Snakewhips are often considered the illegitimate stepchild of the whip family. Because they do not have a stiff handle to give you leverage when cracking, they can be more difficult to handle than other types of whip.

The original purpose of the snakewhip design was simply to make the whip easier to carry around. They can be curled up and put inside a saddlebag, or sometimes even in a large pocket.

There is also a variant called a blacksnake. While most snakewhips are heavier than other whips, the blacksnake is heavier still, and contains extra weight in the heel-knot. These whips were originally designed to be hard-hitting on both ends. As well as being a heavy whip to crack, they could also be reversed and held a foot or two from the heel-knot. The weighted knot could then be used as a black-jack for self-defense.

While I do not find these the most fun types of whip to crack, they do have certain advantages for me. A snakewhip  provides the most direct connection between you own body and the action of the thong, so you body mechanics has to be both larger and more precise, which can be a good exercise for learning.

Also, the whip I usually reach for when I am taking a whip with me is a very heavy snakewhip. I carry this when I walk my dogs because what I want is one that is easy to carry and makes a very loud crack.

Where I live, there a lot of coyotes, which can be dangerous to the dogs. The loud crack can serve the dual purpose of scaring off the coyote, and calling the dogs back to me. – Of course without proper training and acclimation, some dogs may be naturally afraid of the noise and will run the other way!

I will sometimes add a very short handle inside the grip area of a snakewhip. While not strictly speaking a snakewhip construction, it does make it easier to crack and is short enough not to interfere with rolling it up, thus preserving the intentions of the design.

I do not make a blacksnake per-se, but will make what is often called a blacksnake. That is, a very heavy snakewhip, but without the heavy weight in the heel-knot. The reason for that is, they are not intended to be used as a blackjack.