Bondage basics collar - collar by Kinklab - review by Vaccinium

Few BDSM items can subjugate a partner quite like a collar can. Ropes and cuffs can bind, but they only take away the movement of arms and legs. Floggers, paddles, and crops sting the skin, but they only leave marks. Collars, on the other hand, connote ownership. When a sub is collared up, and their dom has them at the other end of a leash, there is no mistaking who is in charge and who is, at best, his or her pet.

This particular bondage collar is definitely aimed at the beginner who is just getting into bondage or BDSM. The no gender-neutral pink color, for one, indicates that it is a beginner-only toy as does the thickness of the leather. While not thin leather, it is still not as thick as collars designed for advanced BDSM practitioners. The leather itself is soft and comfortable on the skin, yet rigid enough to hug the skin snugly. The outside of the collar is a smooth, polished leather, whereas the inside is a more raw, suede-like leather. Although the suede-like leather certainly makes it quite comfortable on the skin, it can complicate cleaning it, should that ever be required.

The metal loop to the leash is attached to the leather collar by two grommets. Unfortunately, our experience was that too much pulling force on the leash can cause the metal loop to break away from the grommets. Super glue repaired it for us, but no longer do I feel comfortable doing much more than pulling the leash until it is taut. Of course, this is meant to be a beginner's collar, so it is certainly designed for lighter play. Still, pulling on it hard enough to pick someone up to a seated position shouldn't be asking too much. It is also worth mentioning that this is just a collar, not a collar/leash set. The leash needs to be purchased separately, although if you have a dog at home, you may very well have a spare leash that would work just fine.

The locking design is very much like a belt, inasmuch as a metal d-ring fits through slots on the collar so the tightness of the collar around the neck can be changed incrementally. I thought at first that this would be a negative since you are limited by the slots in terms of how to achieve the ideal tightness. However, the system works well, and I've had no trouble getting the collar perfectly snug.