One of my favourite ways to play with dildos is strapping them on. In fact, I’d say that’s my primary way of having partnered sex. And while I’m pretty set with my go-to harnesses, there has been an unfilled place in my harness collection for a long time — a harness for really big toys. And with Hankey’s Toys sending me a selection of their large toys for reviews, I knew the time was right for a harness that could play well with them.
The Mr S. Leather Dildo Harness
So I’ve never actually owned anything from Mr S. Leather, but I’ve hung around leathermen enough to get excited just about the possibility of owning something for them. Established in 1979, they are in many ways The Gay Leather Brand™.
As a side-effect, this means the Mr S. Leather Dildo Harness is explicitly marketed towards men, with Mr S. Leather’s product images showing both cis and trans men wearing and using this harness. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen harnesses marketed towards men (and many double-leg straps actually can be worn by people with penises FYI), but I thought it was worth mentioning for transmasculine people who are looking for gender affirmation from sex toy marketing!
Made from leather, this harness has a pretty classic ‘three strap’ or ‘jock’ style design. There’s a leather backing pad attached to a belt strap, and two leg straps that connect from the furthest edge of the pad to the belt strap. The only main difference between this harness and others that I own in terms of design is that instead of an o-ring, the Mr S. Leather Dildo Harness uses a Vac-U-Lock plug.
This is the first harness I own that uses the Vac-U-Lock system. Developed by Doc Johnson (although many compatible products are now third party or by other brands), this system uses textured plugs to hold toys (which have a compatible hole in their base) in place. Instead of an o-ring, the friction between the plug and hole combined with the vacuum caused by displaced air is used to hold a toy in place. While I’ve owned Vac-U-Lock compatible dildos before (and most of the dildos Hankey’s have sent me for review include Vac-U-Lock holes), I’ve never had something that includes the plug end of the system, so I was excited to give it a test drive.
There is also an additional leather strap to wrap around a dildo shaft to add extra support if needed, which is something I was interested in trying with the larger Hankey Dildos.
Fitting/Wearing The Harness
The Mr S. Leather Dildo Harness comes in two sizes — S/M and L/XL. I am — annoyingly — right in the edge zone between sizes. The S/M sizing is described as fitting a 28-36” waist, while the L/XL fits a 37-48”. My waist at the time of ordering was around 37.5”, so I decided to go for the L/XL, especially as my weight can fluctuate. That said, I have since lost weight and now have a 36” waist, and still find the L/XL fits well.
Unlike most of the other harnesses I own, the Mr S. Leather Dildo harness has only one waist buckle, rather than one to adjust either side. Originally, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this. However, in use I’ve found I’m actually quite a big fan, especially when it comes to strapping larger toys. Only requiring one hand to fasten the harness means I can use the other hand to support the weight of a large toy. I was initially concerned the single buckle might make it a bit hard to centre the pad, but it was actually pretty easy, as the leg straps are attached to the sides of the front pad rather than the waist strap.
On the subject of the leg straps… they are a little on the tight side. I can wear them on the tightest setting, to be fair, but I do also wear my harnesses pretty low to maximise vulva coverage. If you’re on the thicker side in the thighs, it’s something to be aware of.
While I tend to wear my harnesses a little low, even worn low there was some vulva exposure. I’ll ceed that this is not necessarily a bad thing — some people do specifically want their vulva to be accessible while wearing a strap-on, and I can see how the gap at the bottom of the harness would make it more comfortable for people with penises to wear.
In terms of comfort, the Mr S. Leather Dildo Harness is… honestly pretty mid. I’m used to the Aslan Jag when it comes to leather, so I’m definitely a bit spoiled, admittedly. There are some good things to say here — the thick waist strap is comfortable and doesn’t roll, which is a problem I often run into with jock style harnesses as a chubby guy. The leather feels secure and strong, with the leather in the leg straps slightly softer and thinner for a more comfortable fit.
The main issue is the front pad is made of quite thick and not very flexible leather. This does mean it provides a good amount of support (more on this in a sec), and I think it’s the right choice overall. However, as somebody whose thighs touch, I do find I have to stand with my legs slightly wide apart in this harness to avoid being jabbed.
The Vac-U-Lock System
My general opinion on the Vac-U-Lock system from this harness is that — personally — I don’t see the point if you’re going for average sized toys, and I appreciate the versatility that o-ring harnesses offer. That said, when it comes to the larger toys, I really appreciate the Vac-U-Lock system.
Insertion is easier than I expected, although a little lube can make the process easier. The vacuum seal is pretty strong, and can be reinforced by sprinkling corn starch (Vac-U-Lock sell their own branded powder, but it is 100% just corn starch) into the cavity of any dildos.
While I honestly think this is too much fuss for me to bother with for regular toys, when it comes to the large toys from Hankey’s Toys I enjoy the stabilisation it adds. Don’t get me wrong, this is not on its own — the leather strap you wrap around the base of larger toys really helps, and I don’t think those toys would be workable with a Vac-U-Lock insert alone. But it does add a lot.
I do find that removing the toy is relatively easy… except for when cornstarch is deployed. And I have a relatively strong grip and weightlift regularly, so I can see it being a real for people with grip issues and less strength.
Topping With The Harness
So something I — as a chunky guy — tend to find with harnesses is that I want a bigger waist strap than many three-strap harnesses offer. They’re usable, but they have a tendency to roll or pinch uncomfortably, so I tend towards wider backs. That was something I was concerned about with the Mr S Leather Harness, but I’m glad to say I was totally wrong. As I said, the belt is very wide, meaning even though it’s not shaped like the harnesses I tend to reach for (think the Sh! Super Strap On Harness), it’s still comfortable in the same way.
Something I was also concerned about was using the harness with heavy toys specifically. Would it sit the weight in a comfortable way? Would it feel like my hips were being weighed forward? Well, even with my heavier Hankey’s toys, the weight is distributed pretty comfortably. There’s definitely an element of weighting, but given the size of some of the toys I’m attaching to this thing that’s to be expected. For smaller toys, I find I can pound just as easily/hard/fast as I can with o-ring harnesses, with toys remaining stable and secure in place.
Aside from the earlier discussed vulva exposure (which is entirely personal preference) there’s really only one thing I don’t like about topping with this harnesses. The leather is… creaky. I have never had a harness that makes as much noise during sex as this one. Admittedly this is also a personal preference situation — I came across one person who said they find the creaking sound sexy. But I am not this person, and the creaking reminds me way too much of my aging joints.
Overall
So I think my opinion on most Vac-U-Lock systems has remained unchanged following this review process. For the most part, I think they’re more trouble than they’re worth, are actually more difficult to use than o-ring harnesses, and are potentially problematic for people with less hand grip. However, in the specific case of very large toys I do absolutely see the appeal and benefit, and I do think it supports my larger toys from Hankey’s well.
The harness itself is absolutely fantastic. Creakiness aside, it’s well made, sturdy, and distributes toy weight comfortably. It’s definitely thicker and feels a bit more restricting of movement than something like an Aslan Harness, and doesn’t have the ‘second layer of skin’ feeling that a soft leather harness can. But my soft leather harnesses could not deal with the size of toys that this harness can.
If you’re looking to use more average size toys, I would still point towards other favourite harnesses I have. But for larger toys, the Mr S Leather Dildo Harness works absolutely wonderfully, and I would highly recommend it!
Buy the Mr S Leather Dildo Harness from Hankey’s Toys
This product was sent to me by Hankey’s Toys, in exchange for a fair and impartial review. No affiliate links were used in this post.
