Fetish Fantasy Series Spread 'em bar and cuff set - spreader by Pipedream - review by Shadowfall

To put it mildly, this is the most basic of spreader kits - most people who have used more, shall we say, heavy duty gear (collars, cuffs, spreaders) will most likely be disappointed in the quality of construction - I'll get into that below. This kit isn't really designed for heavy-duty use, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear if it breaks after a few rough sessions. For the beginner, though, it's just enough for those just starting to get into more kinky play. Just don't expect it to last terribly long.

Oh, and as to the best feature? Definitely the storage bag.

Whoo boy. Design, craftsmanship, material. As I hinted above, the design leaves quite a bit to be desired - I didn't even order this for active use and was disappointed (I ordered it as inexpensive spreader bars for photography). Here's a summary of how these are constructed - take twist-link chain, run it through a section of thin-walled aluminum pipe (it might be low-grade stainless, but it seems more like chromed aluminum), leave a few extra links on either side and put the cuffs on. They also put rubber end-caps on to prevent the thin aluminum from cutting, but the craftsmanship screams that it was put out to make the most profit on the least risk to overstock.

The cuffs themselves are nylon and velcro, and I'm not entirely sure that I would trust them to not cut the sub. And that nylon strap you see between the hand spreaders and the leg spreaders? Don't plan on removing it without cutting it or popping one of the oddly-placed D-rings - on mine, at least, it was stitched into the rings.

From my perspective, the best part of this was the bag - it's nice quality rip-stop nylon, discreet, and holds other spreaders quite nicely, as well as more comfortable cuffs. If you are looking at this and thinking "Maybe..." I'd suggest pricing the parts I listed out at your local hardware store, as then you'll have more variety in options as well as being able to buy heavier-stock pipe to function as the spreader and avoid having the spreader suddenly buckle. If you already own your own set of cuffs, these are not the spreaders you are looking for.

I'll be blunt here - as I said, I bought these for use in photography and after receiving them, I immediately realized that they wouldn't do the job. The strap linking the hand-spreader to the leg spreader is oddly off-center at the legs, the material looks inexpensive (and probably is), and I didn't feel like putting in the time to correct the problems I found in the design. Instead, I went out and bought a few solid spreader bars at a slightly higher cost and put them in the bag. I still have the original spreaders with them but don't really see myself using them in the near future.

Am I being a bit snobbish? Perhaps. Like I said - these are aimed at beginners (aside - I mean no offense in saying beginners - we're all beginners at one point) and are built to be inexpensive to construct and minimize the risk on investment to the manufacturer. If you're more adventurous and are with a new partner who is a little less-so, then these would be great to introduce the person to restraint/forced positions (and maybe that's why I haven't actually tossed them - just in case that occasion comes up).

If you do choose to go that direction, I would recommend replacing the cuffs and collar in that case with more comfortable ones, and putting a snap-link on the ends so you can replace the cuffs at will for more versatility. It's a cheap upgrade, but suddenly you can get much more value out of the product. Just don't hook them up to thigh-cuffs, to be on the safe side (just my opinion, but like I said - the pipe looks pretty flimsy). For a couple of extra dollars and an hour of time, you can greatly increase the utility of the spreaders.

The cardboard box holding the bag and bars is rather...blatant in its graphics (but not graphic in its graphics), so I wouldn't recommend this for the bridal shower, white elephant gift parties at work, or family gatherings (unless your family is far more adventurous and open-minded about sexuality than mine). Bachelorette parties, bachelor parties, or any sort of event where unwrapping the box is more likely to produce laughter than awkward silence would be more appropriate if you leave them in the box. Unless you leave the sender unknown and enjoy creating potentially awkward situations - in which case, please be sure to post the video!

The bag makes the product much more discreet. Would I recommend putting it in carry-on luggage? No. Checked luggage? Sure, just maybe put a little tag on one of the handles explaining the contents in fairly broad terms to leave the TSA agents from puzzling over whether the contents are dangerous, and if not, what they are.

Again, nylon cuffs, open pipes. These do not make this product easily cleaned, especially since you can't detach certain nylon parts (aside - the manufacturer may have changed the cuffs and/or the center tie since I purchased mine to make them removable - in which case, the pipes still present a challenge).

Given that these are designed for the throat, wrists, and ankles, the odds of anything more than sweat getting on anything seem slim, so a wipe-down with a wash cloth probably is sufficient to remove most biologic dangers. The cuffs can probably be sprayed with Cavi-Cide or a similar product to avoid build-up of sweat smell - then again, that might be excessive.

The bag probably won't need cleaning, but if it does, toss it in the washer on low-temp and then air dry. The bag provides great storage for the spreaders - discreet, easy to stow/stash.

I'm not an advanced kink player, despite the tone in the review. So maybe that's the most critical piece of the review - when someone who doesn't have much play experience says "these are poorly made."

To those who are willing to invest a few more dollars and some time, you can upgrade some of the failings of the product fairly easily and make them somewhat more useful, but will probably still become dissatisfied after a while.

The best use I can see for these are for those who want to dip their toes in the waters of more kinky play, or for one partner who is more adventurous and experienced to introduce to a less experienced or adventurous partner. They aren't very threatening looking (particularly if you remove the collar), and the velcro is an easy escape in case of panic (note - those who are upgrading these, you may want to consider putting panic-snaps on the ends of the chain in place of O or D rings - saddle and tack shops will carry them).