First impressions are important. And the Bondage Basics Leather Collar arrived in a see-through plastic tube, carefully rolled and presented. Opening the tube meant breathing in the delightful aroma of leather, immediately followed by the lovely sensation of running the collar through my fingers.

While this is, indeed, a basic collar, it's not shoddy. The design is quite ingenious, with a hole/cinch/strap slide holding it in place. Sure, you can put a padlock on it to keep it closed - but it's not needed, and stays closed just fine without it. This design also means that you can put it on and take it off yourself (if you want to, that is), rather than needing someone to put it on for you. There are a large number of holes, so no matter whether your neck is tiny or large, it's likely to fit.

While I don't wear collars very often (my neck gets rubbed and sore after a short while), I decided to really give this one a thorough testing. I wore it for an entire day - 11 hours, to be exact - out in public and on a leash. Here's what I found:

Two inches is a very wide collar. My general preference is for one about half the width. That said, while I did have marks on my collarbone and under my chin when I took it off that night, at no point did it become so uncomfortable that I wanted to take it off. In fact, I was asked a few times if I wanted it unpadlocked so I could remove it, and I refused each time.

For people with necks smaller than mine, some may find that the clasp will sit at back of the neck, which could be an issue if you lie down when you're wearing it. For many people, and for myself, it sat to the side. I found that the padlock I had on, while small, did irritate me slightly, but the clasp itself did not.

The D-ring at the front is firmly set in place, and quite strong. Even having a leash on all day, and occasionally being pulled along, it didn't loosen, and neither did it yank unpleasantly on the rest of the collar. The width of the leather helped there, I think.

A few small niggles: the metal of the clasp was a little tarnished when I received it. However, that can't be seen while the collar is on (in contrast, the metal of the D-ring was shiny and well-maintained). Additionally, tucking the strap into one of the holes after cinching it on means it doesn't flap about, but it can work itself out and sit loosely. Not such a good look. And, finally, being on a lead meant that the collar itself slid ever so gently around to be off-centre. I could have had it on tighter, but then it wouldn't have been as comfortable to wear for as long. As it was, it just needed to be re-adjusted every once in a while.

I was wearing the red collar with a matching red and black outfit, and a shiny aluminium chain-maille leash, and I received many compliments over the course of the day. Not all of them were collar-specific, but it was mentioned often enough to have me perpetually smiling, and running my fingers across it!

Before wearing this collar for the day, I was dubious about how comfortable it would be, and whether I would want to keep it. Having given it a thorough test-drive, it's promptly become a favourite. I'll be wearing this one again - and that's from a woman who doesn't even like necklaces because they annoy too much. High praise indeed!