Reviewed by M. Blythe
My God, Topco… tie me up and throw away the key! Why does the practice of being controlled and physically restrained during sex elicit such graphic images and pleasurable guttural sexuality? Who cares, as long as you can bang somebody till the sun comes up—in any room, in any position and you both finish breathless and totally satisfied. My lover and I had the opportunity to play with two different bondage kits from Topco's Japanese Silk Love Rope line: The Blindfold & Cuffs Kit, as well as the Ball Gag.
The Blindfold & Cuffs kit was my favorite. The Love Rope really gets your imagination working overtime, a wonderful adventure is sure to abound while using this kit. The soft rope cuffs don't chafe, they're fluorescent pink, it will really spark your naughty desires, and is definitely appropriate whether you are a beginner just exploring bondage or conversant with Shibari techniques.
Oddly, the way the braids of the rope are intertwined are similar to those old Chinese finger trap toys that we all played with as kids. The braids tighten as they are pulled and loosen when they are released. The threads in the rope itself do tend to snag and pull from time to time, but it does not affect the function of the cuffs, just the overall look. The cuffs are sturdy, sensual and soft to the touch and are fully adjustable to fit any wrist, ankle, leg, elbow or anything else you can think of, leaving lots of creativity for the thrill of tying. The pink trimmed patent leather blindfold seemed kind of cheesy, but was fun to play with regardless, if you want to limit another one of your senses and deepen your dom/sub relationship with your partner.
The Blindfold & Cuffs kit also comes with a small, yet very informative 16-page booklet on Japanese rope bondage complete with sexy Japanime illustrations on the cover; it outlines a few safety guidelines, some interesting bondage styles and various techniques, and helpful instructions for the newbies.
In any kind of bondage, of course, you don't want to forget your safe word, so if you are ready to stop for any reason you can immediately bring things to a screeching halt. Pick something strange and non-sexual in nature so that you'll never forget it. Mine's “papaya.” The Japanese Silk Love Rope kits are great as inspiration to get you in gear to think about what else you have lying around the house that you can use in a bondage session.
Our experience with the Ball Gag was a different story, it was… ehh, well, the ball gag inside my mouth felt a little too Pulp Fiction for me. I guess I prefer other means of bondage. I found it uncomfortable in my jaws at only 45 mm, so I strapped it onto my lover, instead; now, that was a complete turn-on for me. He was a trooper, and let me
dominate for a while, but it wasn't his favorite toy to wear either. He kept waiting for the Gimp to be brought out of the trunk and Bruce Willis to ride away on Zed's chopper.
The gag sports a quick release closure and looks like something you might find at your favorite sporting goods store—the simple design was easy to use. The rubbery latex seems to crumble and flake off around the seam where the two halves of the ball were molded together around the rope. Once wet, the ball of phthalate-free latex attracts dust quickly, so germaphobes aren't going to want to reinsert it into their oral cavity anytime after removal (until after a good washing).
The easily adjustable rope fits anyone's head and, though it is carefully made for non-chafing, it is not as gentle as the pink cuff rope from the other kit and might cause some rope burn on the face after extended rough play. Neither of us thought it was overly comfortable when wearing it ourselves, but we both liked dominating the other person wearing it. However, I suppose some folks are into it exactly for the whole discomfort of it all. I'm not sure why the ball gag also came with the Japanese Rope Bondage 16-page booklet; it didn't seem relevant for this toy. You can definitely play out some of your fantasies with this ball gag and it certainly looks spicy hanging from your headboard the morning after.
Overall, the Ball Gag was not fun to wear, but exciting to put on a lover; it's definitely worth trying once, and the Love Rope Blindfold & Cuffs kit was naughty, sexy, fun—I loved it! Tie me up anytime!
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