Current Member for less than 1 month (at the time of review).
Pros:
- 42 sites (though not all are updating)
- Several unique niches
- Excellent mainstream porn
- Supports download managers
- Good mix of models
- Good mix of niches
- TBP / PU discount
Cons:
- Vague daily download limit
- Some sites no longer updating
- No active anal site on network
Bottom Line:
I had been a member here before and liked the network but didn’t like the daily download limit. What I didn’t like most about that limit was how vague and even arbitrary it seemed. Some members reported not encountering the limit, while other like me were cut off well before the limit stated in the site’s terms. The limit is still there, and it’s still vague, but I didn’t hit the limit often despite downloading a lot (I’ll explain that) and the network does offer some excellent porn.
The site is logically laid out with the main page showing all of the network updates available. There is a tab that brings you to a page with links to the specific sites. Each site has its own page that looks like the home page. There is a useful search function in that you can enter a term and a drop-down menu appears with some suggestions that you may be looking for.
The network offers a really good mix of models and niches. There really is something here for most tastes: legal teens, MILFs, big breasts, big assess, women of color, party sites, girl/girl and anal. There is also a good mix of models with some big names and some lesser-knowns.
The biggest difference for me this time was that I only downloaded HD scenes. There are four download options: WMV, and three MD4s (low medium and HD). I didn’t sample any other resolutions but the HD scenes are 1920x1080, 10,000kb/s and 29fps. Streaming is also available (no options on resolution) and clips are available too. There are also both pics and screencaps as singles or zips.
The network has 42 sites. To save me from adding details to each PU page, here are some basic details. I’ve grouped them by when they update and the number indicates how many scenes there are currently:
This is a personal opinion, but I’m disappointed that they no longer update VIP Crew and Bikini Crashers. I’m a big fan of party sites and these were well done. (In the VIP still updates, but the dead sites offered some twists.) I’m particularly disappointed that Captain Stabbin is no longer active. With this site no longer updating, RK is in an odd position of no longer having an anal-themed site on its network.
The network started adding the HD option in September 2010 so if you insist on HD you’ll still have access to almost 700 scenes. Keep in mind that the advantage to the HD scenes apart from quality is that you can download more before hitting the daily limit. One drawback is that that many of the files are large, coming in at more than 2GB.
The site supports download managers and I had no obvious problems with time-outs.
While RK isn’t the only site on the internet to impose a daily download limit, they are unique in having one that seems vague and random at the same time. The limit is imposed differently if you are downloading HD or SD videos. If you opt for HD files, as I did, the limit was very reasonable, but since it was also higher than what is set out in the site’s terms and conditions document that may not always be the case. The site’s terms state that a member may “download up to 10 gigabytes of data each day, and additionally up to 15 ‘big’ movies as defined in Manwin Billing's sole discretion.” The last time I was a member here I downloaded SD files and would be cut off at 8 to 10GB per day. This time I took only HD files and could usually get 30 or more files (at an average of 1GB each) before I was off. So while there is a limit, if this is how it’s being used then it isn’t too big an issue.
The last time I reviewed RK I scored it much lower and that was solely because of the download limit and my perception that I should avoid HD because of that limit. This time around I took only HD and the limit for those is almost reasonable. This is a huge network with a lot of great porn that is easily accessed. Apart from my general opposition to limits and my subjective wish that three of the sites were still active I can still recommend RK as long as a prospective member knows what to expect. It’s a lot of excellent porn for the money, especially considering the TBP discount.
This is a great addition to all the other information on Bangbros. They have some good stuff so I often feel compelled to join, but it is a minefield where one wrong click could end up costing you.
What I really don't get is why they do this. That have some excellent porn and probably make a decent profit so why alienate your customers like this? Surely having confident customers who aren't worried that you're trying to fleece them is a better business model than the one they currently use.
This looks like an interesting site, but the fact that it is streaming only is a deal-breaker for me. I hate when site penalize paying customers to thwart piracy. I don't know what the solution is, but surely it can't be pissing off the people who actually do want to buy your stuff.
Thanks for the comment. I think that Mason, who has a reputation as a great porn director, left Elegant Angel and started both Erotica X and Hard X. It is some great porn. The TBP listing says that they offer a two day trial. My advice is to try that first. With a few spare hours you could download a lot.
Current Member for less than 1 month (at the time of review).
Pros:
- New studio site
- Affiliated with Open Life and Erotica X
- All scenes directed by Mason
- Supports download managers
- Many choices for viewing scenes
- TBP / PU discount
- Several ‘firsts’
Cons:
- Small site for now
- Videos aren’t associated with the DVDs they appear in
Bottom Line:
Hard X is both a new studio and new website that features videos from the studio. The studio (and site) feature scenes directed by Mason, formerly from the Elegant Angel studio. It’s also a sister site to Mason’s other studio/site Erotica X. Obviously the scenes at Hard X have a much harder edge than those at Erotica X. In my opinion, Mason is one of the best directors in the business. She brings a unique feel to her scenes and brings out the best in her performers.
One of the reasons I’ve been waiting impatiently for this site to go live was that Mason has brought a number of ‘firsts’ here. I’m a big fan of anal scenes and Hard X made a (justifiably) big deal over the first anal scenes for Maddy O’Reilly and Annika Albrite. The site promises more in the future too.
I’ll deal with the major negative element first, since it will likely be a deal-breaker for some potential members. Because the studio is new they don’t have a big catalogue yet, so the site is small too. There are currently only 30 scenes available. Since the site only launched last week I can’t verify an update schedule, though the site itself has an ‘upcoming’ tab and that shows a new scene being added per week. Yes, I know that seems slow, but this is a new studio and they don’t have a lot to offer yet. A potential member will have to make his or her own decision on value, but with the TBP / PU discount I think this is a great value. I think that this isn’t ‘commodity porn’ but is unique and uses A-list models in scenes with high production values. I like to think of sites like this (and Erotica X too) as high-end steakhouses in a world of greasy buffets. (And yes, I realize that my analogy is unflattering.) TBP reports that the site also offers a full 2-day trial. This would be an incredible value for someone who just wanted to check out what the site has to offer.
The other negative is probably more subjective, but when I’m on a studio site I prefer that the videos be grouped by DVD title or capable of being sorted that way. For some reason, Hard X doesn’t do that. I hope as the site grows they add a “DVD” tab.
The site is well laid out with four scene per page, each with one large screenshot and two smaller ones. The scenes are titled with the model’s name in the title. There are tags for specific niches and the model’s name is a tag too. Each scene opens into its own page where you have all of the same information and brief description of the scene too.
As with all Open Life sites, there are a range of options for viewing and downloading the scenes. Streaming is available in seven resolutions ranging from 160p to 1080p. Downloads are available in WMV format (160p, 240p, 360p and 480p) and MP4 format (160p, 240p, 360p, 480p, 540p, 720p and 1080p). I downloaded the 720p and those are 1080x720 at 4800kb/s and 29fps. They look crisp and show no pixilation. Those files are, on average, about 1.3GB in size.
I had no problems using a download manager to queue up the scenes I wanted. There were no unreasonable time-outs on the links and my downloads hit and sustained the maximum speed that my manager allows (11mb/s).
The bottom line is that I highly recommend that you check this site out of you like hardcore porn with a slightly rough edge. This contrasts well with its sister site where the hardcore is softer and more couples-oriented. The site offers some excellent porn with some of the biggest names in adult these days. The site is well organized and logical. There are lots of options for viewing or downloading the scene too. When you add it up and apply the TBP discount I think this is a great value. As the site grows, it will become an even better value.
I've never been a member at this site and likely never will be. I was surprised at the number of people who reported the same problems over and over. And I was really surprised that the webmaster seemed so concerned and involved yet nothing ever got resolved. If it was the site, shame on them. If it was the biller, then the site should have severed that relationship quickly.
The sad part is that this looks like it might be a case of a good and unique site being destroyed by a third-party biller.
Two thumbs up for the TBP/PU staff in deciding to de-list them.
I think you summed up this network best when you wrote that members "have to walk on eggshells virtually across a site to avoid hidden charges or scared of later billing issues." I rejoined last weekend after I swore I never would. I went to the site and literally stared at the page for about two or three minutes until I could figure out where it was likely safe to click. I don't mind up-sells and ads, but when they're this underhanded about billing for them there is no excuse for that. I also made a promise to myself that I'd never pour myself a drink and sit down to view this site - I want all my brain cells firing to avoid a mess here.
They're an excellent site otherwise. It baffles me that they'd want to screw over customers like they do.
I agree that scene length is probably the main factor in them not offering 1920x1080. The file sizes would be huge. As it is, they're large, but some could be near 10GB if they went full 1080p. That would be a huge storage issue for them, and a lot of bandwidth to keep just a few customers happy.
I hope it exceeds your expectations. I really like this site and find the scenes to be incredibly hot. There's an element of realism here that I've not seen elsewhere.
I agree. I have no idea why this is, but for me I find the British accent in porn to be distracting and even a turn off. Angel Long was pretty much the only exception to that rule.
It really doesn't make a difference to me, but I guess that so many Eastern European women are in porn I do have a sort of Pavlovian reaction to an Eastern European accent on a woman...
Current Member for less than 1 month (at the time of review).
Pros:
- Rare sub-niche within BDSM
- Large site
- Many download options
- Streaming available
- Mainstream and fetish models
- Effective site layout
- Allows download managers
Cons:
- May no longer be updating
- Search function ineffective
Bottom Line:
Kink.com sites have a lot in common, and that’s a good thing. The pros are significant while the cons are more detail issues on the periphery. Overall, any Kink site is worth the membership fee if you like the niche.
If this is the first review you’ve read of a Kink site be aware that Kink is likely the leader in online BDSM material. A key element to their success is that they seem to treat the models well. Both before and after the scene there are interviews with the model that make it clear that there is full consent and a safe word is in use. This is not BDSM porn focused on the pleasure of the Dom(me) in inflicting torment, but clearly focused on the sub’s pleasure in receiving that torment.
The general niche with any Kink site is BDSM, and the specific niche here is the use of electricity as a means of torment. Various implements are used, both externally and insertables, that cause the subs to squirm. In a majority of scenes, the electrical implements are used while the model is in bondage or restraints.
The site is laid out like all other Kink sites. There are a number of shoots per page and an easy way to advance the pages. The number of scenes per page is user-selected depending on how much detail you want.
It’s a good thing that there is a simple design because the search functions are pretty dismal. It may have been the way I was using the functions, but I couldn’t find anything I was looking for. And I found that the model search didn’t work either. I was given a list of all the shoots a model may have, but I couldn’t access it that way.
The site began back in 2002 and updated regularly until recently, so there is lots of material here. There are currently 537 videos available on the site. Kink appears to have been an early adopter of high quality videos because the vast majority of the scenes here are available at 1280x720. The highest resolution on the oldest files is only 640x480 but I’m not going to criticize that since it was good back then.
Like other Kink sites, there are options for downloading the scenes. Streaming comes in four ‘sizes’ and downloads come in WMV and MP4 formats. Within those choices are different resolutions. I downloaded the highest resolution MP4s offered and those came in at 1280x720, 5000kb/s and 29fps. They look great on a 24” monitor and look fine on a 50” TV too. Some may criticize the lack of 1920x1080 but I find that the increased file size isn’t warranted by the increase in quality unless you’re using a huge TV. The site permits download managers.
A highly subjective negative for me on this site is that it uses Dommes rather than Doms. Kink.com appears to be an affiliation of sites by different directors who work under the Kink roof. In this case, the site appears to be run by a popular director and sometime model, Princess Donna. Since it’s her site, she calls the shots and she’s the Domme. A corollary to that is that there is almost no b/g sex here so don’t come looking it. There are some scenes that have it, but there are likely less than a dozen.
Perhaps the biggest negative for the site is that it no longer appears to be updating. After regular updates for 11 years, the last update available is now eight months ago. That’s not to say that it’s dead, but for now it may be safest to consider that there won’t be new scenes. There is often debate about this, but the fact that the site is no longer updating is only a minor issue for me if I’m joining for the first time. With 537 scenes available at an average of about 45 minutes each I think this is an excellent value for the first-time member. Obviously this equation is quite different for a repeat member.
One difference here that I like, and I hope Kink maintains, is that they are honest about the lack of updates. The scenes are dated so anyone can see that there may be no more scenes added. But I hope that a prospective member would also consider 537 top-quality scenes to be great value. This contrasts with another Kink site, Water Bondage, where they have removed the dates and a prospective member could be misled into thinking the site was still active. Wired Pussy is a great site that doesn’t need to hide the fact that it may be dormant since it is a good value anyway.
Like other Kink sites, this one got better as it progressed. The newer scenes have some creative bondage and implements, and while many of the older shoots had only fetish models, there is a steady stream of A-list porn stars lining up for some electrical play in the newer shoots.
The bottom line is that this is a Kink site and that means that all the good reasons to join are here: high quality scenes, top models, great production values, innovation and uniqueness, and an intuitive website with easy downloads. The fact that it may have stopped growing shouldn’t deter a new member because at the membership price this is still a great value and highly recommended.
Psst... We should start a secret club. I've grown an interest in this particular fetish too. But it is currently one of the most polarizing interests available these days and even mentioning it tends to get you flamed.
Very eloquent Sir. Thanks for writing it. It brought back some of my own memories of illicit discoveries that still have the power to arouse all these years later.
It happens to me often. I'll see something that intrigues me and have to search out more. I'll admit that for the church-going crowd this would be interpreted to mean I'm following the 'normal' path to depravity: start with softcore and progress through all sorts of filth until I can only be satisfied by the most bizarre, inhuman and degrading porn ever made. Except that isn't true. Yes, I have an interest in BDSM (the kind where a sub female is given pleasure, not Max Hardcore 'throat-fucking' a young lass until she cries), but in the past year or so I've developed what a few years ago would seem to be a very strange interest for me: artcore or glamcore porn. I tend to prefer porn with a harder edge, and I definitely like anal scenes, so finding that I like more sensual, predominantly vaginal-based porn is out of character for me.
And then there's the time I watched a 'casting' video last year. I think I've had a membership to every casting site on the 'net now.
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