Sex and Mischief intro to S&M kit - bdsm kit discontinued by Sportsheets - review by Apirka

Sportsheets' Sex and Mischief Intro to S&M Kit could be a BDSM newbie's wet dream. The kit includes faux fur covered handcuffs, blindfold and mini-whip. All the items are rather cheap and will not withstand rough play, but they are non-intimidating for someone completely new to any kind of kink and looking to get their feet wet. I would not recommend this kit to anyone with any experience in BDSM, you should look elsewhere for sturdier toys. As a gag gift or for someone absolutely new to bondage play and willing to test whether they are into it or not, this might be what you're looking for. Just don't expect this kit to stand up to rigorous, or even average, use.

As some of the comments on the product page mention, this set looks rather cheaply made. And to be completely honest, it is. All pieces are rather flimsy and will not withstand rough or prolonged play.

Blindfold:
The blindfold, or mask, is black and shiny and is comparable to an average sleep-type mask you could pick up at a dollar store. Shape-wise, it honestly looks like a maxi-pad with an elastic band sewn on. It is roughly 7 1/2 inches in length, 3 1/4 inches at its widest, 3 inches at its narrowest (in the middle where there is a slight curve), and about 1/8 of an inch thick. The elastic is about 16 inches in length (unstretched) and not quite 1/4 of an inch wide. The blindfold actually fits well and is comfortable. I could barely see any light through it and that's with an overhead light on, side lamp and while looking at a bright window. There is no actual cutout (other than a slight curve) for the nose, so, depending on the size of the wearer's nose, about an inch or so of light and sight is visible on each side of the nose.

Whip:
The whip is made of an 6 inch long piece of hollow plastic tubing with a strip of vinyl fabric wrapped around it, a simple rivet attaches the end of the strip at the bottom of the tubing. At the top, a loop of the same vinyl material (roughly 11 inches in total length) acts as a wrist strap. At the bottom, there is a strip of the vinyl fabric with several 1/4 inch wide straps cut into it length-wise wrapped around the plastic tube for the "whip" portion of the item. These straps are just shy of 14 inches, the entire whip (minus wrist strap) is 20 inches long. The handle is 3 inches in circumference and 1 inch in diameter. The vinyl whip straps, as well as the wrist strap, will stretch if pulled on, so care should be taken unless you want to damage the item before it is even used.

Handcuffs:
The handcuffs measure 13 1/2 inches from top of one cuff across to the other. Three chain links, just over 2 1/2 inches in total length, hold the two cuffs together. Each cuff is covered in a tube of faux fur which can be removed. The first click of the handcuff leaves an opening of about 2 1/4 inches. My wrists are about 7 inches in circumference and the first and second clicks on the cuffs fit me snugly. If your wrists are bigger than mine, these will not fit you. The cuffs click down to about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, so these cuffs are definitely more suited for smaller wristed people.

The material listing on the back of the package just says: "Made of: Elastic, polyester fabric, polyester binding, polyester fur fabric, nickel free hardware, vinyl fabric, and wood". It does not specify which item is made of what, but I would assume that the elastic, polyester fabric and polyester binding are the blindfold, the polyester fur fabric and nickel free hardware are the cuffs, and the vinyl fabric and wood are the whip (though my whip has a hollow plastic tube handle, not wood).

All of the items (the blindfold, whip and faux fur on the cuffs) have a weird chemical smell to them. It's not an extremely overpowering smell and you have to hold the items right up to your nose to get a whiff of it, but it is unpleasant smelling. Also, none of the items are very strong or very well-made; they won't survive many play sessions unless you are extremely gentle with them.

I said it above and I'll say it again here; this kit is very cheaply made and will only hold up to gentle use. The handcuffs are very flimsy and will not fit larger wrists. Honestly, a cheap metal pair of cuffs inside a child's police play kit from the dollar store are more sturdy and better made than these. The faux fur is slightly itchy, but does add a little bit of cushion from the cuffs. Though that fur is only a cheap strip of material sewn into a tube and slid onto the cuffs (they can be removed). The cuffs will definitely not hold up to someone pulling on them; the three links in between holding them together are very flimsy and I could have easily broken the set by pulling the cuffs apart. There are also no keys included for the cuffs. There is a latch on the side, which you lift to unlock the cuffs, but the product page picture and package picture both show keys (though there are none).

The blindfold is simple and average. I have seen the same exact thing at the dollar store. It does block out almost all but the very brightest light (and even that is hard to see), but there is no cutout for the nose. The size of the wearer's nose will determine how much the mask lifts up around that area, letting in light and allowing the wearer to see somewhat. The mask is comfortable, though, and should fit anyone's head. The elastic didn't cut into my skin, either.

The whip is very lightweight and fits easily into the palm of the hand. On the other hand, the material is thin and stretchy (so do not pull on it) and the entire thing is more suited for tickling rather than whipping. To elicit any type of pain whatsoever, you have to make sure the very tips of the straps hit the skin. Even then, the feeling is light. A snap from a rubber band would have more sting.

As you can see in the photo below, the box shows keys for the cuffs, but there are none in the box. There are keyholes on the cuffs as well, but as you can see in the second portion of the photo, there is only a latch that unlocks the cuffs.

In this photo, you can see the flimsy links between the cuffs. I'm no Super Woman, but I could have easily broken these apart by pulling on them while wearing.

No care instructions were provided for this product, so use common sense. Do not get any body fluids or lube on the faux fur of the cuffs or it will be damaged. Wiping the whip down with a damp cloth should suffice in cleaning it if needed. The blindfold shouldn't need to be cleaned, but if it does, a wipe with a damp cloth should do, then allow it to dry (though I do foresee a possible spotting issue if the blindfold gets wet). The metal of the cuffs can take a gentle wipe with a damp cloth as well.

The box could be used for storage, or simply place all the items in a small pouch or drawer.

The packaging is not at all discreet. There is a scantily clad female on the front and back, wearing/holding the items. All the items are placed inside a small cellophane bag inside the box. There are no instructions for use in or on the box, though I'm sure use of all of the items is very easy to figure out. There are also no care or cleaning instructions included. The packaging would do, though, if one were to give this as a (gag) gift.

Honestly, I think my cat had more fun with this than I or anyone else did. He is the only one who seemed interested in playing with the whip straps, so I think I have a new kitty toy now. I wouldn't recommend this kit to anyone with any kind of experience in kink or BDSM. The products are very flimsy and good for only a few play sessions (and gentle ones at that). If you're completely and utterly new to this kind of thing and don't have the slightest idea whether or not you'd enjoy this kind of play, I'm not sure I'd recommend this kit to you, either. This is definitely more of a gag gift than anything else, or at the very least, a one time play kit for couples looking to spice up date night. And even then, I wouldn't pay more than ten dollars for this. If you're interested in these type of toys, spend a few extra bucks and get something better made.