Bastinado Special Restraints

Bastinado Special Restraints

Vendor: McHurt

Construction

The Bastinado Special Restraints are two ankle cuffs connected in the middle by sturdy stitching. Due to using stitching instead of a rivet they cannot twist. The leather of the cuff is not padded and 50mm wide. The cuffs feature an incredible ankle size range between 16cm and 28cm circumference. So they fit equally on petit ladies and big bulls. For easy handling the cuffs are closed using a roller buckle which is covered by a leather tongue so the metal does not press into the skin. Between the cuffs a 25mm wide and 26cm long belt is securely sown.

The toy comes with another connected cuff with 20mm wide leather straps closed by roller buckles. This small restraint is made for fettering the big toes together. Again, at a circumference range between 5cm and 11cm it should fit most feet. Unlike its big brother there is no belt between the cuffs.

Comparison of the Edge Finish of the Two Parts

McHurt is famous for basic yet heavy duty BDSM toys. They source their toys in Europe so no problem with Chrome-6 leather like from cheap Asian mass manufacturer or sloppy stitching. But the leather is initially stiffer than I would expect it to be and the inside of the ankle cuffs is lined with sued which edges have not been finished. That McHurt’s supplier is capable of a higher level of refinement is shown on the toe cuff which has perfectly finished edges – except for the leather tongue which underlines the buckles. All things consider at 49.80€ you get great value for your money! But just don’t expect the level of refinement you get at Mr S or Regulation/ Fetters.

Detail of the Roller Buckle

Playing with the Bastinado Special Restraints

Hitting the soles of the feet has many names: Bastinado, falaka, dǎ jiǎoxīn or foot whipping. It has an equally long tradition in Arabian, Asian and Western punishment culture. However, if you are not good with ropes, it is hard secure the feet in a way that they don’t flinch so you can deliver the blows precisely. As their name indicates, the Bastinado Special Restraints were designed just for that.

The Sued on the Inside of the Ankle Cuffs

The big cuffs are for tying the feet of the bottom together. The wide leather is perfect for distributing the strong force legs can exert evenly on the ankle so they are comfortable yet secure. Since the restraint has not padding or body but the belt is the restraint, there is little wiggle room. So with the feet tied next to each other, the soles form an even and parallel impact surface. This is basis for controlled and evenly hit impact play. But beyond this job well done, it gets a bit difficult.

The lacking level of refinement sadly also shows how cutting corners impairs the functionality of this toy. The strap between the cuffs is supposed for tying the ankle cuffs to a bar some (!) beds have as a design feature at the foot end. Most of these bars are purely ornamental so not really made for detaining struggling feet. But even if I ignore the scarcity of this design element and its common fragility – even though it is necessary for these cuffs to properly work! – the belt position doesn’t make sense! You have to twist it 90° in order tie it to a bar running perpendicularly to the cuffs. Of course, attaching it between the cuffs is cheap and still it somehow does the trick, but it is another example of lacking refinement and cutting corners due to cost.

The Inside of the Toe Cuffs

There is a similar issue on the toe cuffs. They keep the toes securely together to form an even impact area. But the bottom can still move his feet backwards and forwards. A small D-ring for attaching a tension strap to keep them from wiggling would have been great!

Do these issues make the Bastinado Special Restraints a bad toy? No! As already written, they are great value for money. You just need to invest a little bit of thinking and effort to work out the kinks.

1. If you don’t have a bar to attach the restraints to, run tension straps though the roller buckles and laterally fetter the cuffs to the bed frame. Don’t use the rectangular gates as attachment points! They are not welded and will bend open (replacing them with welded D-rings [or welded gates like on the Rubstraints] would be the best solution tbh).
2. You can use a big shackle as an improvised attachment point. If the thick metal wire is a bit uncomfortable for the bottom, a narrow and soft tape sling tied in a bowline also does the trick. I have tried carabineers but they tend to turn and slip, making it more uncomfortable.

An Improvised Attachment Point for the Toe Cuffs

I cannot review this toy without talking about impact play on the feet itself. Like the hand, the foot has many delicate bones which easily shatter. There is fat tissue and almost no thick muscle tissue to dampen the kinetic energy of the impact blow. So don’t let yourself be fooled by movies where people use thick bamboo canes to punish a guy! Instead use riding crops, thin canes with medium blow intensity, floggers of strap out of not too stiff leather or padded paddles. You can also flick wooden, delrin or aluminum blades but no full blows. The danger of inflicting permanent damage is too high.

Of course, with the feet kept in place, they are in a perfect spot for having wax poured on them. Or playing with a Wartenberg wheel. Or prick soles on combination with a rolling pin. Or e-stim. There are many safe options out there to torment the soles. Just don’t be over enthusiastic when it comes to actual bastinado 😉