Sportscuffs & Tether

Friday, March 5, 2010

Sportscuffs & Tether

I used to have a great velcro-cuffed, under-the-bed tie-down kit. I had it for years, and I loved it -- I can't remember who made it now, but I do remember a lot of good times. Then I got a furry creature in my life and I wasn't having sex very often, and while the velcro cuffs were hanging unused on either side of the bed, they unknowingly became hair magnets. I was packing up to move to a new house when I finally pulled the cuffs out, realized they were no longer black velcro, but had become orange and yellow, and so filled with hair that they looked like something was trying to nest in them. Needless to say, in that state, they were about the least sexy thing I'd ever seen, and it was pretty clear that the hair wasn't coming out of the velcro. Alas, they didn't make the final cut when it came time to move things, and I've been without a good pair of tie-downs ever since.

Thus, when I saw this sportcuffs and tether kit by Sportsheets on Eden, I jumped up and down in excitement, and then begged them to send me some. I've had them for a couple of weeks now, and would have written this review sooner, but I've been gratefully tied up for much of that time. Just doing my job, of course. Research. Pure research.

-Waits for the laughter to die down-

Okay, onward to the review! 

MATERIALS

These cuffs feel soooo nice on my wrists and ankles. They're made of this great, stretchy neoprene (like a wet suit or a yoga mat) and they really hug your skin without getting overly sticky or sweaty. You can feel them enough to remember that you're wearing cuffs -- an important part of bondage's arousal factor for many of us -- but they never feel cumbersome or overly loose/tight. The neoprene makes a tight, firm closure, which I liked a lot, without pinching, pulling or catching at my skin. 

The velcro that holds them on is strong and thick -- there's no way to accidentally have them fall off once you've closed them, but you can easily get out of them by pulling on the velcro straps if you need to. Although velcro can sometimes be sharp on the corners (think of those old velcro sneakers you had once!), this velcro doesn't feel like that. Even the edges are soft.

The tethers are simple and plain -- the kit comes with two tethers, each two feet long. That length, together or combined, gives you lots of play options, including sliding them under a queen-sized bed. In addition, there's a simple slider that lets you shorten the tethers, which is really nice for binding someone without a lot of movement. The material is strong, stain-resistant and soft enough to also be used against or around skin.

Connecting everything together is easy, since each piece has both a metal loop and a metal bolt snap. You can connect the cuffs together, the cuffs to the tethers, the tethers to each other, the tethers to a ring hook in a wall or to an iron railing or, really, to just about anything.

I will say that this set isn't the most gorgeous cuff and tether set I've ever used -- I much prefer leather for the way it looks -- but it doesn't look bad. And sometimes it's okay to trade looks for utility.

PLAYTIME

The great thing about this toy is its versatility. While testing it, we:

• Looped the tethers around the headboard. This was great for using them both as wrist restraints and then as ankle restraints (I put my head near the headboard, and then lifted my feet. It makes a nice way to hold that position without having to actually HOLD the position!)
• Slid the tethers under the queen-sized bed. They work really well as an under-the-bed restraint system, and if you had two, they would be fabulous. They could probably even fit under a king-sized bed. 
• Used the tethers to hold me in an office chair by wrapping the tethers around my thighs and then hooking them to my wrists. This gives a great feeling of being well and tightly bound, and the tethers didn't bother my skin at all.

Even after a couple of hours of use, I never felt like these cuffs were becoming uncomfortable. I did notice afterward that they shifted a lot (even though I didn't feel the shifting at all). In the picture below, you can see how the velcro shifts out of the cuffs -- This didn't happen when we used them on my ankles, so I think this is because I have small wrists, and wrapping the cuffs tight enough leaves a lot of unvelcro-ed cuff remaining. Something to think about if you have tiny wrists or ankles. But again, it's mostly for appearance concerns, since I really didn't feel them slipping.

CARE & FEEDING:

This kit is incredibly easy to care for. You could leave it hanging on the bed (or under the mattress), or you could just roll it all up and put in into a closet or toybox. Do be sure and close the velcro cuffs when you're not using them, though, especially if you have long hair or pets, since the velcro tends to attract all the hair in the house!

For cleaning, just wipe off with a damp towel and let air dry. The neoprene dries quickly, but the tethers take a little longer.

IN A NUTSHELL

PROS: Easy to use and clean. Lightweight. Portable. Comfortable and Strong.

CONS: Could be prettier.

OVERALL: 4Ms

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$35.99Sportscuffs and tether BDSM kit by Sportsheets Buy from EdenFantasys

This product was provided free of charge to the reviewer.