The Fresh wrist restraints are baby blue with neon pink accents. On the plus side, this is great for making bondage play seem less scary. Neither my partner nor I are very experienced with BDSM play, and the light, fun design really helped us get past the heavy expectations that can come with a more “serious” restraint made from leather and chrome and spikes and chainsaws and stuff. On the other hand, they’re not exactly macho (although being tied up is not the most macho thing I’ve ever done), and if the big-leather-and-spikes thing is part of the fun for you, these will surely miss the mark.

Now, I’m a beefy guy, so I was a little worried that these somewhat “girly” looking accessories wouldn’t fit me. Pleasantly, I was quite comfortable, and there were still two looser sizes to go on the buckle. My partner, who is more average-sized, used a setting two sizes smaller than mine, and there were still two tighter settings left. She could even have used them for ankle restraints, although the same manufacturer does make “Fresh Ankle Restraints” that are made for that purpose. Anyway, these will comfortably fit damn near anybody.

The bulk of the restraint is made of a plasticky pleathery polyethylene stuff which is sewn onto a layer of padding. Since it’s kind of thin, I was worried that it would hurt when I pulled on them. Nope, very comfortable. They could have been lined with something really soft and luxurious, but the padding they used was in no way distracting. Before I knew it, I was writhing away, and tugging pretty hard against the restraints. In then end, no marks, no burns, no abrasions, no scars for life. Just fun. The buckles and D-ring (for tying the restraints to the bed or the hood of the car or whatever) were made of metal, and attached by strap made of the same pleathery stuff, but in pink, which was attached to the blue cuff with eight rivets. I’m inclined to doubt that I could hang from the ceiling with them, but I didn’t test that out. I did pull pretty hard, though, and they seemed a lot sturdier than they looked at first. For serious bondage, polyethylene may not be the way to go, but for typical fun BDSM play, these were plenty strong.

One unusual point is that, where most restraints are made from leather, these are made from polyethylene. The manufacturer calls them “vegan friendly.” That means they’re great for people who hate leather, love plastic, love cows, or hate whatever animal polyethylene comes from.

Bottom lines: Might not be serious enough (in function or appearance) for the hardcore, but really great for beginners and lighter players. Non-leather is non-negotiable for lots of folks. If the colors are my biggest complaint, it’s a pretty good product.