Product Review: Locking Purple Wrist and Ankle Cuffs with Black Trim by @Stockroom_com

Ooo, what’s that?

We’re rough on leather kink gear. So far, we haven’t completely ruined anything besides the cheap dog collar M bought me from Walmart in the beginning of our relationship, but some of our gear is looking rough around the edges. Like, the metal’s rusting, and the stitching is coming loose in some places, and the leather is so worn there’s not much texture left to it anymore…that’s how you know you’ve got good kink gear. Some of this stuff’s close to 10 years old, and it’s still together!

So, naturally, we’re always on the hunt for new quality kink gear that’s going to last us a good long time. Enter Stockroom and their set of Locking Purple Wrist and Ankle Cuffs with Black Trim.

Some of these pics are of the wrist cuffs, and some are of the ankle cuffs.

What’d it come in?

This and the other things Stockroom sent were wrapped in brown packing paper and tucked away in a brown cardboard box long enough to hold the rattan cane. M and me were the only people who knew what was inside. Which is good since Mom was visiting when it got here!

How’s it made?

I’m not going to go into a whole lot of detail, here, on how they’re made because you can see in the pictures above how they’re made. The only real difference between the ankle and wrist cuffs is the size, and the length of the strap to hold them closed.

When I was looking at the images of these cuffs, I was a little worried about comfort. When we look for leather bondage gear, we’re looking for something that I’ll probably be wearing for a long time. Sometimes 24/7. So comfort is a major part of the decision process. There is no padding to these cuffs, really, like there is on other brands of leather cuffs we’ve tried. I was also worried about the color bleeding, or changing my skin colors.

When they got here and I saw that tag, I was even more worried about comfort. Sure, you can cut it out, but sometimes that leaves a scratchy piece.

Luckily, the way these cuffs are designed, the black leather trim provides the cushion you’ll find in a “padded” cuff. It also sort of lifts the leather away from your skin, providing a bit of breathing room, which is great if you’re sweating. And that tag is soft and not at all annoying. The only time I notice it’s there is when the cuffs are off.

The buckle has a loop on the “tongue” where you slip a padlock in. It’s kinda small, though, so you might want to bring the cuff in to the store with you when you go to buy locks for them.

Other than that, the leather is gorgeous, they’re super comfy, and they’re insanely durable. Overall, I’d say the design is pretty amazing.

What’s it for?

Bondage, mostly. M makes me wear them pretty much 24/7 with breaks for extra sweaty days, or to let them dry out if they accidentally get wet. Of course, I take them off when I’m preparing meals, or doing dishes, or other housework that could potentially get stuff on them that would be difficult to get off without ruining the leather. And I don’t wear them out of the house because I don’t have the wardrobe for them.

What? I could totally pull them off at a metal concert if I had a purple and black tutu, some tights, and an over-sized, off-the-shoulder black t-shirt. My wardrobe’s so boring.

How is it?

Rayne’s Rating:
Pros:	Cons:
stunning craftsmanship elegant design beautiful coloring comfortable for long or short term wear material does not bleed sturdy lockable I’ve got the whole matching set!	a little stiff at first no strap securer metal rivets go all the way through lock loop is small

There is no way I can do how I feel about these cuffs justice. I love the way they look. I love the way they look on me. I love the way they feel. I love that there’s a whole matching set with two different posture collars, and one of them actually fits me. I love the colors.

Really, the only thing I don’t like about them is the fact that there’s nothing to tack the excess strap to the body of the cuff. This is a common problem with leather cuffs, and one that doesn’t bother most folks, but it drives me insane. I’m a little OCD, and having the straps stick out all different directions makes me feel like a sloppy slave.

But I love these cuffs so much I’m actually considering popping out to a store where I can buy a strip of black leather and add the strap holder myself.

They were a little stiff straight out of the box, but this is typical of leather, and shouldn’t ever be the reason you write leather kink gear off. If you’re in a hurry to soften them up, condition them with mink oil, or something. Some people use silicone lube.

Once they softened up a bit from wear, and started to mold to my wrists and ankles, I was in love. We love the way they look on me. Plus, we’ve got a matching set now! We literally didn’t have any wrist or ankle cuffs that actually go together before these cuffs. I mean we have a few wrist sets, and a few ankle sets, but no sets that match each other.

Anything else I should know?

Keep an eye on circulation when wearing these cuffs, or any bondage gear. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell if bondage is too tight until it’s been on a while, so make sure to check in every once in a while.

There are definitely some things to consider when buying leather. For example, you remember when you and Dad would go out back, and toss the ball around? And then, you’d go back in, and he’d oil your gloves, put a ball inside, and put a rubber band around the end? You definitely want to keep some mink oil, or something, on hand for conditioning. Especially if you end up having to wash your leather, or it gets wet by mistake. But also if you want it to have that soft, well-used, often-worn feeling right out of the gate. All leather garments are a little stiff at first without some conditioning.

You may fall between notches in wrist and ankle sizes (I do), but with wear, they will stretch out a bit, so it might not be that big of a deal (it isn’t for me). However, if you do have an issue with them spinning or rubbing because of the size discrepancy, I’m bringing white ankle socks (the ugly kind) back to the kink scene. You should join me!

The metal rivets may eventually rust if you get them wet. This means sweating on them or drooling on them when you sleep might not be a good idea. So far, we haven’t had a problem, but it seems to be a problem we have with every set of leather cuffs we’ve ever owned. The rivets look pretty, but they’re the first part to start looking worn.

If you must, wipe down these cuffs with a damp cloth to clean them. If they need more than that, you should pick up some saddle soap (or make your own…there’s apparently some bangin’ recipe floating around the kinky side of the webosphere), and use that. Make sure they’re completely dry before storing them, and store them somewhere they’re not going to get eaten by buggy-boos.

Where’d ya get it?

JT’s Stockroom was founded in 1988 by Joel Tucker (JT), a kinky college kid on a budget who just wanted quality leather cuffs that fit his budget and couldn’t find them. So he took up leatherwork and made his own (along with some other restraints), and then later started selling them on BBSes (pre-internet bulletin boards) while making them out of his bedroom. Now they’re known around the world, having been featured in Playboy’s Foursome, ABC’s Castle, and, of course, FX’s American Horror Story.

JT’s Stockroom has won multiple awards from AVN and XBiz. At their store in Los Angeles, they host monthly classes called Stockroom University, and they donate products in support of the BDSM community for things like events and non-profit fundraisers.

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