I should start off by saying that I am both a huge fan of the Fresh line and a sucker for nipple clamps. I really wanted to give the Fresh beaded nipple clamps a glowing, five-star review. Don't get me wrong; these aren't bad clamps. But they're not stellar. They're very pretty, solidly constructed, and easy to care for and store. However, they're also fiddly to put on, fall off pretty easily, and don't inflict any real pain.

Like everything from the Fresh line I've bought, these nipple clamps come in a plastic box with a cardboard insert of a pretty model smiling in kinky joy. This isn't a good box for storage, since it's both too big and awkward. But, it'll do for shipping, and pops open easily. Which is a relief, because many of these plastic packages require industrial strength tools to open.

These clamps are made of metal, with plastic and metal beads dangling from the bottom. The ends are sheathed in black rubber tips. You can slide the rubber tip off to reveal two little teeth. Doing so will increase the pain/sensation somewhat, but doesn't noticeably help the grip. I should also note that I feel confident the tips will stay on during even rigorous use. The whole clamp will fall off before the tip does. Cleaning these clamps is easy: rinse with hot water and soap. As with all metal toys, be careful to dry them very thoroughly and store in a dry place to avoid rust.

These clamps fall under the 'tweezer clamp' category. They do indeed look like upside-down tweezers. The idea here is to squeeze the nipple between the curved tips of the tweezer arms and slide the metal ring up and down to increase/decrease the pressure.

The clamps require a lot of fiddling to get on. A lot of this is because the metal ring is hard to slide up and down. I assume this is so the clamps don't tighten or loosen accidentally during play, but it also means they're not easy to tighten or loosen intentionally. I tried putting the clamps on myself and managed it after about half an hour of practice. My partner had more luck and got them on in five minutes. I have pretty small nipples and found that the clamps had to be very close to the tightest they could get or they were prone to falling off. This didn't much matter to me because, even when on that tight, there was very little pain. This does mean they aren't actually all that adjustable or beginner-friendly. I think they would be more genuinely adjustable on people with larger nipples, though.

I should also mention that all the above problems tend to be present in all tweezer clamps. The Fresh clamps are on par with most tweezer clamps.

After all these negative points you may be wondering what I saw in these. Well, while getting them on may be a challenge, once the clamps are actually on, they look and feel pretty damn good. They're not really all that painful, but they do provide lovely sensation. My nipples felt very sensitive and ached to be touched. Any caress or touch felt amplified and intense and oh. When my partner lightly tugged or flicked the clamps I felt a spark of mild pain that was delicious. When I took them off I felt a quick, sharp pain. My nipples were very sensitive for a half hour or so after I took the clamps off. Since they're pretty mild in terms of pressure, you can wear them longer safely, too. Always remember to never leave clamps on longer than 15-20 minutes at a time. If there's severe pain or numbness take the clamps off immediately. Even the mildest of nipple clamps can cause serious damage if used incautiously.

They're also very pretty. I looked at myself in the mirror with them on and was impressed by the stark contrast of silver metal against pale skin and flushed pink nipples. The blue beads dangle and catch the light and gave me a feeling of decadence. My partner tells me it was also a huge turn on to see me writhing on the bed with the clamps quivering on my breasts.

I really do like these clamps, even with all the caveats I've made. They were frustrating to get on, yes. But once on, they're marvelously sensual. They aren't good for inflicting serious pain, but they offer a sweet intensity not found in most nipple clamps. I wouldn't recommend these to a novice because of their fiddliness. I also wouldn't recommend them to serious painsluts because they're too mild. But they are a good buy for relatively-skilled kinksters interested in adding beauty and luscious pain to their play.

Honestly, these clamps don't see too much use. While I do like the feel of them once on, I'm just not usually willing to wrestle with them when I've got other clamps that go on and stay on easily while providing more pain (which is what I want). These are definitely the prettiest clamps in my toy bag, but that's of limited use.

I do wear them sometimes, when I'm feeling patient, and I do still like the sensation, but I think I'll probably steer clear of tweezer clamps. They're just too much damn trouble.