When we first found the Black Rose collection, my girlfriend and I were admittedly quite excited. They seemed classy, stylish, comfortable, etc. What more could you ask for? Well, unfortunately the various products from this line did not quite live to our expectations.

I should start by saying that the Rose Restraints do have some very good qualities. The silk is soft and luxurious, the purple color is unique and beautiful, and the rose in the center is a nice touch. Overall, a romantic look.

That being said, they begin to lack when it comes to functionality. First, there are no directions in the box, so it took a moment to realize how the restraint is supposed to loop over itself to be secured. Well, sort of secured. Since the restraint simply loops over itself, instead of being tied or buckled to be secured (the pre-made loops look awkward when tied), it does not do a great job of keeping your partner in place. With this method of looping over itself, the restraints are tightened by pulling from the center. But that also means they're loosened by doing the opposite. So, any time your partner should feel like, they can simply move their wrist to loosen the restraint. Also, there's no way to shorten the restraint (the restraint is fairly long), or secure it from the middle, so your partner can always bring their hands together. Granted there may be some complicated method, maybe slipping the restraints through several areas of your head board to keep them in place, but for the most part they allow fairly free movement. Not worth the trouble in my opinion.

Really it comes down to what kind of restraints you and your partner are looking for. If you want a cute, light restraint to either begin to familiarize yourself with these kinds of toys, or are looking for a more relaxed, romantic restraint, this may in fact be exactly what you need. For example, this may be a very good choice for a partner who is just getting into bondage, since they're still allowed a good deal of control. It's important to keep in mind that my girlfriend and I both definitely like these restraints and will use them from time to time, but we certainly will be investing in new restraints which do the job more effectively. Overall, this is an excellent product, but one that can vary greatly by taste, so it's important that buyers are familiar with what they're purchasing.

It's important to keep in mind that the Black Rose products are definitely made for beginners. That being said, I definitely have gripes with this product; mostly that the distance between the cuffs can't be adjusted. Regardless though, the material and design is nice, so even though we don't use them that often, it's a nice addition to the collection.