BDSM Equipment 101: List of Must-Have BDSM Toys for Kinksters

Dominance and submission games in itself are already exciting. But you know what makes it even more fun? When you incorporate different BDSM equipment and toys in your BDSM play scenes. Think of them as tools you can use to enhance your BDSM experience. There’s nothing like a flogger or a whip to really get things heated up in the bedroom.

But if you’re new to BDSM, choosing which BDSM equipment you want to use can be overwhelming. There’s just a wide variety of them. Newbies like you can easily lose their way. To simplify things for you, ask yourself these questions, “What BDSM scene are you going to reenact?” and “Which BDSM toys can help make your play scenes more effective?”

For example, if you’re in the mood for some naughty teacher and student role-play, the best toys you can get are a paddle and a whip. They’re great discipline tools that the Dom can use when the sub is acting like a bratty student. Or if a doctor and patient role-play is what you want to go for, there’s the spreader bars and speculum to force the sub to spread her body in one way or another. This way the Dom can do a “check-up” on the sub’s exposed body parts.

But of course, these are all just suggestions. You’re totally free to use any BDSM equipment you want whatever way you wanna use them. As long as you’re well aware of their proper use so that no one gets hurt, you’re good to go.  With that said, let’s dig deeper into the world of BDSM and familiarize ourselves with the different BDSM equipment available.

BDSM Restraints

In a nutshell, BDSM restraints are the tools used to subdue the sub. They’re undoubtedly one of the most popular BDSM equipment out there, and for good reasons. What better way for a Dom to establish his dominance than to have the sub rendered immobile and under his sweet mercy. There’s a variety of BDSM restraints available in the market, but the most commonly used are the following.

1 Handcuffs

Handcuffs can be made from stainless steel, leather, or fabric. Other times they’re covered in a soft material such as cotton or faux fur to prevent the skin from chaffing. They may come with a chain that limits the movement of the sub, only allowing her to move as far as the chain allows. Tied or worn around the wrist, handcuffs put the sub in a compromising position and develops a feeling of helplessness and trepidation, which in turn gives the Dom a sense of control. Keep in mind though that when wearing handcuffs, you have to always remember where you hide the key. Handcuffs can be hard to take off.  Not to mention, awkward to explain to a locksmith.

2 Bondage Rope

And then there’s the bondage rope. They’re one of the most versatile BDSM restraint toys around. Whether you enjoy tying somebody up in bed or being put into a submissive position, you’re sure to find a way to make use of a bondage rope somehow. If you’re a beginner, a simple tying-up practice will do. But for BDSM practitioners who know what’s up, they can suspend someone up in the air just by applying intricate tying techniques that are known as Shibari, a borrowed skill from the Japanese.

3 Shackles

Usually paired with handcuffs, shackles are made from leather or steel that are used to restrain the legs. They’re worn around the ankles just like handcuffs (also called anklecuffs) and sometimes come with a chain. They’re locked with a bolt or a padlock to further restrain the wearer.

Getting anywhere with the combined weight of the shackles and the chain can be tough so the wearer is totally dependent on the Dom. They’re often dubbed as one of the staples of any BDSM plays. Prolonged use of the shackles can sometimes cause damage to the sub’s skin so the Dom is responsible for making sure the sub is alright. This BDSM equipment will help you get the most out of any role play just make sure you play it safe.

4 Bondage Tape

Bondage tapes are specialized tapes. One unique feature it has is that it doesn’t stick to anything other than itself, so you avoid hurting or irritating the skin or the hair when used. Make sure you’re getting the good quality Bondage tape. You can use them as a substitute for a mouth gag, rope bondage, and even shackles. They also come in different colors so that just adds more flavor to your BDSM plays.

5 Arm Binders

Armbinders are one level above handcuffs and rope bondage when it comes to subduing the sub. It completely takes away what little wiggle room the wearer has. It’s worn around the arms and traps both limbs. The sub has no escape if the Dom chooses to tease her thorax. Don’t forget to use this BDSM equipment with consent from both sides. They take away the movement of the sub so be sure that the sub is good with it.

6 Bondage Position Straps

Position straps are mainly used for additional support during sex. But some variants of these straps can be used for BDSM since some include handcuffs/ankle cuffs into it. Usually made with leather, this is a great sex toy if you’re looking for something kinky and practical at the same time.

7 Bed Restraint Sets

If you wanna go all in, a bed restraint set is a must. Your submissive will end up begging for your mercy, as you take full control. Consisting of handcuffs and ankle cuffs, escaping is impossible for your sub. Since most sets are adjustable, you can either loosen up the straps for your submissive’s comfort or tighten it up to punish your naughty sub. What’s alluring about having this set too is that it instantly gives a kinky vibe to your bedroom.

8 Hogtie Harness

Leave your sub helpless. A hogtie harness will do the trick. This type of BDSM harness puts the person in a hogtie position— the person’s arms are tied on their back and their legs bent back and tied close to their hands. With the sub locked up in this inescapable position, the dom can do whatever he desires.

9 Spreader Bar

How flexible can your legs get during sex? Test it with the spreader bar, holding your ankles as far as the dom aspires to as they stretch the bar out. Doing so puts your genitals under the spotlight without flinching to close them when you’re soaking or hard. It’s made of either metal or wooden material with bondage cuffs on both ends, padded or not. It can also be used around your wrists or knees.

10 Anal Hook

Picture the hook of Captain Hook from the Peter Pan stories, only up your anal area instead of a substitute hand. This hooky toy is crafted with stainless steel, with a ball on one end that enters the anus while the long hook anchors it outside the receiver’s body. You’re in no position to move; you can only stay put when this toy is being used. Because of this, anal hooks are not beginner friendly. If you’ve done BDSM often and are keenly up for a challenge, this toy will have you hooked! Literally and figuratively.

Impact Play BDSM Gears

Another BDSM form that most people are familiar with is impact play. Even if you prefer the vanilla lifestyle, you’ve probably tried some light spanking yourself. But with tools like the flogger, whip, and paddle, the sensations are amplified and more arousing since it creates a thin line between pleasure and pain. Here are some of the most popular impact play BDSM equipment:

1 Paddle

Made from leather or wood, paddles have flat surfaces that are commonly used to hit the body of the sub. A Dom usually uses a paddle to discipline the sub when she refuses to follow the established rules. It can go from light to intense spanking depending on whatever threshold the sub can take. Just be careful to always check where you’re hitting. Make sure you’re hitting the safe zone areas. Safe zone areas are parts of the body where there’s enough fat and muscle to cushion the impact such as the thigh and butt cheeks. You can permanently damage the nerves and cause long-term injuries and even paralysis if you don’t take necessary precautions.

2 Whip

Whips are similar to paddles. But where paddles are flat and deliver soft to hard blows, whips are thin and sends quick and sure hits. It has a flexible end that lashes at the exposed skin. They’re used to instill fear on the sub because aesthetically, whips are designed to look intimidating. A seasoned Dom knows that if you hit just the right away, the whip leaves a sting that can excite the nerves in the targeted area. Same as the paddle, always make sure you’re only hitting spots that are covered in fat and muscles. They’re amazing and easy-to-use BDSM equipment but you still have to be careful when using them.

3 Flogger

Floggers can be made from leather and are used more for its visuals rather than for giving pain. But if you do use them for hitting, you will find that floggers are versatile BDSM equipment. They’re great for sending strong and powerful hits but you can also just use them for erotic sensation play. You can lightly smack your sub while she’s tied up. This will tease her senses.

4 Ticklers

For BDSM beginners, a tickler is a great toy to start with. It consists of a long thin handle with soft feathers on one end. This sex toy is perfect for people who find tickling arousing, or for doms who want to punish their subs. You can also use this tool to give intense stings to your love slave, it just depends on how you whip this bad boy out.

5 BDSM Canes

These naughty BDSM canes are not just for grandpas anymore. These BDSM equipment are now used by Doms to strike fear into the hearts of subs. It creates a “whooshing” sound as it cuts through the air to let any sub know that she must obey her Master. Or else, she’ll meet the end of that cane. You can use them for classroom school play. The Dom can take the role of a high school teacher and the sub can be the naughty school kid. Show the sub who’s in charge by whipping out the cane. Watch as she cowers in fear and her eyes light up in excitement.

BDSM Wear

There are some wearable items that the sub can put on to please her Master. Or a Dom can wear that exudes charisma and authority. They can be made from leather, lace or latex. There’s just something about seeing the Dom or the sub in fetish wear that makes the BDSM scene degrees hotter.

1 Collar

A BDSM collar is a piece of kinky jewelry that the sub wears around her neck as a necklace or choker. It can be made from thick leather or PVC. They are tightly worn and some even come with a lock. The Dom can order the sub to wear the collar as a symbol of “ownership” or the “dominance” of the Dom over the sub. In some BDSM play scenes, the sub cannot remove the collar unless the Dom gives his permission.

2 Mouthgag

Mouth gags are worn to stop the sounds the sub is making when she’s getting it hard. With these on, your screams are turned into groans. Your moans are turned into whimpers. The saliva drips down on the mouth gag as the sub finds it more difficult to make sounds. Just be sure that you still have a way of communicating your safe word when wearing mouth gags since the sub’s ability to talk is hindered.

3Nipple Clamps

For our lovely subs that are reading this, do you love it when your dom bites or sucks your nipples? Does it make you crave for your master even more? If you’re into that, you might wanna add nipple clamps in your bondage collection. Nipple clamps are used to pinch or squeeze the nipple for intense sensations. Most clamps are adjustable, so bondage beginners don’t need to be intimidated with this tool. Once you’re used to it, you can amp it up by tightening the screws then loosen it up if your dom wants to.

As for the look, there’s a variety of styles you can choose from. Some are accessorized with tassels to go with the bondage theme while some clamps have metal rings in it, allowing the dom to attach some weights or even a light leash to it.

4Fetish Wear

For most kinksters, dressing up for the part is essential. It excites them when they see their playmate in latex, lace or leather outfits. Most of the BDSM get-ups are body-fitting, showing their alluring curves. It’s also accessorized with jewels, studs, and even have cutouts for a hotter view.

5Roleplay Costumes

While most BDSM couples are into fetish wear, some pairs prefer to mix BDSM and roleplaying into one. They either go for realistic yet deviant fantasies (Teacher-student, step-siblings, nurse-doctor, maid-owner) or go full fantasy with using mythical characters in their play (pony play, mermaid, superheroes, sorceress).

6 Bondage Hoods

Also known as bondage masks, they’re worn by the submissive to block out the entire head of the submissive from their senses. Some of them offer eye holes, depending on the roleplay scenario they’re getting into. One example is acting like a puppy, wearing a hood with floppy ears, while your dominant acts as your owner. The overall goal here with this BDSM toy is to intensify and heighten one’s senses and submission.

7 Nipple Suckers

The nipples are two of the most sensitive body parts, so why not give them the heartfelt attention they deserve? Using our mouths to please someone’s nipples is one thing, but using nipple suckers is a game changer in your BDSM routine.

This toy, also recognized as nipple pumps or vacuums, serves like little mouths wrapping around themselves on your buds and cling on to them. The more sucking it does, the more blood flows through them. This results in enlarging them and making them look perkier. So if you love nipple stimulation, this one’s for you.

8 Chastity Toys

These toys require a lot of patience and a sense of mind. As the name suggests, these metal-made toys refrain you from any sexual pleasure or action being done. But this only increases the dominant’s power over the submissive, making the latter needier and hornier.

One of the toys under this umbrella is a chastity belt, a piece of undergarment with a lock and key. The dominant locks up your junk to ban you from bathroom usage or self-pleasure unless they allow it. There’s power in being the only one to access your submissive’s body.

Another chastity-related toy is a chastity cage, which only covers your genitals. Mainly, it’s also called a penis cage because penis-owners are the common users of this in BDSM. Like the belt, there’s power when your cock only belongs to the dominant.

9 Genital Clamps

Turns out that putting clamps on your sensitive genitals adds more pleasure thanks to its squeezing and pulling sensations, limiting your movement while you have your BDSM-filled session. Genital clamps can vary in size and structure and work for both vulva and penis owners. For a vulva owner, you can place a clamp at your clitoris area (not the glans) or the labia area to spread your folds out. For a penis owner, place the clamp on your scrotum or foreskin. Make sure to remove the clamps before these areas darken.

Other BDSM Equipment

1Eye Masks

Aside from restraints, doms also use eye masks to keep their subs in the dark as they whip out unpredictable sensations. Putting a blindfold during the play also heightens the sub’s other senses, making him/her more sensitive to every kiss and slap.

2Sex Swings

Level it up– literally. Sex swings are sturdy straps that are usually attached to a wall or a door. It puts the person hanging on while the other stands up to play around. If you’re a dom looking for a challenging way to punish or reward your sub, this is one of the best BDSM equipment that you can add in your collection.

3Candles

Playing with candles during a play session can be thrilling. The sub will surely tremble with pain and pleasure as the dom drips the hot wax on to his/her skin. It can be either good to reward your love slave or punish him/her. This depends on the sub’s preference as some find it arousing while some aren’t comfortable with it.

On the other hand, there are oil-based candles available now for those who don’t want to irritate their skins with wax. 

4Strap-ons for Pegging

Are you a lady dom? Want to take the driver seat and show your man who’s the boss? Use a strap-on to and peg him to pleasure. For those unfamiliar with this sex toy, a strap on is a type of harness that is worn by the hips with an attached dildo right on the crotch area. Once worn, the woman can then act as the giver and perform anal/vaginal sex to his male/female sub.

By doing this, it can make the slave more submissive and increase his devotion to the dom. For men, pegging can also cause intenser orgasm and prostate milking.

5Butt Plugs

BDSM isn’t all about spanking and whipping. There’s a spectrum of different activities couples can do to exude their dominant or submissive side. One of which is by anal training.

This is where butt plugs come into the picture. The dom can either use butt plugs as a reward or punishment. They can play this on their slave’s bum by inserting them in and taking them out, but never letting their sub orgasm fully. Subs can also incorporate anal plugs for BDSM roleplay as there butt plugs that have tails in it, making themselves the willing prey for their masters.

Everyday Items That You Can Use as BDSM Gear

For those who desire to explore the elusive world of bondage, but are still hesitant to try BDSM toys, don’t worry. You can still try it with the things you have at home:

• Belt. It can be used as an alternative for whips.
• Clothespin. You can try this one as a nipple clamp. Be careful when using this though as they’re not adjustable.
• Ice. Tease your slave by running some ice on your sub’s most sensitive areas.
• Spatula. A suitable alternative for a paddle. Just make sure this is clean before using it!
• Scarf/Necktie. These handy items can be an alternative for a blindfold.
• Feather Duster. Good alternative for a tickler. You only need this clean one thoroughly though– you don’t want specks of dust/insects creeping in your partner’s body.

How to Clean and Store Your BDSM Equipment

Be dirty yet safe. Once playtime’s over, make sure you clean up your BDSM gear. Properly cleaning and storing your sex toys will save you and your partner from infections. Here’s how you can clean your bondage toys based on their materials.

For non-electrical toys made from rubber, silicone, glass, vinyl, metal, and plastic:

1. Submerge the toy in warm water with a mild anti-bacterial soap.
2. Using your hand or a soft brush, gently scrub the surface. Don’t forget to check the nooks and the crannies. Note: For silicone or jelly-rubber toys, be extra careful. Scrubbing it too much may damage the toy or leave it with unwanted scratches and cracks.
3. Dry the toy through air or sunlight. Once it’s all dried up. Put the toy in a clean/dust-free pouch before storing it away.

For toys made with leather:

1. Wipe the surface of the toy with a damp cloth that has an anti-bacterial soap and water in it. Don’t expose to water and soap for long periods as the toy may end discolored and cracked up.
2. Air-dry the leather toys before storing it. You can dry it through sunlight but don’t overdo it.
3. Once it’s all dried up, put the toy in a clean/dust-free pouch before storing it away.

For electrical toys:

1. Once the toy is unplugged/turned off, wash its surface with a damped cloth (containing water and a few squeezes of an anti-bacterial soap). Note: Never submerge your electrical toys in the water!
2. Let it air dry, then store it in a clean pouch before putting it somewhere.

For BDSM Toys made with metal:

1. Wash it in warm soapy water. Gently scrub the dirt off.
2. After washing, you can soak it in alcohol for a few minutes to disinfect it.
3. Once it’s all dried up, put the toy in a clean/dust-free pouch before storing it away.

Frequently Asked Questions

Now that you’ve learned the different BDSM equipment, you’re now ready to explore your kinkiest desires. However, if you still have questions about some of the BDSM toys, and BDSM in general, check out our answered FAQ down below.

1What are the best BDSM toys for beginners?

For our first-time kinksters, we suggest going for the basics– restraints, ticklers, and paddles. Make sure that the variation is beginner-friendly too. For example, opt for adjustable restrainers (with velcro straps) instead of using a rope.

Don’t use advanced toys without proper experience on the basics first, as one wrong move with these types of toys can lead you or your partner to the ER.

2I’m the dominant, what type of BDSM Equipment should I get?

If you’re playing as the dom in the dynamic, we suggest getting BDSM toys that are meant for rewarding or punishing your sub. Go for restraints, ticklers, whips, paddles, butt plugs, shackles, position straps, and the like. Take note though, before getting any of these toys, it’s best if you discuss it to your partner first.

3I’m the submissive, what kind of BDSM Equipment should I get?

Going for the sub route? Well, it’s all about the look. Invest in lingerie, sexy costumes, latex/leather outfits, sultry masks, nipple clamps, butt plug tails, and the like. Also, if you and your partner are into roleplaying, getting some props for your plays can amp up the sexperience.

4Are bondage toys a requirement for BDSM play?

Here’s the thing, you don’t need to spend tons of money on BDSM. It’s okay to start with a handkerchief or a belt. But using bondage toys, and sex toys, in general, can enhance the experience. If you want to indulge in BDSM more freely, we suggest experimenting with different activities and toys.

5What are the things should I consider before getting some BDSM equipment?

First things first, make sure that the toy you’re getting is something that has been agreed upon by both parties. Don’t purchase some nipple clamps if you know that your submissive isn’t ready for it. You’re just going to waste some money and stir up conflict.

Next, ensure that the toy is made with body-safe and non-porous materials. Why is this essential? Well, you’re using sex toys to stimulate some specific spots– if you’re going to use a toy that’s not skin-friendly or has bacteria on it, you or your partner might end up with various body infections. So don’t just click the checkout just yet, make sure to research about it first.

6Can’t I just DIY all of my BDSM Equipment?

There are household items that you can use your BDSM plays– and we’ve mentioned that in a separate section above. However, trying to make your Fifty Shades playroom out of scratch is a big no-no. Again, your adult toys should be body-safe and made with non-porous materials. You can’t assure that from DIY-ed toys. With that, we suggest just investing in manufactured BDSM equipment instead of DIY-ing it.

7Can I use some of the BDSM toys for masturbation?

Most of the BDSM equipment is meant for couples, with only a few exceptions, such as nipple clamps. Instead of getting BDSM toys, opt for adult toys that are meant for solo plays, such as vibrators and dildos.

8Can I use some of the BDSM Equipment for vanilla sex?

Yes! Some of the BDSM toys such as nipple clamps, ticklers, eye masks, restrainers, and position straps can still work for vanilla play. Sex doesn’t have to be painful so if you prefer playing these toys without the leather outfits or power play, go for it!

Key Takeaway

BDSM games are lots of fun no doubt. And the kick you get out of it is amplified when you have BDSM equipment around. They can get you going for countless BDSM play scenes you have in mind. You don’t have to get all of them obviously. You can go slow and get a paddle today, and then a collar the next time to slowly grow your BDSM toy collection as you explore the world of BDSM. But if you really want to go all out in one go, there are BDSM sets you can buy that gives you all the basic BDSM gears you need.