Mr S Bishop Head Harness

Vendor: Mr S or Regulation

The Mr S Bishop Head Harness with Eye and Mouth Cover Attached

The Mr S Bishop Head Harness with Eye and Mouth Cover Attached

I have long wanted to review this toy but since it is so complex to describe the construction I always chose something different to review despite being one of my favorite bondage toys. But since it is my birthday today I sat down to treat you to this review.

Construction

Before I talk about the construction a short word about measurements: Because there are no less than 6 straps with roller buckles and a Velcro patch it is almost impossible to talk about sizes because if you fasten one strap it naturally affects the other. I have tried out this head harness on subs with really small and really large heads and really beefy necks and it fit everyone.

The Mr S Bishop Head Harness without Any Attachements

The Mr S Bishop Head Harness without Any Attachements

The bottom of the head harness is a double layer of thick, yet soft leather which forms a collar. Onto it a strap with a roller buckle and three welded D-rings are riveted under thick saddle leather. Into this double leather layer the face mask part of the harness is sowed. It is made out of soft garment leather. While the part covering the neck and the chin is a single layer of leather, the part covering the face is also lined with garment leather. The face mask is roughly triangular shaped. On its ends it has another saddle leather strap with a roller buckle riveted onto it. At the end of this part and the collar a 90mm by 50mm patch of industrial grade Velcro is sowed for a firm and precise closure. The central part has an opening for the mouth and the nose with snap buttons around. Onto the lower ones you can put a through 2 roller buckles adjustable double layer garment leather strap. On it you can put one of two leather patches that come with the head harness. Both are made out of saddle leather lined with garment leather. One is just the patch with riveted loops to put on the strap, the other featured a pecker gag like their lockable gag. The upper 6 snap fasteners are for a triangular eye cover. The face masks runs out into a long leather strap onto which 4 other straps with roller buckles are sowed. Through these 4 straps you adjust the head harness so that it fits tightly on the sub’s head.

Detail of the later Added Loop

Detail of the later Added Loop

An alteration I had made on my head harness is a patch of double layered garment leather which a local leather shop riveted on middle of the strap running over the head. Under this flap I can put a shackle as an added bondage point. I strongly believe that the guys at Mr S can do the same thing if you want it.

Playing with it

There are two components which makes this head harness an awesome toy. First there is the sensual aspect of this toy: As I have written almost two years ago kneeling in front of a top and having the straps fastened around your head is a very intimate experience and a great way into the scene.

Detail of the Welded D-Ring

Detail of the Welded D-Ring

Once this is done, soft leather is hugging the sub’s face and the rich intoxicating scent of leather envelopes him. But in order to create this great experience it takes a lot of practice and experience how to fasten the straps in order to get tight and symmetrical without having to try and undo them too often.

Detail of the Two Straps with Roller Buckels on the Collar

Detail of the Two Straps with Roller Buckels on the Collar

After having experienced the sensual experience of having the head harness put on and just being in it, it is now time to start playing with it. First there is the bondage feeling around the head. It is not as strong as a full mask you get laced into but still the pressure of the individual straps can be felt to create a tight bondage sensation. This is good especially for a bit claustrophobic people where a full mask would be too much. If you don’t tighten the straps too much the more “airy” feeling and appeal is good newbies who would also be overwhelmed by a full hood. Also in the lighter/ newbie section belong the eye cover and the gag. While the cover does block the sub’s sight and the gag it good for chewing on and kind of hard to spit out, they are more a psychological support of a scene than made for heavy play. If you want the real deal (total darkness or a thigh, secure gag) I recommend to look at the reviews of the Ultra Blindfold or the Lockable Gag both from Mr S. A nice psychological touch I am missing is that there is no locking option for the collar straps. For real bondage aficionados knowing that they are inescapable locked into bondage gear is a great mind fuck.

Detail of the Roller Buckle of the Straps which wrap around the Head

Detail of the Roller Buckle of the Straps which wrap around the Head

Detail of the Pecker Gag Stuck Through the Mouth Hole Showing the Inside Leather Lining

Detail of the Pecker Gag Stuck Through the Mouth Hole Showing the Inside Leather Lining

With three D-rings the head harness it has ample anchoring points for a leash or attaching mitts or restraints. While the rings are tempt to be used for binding down the sub I would not advise it because there is a chance that the subs will strangle himself. Because of this I had the loop on top added. If you use the collar as an anchoring point make sure that the top of the head is even bound harder to when the sub tries to get up his head is stopped before he chokes on the collar. Another interesting way of using this head harness for bondage is attaching ropes to the four straps around the head and tying them to a bondage frame so the sub can’t move his head. It takes a bit of practice and time but the one sub which I witnessed being bound like that was entering bondage bliss after he realized that he can’t turn his head.

Conslusion: The best head harness I have yet played with
Pro Cons Where to get Price
Many different sensations Difficult to put on and adjust Mr S (Manufacturer) $379.95
Three D-Rings  No locking collar straps Regulation £389
Very versatile
High material & build quality

 

Buyer’s Guide to Pup Gear

Ever since I started ToyTorture.com I have been asked why I don’t write about pup gear. There were two reasons for that: First I usually don’t write about fetish gear because there is no way to say that a is better than b when b makes you drool and a leave you cold. Second I am not into pup play and since I always try out the toys I write about myself and I don’t get the head space effect of pup toys I found no way to write about pup toys. But the mails and questions especially from kinkster just getting into the pup scene did not stopp. I have been woofed and growled at, my legs have been humped at events while asking for advice and I have been told that it would be totally pawesome if I wrote about pup gear. So as a Christmas treat (ok, enough now of the bad puppy jokes) I spent the last couple of weeks looking at pup gear, talking to pup players and I finally wrote this (Beginners) Buyer’s Guide to Pup Gear.

As always: If I have gotten something wrong or forgot something please let me know and help me improve this article.

Head Gear

What comes to mind first when you talk about puppy gear are the different puppy hoods. They come in two major styles: Full and open hood. Full hood encase the entire head. Since the pup play community has grown there are hoods out there for almost every breed of dog and they are made out of the major fetish materials rubber and leather. While the rubber ones come mostly only in classic black, there is a wide selection of different leather ones out there; just recently Mr S introduced custom leather puppy hoods catering to the most discriminating demands. Open hoods loosely resemble the style of head harnesses. They usually have a snout, ears and sometimes even a collar and come in rubber, neoprene and leather.

Not really specific puppy gear but purposes wise related are muzzles. Designed to keep the mouth of talkative subs or biting K9s shut they are more of a functional toy than designed to enhance the pup looks. You can get them made out of neoprene, leather or rubber, depending on your fetish and play style. The rubber muzzle from Regulation is quite sturdy but if you attach a leash onto it and the pup pulls to hard there is a chance that the rubber will tear. If the puppy is very active, stay with leather. I have talked to some guys who own puppy hoods and muzzles and they said that there are combinations where you can wear a hood and a muzzle. Sadly there is no general rule of thumb so if you want to wear both pieces of gear you have to try it out.

 

Tails

Another distinctive pup play toy is the tail. The most commonly used are tails that are attached to a butt plug. I would recommend the ones from Square Pegs because they are seamless and thus comfortable to wear even for a longer mosh or walk. They come in different tail shapes, colors and butt plug sizes. Choosing the right plug size is a bit difficult. I was told that it is useful to choose a plug one size larger than you can easily take because the tail stays in place even when you wag and romp without having to constantly pinch your sphincter. However the tail is of no use if you can’t insert it at all due to being too big. Another way of keeping the tail in place is wearing a special kind of harness.

This kind of tail has gained quite some popularity in the non-puppy ass play community: When you are wearing a tail while fucking someone the moving momentum of the tail gets transferred to the plug section which than stimulates the prostate.

If you don’t want to wear a plug-style tail Oxballs and Square Peg have recently introduced tails without the plug. The Square Peg one comes with a base and is designed to be put through a hole, or can be attached to a neoprene or leather harness, the Oxballs is designed to be attached to a special harness.

 

 

Collars

The origin of collars in the BDSM scene as a sign of submission and belonging come from the dog collars. So it is only natural that they fulfill the same purpose in the pup play community. Besides being an indicator they are also practical for attaching a leash or a dog tag.

Collars are probably the piece of pup gear with the widest selection of options. They come in nearly every material and color used in kink. Either coordinate it with your hood or harness or use the collar color as a hanky. If you want an inescapable feeling you can get locking ones or if you want some added play value I recommend getting a collar with more than one D-ring.

If the pup still needs training a shock collar might be the item to get. Especially for novice pups I would recommend shock collars made for BDSM purposes. If you choose one for dogs be real careful with the intensity. The electrodes and outputs are designed to even have a distinct effect when going through thick fur. Since with humans the electrodes touch bare skin on high intensity levels they can leave burn marks or cause nerve damage!

Mitts and Knee Pads

Since puppys tend to be on all fours while playing and the human being isn’t really made for this posture, protection is needed. Mitts are a little bit more fetish than security item. Usually a pup can see where he places his palms, so when choosing mitts the appearance is more important. The most commonly used types of mitts are either lockable bondage ones made out of rubber or leather which leave the pup at the mercy of their handler or mitts that have paw-like prints or cut-outs glued to the bottom. On the other hand knee pads are essential for long term pup play. When being on the knees for an extended period of time they provide comfort and protection, especially when walking around outdoor. They might not look sexy and I haven’t found ones yet tailored to the aesthetic demands of the pup community but every pup player I talked to highly recommended softly padded ones for every pup who enjoys kneeing and being on all fours for extended periods of time.

 

Harnesses

Finding the right harness for a puppy is a two step process: First you need to consider how active the puppy is. If you attach a leash to an active puppy via the harness its material should withstand greater forces so I would recommend buying a leather harness. Otherwise you can either choose rubber, leather or neoprene. The second question is the style: For a more “natural” puppy look I was told to rather take chest harnesses instead of full body harnesses. This doesn’t limit your options that much since in the last couple of years a lot of different chest harness styles – Bulldog, Pitbull, English, Top or Hunter – came out. Like with collars you can most of the times add a second color for piping to match the rest of your gear or express a certain preference hankylike.

Accessories and Play Toys

Once the puppy is full dressed in gear the is an endless amount of accessories out there. A good one to start with are dog tags so other pups and handlers can read the pup name. Besides the dog tags traditionally being made out of metal Oxballs designed cockrings with an attached dog tag so you can show your fetish even when being out in a club without and puppy gear.

When it comes to toys for the actual play, the possibilities are endless. The most common are dog bowls, bite and squeaky toys, either made for bio dogs or from special fetish manufacturers. Naming them all is impossible so I recommend going out to your local pet or fetish store.

 

Items designed for bio dogs

Some players want the real deal and buy stuff designed for bio dogs. In most cases they are a bit cheaper than BDSM toys and naturally of cause more authentic. But always keep in mind that they weren’t design for humans. Especially when it comes to collars they are designed to be worn over a thick fur so irritations are possible. If you want real dog gear I recommend trying it out even more thoroughly than you would do with normal BDSM gear even though that might get you some weird looks at the pet store.

What you should never do is eat real dog food! Most dog food has crushed bones mixed into in order to keep the teeth of dogs from getting too long. The human set of teeth and digestion organs are not design to deal with such food! If you want an almost dog-like appeal by dog treats, give the content to a bio dog and put beef jerky into them.

Why I haven’t reviewed products from Sinvention, Fetters or Regulation yet

In the last couple of month I have been getting quite some messages asking me why I feature only products from a limited selection of manufacturers (most of my toys comes from Mr S, Mister B, SlingKing and McHurt) and thus why I don’t review products from this manufacturer or why I have ignored that one for my desiderate section (Which has gotten a bit neglected). There are a number of reasons out there and because they partly play a role why today’s Christmas gift tip nearly came without pictures I decided to elaborate them:

  1.  Toy Selection Pattern
    Against widely spread believes I buy most of my toys myself. I am thankful to Mister B, HML and UberKink who sometimes provide me with toys to review but the majority of my toys from my own money. When it comes to getting a new toy I am fantasy driving. Most of the time I have a specific scene or sensation in mind I want to create and for which I am lacking the right “tool”. So if I have gotten a toy for a specific sensation it is unlikely I am going to by one from another manufacturer just to compare them. Also the collection reflects my personal play style and my fantasies and fears.
  2. Money
    This leads to the next issue: Money. I am still a student currently without a job so my toy budget is rather limited. Next to toy categories I am currently not covering at all – like hoods or breath play – especially when it comes to bondage and impact toys I know that there slight variations of toys I already own out there which for my intention of having just the right toy for the right sensation at hand (or just for the convenience of having a second or third restraint set) would be great to have. But with my limited budget I simply can’t afford the luxury to have a deep AND wide selection of toys. So for the moment I am going for wide in the field that interests me and neglect the rest. And even with stuff that has become interesting lately like some hoods they simply are out of my budget for the moment.
  3. Shopping Style
    Due to the two above factors my purchasing process is rather sophisticated: When I have a fantasy I start looking at websites and from what I know of material and design properties choose a relevance set of toys that might deliver the desired sensation and fit my budget. Once the relevance set is done I go out and take a look at the toys I consider and try them out; I rarely purchase toys online. This is of cause difficult with stores being based in London, Atlanta or Canada.
  4. Review Process
    I have been getting messages asking why I don’t write about toys that have been used on me in scenes. When I gather notes for a review I am not going under in the scene. I am focusing on how the toy performs, how the sensation alters when used differently, etc. As much as I enjoy the reviewing scenes they are not as emotionally intense as normal ones and usually don’t get the top what he wants from me as a sub. So I stage “review” scenes where I interview the tops and subs afterwards. Of cause I do have an opinion on a toy used on me after a scene. For example I certainly can say something about the Padded Locking restraints from Mr S (I like them a lot) but that opinion is too indifferent for a review. So even though I have experienced toys from Sinvenstion, Fetters and Regulation (these are the three manufacturer I get the most questions about reviews for) I can’t say more than “I liked this and disliked that in that specific scene.”
  5. Copyright Issues
    This isn’t an issue for reviews but for desiderates. For the desiderate section I am posting pictures from the manufacturer/ vendor on my website and I have to obtain the right to do so from the current copyright holder! In the last two years I have approached over three dozen web shops and manufacturer several times and only got the permission from a handful to use their material. Most of them didn’t answer at all even so I stopped bothering them.
    Please note that some of the manufacturers named here have given me the permission to use their material for my website.

All of these factors can of cause lead to the impression that I am favoring certain manufacturers. This is partly true and as much I love the ones I am currently featuring I would much rather present a broader spectrum of toys and manufacturers to the community. So in the meantime while I am trying to win the lottery and fill my dream dungeon with all the dream toys, if you want to see a specific toy reviewed or just want to support my side by sending me toys, here is a list of toys that I am interested in but are for various reasons not on my purchasing list:

Sinvenstion – Arm Immobilizer Splints

Fetters – Calf to Thigh Restraint

Regulation – Leather Bag Hood

Regulation – Chest Binder

Mister B – Closed Leather Face Mask

Mister B – Iron Whips Wocen Cat 8×4 Long

Mr S – Asylum Muzzle

Parus Leather – Restraints No. 2106 & No. 2211

HML – Wide Bondage Belt

ErosTek – ET302R

Regulation Rubber Flogger

As a rubber fetist myself I sometimes find the dominance of leather in the kinky scene annoying especially when it comes to toys. Of cause, leather is the ideal material for many purposes but nevertheless when you are into the feel and the smell of latex nothing else will do. So I am always happy to find a toy made out of rubber.

A few weeks ago a friend of mine told me about the rubber flogger from Regulation which he tried out in London. Being into rubber himself he was delighted by the smell and feeling and amazed by the build quality. Even though rubber isn’t as strong as leather this flogger will probably be good enough for a strong and serious flogging session. And serious it will be due to the rubber being softer than other rubber flogger but as an artificial material it is still harder with sharper edges than a soft leather flogger.

The flogger comes in various color variations and costs £99 each at the time of the publishing of this article.