Products like wrist restraints|Wrist and ankle cuffs and ankle restraints|The play arsenal of BDSM are really straightforward. There’s only so much variation possible, only so many improvements that can be made upon such a simple design. Yet despite the simplicity, they can be rather expensive if you require them to be of a certain level of quality. Oh sure, there are cheap Velcro versions and the like - restraints that don’t restrain and make me worry about chafing. Leather restraints|Leather Wrist restraints - Wrist cuffs are often fairly pricey – why, I do not know. It makes no sense to me how something a fraction the yardage and the complexity of a leather coat could cost so much.

These ankle cuffs|Ankle restraints large - Ankle cuffs by Spartacus carry a mid range price tag, but I feel that they are good value for their price. They are well made with no bells and whistles. The leather piece that wraps around the ankle is buttery soft and supple; its pillowiness caresses the skin beneath. No chance of chafing from these babies.

They are certainly large ankle cuffs; I am down at one of the tightest holes in the strap, and there are a lot of holes. Perhaps these would be too large for someone with very slender ankles. I think I will trim down the straps as the excess lops around a tad annoyingly.

The d-ring on the strap is very sturdy and is attached to the ankle strap well. It is threaded between two pieces of leather that are stapled shut in eight individual places. This means that if one staple breaks, the d-ring is still securely in place. This is a very simple and downright clever design.

The buckle is straightforward as well, well made but nothing out of the ordinary. It is not built to allow for locking of the cuff. It is positioned directly opposite the d-ring when the cuff is in pace on the ankle; when tension is pulled on the cuff, the buckle doesn’t contort, flex, or otherwise move. These cuffs are built to last.

In summary, I found these cuffs to be exactly what I expected – no more, no less. I am indifferent about them now. They do their job admirably, and they’re well built; the price tag is reasonable as well.

Simple and straight forward is often a good thing, but these cuffs are just a little too boring. They continue to be uninspiring - I find I rarely use them and opt to use rope instead, as it is just more sensual. Since receiving these cuffs, I have picked up a pair of lovely Aslan leather wrist cuffs, which are also very simple and carry a low range price tag - but are just sexier looking and somehow more padded and thus comfortable. I use the wrist cuffs regularly, and I feel like this is a testament to how uninspiring these ankle cuffs are. I feel like I could make cuffs equivalent to these Spartacus leather cuffs by picking up a few old belts at a second hand store and cutting off the excess. In fact, that would probably be much cheaper and potentially, a lot more comfortable, especially with really old and nicely worn in leather. So, as I said in the original review - these cuffs are exactly what I expect, and nothing more.