I review sex toys for sextoy.com. You can find the Sportsheets Neck & Wrist Restraint and other bondage, fetish and kink toys on their site. Disclaimer: Although I don’t receive any money for these reviews (unless you purchase something via an affiliate link to the vendor), I am receiving free toys.
I had intended my next review to be of a rabbit flogger which I had great fun with at Orfunner. Unfortunately the toy broke during a play session this week and I am waiting on a replacement before I write a review.
I bring this up because ironically the main thrust of my review was going to be about how easy it is to overlook the kinky potential of a flogger too soft to hurt someone with — yet I was a little dubious about this toy when it arrived. I think I’ve gotten so spoiled by my love of binding a plaything in chains, as well as my budding love of rope, that I scoffed when I saw this vinyl-based bondage toy. However, I broke it out with a recent casual play partner and had a fabulous time.
This toy ships in a simple to open plastic shell. It’s not something you will want to use for storage but I appreciate that all the packaging is recyclable. Inside the shell is a set of neoprene wrist manacles and a combination velcro collar and bondage harness. It looks a little like a vinyl necktie with D-rings attached, which we thought was probably a fun idea for a costume.
The collar is adaptable such that it should fit any sized neck. The harness “tie” is about 16″ long with 4 pairs of metal D-rings along its length and a single D-ring at the end. Everything is sturdy and the collar seems comfortable even when being tugged by a hand or a binding. The toy ships with two velcro cuffs, but they are easily the weak point of this set — the cuffs are joined together by a single sided clasp that prevents you from attaching them separately to different D-rings. As the toy ships, you’d have to lamely thread them through a D-Ring. You can replace this clasp with hardware found at your local Dom Depot (a.k.a. Home Depot for the uninitiated), but it’s an annoying defect that could have been repaired if they’d simply included a second clasp. Of course I have plenty of cuffs around; I ended up putting him in these previously reviewed fuzzy cuffs because it was fun to tease the boy about looking pretty in pink. They easily attached to the Sportsheets restraint with a pair of carabiners.
It was easy to position this toy in many different ways. If I had his wrists in front and wanted to move them to the back, or a different D-ring, it was a matter of a moment’s adjustment. However, my eyes were really opened to the possibilities of this toy when it came time to bind the sub to the wall.
I’ve recently installed new tie-down points but at the moment I only have one length of chain to swap between them. It was currently attached to a set of D-rings along the wall by my bed. There was a bunch of tension in the chain and they had gotten twisted up funny, and I didn’t feel like messing with it long enough to get it detached. Then, my helpful plaything suggested I attach him directly to the tie-down in my closet doorway using the bottom D-ring of the harness. This was fabulous (but most comfortable with the restraint leading up behind his head rather than in front of it). With the manacles attached to a set of D-rings over his head, the entire assembly held him securely for a long session of impact and sensation play.
There are times when I want to spend a while intricately binding someone in my ropes — and I am sure that interest will increase as I gain skill and confidence in shibari. Other times the weight, feel, and sound of chains can’t be beat. But the versatility of the Sportsheets neck and wrist restraint makes it perfect for quick and easy restraint.
Update: Sportsheets has a great photo of the toy here.
