Content notes: Bondage, mention of spanking
Bondage can be a tricky thing. A lot of inexpensive bondage options can be dangerous (zip ties or even metal handcuffs can cause nerve damage if done improperly), but at the same time, I firmly believe that pleasure should be available to people at all income levels. I’ve reviewed a fair number of budget-friendly bondage toys before, but I’m always up for looking at more options, especially ones that are not only inexpensive but aesthetically pleasing. So when AcmeJoy offered to pay for a review, despite bondage not being a huge focus of theirs, I had to ask for a pair of cuffs—particularly, these gorgeous brown leather ankle cuffs.
At $40, these still fall into my arbitrary definition of “budget-friendly,” especially considering the quality. These brown cuffs are described as leather, and upon arrival, I can confirm: they feel like leather, they smell like leather, these are leather. Leather is more durable (and more environmentally-friendly) than plastic-based imitation leathers, which makes it a pretty good investment. (Not to say the latter doesn’t have its place, but if that’s a concern or preference, you have options.) There was a little bit of a crumbly, waxy residue that brushed of easily; it doesn’t appear to be a flaw with the leather, probably a result of shipping or storage, and didn’t really affect the cuffs at all.
The cuffs are connected with lovely hardware that looks like brass or aged gold; each has a D-ring, and between them is a chain with a clip at each end. I like this, because it means you can replace the chain if you like, or use it to hook the cuffs to your under-bed bondage system, or bind someone to the leg of a chair, or…well. There are options, is what I’m saying. They fasten around the wrist by way of a metal peg through a hole, and then you can slip the remaining tongue into a strap, like a belt.
Once on, they’re extremely comfortable. There’s ample padding inside, so even tugging, the leather never digs into my skin. There’s no scratchy stitches, and the hardware is all embedded well so the inner portions of their attachments aren’t uncomfortable or rough against the skin either.
When we first got these, we wondered if we could also use them as wrist cuffs, since that’s usually my preference. The answer: some probably could, I can’t really. I mean, I could, but I can slip out of them easily. Upon measuring, it looks like the smallest setting is about 9 inches, which leaves my dainty Victorian ankles a spare bit of room and would leave my wrists swimming. However, the good news is that the largest setting appears to be 12-13 inches around. So, not only will this fit a manner of ankles (they even fit Damien’s ankles, which swell due to lymphedema), but for anyone who has thicker wrists and finds wrist cuffs too tight, this might be a good option!
I thought about boring more holes into it for a tighter fit but, unfortunately, the adjustment strap is a separate piece from the rest, fixed on with a metal brad, so there isn’t really room to do that. That’s okay, though, because we needed to do a little DIY on these anyway. If your mind is playing an ominous organ chord, put it down, it’s not that bad.
Damien and I took turns testing the strength of the metal chain in the middle. I struggled against it (which was hot) and had no effect on it whatsoever. The cuffs didn’t dig in while I was experimenting, and the chain and D-ring held.
However, much like with the Scandal Corset Cuffs a few years ago, Damien proved to be the mightiest of us. With one snap, they failed to follow Fleetwood Mac’s advice and they did, in fact, break the chain. One of the links juuust slightly bent open, so the hook could slip off of it.
This was easily repaired with a pair of jewelry pliers. It took minutes.
Later, when we took turns with it for masturbation purposes, I had a lovely time, the cuffs continued to be very secure and unbreakable. While self-bondage isn’t always safe, these ankle cuffs are easy to get out of in several ways and leave my hands free, and it was pretty awesome. Damien took a turn as well…
And broke them again.
Goddamn, Damien, you have the face of a 70s glam rocker and the ankles of a Super Saiyan.
Anyway, they used a Velcro strap from a different bondage set we have to keep the cuffs together for the rest of their session, which held up fine. The cuffs were unscathed, as was the D-ring. We later fixed the chain again for photos.
So, the chain isn’t 100% a guaranteed perfect piece of hardware. It’s easily fixed and, honestly, it should withstand typical amounts of wiggling, kicking, flailing, and other fun bondage actions. If all else fails, it can be easily replaced.
If you like the idea of inexpensive bondage gear, but don’t necessarily like brown leather, AcmeJoy has a handful of other offerings. This marble-pattern leather collar is really cute, and makes me wish I could wear collars. If you like S&M-type activities but don’t care for leather, they have a PU flogger for under $20. They also have a whole PU mask and restraint set that I also think looks awesome. My contact at AcmeJoy mentioned that they haven’t done great with S&M stuff on their store, but if they make more sales on what they do have they’ll consider ordering more, so if any of these interest you, go ahead and buy them. Be the kinky change you want to see in the world etc etc.
The Bottom Line
I really enjoyed this set of ankle cuffs! They’re comfortable, extremely pretty, and suited to a lot of scenes or fantasies. I’m looking forward to having my ankles restrained for a lot of spanking sessions in the future. Thoughts and prayers for the metal chain.
Buy the Brown Leather Adjustable Ankle Cuffs for $40.
Thank you to AcmeJoy for sponsoring this post and sending me the toy to review. While this is a paid review and also uses affiliate links, all opinions are my own.
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