I'm a huge fan of being restrained during sex, I had high, high hopes for this bondage tape. It has relatively good reviews, is cost-effective, and comes in pretty colors. Unfortunately, Pipedreams' Pleasure Tape failed to meet my expectations as a bondage tool.

The tape comes packaged in a hard plastic container, complete with a backsplash of a model showing off the bondage tape on her wrists and ankles. The roll of tape is further wrapped in a layer of shrink-wrapped plastic, which I thought was a nice (if somewhat wasteful) touch to keep the product lint-free. I bought the purple color, and the pictures are pretty representative of its brightness in real life.

Pleasure Tape is somewhat similar to electrical tape: it has hardly any smell, is more smooth than sticky, and comes off of the roll with little tugging and no shredding. It is virtually silent as it peels off of the roll. Pleasure Tape is actually not "sticky" at all; it reminds me more of very thick cellophane in that it clings more than it sticks.

As for the sticking properties: this bondage tape does just what it says and sticks only to itself. I had no problems with it clinging to hair or skin, and removal was absolutely painless. The tape peels right off of your skin (so if you're really careful with it and don't ball it up, you can reuse it!). This can be a bit annoying when you're trying to put the tape on at the start of a session, however. When I tested this tape out on two of my friends, I had to hold the end of the tape in place with my chin (because of course, it didn't stick to their skin,) so I could start wrapping the tape around their wrists.

The biggest issue with Pleasure Tape, however, is that the PVC material is so slick. With a little wiggling and tugging, both of my friends were able to free their wrists from the tape within mere moments of its application. Even wrapping the tape around their wrists, then wrapped more tape BETWEEN their wrists (so the shape of the tape looks more like an 8 than an oval) proved ineffective. The saddest part is that, even if you don't actually try to get out of the tape, it's really easy to accidentally slip your hands or feet out of it if you tug on the restraints. Stretching the tape out doesn't help much, because the PVC material stays slick no matter what. Pull sideways, pull up, pull towards yourself...it doesn't matter. The PVC material is just too slippery, and it'll slide right off of you!

Yet Pleasure Tape is surprisingly strong when it comes to holding weight. My friends and I tested the strength of the tape by wrapping a piece around "Person A," then having "Person B" and "Person C" hold each of the ends while Person A leaned back on it. The tape managed to support my full weight (110 pounds) for about a minute before it snapped. It's obvious that this tape would hold up to even a stronger person's yanking and tugging, if only it weren't so easy for it to slip off.

If Pleasure Tape isn't the best choice for bondage sex, then what CAN you use it for? My friends, this tape makes some REALLY nifty PVC clothing. I enjoy wrapping myself in it to make dresses and chokers, and I'm sure people who go to fetish clubs would also get a kick out of making their own bright purple PVC halter top.

Pleasure Tape isn't the absolute worst bondage product out there, and it can make a cute fashion accessory, but it's mediocre at best when you try to use it as a restraint. The PVC material is just too slick, and only people who remain completely passive while restrained won't inadvertently yank themselves out of the restraints. If you're looking at Pipedreams' Pleasure Tape because you've never tried bondage or you find the "heavier" stuff more intimidating, try a length of quality bondage rope for about the same price. If you know you like bondage and you want a high-quality product, save up for a few more weeks and buy some high-quality under-the-bed restraints instead. In either case, the results are bound to be better than what they would be if you'd used Pleasure Tape.

I still can't believe I was so disappointed by this tape! I like that it only sticks to itself and can make some neat clothing for my photography, but I hate that it's useless in my sex life. The part that really gets me is that you don't even have to TRY to break out of your captivity; this stuff just slides right off of your wrists as soon as you start flailing around during sex.

I'm super-sensitive to smells, but the very slight plasticy odor of this tape didn't bother me. You have to get it really close to your nose to even smell it. The smell DOES rub off on you a bit if you aren't careful, however.

Well, I made my Pleasure Tape halter top! It held up pretty well, but PVC doesn't breath, so if you want to wear it, be prepared to sweat like it's nobody's business! Also, it's semi-sheer unless you double layer it. You can see a picture of it here.