My partner and I like to do a little light bondage every once in a while. We found that the teasing and anticipation really sets the tone and makes for a great time. Previously, we had be using scarves to tie my partner up, with some success. However, with scarves, it seemed like we could not tie the knot well enough. She would always slip out of the scarf, or the scarf would detach from the banister of our bed. Seeing the problem with scarves, we decided to step up our game and invest(modestly) in a pair of handcuffs. The pair we decided to buy was an inexpensive pair from pipe dream, who we've had good experiences with before.

Upon opening the box, we found a shiny but slightly dinged pair of handcuffs. The words made in china stood out against a less than perfect exterior. Looking past the dents, the cuffs feel very sturdy. From the strength and weight of the cuffs, I would say that they are made from aluminum. This is good because it means that they wont break easily and won't need much maintenance. These cuffs will not rust or tarnish. If you ever need to clean them, you can either wash them with soap and water, use antibacterial spray, or even throw them in a dishwasher. Metal is not porous, so a simple wash is enough to prevent the spread of stds. The fact that it is aluminum is also good because in some bizarre situation where they were stuck shut, it wouldn't be difficult to break and remove them with the proper tools. Included with the cuffs was a pair of fairly ornate keys.

The cuffs themselves function very well. The range of tightness is fairly large. They will fit snugly on large wrists, but will still fit. The main problem here is that they don't lock until the fourth notch is inserted. They fit very well on small wrists and can adjust to be tight even on small wrists. One of the only complaints I have with these cuffs, other than the dents, is the length of the cuff. There is not very much length to the links at all. I realize that the point is to be restrictive, but some leeway would be nice. The links, while not very long, are very strong and wont break under strain.

Overall, this is a good pair of handcuffs. The length is dismal and there are a few dents, but they are sturdy and get the job done. As stated before, there are two keys included with the cuffs, but they are mostly for show. There is a latch on the side of both of the cuffs that releases the lock, just in case you are in a hurry or do not have the keys with you. The latch is on the base of the cuff and can easily be reached by the restrained party. The inserting side is a tad thin, so pulling too hard might hurt, but we haven't had any problems yet. They feel comfortable under normal use, and dig in a little bit if you pull too hard, but nothing painful.

We've used the cuffs a few times and we are very pleased with our decision to invest in some bondage gear. Whether you're into bondage or just having a good time, this is a smart purchase. Even if you will only use it a few times, ten dollars is very reasonable. In short, anyone daring enough to try and with a few dollars left in their pockets should consider these a good alternative to the pricier pairs.

The chain is rather short, but with a trip to a hardware store and a pair of pliers, it's not hard to add your own chain. Also, adding your own padding would solve any issues with the cuffs digging in.

As we said before, this was a surprisingly good pair of handcuffs, especially for the price. Recently, I decided to improve upon them though. The version that we got had very little chain linking the two cuffs, and we were having trouble with bedposts and such. I went to a local hardware store to check out the prices of extra chain. I found a very smooth and comfortable set of chain at $1.29 a foot.

For under two dollars, and with tools found in most houses(I used pliers), I added a few inches of chain to our cuffs. The entire process took maybe an hour, with shopping included. It just goes to show that with a little ingenuity and some effort, you can do a lot of things by yourself. I know we're getting more out of our cuffs now, and I hope this will help someone out there get more out of their cuffs as well.