Let's say this first off: This collar is very, very pretty. I love the color, the way it curves around my neck, and the contrasts between the leather, the matte-finish hardware and the stitching. The plush inner lining is soft and velvety, the kind of thing that makes me sigh with pleasure when it gets wrapped around my neck.

But beauty isn't this collar's only redeeming feature. It is seriously strong, and works well for rough and tumble BDSM play. The buckle stays buckled, the leather doesn't stretch or give, and the D-ring is solid.

Beginners will likely find that this collar is a great place to begin -- it feels soft and comfortable, which will help set them at ease if they have any concerns about being collared. More experienced collar-wearers will love the ease of use, the luxurious wearability and the collar's ability to take some serious wear and tear.

One of my biggest complaints about collars is that they scratch, poke, pinch or otherwise hurt. And while I like pain, I don't necessary like it when it's inadvertent. This is one of the reasons that I appreciate collars that feature both soft inner linings and high-quality craftsmanship.

This collar by Spartacus is just my kind of thing, for both those reasons. The inner lining is thick and luxurious, which means that even if the boy hooks his finger into the ring to hold me, or if he hooks it to a leash and gives the collar a yank, I always feel like my neck is safe and protected. As part of that, nothing feels like it's going to rip out or fall off -- the stitching (black on red) is not only very pretty, it's quite solid, as is all of the hardware (buckles and rings). For these reasons, he can get rougher with this collar than with others, which never fails to turn us both on.

One additional (and pretty important) thing to note: I have a fairly small neck, which means that it's hard to find a collar that fits me without having to poke extra holes in them. That was true of this collar as well: It almost fit on the smallest hole, but was slightly too lose. So we used a hole punch to add an extra hole in the leather without any problem -- the nice thing is that it's now perfectly snug and the new hole didn't screw up the way it sits on my neck.

I've always loved wearing collars -- and the boy loves the way they look on me -- so to find one that is such a gorgeous red (which makes a nice contrast with my uber-pale skin) and that is so comfortable, is a true pleasure. I want to wear it as much as I can, which often leads to all kinds of impromptu making-out sessions (bonus!).

One disadvantage: If you live in a hot climate or are really having strenuous sex, the inner lining might make you sweat. I notice that I tend to get pretty hot under the collar when I wear this in the summer, which is probably to be expected, but is a bit of a nuisance.

The other way this collar actually works is as a light flogger-style toy. The inner lining can be drawn softly over the skin as a tease while the outer side makes a nice, quiet "whap" sound and produces a slight sting.

One of the nicest things about quality toys is that they're easy to take care of. Just wipe it with a slightly damp cloth (don't saturate the leather) and allow it to air dry. If you sweat a lot and the inner lining gets wets, you can blot it or dry it with a hair dryer set on low.

It's a good idea to store leather in a place where it can breathe, so steer clear of plastic boxes and the like. I let mine hang-dry after use, and then store it in an old pillowcase. Leather can fade, and you don't want to lose any of the great red hue of this collar, so be sure to keep it out of direct sunlight.

I have to admit, we bought this collar because both the boy and I have a thing for red when it comes to our toys. So, we were sold on the color alone, but to be honest we weren't expecting this collar to be any different from the others that we own. It ended up being a pleasant surprise -- I didn't realize how scratchy and painful some of my other collars were until I started wearing this one.

I recently noticed a version of this collar is available in blue as well, which would match my eyes perfectly. I just may have to have that one as well.