Review: MEO Berlin Lockable Wrist Restraints

 

Do you enjoy being put in your place? Held comfortably? Both, but also with carabiners? I have a solution, dear reader. MEO was kind enough to send me their Black Berlin Lockable Wrist Restraints in exchange for an unbiased and honest review, and if you are interested in experimenting with restraints, I highly encourage you to check them out. In fact, take a look at the other MEO goodies we’ve reviewed so far – they're all pretty great. But this is about cuffs, and spoilers: I’ll be singing their praises.

First up, let’s talk appearance. As with all MEO products I’ve tried so far, these cuffs come minimally-packaged in a clear plastic sleeve and feature subtle branding (just a tiny little tag and the logo printed on the rivets). However, this time there is a velvety branded storage-bag included to sweeten the deal, which was a nice addition. The first thing that struck me about the restraints themselves was how amazingly padded they are. It’s amazing. Each cuff is comprised of a poofy inner section that wraps the wrists with a more rigid leather strip on the outside to provide a solid support for the metal hardware (and also stop you twisting out of the soft padded bits). The overall effect is that of sturdy, high-quality product that I’ve come to take for granted with MEO.

It’s so effective that you may be intimidated by the hardy construction of these bad boys. You might look them up and down and wish for a cute set of fuzzy handcuffs instead, or something that fastens with ribbons and bows. Bruh, I’ve been there. My first set of restraints were made from a PVC-type material decorated with cute diamantes and it actually did fasten with a satin ribbon. They were very pretty. They were also trash. Like, it was a good entry point, but the plastic-ey PVC material made me sweat and the resulting moisture made them slip and loosen, and the pretty bows came undone while the ribbon itself got messed-up and all skinny, making the bows look like shoelaces. If you just want to see if you’re even interested in experimenting with BDSM and bondage, it does make sense to get an affordable set. Nevertheless, they really can’t compare to these beauties in terms of structure, design, or comfort. 

Firstly, the padding on this MEO product means that they are a little bulkier than you may expect, but it’s worth it. It completely belies their slightly intimidating appearance because it means that there are no harsh edges and it just feels like a really firm pillow is curling its way around your arm. Practically cosy. The only downside of this is that their newness means they can require a little wrangling to close tightly. Because MEO’s target market is more on the male side, the restraints are fairly large and I need them on one of the tightest notches in order to properly grip my cis-girly wrists. Case in point: I took the accompanying photos myself so had to try fasten the cuff one-handed. It's on the third-smallest hole and could do with being one tighter even, but it's difficult to do so by myself. The double leather layers creates a little stiffness, which combined with the cushioned padding means that they’re a little difficult to fold. Fortunately, oiling the cuffs up with Dubbin, tightening them to the smallest hole possible, and just leaving them to settle in that position for a few days made all the difference in their ease of closure (because initially it really was impossible). Leather products soften with use, and I’m pretty sure that these will conform nicely to the shape of my wrists given enough time and opportunity.

The hardware is also incredibly practical, as the cuffs feature not one but three D-rings that serve as attachment points. This is particularly cool because it allows you multiple points of restraint to choose from. You could link the cuffs together using carabiners and still affix them to another point, easily, without extra fiddling; you could link cuffs to anklets in a hog-tie and then secure them to a four-piece bed if your house is decorated like a Hogwarts dorm-room; you could … well, you could be really imaginative, is what I’m saying. Remember the MEO ball gag we reviewed recently? Those O-ring attachment points? Yeah. Endless possibilities. 

Another excellent feature is the fact that these babies have a specially-designed buckle which allows you to use a padlock to lock your chosen one in. That's right -- ultimate restraint! This is only for practitioners looking for a more extreme thrill, or perhaps if you’re practising alone and looking into a little self-bondage (more on that in a future review...). Either way, it’s cool to have that function available, and it doesn’t alter the overall appearance of the cuffs in a noticeable fashion. The hardware remains streamlined and discreet – well, as discreet as leather wrist-cuffs can be, at any rate.

Basically, I love these things. They’re comfortable, strong, well-made, and will definitely keep me as restrained as I want to be for years to come (with proper care). Are there even any downsides? Well, I guess if you are a very petite person with really tiny wrists, purchasing a set of cuffs geared towards men might be a bad idea. I also had to buy my own carabiners, but like, that’s kind of splitting hairs. This is a really wonderful product, and I can’t emphasise how much I love the padding and the fact that there’s such enormous potential for variety and growth. Multiple attachment points! Padlocks! Comfy, nap-worthy wrist support! These may actually be the only cuffs you might need, but in any case, you can really grow into this set. I highly recommend the MEO Berlin Lockable Wrist Restraints to budding and experienced bondage practitioners alike.

Like what you see? Hit MEO up at the links below! Do remember that the site is NSFW though, so make sure nobody is peeping over your shoulder.

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