Twisted Monk Conductive Bamboo Rope

Twisted Monk Conductive Bamboo Rope

Vendor: Regulation

Construction

A few months ago I talked about Twisted Monk Hemp rope which comes in a number of different thicknesses for different kinds of play. Today’s review item is made out of bamboo fiber which stands out compared to other materials because it has anti-bacterial properties. While this provides some level of protection, if you want to be 100% sure, you have to wash your rope between scenes. Bamboo is softer than hemp, making it ideal for fragile areas like the fingers or the crotch area. Twisted Monk only makes Bamboo rope with 6mm thickness. It can be used for most forms of bondage but is not strong enough for suspension bondage. Like all Twisted Monk ropes the ends are whipped using strong yarn to keep the strands from unraveling. There is about 4cm of rope before the whipping. I prefer to keep it because the slightly unraveled end makes the ends easier to grab but you can cut it off if you prefer a neat and tight end.

Detail of the Whipped End

While Regulation only stocks the “Steel” as a color which is a nice blend of white, dark and lighter blue, Twisted Monk also offers black, crimson, denim, ivory, sunset and violet as colors. As an added feature, a conductive fiber which is not made out of cooper has been weaved into the rope. This allows for electric currency to be transmitted while not triggering metal allergies. This fiber is white and thus even the solid colors like black and crimson have some white spots.

Playing with the Conductive Rope

Switching from hemp or cotton rope to bamboo takes a bit of getting used to. Since it is softer, it hugs the body more, making it ideal for body harnesses (though the thickness of 6mm sometimes lacks a bit of “presence” on the body). But since it is softer, knots also tend to travel a bit. So while the rope is theoretically strong enough for most forms of bondage, I did not really use it as a primary fettering mean but add it to exiting ties.

Charging the Rope with a Violet Wand

The rope opened up a whole new world in e-stim play. Except silver covered cooper wire which is pure sting and agony, the Conductive Bamboo rope is the only large area electrode I am aware of. So suddenly entire legs or arms (always be aware that currency MUST NEVER TRAVEL ACROSS THE HEART!) could be energized surprising my bottoms and through the muscle reflexes even myself. Being soft, it enabled intricate layouts like a helix around the dick (something conductive silicone tubes are too stiff for) or around the toes. The latter is especially fun with a motion triggered e-stim box.

To connect the rope to an e-stim unit pole connection clamps are used. I recommend using isolated ones to keep the connection clamp itself being the connection to the body. Theoretically you can simply push a 2mm pin (4mm banana plugs are too thick) into the rope but the connection is unstable so I would not recommend it.

Connecting the Conductive Rope to an E-Stim Box with A Pole Connection Clamp

Despite the mass and contact area being relatively low, it is enough to counter a conductive loop or pad for example. So to really get the e-stim sensation at the rope position I recommend using a massive butt plug from E-Stim System. Even the smaller Classic or Micro ones did work well so no worries if the sub is anally inexperienced. Alternatively, the rope works also great with a violet wand. This is especially fun when used for a body harness when the currency suddenly flows all over the body.

Conclusion: Unique electrode
Pro Cons Where to get Price
Opens up new play possibilities Knots travel Regulation £29.99
Soft rope so it hugs the body

Twisted Monk Rope Kits

The Twisted Monk Started Kit including the Safety Shear and DVD

Vendor: Mr S (USA) or Regulation (EU)

A lot of people ask me on advice where to get quality rope, especially after reading my Bondage Hardware Special on Rope. Living in Germany, I know a couple of places here. Obviously that does not help most of my readers. So last year I got myself two sets of Twisted Monk rope which is sold internationally.

Construction

Today I am taking a look at the Twisted Monk Hemp Rope. While they do also offer cotton and polyester rope as well as exotic materials like bamboo or silk, hemp is the material of choice for many rope bondage tops because it is strong and the knots don’t travel once tightend. However, getting hemp rope ready to play is an annoying process: In order to make it soft and flexible to hug the sub’s body and minimize rope burn, you have to boil the rope, dry it under tension and run it multiple times over an edge under tension (for example through a carabineer). All Twisted Ropes are pre-treated so they are very soft and flexible for usage straight out of the box.

Comparison of 6mm (Red) & 8mm (Black) Rope

The rope is twisted out of three strands right-handed (or S-twisted) like most modern rope. It comes in three sizes: 4mm for genital bondage, 6mm for most purposes and 8mm for suspension bondage. While 6mm rope creates smaller knots and thus you can go further with the same length, 8mm might be good for your if you are doing a lot of demos or take videos or pictures because the rope has more presence on the sub’s body. The ends are whipped using strong yarn to keep the strands from unraveling. There is about 4cm of rope before the whipping. I prefer to keep it because the slightly unraveled end makes the ends easier to grab but you can cut it off if you prefer a neat and tight end.

The Contrast of the Crimson and Black Contrast

Twisted Monk offers rope in eight colors: Natural, black, a bright green, a lightly tealish blue, violet, grape which is actually burgundy, crimson which is a bright red and raspberry. The colors are solid and even, really vibrant and do not bleach out even after many washing cycles if you stick to the washing guidelines. However, what really disappoints me is the fact that only the ropes are dyed and not the individual strands are colored-through. Especially at the loose ends before the whipping and on tight knots the natural color shines through. While this may sound like pedantic bean counting, it disappointed me because Twisted Monk claims to be the best rope in the world and I have seen less expensive, pre-treated hemp rope in one of the German stores where I shop which ahs been colored-through.

I have bought two kits of rope: The Starter Kit which consists of one 10m and two 3m lengths of 6mm rope (which I got in Crimson) and the Robust Kit with one 13m and two 5m lengths of 8mm rope (which I got in Black). Each Twisted Monk kit comes with a safety shear (you can’t have enough of those), a card on rope maintenance, a card with safety advice and a DVD with some basic rope bondage layouts.

Detail of the Whipping

If you want to learn more about which kind of rope is right for you, take a look at my Bondage Hardware Special on it.

Playing with the Rope

Today, there is actually not much to say about how to play with. Rope offers infinite, creative way to create sexually and/or aesthetically pleasing setups which can but don’t need to be elaborate. It is really not difficult to learn ones way around the ropes. Two or three knots, some knowledge of human physiology, memorizing the dos and don’ts and common sense are enough. To learn these basics and get some inspiration, I have assembled some recommendations on reading and video material at the end of the Bondage Hardware Special.

Detail of how the Strands are not Colored-Through

To choose which set to get depends on what you want to do. Simple ties like handcuffs or fettering a sub to a bed don’t require much more then 3m per joint. Depending on the bottoms physique, 10m is enough for simple body harness. So the Starter set is a really a good starting point to start ones journey into rope. As the designs more elaborate, you can always expand your rope collection. Personally I prefer combining the two sets of mine: Take the 8mm black rope for the basic “structure” and tie in the 6mm red for delicate details. The black makes the red really pop for a striking contrast.

Conclusion: High quality ready-to play hemp rope.
Pro Cons Where to get Price
Pre-treated for softness and out of the box fun … which are not colored-through Mr S Starter Kit $64.95
Mr S Robust Kit $89.95
Tightly whipped ends to prevent unraveling Regulation Starter Kit £64.99
Vibrant colors… Regulation Robust Kit £94.99