Fetish Fantasy Series Japanese silk rope - restraints by Pipedream - review by Kayla

Rope is used for bondage between consensual partners. This rope is 35 feet long which is long enough for most body harnesses. The rope is also easily long enough to restrain either the wrists or ankles separately or restrain the wrist or ankle to a bondage point. The rope has an average diameter that makes it suitable for larger bondage pieces (like tying wrists, ankles, or body harnesses), but the diameter will be too large for using it for smaller, precise bondage (like genitals, fingers, or toes).

This rope is intended for beginners instead of experts. The rope is soft to the touch, and because it's so flexible, it's not suitable for suspension. It's not rough like hemp, but the much more affordable price makes this a beginner's item. Advanced bondage players may still want to check this out because it offers a softer alternative to many of the professional ropes like hemp or jute.

This rope will hold knots well, so it is suitable for both rough and light bondage play. Since this rope should be able to bounce back easily from being submerged in water, it also can be used for bondage in water. (Please be aware of shower safety. Never bind someone standing up in the shower since they will not be able to catch themselves if they slip. Sitting or laying in the bathtub is the safest way for shower safety.)

Bondage should always be attempted only between consensual, trusted partners. Bondage is not a good idea for a one-night stand. Before attempting bondage, the partners should discuss what each one is expecting to get out of the bondage as well as any safe words or precautions that either partner should take. Bondage rope should be used with caution if a person has any sort of blood circulation issues. This rope should never be used for suspension - ever. It's much too flexible to hold firm without any doubts about it breaking.

The box says that the material for this rope is silk, but the material does not feel like silk. I'm not an expert on different materials, so I can not say anything for sure, but the rope seems to feel more like cotton than silk. Since cotton is less likely to burn the skin than silk, this is not a problem; cotton is much stronger of a material and just as soft.

Both of the ends are pre-finished. This means that, while the rope can be cut, the ends will have to be retied if you do to prevent fraying of the edges of the rope. The edges are actually tied with pieces of silver tape. The silver ends on the rope are not metal; they are pieces of metallic tape. On the first piece of rope I received, the tape was flawless. On the second piece of rope, one of my ends was flawless while the tape was coming undone on the other end. The piece of tape will end up falling off, but until then, it can easily be re-wrapped around the piece of rope to keep it from fraying. If the original piece of tape comes off, it is recommended to replace it with electrical tape.

To replace it with electrical tape, wrap the piece of rope with electrical tape on the ends. After that is complete, cut the rope with scissors in the middle of the piece of electrical tape. This will keep the ends of the rope from fraying.

The rope itself is braided. This assures that the rope will stay together nicely and will have some flexibility to it. The rope is very soft to the touch and will feel sensual on the skin. It feels like a well-loved pair of cotton panties that have been washed in fabric softener. It can easily be dragged across the skin without burning the person. I've never had any problems with rope burn as of yet. The rope, because of the braiding, also leaves pleasant-looking rope marks on the skin after the rope is removed.

This rope works well for most bondage purposes. Since the rope is 35 feet long, this is long enough to do bondage harnesses on most people of average size. For a plus-size person, it may not be enough rope to complete a body harness. However, for the average body, this should be enough rope for a very basic harness.

With this rope, the knots will hold firm. This can be a plus and downside. Make sure to think your designs through before tying knots to assure that they won't stay permanently knotted. The knots, however, are not going to come undone with struggling of your bound partner, so this rope is good if you want strong rope for bondage.

Since the rope feels more like cotton, these washing instructions will follow what cotton rope washing. This rope can be tossed into the washer. However, do not leave this rope out by itself with the clothing. It will tangle in the washer if that is done. Instead, use a lingerie bag to keep the rope from tangling with the machine itself. We do not use detergent when washing it in the washing machine, but instead, you can use fabric softener to make the rope softer. Our cotton rope is usually dried in the dryer, but to extend the life of your rope, it is recommended that you let the rope air dry.

Because fabric retains diseases and bacteria very easily due to its porous nature, it is recommended that, if using this new blood or bodily fluids, this piece of rope become fluid bonded. Since it doesn't cost that much, it's not worth it to risk spreading problems just to avoid purchasing new rope. Regardless, try to avoid getting bodily fluids or blood on the rope just to keep it clean. However, with the red rope, blood wouldn't stand out too much. It's still not a good idea to get blood on it.

For storage, it is recommended to keep it away from being flattened by heavy objects. Sitting underneath heavy objects will flatten it. It can be folded and knotted to keep the rope from tangling with other objects. Since there are really no storage concerns aside from keeping it away from heavy objects, the rope can be stored wherever works best.

The Japanese Silk Rope comes in a large box from Pipedream Products. The box is not discreet, and it shows a male and female in different bondage positions. The bondage positions provide good inspiration for using the rope yourselves, but most of the positions are regular rope-tying and not Shibari-style. Most people should be able to copy the rope bondage on the package easily, but in some spots, it does look like two lengths of the rope were used to do the specific tie.

The box is extremely large compared to the size of the rope. The box is over a foot tall, and because of the large size, the box is not very suitable for storage of your rope. The box is also slightly suitable for gift-giving. It is not going to look sensual, but it will serve for a box for giving the gift if your partner is okay with the pictures of the models on the box. The box is made entirely from cardboard, so it is recyclable.

No instructions were included with the box. If you want to learn how to do rope bondage, the books Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage and Two Knotty Boys Showing You the Ropes. Aside from the outer pictures of rope bondage for inspiration, no other bondage instructions are included either. The box does include a free satin blindfold as well.

I received two copies of this rope. I bought this rope myself when it was first released, then I was offered it for descriptive review. I was surprised by the fact that the two ropes are so different in quality. My first rope was very disappointing. The rope came with all sorts of loose threads and was starting to unravel. My product opinion would have not been pleasant with that rope. However, my second rope was much better in terms of quality, and it looks a lot better. My point? If you receive rope that has loose threads, it'd be best to submit a support ticket and exchange it for a new copy. It seems to be a product defect.

My personal amusement: For being advertised as a Shibari-style rope, there was no Shibari-style bondage on the box. I found this amusing. However, Shibari would be hard for beginners to duplicate, so it makes sense that they chose to provide easier ties on the box.