Tie-ups cuffs pair - wrist cuffs by Doc Johnson - review by bunky

The "Tie-Ups" wrist/ankle cuffs are a very comfortable vegan-friendly (no leather parts) restraint system. They can be comfortably worn around both the wrist and ankle, without rubbing or chafing with uncomfortable raw leather edges. Because of the material strength (nylon) and craftsmanship (double stitching), I would say that this product is good for both those beginning in bondage and also those who are more intermediate. Advanced users might enjoy them as well, but I do not believe that the plastic buckles or Velcro would withstand any severe amount of thrashing or the stress of various forms of suspension. An example of advanced bondage I would not recommend this for, would be for the "strappado" position, where your arms arm bound behind your body, supporting most of your weight, while you are leaning forward. However, I would recommend it (with the purchase of another set) to be used in any hog-tie position or any restraint position where the sub's body weight is being support by something else (say, the floor, bed, chair, etc).

Like the Doc Johnson Tie-Ups neck collar, the wrist cuffs are each about 2 inches wide and 12 inches long with 1/4 of an inch of nylon and padding. To give an idea of the material strength, the nylon and buckles are of the quality of your most rugged of backpacks - it is clearly built to endure. All the stitching appears to be reinforced several times over and the plastic of the buckles themselves is quite hardy (i.e., it would take some serious effort to break them).

The buckles are gender free (meaning, that they are both "female" and "male" parts of a buckle which can be interchanged with any other gender free buckle), however, they are unattractive. And this is quite a big point when it comes to the "sexiness" of being in any sort of restraint system. However, D-rings, for example, are quite sexy in my opinion. They are much more "industrial" and far more versatile then the buckles. Because with D-rings you can use clips or rope or even your crooked finger to grab at the cuffs - whereas with the buckles - you can only use other buckle parts.

Self-bondage use: When using this particular tie up system, I recommend assembling the buckles first, before putting the straps around your wrists or ankles. This is because if you do it the other way around, you may find that the two "male" parts line up, rather then the "male" and "female" parts of the buckle. If you remain calm and patient, it is easy to get yourself in and out of a self-bondage position with these cuffs. Also, I found that because the cuffs are made with quality materials, properly reinforced and padded, they are very comfortable to wear for an extended amount of time.

When the Doc Johnson neck collar and wrist cuffs are used together, certain care and safety must be taken into consideration. When the wrist cuffs are attached to the buckles of the neck collar, you are putting yourself in a very sensitive position. Should you struggle, by pulling your wrists apart (to the side, say left and right), you are also pulling any slack of the collar tightly around the front of your neck. This may cause you to cough, choke or otherwise strain your breathing (which in turn may cause you to panic!). Because of this, if you are struggling (as part of your role playing in a scene), I only recommend that your hands/wrists go in the same direction (i.e., reaching/straining forward, so that any slack around your neck continues to leave your windpipe unaffected, and puts any strain on the back your neck, only).

Anyone can begin to invest in a restraint system. But for a reasonable price, Doc Johnson has designed several restraint systems which are intended to be used together. Though there is no list of which to get first, the most practical order of these purchases would be to begin with the wrist cuffs. Any future Doc Johnson restraint system purchase after that depends entirely upon the use of these cuffs. That is to say, if you theoretically like the idea of Doc Johnson's other restrain systems, get these cuffs first. Make sure you like the material and craftsmanship as well, before investing in the rest of the set (which are otherwise useless on their own).