CARNAL NATION

There is nothing like the smell of good leather to get one excited about Folsom Street Fair.  This month's toy is not really a toy but an accessory: leather restraints. Looking in my tool box, I have at least 3 sets of restraints, and NONE of them come close to these.

The leather touching your skin is garment grade, meaning it is soft and pliable and yet able to take abuse—the best kind of abuse! The D rings are hardware strength and substantial.  They are riveted down on both sides by 3 studs keeping the D-ring from moving too much or coming out.  The prongs on the buckles are loops, so once the restraints are on, you can also stick a padlock on them so they cannot be removed: a very nice touch. Size wise, they fit easily on the wrists, but you can use them on the ankles, too. Remember you should be able to stick one finger under the restraint.  It comes with a double-sided key chain clip, but you could outfit them however you see fit. 

The pair I received is a lovely shade of black and purple: so very gender neutral.  I really need to get a different headboard/bed set-up to get the full benefit of these beauties, but I can tell you that even just clipped to each other, they make my body parts tingle. The cuffs are comfy to wear for extended periods of time, and they did not bleed any dye when the action got hot (which it did!).  If they get soiled (body oil, etc), I highly suggest using Lexol to take care of them.  If you or someone you know is into bondage, this would be a lovely set to own. I love my locking love restraints. And since I just got hitched, I'll be taking them on my honeymoon.

I love rope for its sensuality, the way you can run it along the skin while tying someone up to add another layer of sensation and also because it takes a while to bind someone properly. During that time, erotic tension builds and the scene intensifies. But there are times you want—or need—to restrain someone quickly, without so much worry about technique. Enter the Locking Love Restraints.

I already have a pair of restraints, in bright candy apple red patent leather they make me happy just looking at them. The Locking Love Restraints are a bit more understated but equally effective at quickly rendering someone immobile and at your mercy. In black leather with a purple leather band, they are soft, flexible, and, when used correctly, locked tight enough to make escape impossible but not so tight so as to cut off circulation. These are serious cuffs made with high-quality leather and double stitching, and yet they are still sumptuous and rather elegant. So just submit. You’re not going anywhere for a while.

I like to mix rope with my restraints. Although these come with a clamp to attach the D rings together, having a little rope on hand really increases the possibilities. You can be tied up, arms wide and attached to the bedposts. Or perhaps your hands will be cuffed together and raised over your head, suspended from a door frame. I leave the creativity to my guy.  But once those cuffs go on, it’s not like I have much choice.

The best thing about these cuffs is the very soft leather on the inside. If you’re new to cuffs and want something comfortable, these definitely fit the bill.  I’m not sure if I have uncommonly small ankles, I know I have small wrists, but the Locking Love Restraints fit around my ankles. Bonus!

So, if you’re looking to restrain someone quickly and comfortably, and with a bit of style, to boot, these cuffs are the way to go. With this level of quality and craftsmanship, the price of $76 can't be beat, giving you plenty of bang for the buck.

The Locking Love Restraints are top quality in every respect. The restraints are constructed out of top-quality garment leather and first-class rivets and hardware. These cuffs feature lockable buckle closures and D-rings for secure tethering to any immobile object. The garment leather is soft and supple but with a substantial feel. The cuffs are functionally versatile and very strong and durable. They measure 11" long x 2 1/2" wide.

When I was given these lovely cuffs to test out, I was elated and fell in love with them right from the start. First of all they have all the features I look for in top-quality BDSM leather gear: a greatl look and feel and that delicious leathery scent. Such a major turn on for me! I could hardly wait to get cuffed!

When trying out new BDSM gear, I most often like to test out how the item feels to me before trying it out on a partner. I asked my play partner to secure me to the rack during a impact play scene. These cuffs feel very comfortable from the moment they are put on to the time when they come off. If you like to do extended bondage scenes, you will really appreciate the comfort because, unlike metal police cuffs, these do not cut into the skin or pinch. In fact, they are comfortable enough to sleep in all night long! (Yup! I tried that out too.)

I really like the fact that none of the metal hardware comes in direct contact with the skin. The rivets are covered by the inside leather of the cuff. This is wonderful because if you are like me, one of the small percentage of people who have a allergy to nickel and get contact dermatitis, you won't have to worry about having to deal with having a rash.

While playing, we discovered that not only do they adjust to fit comfortably on wrists, but they also can be adjusted to fit around the ankles as well. This is reason enough to make it worth it for me to invest in two pairs of the Locking Love Restraints.

One morning, I had an idea. I got to thinking about the size variation that can be achieved with these cuffs, so I woke my partner up and used one of the cuffs as a CBT collar for his cock and balls—it works perfectly! I kept the buckle towards the front and the D-ring towards the rear as a good anchor point for a rope harness. He loved the idea of having his package in bondage like this. The rope harness added to the tension, creating a very erotic sensation in the head of his penis. Oh yeah!

The Locking Love Restraints came to me without any packaging, just one double eye snap hook attaching the two cuffs together. I would not recommend using this as the only means of putting your partner in bondage because your partner could easily feel around for the release and escape his bondage—that's no fun at all. I do recommend purchasing a matching set of (Master) locks and a couple of small Quick Links to take full advantage of the locking buckle feature on these cuffs, thus ensuring that your captive can't easily escape. These extras can be purchased at any hardware store and are very inexpensive.

The Locking Love Restraints are great. Like any piece of high-quality BDSM gear, the price ($76) is reflective of what you are getting. These are definitely not some cheesy novelty junk. These cuffs are made to stand up to regular rigorous use over a long period of time. If I were looking to purchase one of my first pieces of BDSM equipment, I would purchase these cuffs.