If you are looking for a simple, beginner collar to go with, this isn't it. It's well made, but very wide. Wider than I thought it would be. Either that or I have a small neck. It you don't have a long neck, a thinner collar would be a much better place to start.

I found the width of the collar left a negative impression on me as it was hard to move my neck at all. For the right person, I'm sure that this would inspire a more lascivious response than it did with me. Though I will admit that my initial response when I first put the collar on was that I felt very sexy. Perhaps I can build up more of a tolerance to it and it'll be better.

The design is rather simple and the worksmanship is good. The edges were smooth, the lining was soft, came right to the edge. No problems with the stitching. The leather is smooth and the grain is fine. I didn't get a feeling of cheapness from it. It seems like a pretty good quality of leather. It has a uniform colour and a satin feel. The lining is beautifully smooth and soft against the skin.

The clasp was nice. The rivets are smooth. All the metal on the collar is black. That includes the ring. There is a small amount of roughness on the inside of the ring. Just enough to gain my attention. I kept fingering it every time I tried to adjust the collar.

As I said above, the collar is quite wide. And this does stick out enough for me to reiterate that fact. Otherwise, the collar is great.

The collar fit length-wise beautifully and it did make me feel sexy when I first put it on. It keeps having that same effect when I do try it again. The quality of the piece is great. I really wanted to wear this when we had sex, but it was so uncomfortable that we had to take it off. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I kept pulling at the ring. We had adjusted this down to the last hole and it still had the same effect. I wasn't able to move my head in almost any direction. Very limited movement. I expected a bit more movement than I had. I also expected to not feel like I was choking. That didn't happen here.

As far as whether or not it was usable in a bondage capacity, I couldn't say, simply because of how I couldn't get even slightly comfortable with this collar. I wanted to try to use it, but my husband put the kibosh on that when I kept fiddling and feeling way too restricted.

The care seems straightforward. I haven't had to wipe it down, but we haven't done anything with it that would require it. I haven't worn it long enough to find out how the lining reacts, but it's suede so I'm sure that simple leather care would be fine. I store it on a shelf laid as flat as the collar gets. A simple wipe-down with a damp cloth should be more than enough. Just wipe it dry quickly thereafter so as not to damage the leather.

Packaging is absolutely minimal. The collar came in a plastic bag that looked like it had been on the shelf for a little bit. Because it does not come flat, there is a slight curve at the sides of the collar that the leather, so far, has held. They aren't obvious while wearing though. There were no instructions. If you choose to use the plastic bag as a storage medium, then this is good. Just undo the knot instead of ripping it open. But I wouldn't generally recommend it. There are better ways to store a leather collar.

It's not discreet in that you know exactly what is in the bag. There is no indication whether or not the bag is recyclable, but I can't see any reason it wouldn't be. It's about the thickness of a bag you use in the produce section of your grocery store.

I had very high hopes when the collar showed up. This is my first collar. I'm not a collared sub, but I've wanted a collar for years. I eagerly awaited the arrival of my package and put on the collar the first chance I got. I was thrilled with the quality of the collar. But I couldn't wear it very long. I lasted about an hour. This seems to be the maximum so far. It was constricting enough that I had to take it off a lot sooner than I wanted.

We never did get to use this during sex or even too far into foreplay. I was hoping to have my wrists bound to the collar, but my husband refused because of how uncomfortable it was and how much trouble I was having with breathing. And we can't just switch and put it on him because his neck is just too large for this collar.

My recommendations: have a long neck; if you are a beginner, try a narrower collar. This collar is simply too wide.

Overall, I'm disappointed. I really wanted this to be better than the reviews I read.