I use two step epoxy and shot in the handle.

I've heard people going on and on about wanting a flogger that balances HERE (finger usually pointing to somewhere maybe a coupla inches from the top of the handle), or people thinking a huge heavy handle is good to use.

I personally like heavier leathers, long falls, and in general a weighty flogger. But over a bit of time, I've found I really hate those 'wonderfully weighted' flogger handles. For me personally, they totally suck. They wear my wrists out almost immediately. I've begun to suspect my perfect flogger will be with zero shot in the handle, and maybe even a flyweight fiberglass handle under the leather. No handle weight; high falls weight, and balance to be had not by teetertottering it on a finger, but in flight only.

But also have to say, that's subjective as hell. I suspect asking for the best weight, is like asking non-kink people what the best color is (see? I avoided hearing "BLACK" in chorus!)

I've made a few hundred floggers and 7 to 9 ounce oil tanned cowhide is by far the most popular with people I sell to. It's my favorite because depending on how wide and the number of tails, I can get a very wide range of sensation from a single hide. If you want to go light and stingy, oil tanned calfskin, kidskin, or kangaroo are really fun. For light and thuddy, stick with game hides such as antelope, deer, elk, and moose. Although the elk and moose are dense enough for larger thuddy floggers. Horse hide has a wonderful thuddy feel, but it's amazing how many people pick up a funky vibe from it without even knowing what it is. Buffalo is great for a big thud. And if you wanna get really kinky, there's a tannery local to me that latigo tans buffalo. The latigo tannage gives it the density to sting if it's snapped, but is very thuddy.

I once made a pair of mid sized floggers with latigo tanned cowhide tails, and they drew blood when used even moderately hard. So that's not a good choice for most people.

If you're going to do braiding and turks head knots on your floggers, save yourself a pile of grief and only work with kangaroo. Any other type of leather will stretch and loosen up to the point of falling apart. Kangaroo also stretches, but only so far, then it's done. If you pre stretch it before braiding and knotting with it, it'll stay tight for decades.

Of course there are many types of leather I haven't listed, the list represents leathers I have personally worked with. If you use something else, please do come back and share your experience and impressions of it.

Don't let yourself get too carried away with size. Very few people can scene with larger than a 2 pound flogger. If it's not properly balanced, that weight goes down even lower. I have an 8 pound latigo buffalo flogger with a carbon fiber handle just to show off when I vend and only a handful of people have been able to swing it more than a couple times in a row.

Now measure the distance from your armpit to the tip of your middle finger. That is the length of flogger you'll be most accurate with. Your brain is very used to judging that distance. If you vary no more than an inch or two, accuracy with your floggers will be very easy for you to master.

About balance... Everybody says there's a 'perfect' balance spot and they're all different. In my experience, people who use a ball and socket grip and swing in a figure 8 pattern with lots of wrist motion do best with a balance point closer to the end of the handle. If you want to Florentine, you really want high balance points. I've seen people do it otherwise and it's not pretty. Those who grip their hand around the handle and swing in a straight line are more comfortable with a lighter handle.

Instead of shot, I use tubular aluminum handles and pour molten lead into the end. This enables me to use less lead because the lead mass is smaller and therefore it balances closer to the end of the handle. If you decide to work with molten lead and you're not 100% confident of your ability to do it safely, contact me and I'll talk you through it. You can do a lot of damage to yourself. I usually go to Metal Supermarket for my handle pieces, and they even cut the tubing to length for me. It costs a couple dollars per flogger, but it's worth the money to not have to cut it all up myself. .062 wall tubing is perfect. A thicker wall doesn't hurt, but don't go any thinner as it'll be too easy to dent.