The House of Basciano Very Useful Snaps. Once you have one, you need more!
Vendor: House of Basciano
Construction
The core of this bondage tool are two leather straps glued and sown atop of each other. Both layers are made out of high quality leather which is very smooth and flexible. The edges are folded inside, creating a smooth piping. By folding and riveting it, the straps create notches to hold two D-rings and two trigger snaps. The welded stainless steel D-rings have a width of 2.5cm and a height of 2cm. The 360° turnable trigger snaps are sadly only die cast; stainless steel ones are ridiculously expensive. But still, they are very sturdy, easy to open and completely rounded and smooth. Their eyelet has a diameter of 1.2cm and an opening aperture of 1.6cm.
The leather strap has a length of 7cm, leading to an overall length of 16.5cm between the inside of the snaps’ apex. House of Basciano is famous for their customization or made to measure works. So if you need a longer one, they can probably make it. A shorter one is hardly possible due to everything being so close together already.
When I bought this bondage tool in 2022 there was only one configuration: Black leather, black stitching and silver hardware. Now, like most other gear from House of Basciano, you can configure it freely in every leather and stitching color they offer and even with black hardware which looks pretty cool.
The Trigger Snap Housed by a Two Layer Leather Strap
Playing with the Very Useful Clip
In what follows I will reference rope as the bondage medium. But these clips work also well with tension straps up to a width up to 20mm (16mm are better because of the eyelet diameter). With these clips you can perpendicularly connect tension straps in a fixed position. If you use tension straps to connect tension straps, they usually move because the material is so smooth. But if you clip one of these tools parallel onto a strap, the friction keeps it in place and you can use the D-ring for a perpendicular connection.
The most interesting form of bondage they enable is with bungee cords. Using the trigger snaps and D-rings, you can wrap the cords around a body in a way other bondage tools like shackles, carabiners and rigging plates cannot achieve. Since bungee cords are flexible, the sub can move, struggle against them, trying to escape his strap cocoon. But they are quite strong and a surprisingly low number of cords can restraint a strong man.
After buying these tools at trip to Inferno, I took them to a rope bondage class, trying to find access to this art. As person who is into quick and functional bondage and who sees no inherent value in the fettering process and just being bound, I hoped that this course would change my mind. It did not, but it brought up some interesting opinions about this tool. Pure/ old guard rigger called it a “cheat code”, it quickly won favors with the low dexterity crowd (which I was a part off) and people who are into function, yet elaborately restraining rope bondage. Naturally, the two clips allow to easily connect two pieces of rope or add one or two anchoring points. Incorporating the Very Useful Clip into an thigh rope rigging around the body can be a bit uncomfortable. While the leather of the body is soft, flexible and bends easily, the inside D-ring can apply some uncomfortable pressure, especially when pressed against a bone or joint. Due to their 360° turn ability, the trigger snaps are surprisingly comfortable. Just make sure that the lever does not press into the skin!
The Die Cast Trigger Snaps turn 360°
The trigger snaps hold shut astonishing well, even when put under perpendicular pressure. You can run rope through the eyelets of the snaps for tightening without forcing them open. Both sides of the trigger snaps close so evenly and tightly that rope runs through them smoothly and without damaging the rope, making them perfect for every lever-style setup.
That being said, they are neither strong enough nor certified for any load baring or even human suspension! For every kind of suspension bondage, only use certified climbing carabiners. While you can use these clips for incorporating toys or making interesting weaves, they must never be used in the basic rigging which holds the body and its limbs suspended.
Beyond rope and tension strap bondage, these small tools are nifty when playing outside your playroom. You can easily daisy-chain them to bridge a small distance between provided the anchoring point and restraint. In chain frames or webs with undeburred links (yes, such thinks still exist, especially in locations which are not BDSM centered and want to offer inexpensive play “furniture”) they can provide smooth anchoring points which does not damage rope or tension straps. In rope nets and webs, you can easily add D-rings as anchoring points using them.
The Pair of Welded Stainless Steel D-ring
When I showed the clips around among friends and gave them a demonstration, they were amazed how easily they could improve their bondage game. Suddenly, with tension straps and even bungee cords, elaborate bondage setups were possible. So I was asked if I would say they could replace a rope bondage workshop. My answer to that is no, they most definitively not a rope bondage workshop obsolete. While you can skip many of the connection, weaving and knotting techniques, a rope bondage workshop is more than that. At such workshops you also learn about how and how far you can twist and bend the human body how bondage can impact circulation and other important safety and security knowledge.
So, my conclusion is, like with every toy that makes play easier, do not let yourself be pushed by convenience and possibilities. Stay within your experience level and comfort zone, even if the your and your sub’s horniness might push you further. Slowly and gradually experiment and extend what you can and want to do and if in doubt err on the side of caution.
If you keep that in mind, the Very Useful Clip is indeed a very useful clip. They have become a standard equipment in my toy bag next to the climbing carabiners and the rigging plate.
| Conclusion: Very useful and versatile bondage tool to enhance your rope game | |||
| Pro | Cons | Where to get | Price |
| Allows for more creative (rope) bondage setup | Trigger snaps are only die cast | House of Basciano | $16.95 |
| Very well made & sturdy | |||
| Two D-rings | |||
