Master Series Restraint Set Review: Gorgeous but Impractical

Design

This 6 piece set of restraints is beautiful. I love the red synthetic leather and gold chains. The synthetic leather appealed to me as someone who does not use animal products. The red and gold contrast beautifully, and look elegant yet edgy when worn. The faux leather doesn't look cheap or fake, either. It's easy to tell the chains aren't actually gold, just plated to look that way, but what normal person has ever purchased actual gold chains? (Sorry if you have, it just seems kind of ostentatious and unnecessary to me...I'm a practical girlie). The inside of the cuffs and collar are padded with soft microfiber, which makes it extra comfortable to wear. This is important for if you're doing any kind of pulling on them.

I also appreciated that the leash and chains were detachable. That makes it easy to hook the cuffs around something like a bedpost, enhancing the restraint experience.

Quality

These felt very sturdy. I was actually surprised at how well-made they felt for something that came out of a box with a hot naked lady on it. I feel like usually that type of packaging accompanies stuff from the sketchy sex toy store on that one street in your city. You know the one I mean. These felt high quality to me. As far as cuffs and collars go, they are definitely now the nicest ones I own.

I imagine the padding used on the inside will get a bit compacted after a lot of use, but out of the box it feels soft and thick. I don't think that would seriously impact its comfortability.

The chains also have a good amount of heft to them, which I like. They're not, like, medieval dungeon chains or anything, but they add a pleasing weight to the cuffs and collar. Think a weighted blanket, except for kink. The weight also adds to the sensation of restraint, because it doesn't feel like it could break with moderate pulling.

Experience

So here's where my review is going to get a little less favorable. These were a pain to get on and off. The buckle is really fiddly and a bit tight to easily slide the straps through. The design of the actual cuff and collar, while effective in keeping the buckle from pressing on the skin, is difficult to get into the correct configuration. I've honestly never seen a buckled pair of cuffs that I found easy to use. It kind of takes you out of the moment, which is unfortunate. For this reason, I usually return over and over to cuffs that use velcro, stretch, or are otherwise easy to put on. It's weird when you're role-playing a struggle and then the top has to say, "Hold on a second. I need to get these on your hands," and fiddles around for a couple of minutes.

Performance

While this product absolutely exceeded my expectations on appearance, it was too awkward to actually put on for it to be practical in play. If I wanted to wear cuffs as an aesthetic look at a play party, they'd be perfect, but they're too difficult to fasten for me to use in kink play. It's also worth noting that they didn't close tight enough to keep my hand from escaping - it would have taken effort to do so, but my hand could still slide out. I don't have especially small wrists for a woman, so I imagine a smaller woman would be unable to use them for restraint.

The collar, on the other hand, can definitely be used in play. I can put it on before starting, and have my partner hook the leash to it for restraint. However, I think putting the collar on in the midst of play would also be a mood-killer.

Materials and care

Since this isn't an internal toy, It doesn't require a lot of cleaning, but since it's all synthetic cleaning wouldn't be too difficult. The microfiber would take a little bit of time to dry.

It didn't come with a storage bag, so I'd recommend getting one to keep it safe and clean between uses, or maybe hanging it on the wall if you're brave enough to use it in your bedroom decor.

Packaging

The packaging was average. It came in a paperboard box. The box had a comprehensive description of the product and photos. Inside, the products were packed in separate plastic bags to protect them. The packaging was adequate but nothing special. The design of the package made me think the product would be cheap, but it was a lot better than most toys you might purchase in a paperboard box with a porny-looking lady pictured on it.

Price

If I was basing it only on materials and quality, I'd say it was worth the price, but since it's difficult to use in a sexual situation, I'd say overall, not worth the price.