Vendor: HML

The HML Bondage Harness

The thing I love most as a BDSM toy collector than using toys (or more precisely having them used on me) is strolling through small BDSM shops who make their own gear and toys. While I love the products sold by Mister B or 665 Leather to name two big players in the market, I love the sometimes unexpected creativity of small shops. So when discussing with the guys at HML the suggestions for improving the electro ball stretcher I stumbled across this bondage harness, a category of gear I thought that wasn’t made anymore. So I was quite surprised when they provided me with a review sample.

Construction

The basic construction follows the blueprint of a standard full body harness: Two straps run over the shoulder, one under the arms and one around the waist. What sets this harness apart from a standard full body harness is that the strap running around the ass: You can either wear it with once strap over the ass crack or add two contouring the ass cheeks for a thong-like look.

Like all HML leather toys the 4cm wide straps of this harness are made out of soft black hide which is folded so the seam is in the middle of the back of the straps which makes for a clean look without edges. The individual straps are attached to massive and heavy steel rings by rivets. The connecting strap between the upper torso part and the thong-like part around the waist uses snap fastener for connection. They are quite convenient because once you have adjusted the harness to fit your body by using the roller buckles you don’t need to open them again so the harness fits perfectly every time you want to wear it. The holes in the belts for the roller buckles are reinforced by steel rivets. The right size depends on your body type: The harness can be adjusted to different body heights but is quite limited to adjusting so bigger bodies. If in doubt ask the friendly guys at HML. Another thing that can be changed is the stainless steel cockring. The harness comes with a standard 50mm cockring that can be changed into the perfect size for you.

Detail of the Snap Buttons on the Middle Strap

What makes this harness special are the six D-rings that are riveted under sturdy pieces of leather just behind the roller buckles on the shoulder, under the arms and around the waist.

Playing with it

I have made it a rule not to talk about gear on this website: The different styles and cut and ways of making it are way too personal and actually controversial in our community (I have seen friendships break over discussing the “right” place to get your rubber…). But being a harness the gear aspect is the pink elefant in the middle of the room so I get it out of the way first: I’ve been out with this harness a couple of times and it performs well as gear. The cut is very good helping to highlight your good assets. It can be worn either as a full body harness or you take the connecting strap out and wear it just as an upper torso harness or as a cockring thong.

Detail of the Roller Buckle with the D-Ring

But now on the playing aspect. As the name states this harness is made for bondage and it performs really well in the field of play. First I thought that six D-rings are a bit few but when trying out the harness there were more than enough. When tying someone into a bondage frame you can effectively immobilize someone’s torso quickly by using chain and carabiners or tension belts without having to worry about cutting of circulation like when using rope. If you use rope, you can also incorporate the four steel rings on the front and the back for an even more elaborate designs. A fun thing when taking out your sub to the bars is to use the shoulder D-rings for tying a head harness in its place and attaching upper arm restraints to the upper and wrist restraints to the lower strap that runs around the body. Depending in the method you chose for attaching your sub is quite immobilized, coming close to the effect of a straight jacket yet every part of his body is accessible. In order to limit access to certain body regions there are anal toys out there which can be put onto a harness (sadly I have forgotten where I have seen them). They will probably fit on the strap running down the crack keeping them well in play. What works in any case is attaching a show plug for pup play onto the harness. I a friend of mine was thrilled that he can pup out with a tail despite not being able to take something up his ass when wearing this harness.

Detail of the Straps which can be Added to Create a Thong-Like Look

When talking about the usage possibilities a word of warning is in place: The well chosen location of the D-ring would THEORATICL make this harness good for suspension bondage where the matter of supporting the torso is always a difficult one, especially when you are not using rope. BUT: Do to the snap fasteners I strongly discourage you from using this harness for suspension bondage because there is always the fear of the snap fasteners opening under the stress they are put onto. To be honest I put them to a hard test with strong subs who fought against the bondage and I tried the harness for suspension (with security measures of cause) and nothing opened. Yet still because the security of the sub is paramount I would not advise using this harness for suspension!

HML also makes another kind of harness called the HML Restraint Harness which exchanges the shoulder straps with a collar, has D-ring in front of the collar and two at the crotch and has build in restraints above the hip. It is made in the same great way as this bondage harness is and costs 345€.

Vendor: HML

Construction

The HML Velcro Leather Restraints with a Welded Stainless Steel D-Ring

I have gotten this pair of wrist restraints from the guys from HML to give them feedback on their latest design.

The wrist restraints are made in the same fashion like their electro ball stretcher being made out of one piece of high quality cow nappa leather folded towards the middle thus there are no sharp edges on the sides. What sets this bondage toy aside from other restraints is the workmanship and the closing mechanism: Instead of a buckle they have a 15mm and wide strap of industry grade Velcro sowed onto a 30mm wide leather strap. The piece of male Velcro is 100mm long while the female is 150mm long. Also besides the welded stainless steel D-ring there is not metal used to make these restraints. A tight and very precise stitching ensures sturdiness and reliability even when playing hard.

Detail of the Male and Female Velcro Straps

Due to the compact closing mechanism and the width of approx. 52mm they are very compact so they even fit in tight toy containers. They come with a 70mm long and 6mm thick steel chain hook which is a nice touch.

Playing with it

I have seen a number of leather restraints with Velcro as a closing mechanism. The Velcro is often used as an inexpensive closing mechanism on entry-level restraints. And while this model is also the entry model of the HML restraint range they feel very sturdy thus performing very well in fettering a sub. In fact the piece de resistance of this bondage device is the closing mechanism: It is the nature of Velcro that is can be adjusted very precisely leading to a very tight bondage feeling for the fettering aficionado. On the other side of the experience spectrum I made very good experiences using this toy on a bit scared subs who are new to this kind of play. In their mind just pulling on the Velcro strap to open them is a quicker and easier way to get them out compare to having to open a buckle. An aesthetic problem that doesn’t affect the play is that there is no loop to hold the loose end of the strap.

Trust is also something the top has to develop towards this toy. When the sub struggles in these restraints the Velcro makes creaking noises and on several occasions I fear that they would open up. But even when playing with a strong ex-military sub they withstand the fight against them.

In order to keep them from accidently opening during a scene I would advise to always use the entire length of the male strap leading to a minimum diameter of 50mm and a maximum diameter of 68mm. So these restraints fit small to larger wrists. They even fit small ankles but are not really made for this restraining situation. Maybe HML can make ankle restraints by commission. But HML carriers a matching collar either with a D-ring or an O-ring.