Luxe for Luxurious

Once you've decided you like wrist cuffs, ankle cuffs are the next logical step. They restrain the wearer's feet and can be tied in a number of ways - to restraint bars, to under the bed restraints, or simply tied together. When deciding which pair, there's no better quality than Aslan, a company that specializes in leather BDSM goods.

These particular cuffs are called "Luxe" for good reason. The inside is done in padded leather and all layers are luxurious and beautiful white leather. It has a matching harness for those that like to have a matching BDSM wardrobe.

Ankle cuffs in general can be used by beginners and advanced users. Aslan quality doesn't come cheap, however. If you're just starting out, you may want to try some cheaper ankle cuffs first to make sure they are for you before deciding on the Luxe set. Once you know you'll like them, these are a sure to please purchase. The locking buckle will be an appreciated feature to the advanced user.

As with all BDSM play, make sure you have a safe word at the ready.

SIZE/FIT

The cuffs are a total length of 17". The actual cuff is 13.25" long and 2.75" wide. Aslan suggests that it should fit ankle sizes from 7.5"-13". There are six holes for adjustment purposes. They are spaced .25" from each other.



My ankles are 7.75" around. These fit me well adjusted to the fifth hole. This should mean that this fits right in Aslan's range on the lower end. I would assume that means their sizing is also correct on the up side of the scale as well.



MATERIAL/CRAFTSMANSHIP

There are three layers of leather on these cuffs. My usual disclaimer is that I limited in my abilities to judge leather quality. I have purses, shoes, and some bondage items. Other than that, as a vegetarian, I don't buy too much leather. So I'll do the best I can to judge if it's quality or not, but if you want a professional opinion I cannot offer it.



The inner layer is the padded leather. This is .25" thick. Compared to the lining of my Pink Candy Aslan pieces, this is a very thick padding. It is plushy and soft. It doesn't feel like it's been stuffed with anything, but it has a lot of give and pad to it. It's soft leather with that crinkly look that leather gets. It's comfortable against the skin and to wear for long periods.

The next layer is a smooth white leather. It's done in a "matte but shiny" finish. If you look at it directly, it's matte, but if the light catches it then it will reflect off of the smooth surface of the leather and create a sort of shine to it. There is no leather crinkle to this material. It is smooth to the touch. It's supple but hard feeling. It will curve when bent around the skin, but is a little difficult to get to curve around. This layer is 2" wide.

The final layer is what has all the metal on it as well as the notches for sizing. It is done in the same "shiny and matte" finish. It seems a little more pliable than the larger version of this material. This layer is only 1" wide.

All of the leather has a strong leather smell when you first receive it. After a while it diminishes but can still be noticed if held to your nose.

In terms of quality, I have not run across much better than Aslan. Out of the Aslan products I have, the Luxe cuffs seem to be some of the best quality. The leather is soft and supple and not a stitch is out of place. With care, these should last a lifetime.

The metal is nickle plated steel. The metal has passed my husband's metal test since he knows more about that than I do, which tells me it's high quality. I don't know enough to give you any metal or steel details.

DESIGN

Advanced users will appreciate the locking feature available on the Luxe cuffs. Rather than a pin closure, the buckle features a looped tip. A lock can then be inserted through this loop so that the wearer of the cuffs cannot simply remove them without the key. This adds a new level of submission to play. This should not be done by beginners. Of course, make sure you keep the key handy at all times.



Here you can see the front and back of the cuffs once they are closed:

These are some of the most beautifully performing cuffs I have. Where to begin? They are so comfortable to wear. The padding is nice, thick, and plushy. It feels great against the skin. I thrash my legs a good bit and these never dug into me or caused red marks to form on my ankles. I'm also touch sensitive and I never had to take these off from itching or any other reason due to sensitivities. They fit like a dream.

The locking feature is a great bonus. I'd never had cuffs with a locking feature before my Aslan cuffs. I thought it would be something nice, but I enjoy having it much more than expected. Being locked into cuffs really gets you in the right mindset. It brings bondage to a whole new level. For those who are ready to step things up, the addition of the locking buckle will be a welcome feature.

The leather quality is stunning. The white color is gorgeous. Mind you, difficult to keep clean, but beautiful. The stitching is perfect. The leather is soft and supple. However, it is stiff when you first get them and they seem to take forever to break in. Longer than my Pink Candy wrist cuffs. We have had these the same amount of time and I feel like we are still trying to break the Luxe cuffs in. This will be less of a problem if you aren't trying to get them on one of the smallest settings.

We use this mostly with our under the bed restraints and our restraint bar. It works wonders with both of these items. It was purchases specifically for the restraint bar. We decided to ditch the material cuffs that came with the under the bed set once we saw how nice these were. You can use these almost any way you can think of since, unlike a traditional handcuff set that is already attached, you have free range of movement to tie these any way you see fit.

Aslan includes a care tag with all of their pieces:



The primary rule of leather is not to submerge it in water. If you need to clean it, you should use a leather cleaner or a damp cloth and soap. You should dry it immediately and make sure to get in any areas that might collect water. This set will be a little extra work due to the coloring. You can use a leather protector to extend the life of the leather.

Aslan recommends putting a clear coat of nail polish on the metal to extend its life.

There is no storage given for the cuffs. We keep ours in a drawer. You could get a material baggie or some other storage if you'd like. Make sure to keep it out of areas that collect dirt.

There is no packaging. They come looped together so that it looks like just one cuff. This messes with my head and I literally thought there was only one. You have to flip it around to see the other. Silly me!



I really wish these came with some type of storage, but I guess what are you gonna do?

If you already know you like ankle cuffs, you won't find many better than the Luxe cuffs. If you're new to ankle cuffs, the price may be a slight deterrent from jumping right in on these. Try a cheap pair first and if you love them, these are well worth every penny you will spend. The only maintenance issue is the white leather, but care and storage will solve that.

When we bought our restraint bar, we needed cuffs to go with it. I wanted some to match the Pink Candy line, but sadly there aren't any. The Luxe matched the best, so we got these. I'm glad we went with these. The added comfort on my ankles is actually probably better than what the harder Pink Candy leather would have been since I'm sensitive and my legs thrash a lot.

The only bad thing I can say is that these don't break in easily. Other than that, these have been one of the best, highest quality BDSM items that we have ever purchased. I love wearing these not just because of the feeling of being restrained but because I love the way they look and the way they feel when they're on. The locking loop Aslan puts on their cuffs has been a great way to take things to the next level for us. Upgrading our bondage set up was one of the best investments we made and I'm glad we went with Aslan when we did it.