Noir collar - collar by Sportsheets - review by Do emu

Because of its cruelty-free material and low price, vegan kinksters and BDSM beginners would appreciate this collar a lot. Advanced users who are more used to leather or higher quality materials might not be so impressed with this collar, but this would be a hit with anyone who wants to try out a new role in the bedroom, attend a fetish event, or add a kinky accessory to a costume. The lining is soft and comfortable, though probably not comfortable enough to wear all day long. It is unisex, which I really appreciate, and I'm sure others will too. The design is classic, simple, and noir, but not something you'd probably see in film noir!

This collar has a very simple construction and design.

Let's talk about the material. This collar is made of faux leather, which is made of synthetic fibers from the polyurethane group, and is water resistant. It is not completely smooth, but mimics the texture of real leather. It also has no noticeable smell. I don't have any other faux leather items, unfortunately, so it's difficult to compare the quality of the collar with something else. This definitely isn't a high-end luxury collar, so I don't know how long this will last. Faux leather sometimes has a tendency to crack over time, so I'm probably not going to make this my main collar. Its simple design could be a nice accessory for some costumes, but it looks like it is more for show than for play. It has a dull shine to it similar to real leather (as opposed to high shine like PVC). The color is plain black, and has no patterns or extras other than the metal D-ring to attach a leash to. I was unable to find out from Eden or Sportsheets what kind of metal they used for the D-ring.

The inside of the collar is some sort of soft plush, similar to felt or fur. Because of how this was packaged, there are two noticeable dents in the material from where it was folded around the cardboard. I'm not sure if they will go away over time, but the dents are not currently giving into any reverse bending I'm doing to even it out.

Here's a photo of the inside of the collar:



The collar is very adjustable and has three snap closures. You can extend or tighten the collar a lot to fit your neck, but I am not sure how well it will fit very thick or very thin necks. For faux leather, this is a suitable option, but I'd rather see a metal or plastic adjuster piece similar to bra or garter straps for a more precise fit, because it wasn't as tight as I wanted it to be and if I used a tighter setting it would have been too tight.

I have mine on the middle snap setting; my neck measures 13.25 inches around. The collar's summary on Eden had different dimensions than mine. I'm including accurate measurements up to .25 inches.

Here are the dimensions of the collar:
Minimum length with snaps: 14.25 inches
Maximum length with snaps: 18.75 inches
Width: 1 inch
D-ring diameter: 1.5 inches

The simple design of this collar makes it a great accessory to so many outfits. Black goes with everything! And let's face it, black goes with nothing, too, if you catch my drift.

Though I do not have my leash available right now, I did test out the strength of the D-ring, and it is reinforced into the collar very well with a piece of nylon. The D-ring should not snap or break away from the collar, either.

It is comfortable to wear for light play, but I think if I had to bend or turn my neck for an extended period of time, the rough edge of the collar would start digging into my skin. If you are not in any strange positions, it should not dig into your neck. But for some people that might be a plus; it just depends on if you're looking for a comfortable or crude collar. It is not bulky and does not chafe, which was nice! I didn't find the width to be too much. Compared to my neoprene collar, this one is much less stifling in terms of bulk. It shouldn't make your neck unbearably hot.

This kind of collar is one you can put on in one quick movement without adjusting it, just be careful of long hair getting in the way of the snaps. Because of the snap design, it's hard to get a precise fit around the neck. It might be too loose or too tight depending on how well the collar's adjustment snaps work with your neck. Personally it was too loose on the middle setting, but too tight on the tighter setting.

If your collar gets a little dirty, it's easy to wipe down on the outside. You can wash faux leather with warm water using mild, detergent-free soap and a microfiber soft cloth or an ordinary long-handled, soft bristle brush. Though faux leather is water-resistant, because of the unknown material used on the inside of the collar, I would not recommend submerging the collar in water. If you happened to get some kind of body fluid into the fur on the inside, use a damp cloth and a small amount of soap to work into the fur and then let it air dry flat.

I also suggest storing the collar flat (as opposed to folding it around the cardboard piece it came wrapped around) to prevent any bending or warping.

The collar unfortunately came folded around a piece of cardboard, which put two dents in it. On the front, it just has Sportsheet's name and logo, with Noir and Cruelty Free written underneath it. At the bottom is the company's website, www.sportsheets.com.

On the back, it says that no animal products were used to make this item.

The cardboard is recycled and can be recycled again. It does not have any instructions, but it's pretty self-explanatory. I would not recommend storing this collar around the cardboard again. The collar is (gasp!) made in China.

Here's what the collar looks like with the dents from the packaging:

This collar was something I knew I would not be extremely excited about, but thought it could serve to be a sexy accessory. I have the neoprene collar and leash from Eden that I use for more heavy play in the bedroom, which is thicker and heavier but more comfortable for extended wear. I'd much rather wear this collar out in public than my bulky neoprene collar as it is sexier and more breathable.

I honestly was not putting high expectations on this collar, as it is plain and cheap. That being said, I am very happy about the cruelty-free material as I do make an effort to be conscious about what I buy and what kind of an impact the production has.

I recently bought some wetlook dresses by Coquette, and have been dying to pair some great accessories with them. The halter dress might not work as there would be too much going on around my neck area, but I could see this working perfectly with the pleather dress.

It is so light and comfortable I could probably wear it and forget about it, though now that I'm temporarily living at my mom's house again I don't think I want to risk that. I could just imagine the scene:
*Walks into the kitchen for a glass of water*
*Mom sees collar*
Mom: Are you a dog or something? Why do you have a collar around your neck?
Me: Uh... I'm testing it out for a review!