Rope Gods, Forgive Me.

I really should have listened more to the more critical reviews because we already have a taste for rope and use it. Next time I'll put money towards quality rope that can be used for suspensions or rougher play, because this rope won't cut it for me in the long run. Don't get me wrong, this rope has been fun and all, but for my taste, I prefer something that feels a little bit more substantial. I do think beginners will enjoy this rope, but confirmed ropers and beyond please move on!
Published:
Pros
Price, choice of colors, won't fall apart
Cons
Cheap ends, hollow core, color does not match box nor image
Rating by reviewer:
3
extremely useful review

Use

I bought this rope to use it as a cheap stripe of color in sexy knotted creations on my lover's body. The 35 foot / 10.5 meter length is ideal for me to practice with right now, and I was very interested in the 1/4 inch thickness. As the box suggests, this rope is good for simple bounds of hands, ankles, etc. I would not use it for any sort of load-bearing ties, as I have over-tightened knots with the force of my arms and the rope has no weight rating. You can even cut the rope into more manageable sizes if you are so inclined, as the ends are not exactly finished in metal as they appear. It's rope. Anything that you use rope for, you can use this rope for, what more can I say? Besides its intended use as light bondage rope, you can cut it up and use it to tie your curtains; make a door hanger; braid a belt. I don't know, but I can't completely imagine this becoming a permanent selection in a rigger's box for much more than a cheap splash of color.
  • 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
    • Can be worn as jewelry
    • Light restraint
  • Where
    [ ? ]
    Where / what types of places can this product be used?
    • Anywhere
    • Play party
  • Features
    [ ? ]
    What kind of features does this product offer?
    • Travel friendly

Design / Craftsmanship / Material / Size / Fit

The description of this rope is misleading from pretty much the moment you opened the product page and looked at it, to until you have the box in your hands, open it, and run it through your fingers. On the product page the title claims SILK, and on the box I read silk, silk, silk, at least three or four times, including in the product description! And then in small, unemphasized lettering it says 100% Cotton. It feels vaguely similar to a length of silk rope that I have lying around, but it really doesn't match the stretchiness or give of the silk. I do prefer this rope over the silk, however, because it is more rugged. Besides this, what I had taken to be metal ends on the rope from the picture on the product page turned out to be tape! Shiny, silver stickers, wrapped carelessly around each end of my rope. Someone even specifically wrote in a previous review that they were CLASPS, and that the material was silky! Yuck, did I get sucked in! Those stickers are already losing their stick and will eventually come undone. The corners of it scratch and sound horrible sliding against skin and rope, alike. I think I will probably end up having to whip or wax the ends if we do end up keeping the rope. Rope gods, please forgive me for my frugality and gullibility.

**Edit: I have jumped the gun and just taken the tape off and tightly whipped the ends--much better!

The color is not quite as vibrant and deep as that pictured, and don't anybody give me that hullabulloo about monitor colors either! The cooler, deeper, nearly indigo purple that I see on my screen is a far cry from this lifeless lilac I am holding in my hands. That rope on the screen has almost a synthetic shimmer to it, and mine is as matte as a brick.

This rope appears thick but has a lot of give to it, with a sensation of being hollow, like cheaper plaited ropes. Our hemp rope, while easy to untwist, feels solid all the way through. Come to think of it, this rope is comparable to the strings that come in the waistbands of gym shorts or some swim trunks. The fibers are all plaited around like those "chinese finger traps" that you push both fingers into. It constricts upon being pulled and fattens as you squish it back together. While not QUITE that cheap feeling, it has a very similar construction and texture to the gym-shorts ties, but maybe twice as thick.

This rope is thick enough not to settle into hand-tightened knots, so it isn't a challenge to pick open a knot in this rope with reasonable tightening. However, I have not trusted this rope with any amount of body weight. After testing it by pulling different knots VERY tightly into it (often more tightly than you would need, but science demands it!), I was put-off about trying to add weight to the rope; I had a hard time removing these tighter knots once they set. While the cotton rope's knots initially hold in place well, I prefer my synthetic ropes because they are more forgiving to untie while providing body and strength.

The rope is truly far from luxurious--it's much bumpier than we are used to, and it feels too light and weak. Being made of cotton, it will easily become musty if allowed to get and stay wet, as is very possible when tying someone who is sweating with anticipation. One would benefit from using a lingerie bag within which to launder and dry the rope after any particularly wet playtime. After some dry uses and a wash, this rope is holding up but is becoming fuzzy. It is not SOFT but not scratchy--it's not what I'd describe as silky either.

The 35 foot (give or take, how can I measure to double check?) length is just about right for my slender volunteer, and I've done a couple different harnesses of medium intricacy on him with a surplus of length left over to fiddle with or make into a silly tail. For my linebacker-sized volunteer, I don't know if I could harness him with anything more than a basic tie with this length of rope.

I feel this rope is more of a "show" craftsmanship than a "use" craftsmanship, like how they have cheapo swords to display on your wall and the hefty, quality ones are the ones you actually use. It will definitely do for on-the-fly ties and light stuff though, don't get me wrong!
    • Flimsy
    • Multiple ways to use
    • Will fit most people

Performance

I must say that, despite my disappointments with the product's presentation, I did not expect the world of this purchase and, therefore, was not let down by what I got. This rope did hold up to my simple harness ties and wrist/ankle cuffs or wraps, though there was no struggling or straining to put any kind of stress on it besides some tighter knots. I have put my darling into a few ties with this, and he actually slept in a loose harness. The rope didn't mark him nor did it cause any rope burn once I started to hurry. It was comfortable enough against the skin to fall asleep in and stay the night in a blissful little rope cocoon, so I can say that much for this rope. Once again, this rope is not to be trusted in any high-strain scenarios, but it is enjoyable for quiet practice sessions and trying out new ties, especially since this is a bit thicker than the rope we tend to have laying around.
    • Comfortable during use
    • Easy to put on / use
    • Holds up to use well

Care and Maintenance

Once this rope gets some more use on it, I will be coiling it loosely into a mesh bag or lingerie laundry bag--whichever I find first--and washing it in the machine on hand-wash with little-to-no detergent and no softener. This is only personal preference, since neither the sub nor I like the smell of flowery / "fresh breeze" clothes when we are in a rope-mind. If the rope gets skunky enough to need a wash, then we wash, but otherwise the little smell that rope comes with is something to treasure. I usually try to air-dry my rope but this is a longer length than I usually have laying around so I would probably put it right into the dryer on the lowest heat setting.

This longer rope I store doubled, "crocheted," by daisy chaining it and joining it end-to end into a ring, like how I'd store my extension cables in the collision shop.

electricians/daisy chain

This is just to keep it looking tidy, unlike just coiling or wrapping, which can be disturbed. It looks pretty stored on the wall this way, and even though it will hold the kinks if left too long, it is easier this way to find the center and uncoil it--tangle-free every time.
    • Easy to clean
    • Easy to store

Packaging

Packaging--forget subtlety! There's a mostly-naked woman all over the box, making faces like she's doing something supremely scandalous. There weren't any real instructions for this product (not that you'd need any, really) and there was schmaltz all over the back panel about the sexy time that you're going to have with this rope.
    • Not discreet
    • Uninformative

Personal comments

I like this rope for a surprise dash of color against the plainer rope laying around in the toybag. While quality processed hemp rope in astonishing colors costs about $1.20-3.00 on average per foot, this rope is a good quality for beans--34 cents a foot. And it works, despite the LIES!
Follow-up commentary
I know that my initial review was pretty tough on the rope, and it looks like by now it has been discontinued with EF. Which is okay - I would never buy any more of it, but it does still hold a place in my rope bag. We uncoil it every once in a while when I'm not in the mood for a full-on installation, and use it as rope-jammies or lounge-binds. Am I the only one who thinks rope ought to occasionally be comfy? Anyways, since I must recognize that the "silk" rope is still being used, I have to say I've started to like it more, if only by a tiny, tiny margin.
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This review was edited by
  • Basalt Contributor: Basalt
  • Rank:
    5.5 / 10
  • Edited reviews: 304
Comments
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  • Contributor: gwenevieve
    thanks for the review! sorry you didnt like it :c
  • Contributor: Loriandhubby
    thanks for the review. too bad you didn't like it. i just love mine.
  • Contributor: Beneath The Bed
    Thanks for the review!
  • Contributor: cocobearrr
    thanks for the review
  • Contributor: MK434
    Nice review!
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