Leatherbeaten combines beauty and utility into this set of silk ankle restraints impeccably. These cuffs can be used for light bondage and should stand up to the heavy tugging of a more heavy bondage scene. They are not appropriate for any kind of suspension play, but for anyone who prefers the look of silk over leather, these gorgeous cuffs are ideal.

Coupled with the Dragon Silk Wrist Restraints and the Dragon Silk Blindfold these Ankle restraints make a beautiful, well-constructed bondage kit.

According to the Leatherbeaten website, these cuffs are made with real silk, are foam padded for comfort, trimmed at the edges, and backed with soft black suede. The backing doesn't feel or look like suede to me, but it is incredibly soft and comfortable. I can't imagine anybody but those with the most sensitive skin experiencing irritation due to extended wear. The straps are made with thin, but strong leather which is fastened to the cuff with four nickle-plated brass rivets.

The silk cuff itself measures 11"; with the strap, it's a full 16". The leather strap has 14 holes punched at .5" intervals starting at the 8th inch and ending at 14.5 inches. This seems to fit with the claim of "one size fits most".

These cuffs have minimal leather smell and are obviously well constructed. They seem, at first, to be delicate because of their silk, padded design, but the leather is securely fastened and when used for restraint, will take the majority of the stress.

What I found remarkable about these restraints was that they appear to be soft and forgiving (and they are), while close examination reveals they are made with heavy duty materials designed to withstand heavy bondage.

These cuffs held up to significant tugging without any visible strain at the rivet points. I wore them for an extended period of time with absolutely no discomfort or skin irritation. The metal buckle and D-ring are heavy duty and will not bend or break under heavy stress. The D-rings are approximately 1-inch in diameter and should accommodate a variety of hardware and binding materials, including rope, tethers or small chain-link.

Care and maintenance of these cuffs should be minimal. The leather parts can be cleaned with leather care products, but I wouldn't use any harsh products on the silk. At most, I would wipe the fabric with a damp cloth and only if needed.

These restraints came packaged in a plastic clam-shell that is easily opened and closed again. I've been using the box to store the cuffs and it works well, but will probably not hold up as good storage forever. There were no directions included and no useful information on the box. The artwork on the box was neither offensive nor impressive.