more options. And my partner and I are also keen on fewer marks from play, because it’s summer and we’re in Florida.

The Stinger Electro-Play Wand is made of ABS plastic and is 15 inches tall, with just over 8 inches of its length devoted to its bulky, quilt-patterned handle. The handle is coated with rubber to be non-conductive. The base of the handle turns so that it can be removed; inside there’s space for 2 AA batteries with surface-printed notations for which direction the batteries should face. (The notations are not indented, unfortunately, for folks with sight-related disabilities.) The base cap isn’t a traditional screw-on style and instead is notched so that users only have to partially turn it to open and close the battery compartment.

The Stinger is actually quite light without batteries inside (it weighs less than my gaming mouse), but with its lengthy handle it could be held with two hands if you have very limited lifting capabilities or range of controlled motion. With its lightweight bulkiness and relative ease of use, I think it would be a great purchase for some disabled doms, especially because – unlike most impact toys – it requires very little physical strain to inflict pain.

The toy’s shocking function is controlled by a single, raised plastic button about halfway up the handle; the button is loosely fitted and rattles when jostled, but it’s still very responsive and doesn’t require much pressure to press. Shocks are administered by two minuscule metal prongs on the tip of the prod and seem to only work on skin.

Unlike electro-play toys you may have seen before, the Stinger doesn’t have a visually discernible strand of electricity between its tiny prongs when it’s building or holding a charge. This means that users have to be mindful of when they’ve touched the button and for how long, because the toy itself gives no physical indication it’s storing a sting. There’s a small red light above the button that lights up when the button is being pressed, but it immediately turns off even if you haven’t delivered the shock yet.

However, when you do touch the charged prod to skin, it gives off an impressively bright flash and a crack. It’s an instantaneous but intimidating display (to the uninitiated) even when the shock is minimal. (The box details this as a “loud crackling sound and visual spark,” which is a pretty accurate description.) If discreet play is important to you, the Stinger is probably not ideal – but the crackle and spark are great for terrifying a willing submissive.

A shock from The Stinger Electro-Play Wand from Doc Johnson and Kink. Snappy! 😀 You can get yours from SheVibe.com 💥☇

A post shared by Betty Butch (18+) (@betty_butch) on May 31, 2018 at 11:50am PDT

To power the wand, you essentially have four options:

• Give the button a quick tap to store a tiny sting.
• Hold the button down longer to build up a harder shock.
• Touch the wand to skin, then press the button for a moderate zap.
• When in direct contact with skin, hold the button down to give a continuous shock.

A tiny sting is exactly what it sounds like – a light zap that’s barely perceptible, like a mild static shock. Zaps from longer presses of the button (or from touching skin and then quickly tapping the button) are more akin to sharp rubber band snaps, though the post-shock tingling tends to linger longer. Pressing the Stinger against skin and then hitting and holding the button is where you inflict pain. My partner compared the feeling to getting a drip of oil on your skin when cooking, because it’s sharp and hot like a burn; the shocked skin continues to buzz/tingle for a long while after.

Even this minimal versatility makes for fun play, as my partner never knows which type of shock they’re in for. I vary where I place my jolts and whether I press the button to build up a decent sting or fake my partner out with tiny zaps, and when I feel like actually hurting them, I hold the button and draw sweeping zigzags across their body. It’s never especially painful, but the accompanying flash and crack make it seem so much worse in the moment; my partner is wary of the Stinger despite admitting it doesn’t really hurt. I might not be able to channel Princess Donna’s uniquely intimidating energy, but I can definitely make my partner writhe in panic.

Every shock leaves behind some splotchy redness, but by the next morning the flush has always disappeared! Now if only I could figure out how to make hickeys fade as easily.

As per some electro play practicers’ anecdotal advice, we only use the prod on unblemished external skin, and steer clear of the throat (where muscle contractions can pose a danger to breathing), the head and face, and the left side of the chest (due to the heart.) Though honestly, we’re probably being unnecessarily cautious – the wand is battery-powered, so it’s likely not strong enough to pose the same risk as more serious toys. (And the Stinger doesn’t cause muscle contractions at all – my partner tenses, but it’s due to surprise and sensation, rather than an electro-induced response.) Still, definitely keep away from piercings, irritated skin, and only use it externally.

I wish I could detail more specific precautions, but strangely, the Stinger Electro-Play Wand doesn’t come with any instructions. There’s a bullet list on the back of the box that describes the toy’s appeal, as well as a paragraph on safe, sane, and consensual play being essential, but nowhere on or inside the box does Doc Johnson offer up guidance for actual use. Which is not cool.

Yes, it’s an arguably simple single button system. But a BDSM implement pitched as beginner-friendly should probably have a run-down of physical safety as it pertains to this specific toy, as well as a description of how to use it. The lack of visible spark until the Stinger comes into contact with skin, and the fact that pressing and holding the button produces a heftier shock, are both unadvertised details that my partner and I had to discover through play… and to me, that’s unacceptable, especially for nervous newbies.

But besides the lack of instructions, I’m pretty thrilled with the Stinger Electro-Play Wand, especially as my first venture into the realm of electro-play in general. The Stinger is nothing fancy, but it’s priced fairly and makes no claims of comparing to more expensive and finely constructed toys. Its relatively moderate pain infliction as compared to its aggressive spark/crackle makes it a toy with more bark than bite, which may be of particular interest to folks who want to enjoy the illusion of much crueler play. It’s great for consensually intimidating subs and masochists without the pain level, marks, and price tag typically associated with serious impact/sensation toys. And given how physically simplified it is to operate and handle, I think it’s a viable option for disabled doms who need alternatives to typical impact toys due to limited articulation and range of motion capabilities.

You can get yours at SheVibe for $28 USD, or throw in a four pack of batteries for $3 more, as of the time of this writing. (While you’re there, you can peruse the other electro toys in their Electrostimulation Toys section, which is also home to one of my favorite comics from SheVibe’s cheeky assortment.)

Thank you, SheVibe, for sending me the Stinger Electro-Play Wand in exchange for an honest review. Affiliate links were used in this post.