UPDATE: APRIL 2020: The Inked Restraints Tattoo Wrist Cuffs are no longer in production. This velcro handcuffs review remains as a reference for anyone else who wants info about these older cuffs.
The Inked Restraints Tattoo Wrist Cuffs are beginner restraints made by California Exotics. The cuffs are made from neoprene, and they include velcro closures and nylon fastening straps. The metal pieces are nickel-free (according to the box), and the clasps are completely removable if you prefer a different method of fastening. Plus, each one of the cuffs includes a pink dragon design on it. They each adjust up to 10″ in circumference and easily adjust smaller due to the velcro design.
The packaging for these wrist handcuffs is pretty basic, and as it’s larger than the cuffs themselves, there’s really no reason to keep the packaging after you have retrieved the handcuffs. The packaging does look pretty “inked” as that’s the brand line, and it shows a tastefully covered woman sitting in the cuffs.
Out of the box, the Inked Restraints Tattoo Wrist Cuffs are not in the best quality. I almost feel bad for the poor things as I know they’ll start to “look” better in a couple months and after airing out. The cuffs smell a bit like rubber, and they are extremely stiff (considering they are just made from neoprene and velcro). Once they air out a bit, they’ll be okay, but for those who are looking for a 100% first impression, you may be disappointed. I can’t “guarantee” it, but we’ve had similar neoprene cuffs in the past, and while they didn’t start off as stiff or scented, they do become less scented and softer over time.
The cuffs themselves are pretty basic in construction. Each one is made with neoprene, and they fasten with velcro. On one upper side of each cuff, there is a nylon loop that has been sewn into the cuff. In this loop, a keychain O-ring was put in the nylon, and both sides have this keychain. On one of the cuffs, there is a snap fastener that is attached to this O-ring. On the outside of each one of the cuffs is a dragon-like design. The design itself is pretty cute, and I like it. It looks screen-printed onto the cuffs (like a t-shirt), so I would expect some chipping at the design with long-term wear and washing, but it should hold up okay for awhile. Attempting to pick at the design with my fingernails didn’t harm it at all.
Something neat about the construction is that the clasp in the center is completely removable. If you would rather use two pieces of rope to tie these two together or you have your own, high-quality double-ended clips, the two keychains on both of the clasps on both sides of the handcuffs are removable. You don’t have to remove them if you don’t want, but as they just slip off like a keyring would, they are easy to remove if you want to remove them.
I wouldn’t recommend these to anyone looking to play roughly. I’m sure if you want to play roughly, you probably wouldn’t look at a set of $10 handcuffs unless you had full intentions of destroying them, so that’s something to keep in mind. They will hold up to mild and moderate play that most beginners would put them through.
One of the bigger plus-sides to these cuffs is the fact that they can play well with water. It’s one of the main reasons to look for neoprene cuffs instead of other types of cuffs. Leather and felt get soggy and not-so-fun in water. However, if you enjoy playing bondage in the shower or bathtub, these can play with you. HOWEVER, I do not recommend leaving ANYONE wearing these in actual large, bodies of water like a pool. They do have an easy-to-remove clip and velcro, but better safe than sorry. For us, we put him on the floor of the shower, and clip the center clip around a stability bar on the side and turn on the shower head. That way, there’s water and “unescape”, but no danger. Again, keep in mind that, with hands bound, if your captive falls from the slickness of water, it WILL be bad, so plan ahead.
Another good use for non-beginners? Sleeping. Regular cuffs can be very stiff and dangerous for sleeping because they’re hard to remove. With the velcro AND the center clip on these, in case of emergency, your captive can escape. Out of the box, they aren’t very comfortable to sleep in, but I’m hoping that, with time, they’ll become much more comfortable to sleep in as there’s really no uncomfortable parts that could cuff off circulation during sleep which, again, makes it better than alternatives.
As I said in the previous paragraph, your captive will be able to escape unless you tape their fingers together or something. Velcro is pretty easy to unvelcro, so if your captive is worried about bondage, the easy escape of bondage may appeal to them. If your partner prefers no escape, these are pretty darned easy to escape, and even with someone’s hands out of sight and behind their back, it only takes a slight feeling around to be able to escape them.
To clean these handcuffs, you’ll want to use warm water and wipe it off. Neoprene, which is waterproof, has a closed structure which means that very little dirt (if any) will get into the material, so only light cleaning will usually be needed. If you do get it wet, let the handcuffs dry before putting them in storage, and once you first get them, I definitely recommend letting the handcuffs sit out and air out for future uses.
With all this in mind, I still can’t say I’d recommend these over other similar cuffs. The Sportcuffs, while about $5 more expensive, have many more positive reviews and are supposed to be much more comfortable, and they can be used in water and for bed like these can. I’d recommend the Inked Restraints Tattoo Wrist Cuffs if you have the patience to allow the cuffs to soften up and you really love the dragon design on the outside.
