"Silky" Disappointment

The Fetish Fantasy Series Japanese Silk Rope is made for those who are new to rope bondage. I don't see those who are experienced with it liking this rope all that much. Hubby and I are very new to this sort of play and both of us are highly unsatisfied with it. This rope does seem like a great deal at first glance but in reality it isn't. I think if you have never tried any other kind of rope then you may enjoy this product though I don't see you sticking with this for very long. There were many things that I did not like about this rope and I regret buying it.

A few weeks ago my husband discovered that he enjoys tying me up and he has been practicing for a few hours each day. At first we went to Home Depot and bought 40 feet of nylon rope for about $10. Well, me being the colorful loving person I am, decided to order this rope because I thought it was pretty. The purple seemed to call my name.

Unfortunately for us I did not bother to read through the reviews in depth. That was a huge mistake on my part and it's one I will not make again! This rope would get much more use as just about anything other than it's actual intent. In fact, after using this set a few times we're seriously considering moving it out of our toy box and into the garage. I really could have used this when packing up my artificial Christmas tree. It's soft enough to not damage the limbs yet is strong enough to hold them down to fit back in the box. Maybe we'll even use it when we move again but I'm not sure I want to explain to the family members helping us why we have such pretty rope. Now that would be a conversation! I'm sure my mother in law would just love to hear about it but knowing her she'd just ask to borrow it!

There are so many types of rope out there that can be used and for this reason rope bondage can seem intimidating to those who haven't tried it before. You may be thinking that it will hurt to be bound by ropes or maybe you're afraid that you won't be able to get out as easily if something should go wrong. The first thing one should know when beginning rope bondage is always have an easy out just in case. Having a pair of safety scissors in your immediate play area is a must for anyone working with ropes. I know the first time I was tied up I started to feel claustrophobic after a while. Having the scissors nearby comforted me and assured me that I wasn't trapped. I've found that since we're new it's best to not get too in depth with the areas tied and the tightness of the knots. The best places to begin for us have been the wrist and ankle areas as tying the rope around my chest tends to freak me out a little. If you're the least bit claustrophobic just remember that when starting out and be sure to play with a partner you trust. Also it's very important to always have some sort of safe word or signal to let your partner know if you're experiencing difficulties. I know a lot of people like to be gagged during rope play so this is where it's important to have some kind of signal so your partner will know to untie you.

The first thing that you will notice about this rope is that while the box says silk it actually isn't silk at all. It's made of cotton. And I feel that a company should not advertise something as silk when it's clearly not. Even though they list that it's made of cotton why even bother calling it silk? Also the fact that it's cotton left me with a huge problem because I found the rope to be very uncomfortable at times. My hubby likes to watch me struggle to try and escape rope restraints and I ended up with some rope burns during our play. He ended up having to untie me from the “silk” rope and retie me with the nylon ropes we own. Even his opinion as the rigger isn't that great for this product. He says that while this rope would hold a basic knot better than something such as nylon the surface of the cotton isn't as smooth as quality nylon rope and therefore will leave more abrasions. So I guess that's why I was left with a bunch of red marks to hide!

This rope is 35' long and is about the width of a standard crayon. The length gives the user plenty of room to work with and from what I understand is a good starting point for both beginners and advanced users. The width is on the smaller side so this product would be perfect for more complex rope work if it wasn't for the poor quality. The more complex the design the less you'll be able to use the rope and keep it aesthetically pleasing. It would be better served as a permanent decorative piece at that point. As you become more experienced with rope bondage you can even cut the rope to fit the areas you want to tie on someone, but I would only do that if I was playing with just one person. With something like nylon rope you could melt the ends with a flame to keep the rope from unraveling. With cotton rope, however, you can't burn the ends so I would suggest using a whipping knot. Here is a link to a quick and easy video from YouTube on how to do it. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2HFjSW37a8]

As far as outward appearances, the rope is beautiful. The purple one is a deep, rich shade and it definitely appeals to those who love some color. I imagine that the other colors are just as beautiful. The problem for me lies with the craftsmanship. This rope is very cheaply made and I imagine that a lot of that is due to the cotton material. During the very first use of this product we noticed that the rope was starting to fray or leave shaggy like threads behind. I believe these to be caused by the friction created when one side of the rope rubs against another side.

Another issue I had was the sound created when the rope was being tied off. I guess I must be very sensitive to noise but something about the sound of the rope rubbing against itself really turned me off. It was like nails on a chalkboard and it made me cringe.

I also did not enjoy the feel of this rope. When just holding it in your hands and not doing anything it's actually very soft. But the whole point of buying this rope is to do some tying not just hold it! The whole thing just seems so cheaply made once you start using it. Considering the price of the product I should have known…

Oh, and speaking of cheap? They use tape for “end caps.” It is annoyingly scratchy and came into contact with my skin so much we are looking into removing them somehow. I guess we could go back to the whipping knot I mentioned.

I almost always enjoy Pipedream products but they've disappointed me in this one!

While I will say over and over again and tell anyone who asks that I have yet to enjoy this rope I will readily admit that it does do the job. It will restrain you and if tied correctly I don't think you could escape easily from it. You will definitely be left with rope burns especially if you have sensitive skin but most likely you will still be tied up.

I noticed that this rope is much easier to tighten up than the nylon we have been using so far. Hubby and I are still very new to rope bondage so he had to untie me multiple times because the rope kept getting tighter and tighter as he went on. I know that is supposed to happen but with this rope I think it’s far too difficult to find a good starting point and end up being comfortable. He has since told me that the elasticity of the rope allows it to be tied too tightly because once you tie the knot the rope seems to spring back a bit once actually in use.

I have always said that I believe being comfortable while restrained is important and I was definitely not comfortable while using this product. Honestly I would not recommend this to users unless they have never used any other type of rope. I actually prefer the hardware store nylon over this!

With the fraying and shedding this rope will also not hold up for long term use. So while you think you're getting a deal with a cheaper price you'll probably just end up replacing it sooner rather than later.

Please note that in the following pictures not all of the length was utilized.

Here is a simple tie Hubby did for me...


And here's a tie that is more aesthetically pleasing...


If you're curious here is how this rope compares to standard nylon from a hardware store.

One very good thing about this rope and cotton rope in general is it's super easy to take care of and clean. As long as you're not playing with multiple partners I wouldn't even find it necessary to clean the rope that often. Of course there are certain designs that end up going in the crotch area and such and for those I would definitely suggest a cleaning even if the rope is only being used on one person. It never hurts to be as sanitary as possible!

Given the extreme softness of this rope and its tendency to fray I would suggest a hand washing in cold water with a gentle soap or laundry detergent. I suppose you could throw it in the washer during a delicate cycle but don't be surprised if it comes out more loose.

To dry I would just let it air dry by linking it through a clothes hanger very loosely so it's not tied together. I would not stick this in a dryer because I think it would come out very fuzzy!

For storage we like to keep it in a standard coil so as to avoid fraying and kinks in the line as much as possible. Once in the coil it doesn't take up much space at all.

While I don't have the box any longer because it's pointless to keep this one I can definitely describe it. The box is much bigger than the actual product and is certainly not discreet. If you like to keep packaging for storage purposes I would suggest getting a smaller box than the one the rope actually comes in. If you usually frequent novelty shops and websites seeing this box won't come as a shock to you but it would definitely shock your family if they found it!

The model used is very pretty but that's not uncommon for this industry. The packaging features her tied in several positions showing the potential buyer how the product could be used and her facial expressions in each depiction are ones of ecstasy leading us to believe that using this product will bring the user the same satisfaction.

I wish I could say that I was as pleased as the model on the box!

I did not enjoy this rope. I found it to be scratchy and uncomfortable. The rope can become too tight very easily and when you have to untie and start all over the enchantment seems to disappear and is replaced by frustration. This product chafes while in use and left me with rope burns.