UPKO Butterfly Effect Ankle Cuffs Review

UPDATE NOVEMBER 2024: This bondage restraint is no longer in production – but UPKO is still around with some hot-as-fuck stuff. This limited-edition collection has just been discontinued. This sex toy review remains as a reference. While you’re here, why not check out some additional educational info – like online submissive tasks, beginner pegging positions, saran wrap bondage, and enema 101 info.

Welcome to my UPKO Butterfly Effect Ankle Cuffs review!

With an uncommon design you never see in ankle cuffs, the UPKO Butterfly Effect Ankle Cuffs offer luxurious bondage opportunities with a look that would be at home in a lingerie catalog. With deep, black Italian cowhide and sparkling, vibrant gold hardware, the cuffs stand out in a sea of ankle cuff designs – and that’s a good thing!

The ankle strap is fastenable by a buckle that includes matching gold hardware. This allows you to choose from 4 different hole settings to fit a circumference of 8.27″ to 10.04″. I have particularly thick ankles with a size 24 body, and these do work for me on the widest setting.

The under-the-foot strap, on the other hand, uses a stretchy elastic band that hides underneath the foot while the person is walking. This stretchy elastic band is crafted to fit a sole size of 8.27″ to 10.24″. I wear a size 8.5W shoe with wide feet – and the cuffs were snug, but they weren’t uncomfortably so.

The UPKO Butterfly Effect Ankle Cuffs come with two cuffs, a matching double-sided clip to easily clip the ankles together, and luxurious, velvet purple drawstring bag for storage.

UPKO Butterfly Effect Ankle Cuffs: Wearing the Cuffs

Before the ankle cuffs arrived at my door, I was really curious about how they would feel. A strap underneath the foot? Metal parts up against the feet and ankles while walking?

I’m happy to report that they’re surprisingly comfortable!

And I’m even happier to report that they fit MY ankles! I have large, plus-sized ankles – and some standard high heels won’t fit around my ankles. The Butterfly Effect Ankle Cuffs are a tight squeeze, but they fit on the loosest setting. (And honestly, I really like the look of them.)

But back to the comfort discussion.

The ankle cuff of the Butterfly Effect Ankle Cuffs is extremely comfortable. Lighter weight than standard bondage ankle cuffs, it feels less bulky and weighty than your standard ankle cuff options.

I assumed that having it attached to the under-foot, elastic loop would add extra strain to the ankle strap, but no such thing. The ankle cuff doesn’t seem to slip down lower, and the under-foot loop seems to stay in place for both my partner and I. This makes for a lovely homeostasis once you get both ends set up. They don’t end up tugging on one another.

While the ankle cuff uses a standard buckle system (like on most bondage cuffs) to get a good fit, the under-foot strap uses a stretchy piece of elastic. The elastic band itself is relatively short, so I can’t imagine your foot would end up too small to get a secure fit in the loop. But even for my wide-width feet, the elastic strap stretches out fine to fit my feet.

If you’re going to get irritation anywhere, I think it will be on the under-foot loop. On each side of the elastic band, there is a spot where the elastic band attaches to the leather structure of the ankle cuff. As the elastic band is designed to be “hidden” under the foot, this elastic-to-leather spot is going to hit underneath most people’s feet – and it makes a noticeable bump at the spot where it hits.

While I was wearing it, I didn’t have any issues. I think my wide-width feet put the elastic-to-leather fastening areas distinctly underneath my foot arch, so weight was rarely placed onto this pressure point. Presumably, your feet will have a different shape than mine, so it’s possible that it will hit you in a different spot.

For my submissive partner, he’s just as happy. As his feet are a bit narrower than mine, he has to be a little more careful about where the elastic-to-leather attachment point hits, but once he gets it set up and in place, he can (and has!) spent hours walking on them with no problem. He honestly forgets they’re on his feet by the end of the event, and I’ve had to remind him to take them off as we’re getting into bed – because he simply got used to the sensations of them on his feet.

Our only caveat: they haven’t paired well with heels…yet. As heels need to be snug to fit, we find that the UPKO Butterfly Ankle Cuffs rub against the sides of the foot while attempting to wear them with heels. We’ve still been experimenting with different styles, though, as they’d look even more stunning with a beautiful set of shoes. (Okay, but I also have a high heels fetish.)

Because the O-ring on the front of each of the UPKO Butterfly Effect Ankle Cuffs is movable within the metal plate that holds it in place, there is a slight “jingle” that happens with every step the person takes. It’s less than what you’d expect with metal bondage gear or jingle bells attached to gear, but it’s more than you’ll get with most standard leather cuffs. It’s pretty adorable – and a constant reminder to check out his cute feet while he’s wearing them.

UPKO Butterfly Effect Ankle Cuffs: Bondage Uses

Don’t go attempting suspension with these. And honestly, I’d say that most ultra-rough play is outside of “good idea” too; the leather could get scratched, and while the cuffs are sturdy, the leather isn’t thick enough to support the majority of your body weight.

But outside of that, the world is your oyster. The cuffs feel very sturdy, and they’ve held up to all of the bondage we’ve thrown them through. (We even tried to use the O-ring as a leashing point for a leash, but that was mostly a tripping hazard. But the cuffs held up fine!)

The ankle cuffs’ buckle is equally sturdy, and we’ve had no issue with it unfastening itself – even after hours of wear.

Essentially, we’ve thrown a whole lot of bondage at it for this UPKO Butterfly Effect Ankle Cuffs review – and it has yet to have a scratch or fail us yet. As long as your bondage isn’t placing the wearer’s entire strength or bodyweight onto the ankle cuffs’ O-ring, you’ll likely find that these cuffs work great for the majority of your play options.

Their weakest point is, probably, the points where the elastic meet the leather on the underside of the foot. As long as you aren’t connecting odd pieces of rope or bondage there, you’ll likely be fine. When using the O-ring on the front of the ankle, as expected, the bottom strap seems entirely unaffected.

One big thing to note in your playtime plans: unlike most ankle bondage cuffs, the UPKO Butterfly Effect Ankle Cuffs do not twist. This means that the O-ring will always lay on the front of the ankle. For bondage positions where the ankle may be fastened to a point behind the wearer, this is something you’ll want to keep in mind; in many scenes, a standard ankle cuff would simply swirl around the ankle to face the bondage point. In this case, the ankle cuff’s O-ring will likely stay exactly where it is – and your tether (whether that be nylon strip, chains, or anything else) will wrap around the wearer’s skin.

This means that bondage options where the bondage point is directly in front of – or to the side of – the front of the person’s ankles will work and feel best.

The O-rings on the front of the UPKO Butterfly Effect Ankle Cuffs are movable. They are attached to a loop that’s on the buckle plates on the front of each cuff. They will move outwards, upwards, and downwards with zero issues (for bondage possibilities while laying down or standing). It does not swivel left or right.

Let’s Talk about the Double-Sided Clip

As the double-sided clip is part of the set, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it. It’s a pretty simple addition – but it does offer more bondage play opportunities if you’re new to kink and don’t have a house full of bondage gear to pair it with.

The double-sided clip is only the length of the clip, however, at a little less than 4″ in length. This means the clip works best for clipping one of the ankle cuffs to an external bondage point. Despite leaving an ankle unbound, this will still restrict your wearer’s movement. You could use a tiny loop of rope/chain to fasten them to your bedframe, the bottom of a heavy couch, the leg of a sturdy dining room table, and more. As with everything about the UPKO Butterfly Effect Ankle Cuffs, the world is your oyster.

The double-sided clip can also be used to attach the O-rings of the ankle cuffs to one another. Because of the small length of the clip, this will (almost exclusively) only be usable while laying down with the ankles touching one another. You can try this while standing, but it will make it extremely difficult to balance. It will be near-impossible to walk.

Hard to complain about a cute, matching bonus that makes it easy to start exploring bondage right away, though!

UPKO Butterfly Effect Ankle Cuffs: The Attention to Detail

I’m in love, love, love with UPKO’s attention to detail. Honestly, it’s part of what sets the UPKO brand apart from some of their competitors. They aren’t just making a functional pair of ankle cuffs; they’re elevating it into something that looks like a lingerie accessory.

Aside from the design of the cuff itself, with the wrap-around foot support and ankle support, this attention to detail can be seen through the Butterfly Effect Ankle Cuffs with things like:

• The quality of the leather. There isn’t a nick or scratch on the leather as far as I can see. The UPKO Butterfly Ankle Cuffs look flawless.
• Hard metal bow. A soft material bow on the front of the cuffs would have flopped around – and gravity would have tugged it downward into a draping ribbon. Instead, UPKO went with a hard, gold, metal “bow” that’s fastened in the middle – and the two sides of the bow consistently stick out from the curvature of your foot. It has a very gorgeous, 3D look to it.
• Gold hardware detailing. It isn’t enough that they have beautiful gold hardware. Even the smallest detail has been taken care of with the UPKO brand etched into the side of the O-ring, D-Ring, and the top of the bow. It’s understated, but it also demonstrates their attention to detail.
• Curved O-ring plate. The plate the O-ring is attached to isn’t flat. Unlike virtually every cuff you’ll find, UPKO chose to use an ever so slightly curved plate to attach the O-ring to. This adds to the comfort of the cuff as it lays flush against the ankles. After all, your ankle isn’t flat; it’s rounded.
• Included double-sided clip. UPKO didn’t really need to include a double-sided clip. The cuffs are gorgeous enough as-is, and the majority of high-quality bondage gear out there doesn’t come with any hardware to bind the items to another spot. However, UPKO did – and they even included a clip that perfectly matches the metal of the rest of the cuffs.
• The packaging. The sturdy black box includes an understated, simple gold foil logo on the outside. As you open it, a thin, high-quality piece of gold foil and black paper greets you (much like a box of chocolates). Opening that reveals the cuffs perfectly positioned. It’s that attention to detail.

UPKO Butterfly Effect Ankle Cuffs Review: Final Thoughts

Thanks for reading my UPKO Butterfly Effect Ankle Cuffs review!