Black Magic — but mostly for show

If you love the Gothic symbolism of the black rose, and/or enjoy light BDSM play, these beautiful cuffs might be for you — but if you're looking for high functionality, or a reasonably-priced set of beginner cuffs, I'd suggest you keep looking.
Published:
Pros
Beautiful
Easy to put on and remove
Comfortable
Cons
Flimsy hardware
Rating by reviewer:
3
extremely useful review

Use

Doc Johnson's Black Rose Kinky Kuffs are elegant light bondage gear, geared towards users who favor aesthetics over high functionality. Which is not to say that these cuffs aren't effective; they work fairly well as basic wrist restraints and also reasonably well as ankle restraints. They are quick and easy to apply, comfortable to wear, and quickly removable. However, I would not recommend these for most experienced BDSM players, or for those simply seeking functional cuffs; there are several more functional cuffs available for less on Eden. But if you like the aesthetic, and your play isn't too rough, these could be just the thing.

The symbolism of the Black Rose has a fairly long and varied history. Back when Ireland was ruled by England, it was actually illegal in that country to refer to Ireland as a separate nation. At that time, "Black Rose" was used as a code word for Ireland. More recently, anarchists have also used the black rose as a symbol. People today will most likely be familiar with the black rose from Gothic fiction, especially Shadow Souls, the second book in The Return trilogy and the sixth book in The Vampire Diaries series by L. J. Smith.
  • Who / How / What
    [ ? ]
    Who might this product be best for? How is it best used? What are the best circumstances or situations for using this product?
    • Bdsm
    • Couples
    • Light restraint
  • Where
    [ ? ]
    Where / what types of places can this product be used?
    • Bedroom / on a bed
    • Play party

Design / Craftsmanship / Material / Size / Fit

Black Rose Cuffs

According to the product page, the cuffs are made of lace, metal, and silk. I don't believe this is entirely correct. While the outside part of the cuffs may contain silk, I believe the primary material is nylon, which is purple and detailed with a black lace pattern. The plushy inside part, which is what touches the wearer's wrists or ankles, seems to be made of a soft polyester. I found them very comfortable to wear on my wrists or ankles, although they did begin to feel a bit warm after 20 minutes or so.

Black Rose cuffs both sides

The cuffs are about 2 1/2" wide by 11" long, with an additional 6" of velcro extending beyond that. I found they fit my 8" wrists with a small amount of overlap; they fit my 10" ankles even better. Each cuff has a 1 1/2" inch (inside diameter) metal ring for securing the cuffs to each other or some other restraint point. One cuff also has a swivel clip attached to the securing ring, which can be clipped to the other ring to connect the cuffs. The rings and the clip are metal with a matte black finish. The cuff with the clip attached also has the signature black rose, which protrudes about an inch above the cuff.

Black Rose cuffs detail

The cuffs, which are made in China, are mostly well-made. The stitching is solid; the materials are well-chosen for their purpose. They had a strong chemical odor when I took them out of the package. I got rid of the smell by hand-washing them in cold water with mild soap, and then letting them air dry for several hours. In the process, I managed to catch the lace detailing of one cuff on the other cuff's velcro, which frayed the lace slightly. I imagine the fraying will continue to be an issue with these. I also found the plushy inner side and the velcro both attract lint a bit.

The velcro closure provides quick, effective restraint which can also be removed quickly. The swivel clip, however, is a weakness, and the securing rings — which aren't welded closed — are also weak.
    • Adjustable
    • Fits comfortably
    • Stylish

Performance

I'm no escapologist, but I was able to get out of these almost instantly, whether my wrists were clipped together in front or in back, just by operating the slide on the swivel clip. When my ankles were clipped together, I found it easy to escape simply by forcing my legs apart. That spread the securing ring enough that the clip popped out. I had thought of removing the clip anyway, but it was disappointing to find the working parts of the cuffs came apart so easily.

Black Rose cuffs lace & split ring detail

With each cuff secured separately to our bed restraint system with small locks, I was unable to escape them, whether they were attached to my wrists, or to my ankles. However, I could feel the rings "flexing" when I applied pressure, and I think it would be possible for someone who's better at this sort of thing to work their way out in this situation as well.
    • Comfortable during use
    • Easy to put on / use

Packaging

Black Rose cuffs box

The cuffs come in a non-discreet paper box, with a picture of a nearly-naked, Gothic-looking woman wearing the cuffs on the front and one of the sides. It's clear that considerable effort went into the box's design; it has elegant raised lettering and other expensive-looking raised details. I think the box would be good for gifting to a Gothic BDSM enthusiast, but probably not for anyone else. The cuffs are wrapped in plastic inside the box.

Because the box isn't durable, and takes up a lot more space than the cuffs do on their own, I don't consider it much good for storage. I recycled it.
    • Not discreet
    • Recyclable

Personal comments

These are beautiful, but I'm disappointed in the performance. It would have been fairly easy to weld the securing rings closed, making the cuffs a lot more useful. I do look forward to using these more. My wife finds them more comfortable than the leather cuffs we usually use. However, I wouldn't have been satisfied with them had I paid the suggested retail price and I can recommend them only for users who really love this look, and/or the black rose symbolism.
Follow-up commentary
These have become our favorite cuffs, mainly because they're so soft, and so quick and easy to use (yay, velcro). And they're beautiful, which never hurts. I did remove the clip. We have a short (about 5 inches) length of light chain with clips on each end, which works great for behind-the-back use. I feel I was too harsh in the original review. Yes, it's possible for intermediate escapologists (like myself) to escape the cuffs - but when my wife ties me up, I don't want (or try) to escape! My wife enjoys the challenge of escape - but she has never been able to get out of these. The cuffs have also proven themselves surprisingly durable. We've used them a couple dozen times, and they don't show that much wear. The black rose came off, which didn't bother either of us in the slightest, and the fine lace has frayed here and there (but not much). They still work great, and I recommend them for anyone who enjoys comfortable bondage.
This product was provided free of charge to the reviewer. This review is in compliance with the FTC guidelines.

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Comments
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  • Contributor: Hentialover
    I like the flower more then I expected, but if they don't hold up properly, I have an issue with that. Still, they would be nice to scary my friends with. Haha!

    Thanks for the review.
  • Contributor: Lildrummrgurl7
    Thanks for the review! I agree, they look nice but they're not too functional.
  • Contributor: gwenevieve
    a shame these aren't very functional, as they're gorgeous. oh well, thanks for letting everyone know!
  • Contributor: GONE!
    Great review!
  • Contributor: Allison.Wilder
    Thank you for your very thorough and very honest review! I'll definitely be avoiding these.
  • Contributor: Dixiemomma
    thanks for the review! too bad they arent sturdier
  • Contributor: libbyv
    thanks for the review
  • Contributor: PropertyOfPotter
    Thanks for the review! Your photos are nice! These are beautiful!
  • Contributor: married with children
    thanks for sharing.
  • Contributor: AmethystQueen
    Oh no, say it 'ain't so! My purple cuffs are defective??? Sad, sad day. Thanks for the review though!
  • Contributor: spiced
    I certainly wouldn't go so far as to say 'defective' — but they're not 'bombproof', either. Hey, not everyone needs (or wants) bombproof cuffs. But there are several sturdier cuffs costing half as much as these on Eden.
  • Contributor: Beautiful-Disaster
    Thank you for your review.
  • Contributor: surreptitious
    What a shame that in this case, they couldn't combine looks and functionality. Excellent review. =)
  • Contributor: Allstars316
    Thanks for the review!
  • Contributor: Cindi025
    Great review! Thx!
  • Contributor: SecretKinksters
    Nice review! They're cute, but we don't go for cute when looking for cuffs.
  • Contributor: Princess-Kayla ?
    Thanks for the review. It's a shame they didn't work out for you. They're really cute!
  • Contributor: spiced
    @Kayla&JJ — I agree, they look GREAT, and they feel great, too. We're still going to use them, but it will be for light play only. If I ever finally do take the plunge and learn welding, maybe I'll weld the rings closed and make them 'bombproof'!
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