I worked with Liebe Seele—a BDSM brand based in Japan—last year, and while their paddle wasn’t for me, I liked the cat-o-nine-tails from their White Liebe and ball gag from their Wild Gent line so much that when they approached me, asking if I wanted to review items from some of their new collections, I said yes!
The three new collections they’ve released include the Bound You Ⅱ collection (cotton bondage designed to look like shibari rope), Victorian Garden (an all-vegan collection with black lace, red fabric, and gold hardwear), and Dark Secret (a black leather and gold hardwear collection). As well as these cuffs, the Dark Secret collection includes a blindfold, ball gag (which looks very similar to the Wild Gent gag I’ve reviewed before, which I’d highly recommend), two options for collar and leashes, ankle cuffs, thigh cuffs, a waist cuff, hogtie connectors, a tawse paddle (similar to the one I reviewed), a spreader bar, and a strap-on harness (that I was also very tempted to ask to review).
Despite being tempted by the harness, I asked to review the cuffs from this collection for a number of reasons. Firstly, while I love ropework as a form of bondage, my partner is very much a device bondage person, and I thought she would probably get more out of and have specific feedback about cuffs over a harness. Secondly, while the pair of cuffs we currently use most are pretty simple, the two of us have used so many pairs of cuffs over the years that I thought we would be able to have pretty varied and detailed feedback. So—much as that Delux Leather Strap On Harness was calling my name—I decided to ask to review the Dark Secret Leather Handcuffs instead.
The Cuffs
The Dark Secret cuffs follow the colour scheme of the Dark Secret collection in black leather and gold hardware. Gold isn’t a colour I see on BDSM hardwear often, especially in combination with black. While this does mean I think the cuffs stand out a little compared to my other gear (which is mostly black with silver), and I think it might make finding connecting hardware more difficult (although FYI Liebe Seele do sell gold quick release clips), it’s a very unique colour combination, and it feels very classy—I’m into it!
These cuffs adjust for wrists approximately 14 to 24cm in circumference. Because there’s an inner layer of leather, no metal hardware sits against the skin, and while they’re technically not padded, they feel padded, which I’ll talk about more in a bit. While at $64 they’re not cheap, they’re also not what I would consider a true ‘luxury’ price for BDSM gear, and would also say is a really good price for the quality!
Leather, Stitching, & Hardwear
I know I talk a lot about leather smells—and I’ve definitely gassed Liebe Seele up a couple of times for their leather smell—but I have to talk about it again, because it’s just so nice. Not all leather bondage gear has a strong smell (I’m currently reviewing some Hot Octopuss leather gear that doesn’t), and I get why some people see leather smell as a negative… but urg, strong leather smells just do stuff to me. I was really excited to open the Dark Secret Cuffs because I knew I’d immediately get reminded why I like leather so much.
I was also impressed by the quality of the leather—all leather has natural variation in texture, but while there were some uneven marks (which you will always get with non-corrected grain) there were absolutely no large visible faults.
The stitching is just as fantastic as the stitching on the other Liebe Seele products I’ve seen. Even being a horrible little nitpicker (for the sake of review writing at least), I didn’t find any loose stitching, and only two spots where it was slightly short of perfect. And that’s saying something, given how much stitching there is on these cuffs—every part of it is at least two layers of leather thick!
I have tried to take a look at the D-rings to check if they’re welded or not, although they’re so securely fastened into place that it’s hard to tell. I’m going to assume they’re not, just because the D-rings on the Wild Gent Ball Gag weren’t either and if I squint I’m pretty sure I can see a gap in them? Although I could be entirely wrong about this. I’d definitely prefer welded hardwear and I care about it more here than I did on the Wild Gent gag—as cuffs are likely to get tugged more than a gag is—but it’s not a huge dealbreaker. I definitely wish that the connector chain that comes with the cuffs was welded though—it probably won’t be a huge issue in my day-to-day play (and if I want welded chains, I do have some), but I do think it’ll be the break point if tugging does become too much.
Using the Cuffs
I’ve talked for ages about particulars, but what did I actually think about the Dark Secret Cuffs in use? My first takeaway after trying the cuffs on is…these are very much a product that needs to be broken it. And that’s fine! Leather is like that sometimes, and I personally think it makes it more personal to use and wear. But right out of the box—these cuffs are as beautifully packaged as the Wild Gent gag was—they’re quite stiff. I think the leather here was definitely the right choice in terms of firmness and weight, but they do take some time and use to become properly supple. They are also—to be honest—a bit of a struggle to put on one-handed. It can be done, but they’re really not the kind of cuffs I can put on myself before playtime, at least not in a way that leaves my dignity intact.
Once they’re actually on though? So damn comfortable. They feel sturdy and distribute pressure comfortably (the wide surface area definitely helps with that), and my partner can tug my wrists about as she pleases without any pinching, issues with circulation, or pain. If I’m bottoming for lighter and/or bedroom bondage, I might still use tape or something similar, but for anything where I actually want to feel restrained (or ““fight back”” a little), they’re perfect.
Overall
I literally do not have a single truly negative thing to say about the Liebe Seele Dark Secret Wristcuffs, aside from that slightly nitpicky take about the chain. But you know, connectors are easy to replace, and everything else about these cuffs is so close to perfect. I can’t recommend them more!
This product was sent to me by Liebe Seele, in return for a fair and impartial review. No affiliate links were used in this post.
