Herringbone collar - collar by Ruff doggie styles - review by Kaltir

This gorgeous, very comfortable collar can be used anywhere. If you're looking for something toned down just enough to wear openly in public, this is for you. If you're looking for a very comfortable collar with no exposed rivets, etc, this is for you. If you're looking for something sturdy enough for a rough romp in the bedroom, this collar (surprise, surprise) is for you! The leather is supple enough to allow for extended wear without irritating your skin. The only people that may have a problem with this collar are those with a daintier neck. While the collar measure 22" TOTAL length, 3" of that are past the last hole and not part of the fitting length. When I received this I still had to shorten it 2" myself.

Despite the setback of being too large, shortening it was very much worth the trouble. The buckled end widens where the herringbone pattern starts, so 2" was the max I could remove without risking not getting it back together. I used double-over quilting thread and a mattress needle to sew the end back together after taking the 2 inches off. I also added gorilla glue between the doubled over end I was altering, to help hold it snugly together, and trimmed the excess left on the backside with a new razor blade for a better cut. The end product looks as though it was shipped to me this way and fits PERFECTLY. I couldn't ask for a better fitting, more comfortable collar.

As for the make of the collar, it's made of a very soft leather, but not weak. The black and white strips aren't painted and are woven into the collar, meaning there are no hard garrets left on the back to cause any unwanted pain, or to pop loose, ruining this beauty. The backside isn't as shiny as the front and is what appears to be softer, crushed leather. It too is very sturdy and offers very comfortable padding.

The herringbone pattern is wrapped around what appears to be a thin piece of flexible plastic, which I looked for after reading another review. While mine shows no signs of being able to pop out, it is there. Before wearing, I wrapped the collar around the leg of our kitchen table (it has smooth, large, round legs), and grasping both ends I pulled against the leg, running it back and forth (much the same way you would use the side of a pop machine to smooth a dollar, only pulling against it instead of pressing). I only did this for maybe 2 minutes and the material loosened just enough to fit perfectly.

The buckle is well made and seems it could stand up to pretty much anything you're going to throw at it being on a collar. The D-ring at the front is of equal quality and very well secured. Despite our rough sessions, I have no fear of it breaking loose anytime soon.

At first, we were disappointed that the only ring on this collar is the D-ring on the front. Our intended use was to cuff my hands behind my back with a short length of chain connecting the collar. Still, we figured we could just turn it around for play and turn it back for public wear. This sounds more practical than it was at first. When buckled, there is a fair length left sticking out past the buckle. When we first got it, the leather loop that you tuck the excess under was so close to the buckle that it didn't do much to keep it held snugly in place. I had removed that loop when altering it since it was useless to me anyhow. Thinking I would just have to deal with the end in my face, or that I would have to make a new loop and possibly shorten the end, I was very happy to find that the leather is thick enough that I could just fold the end over and squeeze tightly for a couple of minutes to get it to kink slightly enough to curve towards my neck when on. It's not a long enough length to flop during our roughest sessions and is no longer in my way, or in my hair when I wear it facing the proper direction. When I take it off, I store it in the side of a drawer with that spot folded over and other things against it to keep the crease there for next time. Despite this sounding like a bit of a hassle, it really isn't. If I forget to store it that way, it still holds. I just like to be certain.

We generally don't have any issues getting this dirty, but if we get an oily fingerprint or the such on it, we just use a warm, damp rag with a dab of dish soap on it to wipe it clean. The dish soap takes care of the greasiness of the oil well, and leather is resistant to water. As for storage, the leather doesn't pick up anything, and we sometimes just leave it out.

While the box was packed well, as always, filled with paper to keep everything from bouncing around, the collar itself only came with a tag. I didn't mind since it was well secured by the amount of paper in the box, therefore not scuffed up in any way by the other items. But it would be nice to see some type of packaging in the future, just in case. Maybe an option to add different types of extra packing (like bubble wrap) for a small fee even. I wouldn't mind paying a little extra to be as anal retentive as I see fit when it comes to my packages.

After altering the collar to fit and getting to the store for the hardware we wanted to add, this has turned out to be one of my favorite buys yet. We attached my cuffs to a short length of chain, turned the collar backwards so the D-ring was to my back, and attached the collar. Even with a rather rough session, and my husband randomly pulling at the chain, the collar never loosened and was continuously comfortable. It made for an amazing experience, and we will be using it as often as possible from now on.