Investing in High-Priced BDSM Gear? Ask Yourself These Questions First
Let’s be clear – you can get your kink and your freak on without spending a lot of money. Pervertables are often a kinky person’s first toy, and they’re free if you just search your kitchen or bedroom. Affordable sex toys and BDSM gear exists. Yes to all of that.
But sometimes, you find a piece of gear that can only be called an investment piece, meaning it’s expensive as fuck.
How do you know it’s worth the cost? What’s the best way to tell if you should buy or pass? Whether you’re considering your own custom St. Andrew’s Cross or a high-powered fucking machine, there are a few things to consider when you shop.
Can You Afford It?
You’re a grown-ass adult and can spend your money any way that you want, but the very first question to ask yourself is: Can you afford this? Are you going to be in serious, long-term debt? Will you be short on rent or a mortgage payment? Is this going to max out a credit card?
If the stress of the expense is greater than the pleasure of the fuckery, you might need to wait. But if you YOLO your way through life and money, and this feels right, then have fun.
What Do the Reviews Say?
Yes, reviews can be purchased, but you can usually tell if that’s happened. (If every review sounds identical and is only a sentence long, be skeptical.) But if the reviews are of people gushing or griping in detail, pay attention to those.
When a sex toy company wants several hundred dollars of your hard-earned cash, real users better be able to back up the claims with honest reviews. (Pro tip: When you buy new gear, try to go back and leave your own review. You’ll help out other kinksters who shop later.)
What’s the Quality Like?
It’s hard to know about quality before you buy and try a new toy. Reviews are part of figuring it out. The next is paying attention to how it’s made, what materials are used, and where you’re buying from.
High quality doesn’t always mean a high price. But if you’re being charged a lot of money, you should expect a higher quality.
For gear made out of wood, it needs to be strong and sturdy but also finished so that it’s smooth and comfortable to use.
Anything with leather (real or vegan-versions) should look good and feel great. Check out the details too. Is the stitching done with care? Are there details you probably won’t find in cheaper, mass-produced options?
For sex toys, we recommend silicone, glass, or metal. While jelly, rubber, and other synthetic materials can get the job done, they’re not always the safest.
How Will You Use It and How Often?
Not every investment sex toy needs to be used daily or even weekly. But if you have a closet full of “investments” that you swore you’d play with and haven’t touched in literal months, maybe think this through a little bit.
However, some gear doesn’t need to be used all the time to be worth it. This is especially true if you’re buying something like a stockade or a spanking bench that will only be used for specific BDSM scenes or special occasions. That scene may only happen once a year, but your bench might be exactly what you need to get the fuckery you want. That’s definitely a worthy investment.
How Does It Make You Feel?
If the opportunity to buy a real, full-size St. Andrews Cross presented itself right now (and we could afford it, lol), I would hit “checkout” on the online cart in a fucking second. Should I stop to think if we have room for it? Probably. Would I care about that? Not at all.
I know a St. Andrews Cross is one of our dream pieces of kinky furniture (followed by a spanking bench). (Although that would definitely make for awkward conversation when family came to visit, lol).
Whether it’s something you’ve dreamed of using or furniture you can only get at the local dungeon, you know how it makes you feel. Sometimes a purchase doesn’t make “sense” on paper and that’s okay. When the opportunity comes up, sometimes you’ve got to take it.
(And for everyone about to point out that John Brownstone is a kinky woodworker, I know. But he’s also a pen-maker, and I am chronically short of pens, if that tells you anything.)
Bottomline
Dropping a lot of cash on an expensive sex toy or piece of BDSM furniture isn’t usually a decision to make lightly. Not for us mere mortals who have mortgages, car payments, childcare expenses, healthcare bills, and the like. Even then, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of new kink gear or a new sex toy. But before you spend a big chunk of your hard-earned money, make sure it’s worth it to you – by whatever criteria you choose.
Post sponsored by Hot Cherry
