Tom of Finland Neoprene Wrist Cuffs Review

The Tom of Finland Neoprene Wrist Cuffs are a set of two wrist cuffs made from neoprene. While these cuffs are just standard, sturdy neoprene wrist cuffs, they’re branded with the Tom of Finland branding. You’ll see the “Tom of Finland” name on a metal, attached, plate on one side of the Wrist Cuffs – and you’ll also see the Tom of Finland design on the locks themselves.

The softest neoprene layer is the layer against the wrist – which is the super-soft, super-plushy material you’re probably familiar with when you think of “neoprene”. Outside of that, the plushy layer is attached to a firm, sturdy, semi-thick layer of neoprene that helps give the cuff some structure. Outside of that, a less-wide loop of that same, firm, sturdy, semi-thick layer of neoprene wraps around the entire cuff (and is attached with rivets) and functions as the buckle for the entire wrist cuff as well.

What you end up with is a sturdy, neoprene wrist cuff that’s squishy against the skin yet sturdy enough for play.

Each wrist cuff has one, single D-ring on it for bondage play purposes.

The cuffs do not come with any way to attach them to one another. I recommend having your own double-ended clips, chains, or just get creative with the included locks (running a lock through the two D-rings instead of locking the cuff itself).

Do the Tom Of Finland Neoprene Wrist Cuffs Lock?

Yes’sir-y, they most certainly do! The Tom Of Finland Neoprene Wrist Cuffs both comes with locking buckles. “Locking buckles” are belt-type buckle fasteners that include a fastener that has a loop in it. This small, open-hole loop allows a small lock to slide through the loop. In the case of the Tom Of Finland Neoprene Wrist Cuffs, once the cuff is buckled onto the wrist, the small lock can be slid through the loop in the fastener and closed tight – which then prevents the fastener from being undone. This locks your partner into these BDSM cuffs made of neoprene.

These neoprene cuffs happen to come with their own set of Tom of Finland-branded locks. I have yet to have any issues with Tom of Finland locks; we’ve had a previous set for two years now with no issues. I will make one note: each one of the included locks (two locks) and keys (three keys for each lock) are unique to each other. The keys are not interchangeable.

That being said, if you have your own locks or prefer to use something else, the Tom Of Finland Neoprene Wrist Cuffs locking buckles, like most kink gear locking buckles, can use any type of small/mini locks. Just make sure you don’t lose the keys!

Neoprene Cuffs vs Leather Cuffs?

I’m sure you’ve seen BDSM leather restraints in the past – and you might even be a bit confused about the difference in the two materials. Neoprene restraints are certainly harder to find – why might someone want to use neoprene wrist cuffs over leather cuffs?

For one, Neoprene material has the benefit of being vegan. For a lot of people, leather might be a no-no that conflicts with their personal lifestyle. For others, some people really, really just don’t like the smell of leather. Others yet may be allergic to leather; with some research, it looks like people are allergic to the chemical used in the tanning process more-so than the fabric itself. But an allergy is an allergy, and they may prefer to avoid leather for that reason.

You also won’t hurt Neoprene by getting it wet. Leather isn’t particularly happy about constant exposure to water – and especially not taking prolonged baths. Neoprene is as happy as a puppy in water. This makes it easier to clean, safe to take into bodies of water (like your shower – or even a pool), and it also makes neoprene a much-better option if your play tends to involve wet play – like watersports.

Neoprene is also much-cheaper to maintain properly. Leather should be cleaned with special leather cleaner – and regularly shined/buffed to keep it gorgeous. Neoprene is a lot hardier with regular soap and water doing the trick just fine – and some people even say that machine washing is doable. For the most part, it seems like neoprene’s one kryptonite is extreme heat – or extreme moisture. Make sure to allow your neoprene bondage toys to fully dry after use – and don’t go tossing it into the dryer or furnace.

Leather has benefit of being much-easier to find – and the de-facto material of choice for most bondage materials. Leather will soften over time and may start to feel more like a “second skin” over time. I actually am unsure what will happen with neoprene over time; I haven’t owned any neoprene accessories for as long as I’ve owned leather. One of my most-used neoprene toys (a PicoBong collar from years ago – now discontinued) is still in pristine condition, so it looks like neoprene might hold up to the wear & tear and constant play.

Depending on what you’re doing and how the item is crafted, leather might have more strength than neoprene. Neoprene material, at least if it isn’t reinforced, can tear more easily than leather. Since the Tom Of Finland Neoprene Wrist Cuffs are reinforced by multiple layers of neoprene and a wrap-around-cuffs of neoprene, they’re sturdy as fuck, and I have no concerns about them, but if you were looking to make a suspension-capable sleepsack, you’d probably go with leather over neoprene.

Tom Of Finland Neoprene Wrist Cuffs Review: Durability

These neoprene wrist cuffs definitely look like they were built for durability; Despite being super light-weight (especially compared to leather), they still hold up fantastically during play. The pressure of tugging and attempting to “break” the cuffs ends up feeling uncomfortable long before the cuff shows any sign of being near a breaking point. Over years and years, you might be able to break these if the neoprene isn’t properly cared for or dries out, but there’s no concern about breaking them now.

The Tom of Finland Neoprene Wrist Cuffs only has the single D-ring along its surface. This D-ring is reinforced with a rivet on either side of its ring. The D-ring is large enough for pretty much any type of bondage you have in mind; I’ve even thread rope through these easily. It’s a pretty standard D-ring – which makes it very workable for pretty much all types of bondage. Just keep in mind that the Neoprene Wrist Cuffs only have the single D-ring – which means they only have the single bondage point.

The biggest challenge you’ll find with the Tom of Finland Neoprene Wrist Cuffs is just getting them to unkink. Neoprene tends to really remember its shape, and to fit into the packaging, the cuffs get stuffed into an oval-shaped crevice. The cuffs continue to want to be oval-shaped for a long, long time after you take them out. (Despite having them for a month and a half now and multiple uses, the cuffs still “go back” to the oval shape when not on a wrist.)

With enough time around a wrist and being “forced” into the circular shape of a wrist, I’d expect that the cuffs would slowly begin to memorize the “right” shape. Until you get to a point where that’s the case, however, the cuffs can feel a bit stiff. It’s very-much a two-handed application, and it’s near-impossible to put these onto yourself until this neoprene softens up and stops wanting to turn into an oval.

Because of this oval-shaped propensity, the cuff tends to lie apart while trying to bind it – so you have to use both hands to really keep tension on the cuff while cuffing it onto your partner. Once you have the cuff on the wrist, everything goes swimmingly, but it’s definitely one of those cuffs that’s going to really, really benefit from being strapped around a circular object to relearn its shape – even if that circular object happens to be a chair leg or a non-human-wrist until it learns its place.

Tom Of Finland Neoprene Wrist Cuffs Review: Comfort

The inner-most layer of the Tom of Finland Neoprene Wrist Cuffs just happens to be a super-soft, super-plushy layer of neoprene. Surprising no one (just by the description alone!), that happens to be pretty comfortable, and these bondage cuffs feel really comfortable against the skin.

Since the D-ring is directly across from the fastening area on the cuff, I was worried that some of the fastening gear might press into the wrists with rough tugging – or that the edges of the cuff might. Honestly, zero problems there. Even with serious tugging, all my partner feels is soft, plushy neoprene. It really is super-squishy – by far the most “squishy” feeling BDSM gear out of everything we own.

The only thing worth noting with these neoprene BDSM cuffs is that neoprene can feel a bit stiffling when it comes to heat. They don’t have much “breathability” to the material. If you’re doing something in a hot dungeon – or have your partner doing workouts to failure – you can expect these cuffs to add to the heat and sweatiness – and probably slide around. Bonus points, though, for the fact that you can easily clean up these bondage cuffs when you’re done due to the simple-clean neoprene material.

Tips for Buying Wrist Cuffs

Since you’re looking at buying the Tom of Finland Neoprene Wrist Cuffs, I’d go ahead and guess that you’re looking for some wrist cuffs. Here are my tips (as a BDSM nerd with hundreds of pairs at this point):

• Avoid metal cuffs. I know they tend to be cheapest – and a lot of people have a serious kink for them – but hard metal can be pretty dangerous to the sensitive (and exposed!) nerves of the wrist. There’s a reason you’ll see thick, wide leather cuffs featured in a lot of professional kink porn – because it’s much, much safer.
• Make sure you can deal with the upkeep of the cuffs. Neoprene cuffs like these tend to be the easiest to clean while proper cleaning of leather can be most-difficult. Nylon and felt Velcro cuffs fall somewhere in between with a semi-easy-to-clean design but also flimsier materials.
• Pick for your level of bondage escapabiility. Are you brand new to bondage and just starting to look into BDSM advice? Velcro cuffs might help you feel reassured that you could possibly escape in an emergency. Locking cuffs like these should only be used with the seasoned kinkster – but you can always use the fasteners without the locks attached with no issue. It gives you “room to grow” if you choose to use lock and key later.

Final Thoughts on my Neoprene Wrist Cuffs Review

If you’re willing to give the Neoprene Wrist Cuffs the time they need to properly form into their circular shape, the Tom of Finland Neoprene Wrist Cuffs are a fantastic choice. Not only are they super light-weight and comfortable to wear, but they’re also much easier to care for than leather cuffs – and can also play in wet environments too.

The Tom of Finland Neoprene Wrist Cuffs come pretty stiff at first, but after even just wrapping them snugly around circular objects at home (and putting them on my partner!), they’re already starting to soften up – and they feel so nice on the skin during play. They’ve held up to our rougher play we’ve put them through, and the included two, branded locks are a nice touch – especially if you don’t happen to have mini locks available to use the locking functionality of these bondage cuffs. (Very few locking cuffs come with their own locks, so this is definitely above-and-beyond).

If you need wrist cuffs that are easier to care for – or aren’t made of leather for any reason – these neoprene BDSM cuffs work fantastically.

As a final note: really make sure that you’re okay with graphic sex before picking up the Tom of Finland Neoprene Wrist Cuffs. True to its name (Tom of Finland) who was an graphic pornographer/artist of gay bondage and sex, the cuffs come in pretty explicit packaging – and they also include a sturdy print of a pretty graphic scene (shown in the product pictures). While there’s nothing wrong with that, if that’s something that might be an ill fit for you, it’s better to know now rather than later.