Dear Altairboy,
I thought your readers might enjoy reading about a nice visit that Mrs. Bard and I had with Paul and Brigitta of Access Denied.
We met them at their place of business in Long Island, N.Y., which is nestled among other industrial business sites on a busy street in Lindenhurst. Brigitta, charming as always, met us as Paul was busy working with an employee designing the latest Access Denied innovation. I was flattered to know that he spent hours designing a tiny fastener to be used in place of the front lock for those who prefer a sleek look and a permanently fastened penis tube. It was based on an idea of mine! "See this?" Paul asked as he dropped the tiny steel device into my palm, "It costs about $500 to develop over the past two days!" He wanted to get me the fastener in time for our visit so I could test it for him. In the CB business, simple ideas are rarely simple to develop, and the impractical ideas sometimes are not evident until much time and effort had been expended. Hopefully, this fastener will make the grade to be another valuable addition to their line of CB accessories.
We discussed many ideas, some practical, some not. Paul and Brigitta's goal is to produce the world's finest stainless steel chastity belt. I own Neosteel, Jones, and Walter belts as well as an AD, and I for one think they have achieved their goal. They have made innovations, but have managed to retain the best features of the original Tolly design while still working to constantly improve their product. If I could sum up their philosophy on design changes, I would quote the doctor's creed: "First, do no harm". Their belts must be undetectable, secure, comfortable, hygienic, and must be able to be worn for weeks or months at a time with no ill effects. This takes the ability to balance between these priorities, and a knowledge of anatomy as well as engineering. As Paul says; "People are always asking me to produce a model that is absolutely 100% escape proof. And I could do it, too. But what good is 100% security if you have to take it off after a few hours because of chaffing? Or if hygienic problems leave you open to infections after a day or so?" Good point. I have worn an AD belt for all of 1999 with only one 10-day break. I have had absolutely no problems. And Mrs. Bard says I will stay in for at least another year. So I really appreciate AD's commitment to quality.
And yes, they do have a REAL factory. This is no basement workshop, folks. 10,000 square feet of huge computerized presses, lathes, grinders, benders, drills, punches, saws, riveters, and God-knows-what. To me, it looked as though they could make anything from a Swiss watch to a Sherman tank. A regular Disney World of tools for those who love to bend, press, weld, and drill steel. And both Paul and Brigitta know their way around every tool on a first-name basis. Paul's family is well-known throughout southern Long Island for generations as craftmen and builders. Their children are no different. Their son is learning naval architecture (No, not navel. Really!) And their daughter was operating one of the computerized presses during our visit.
Brigitta made us dinner which featured the BEST bean soup I ever ate. As we continued to discuss their somewhat unusual business, some interesting facts came to light. I was surprised to learn that they had considerable international sales. I asked about the proportion of male to female models sold. In the U.S. and western Europe, it is about 80% male/20% female. In the middle east, almost exclusively female. In Japan, about even. (Be sure to look at AD's Japanese website! No, Paul doesn't know what it says, either.) And women's dimensions vary much more widely than men's. Probably has something to do with their unique role in conception and birth. (But at least men still control the television remotes.)
Although their customers vary widely, they do have a number of things is common. They are always above-average in intelligence. Many are computer literate. And, surprisingly, many are not into the "scene", or D/S. In fact, many of their customers are so "vanilla" , that they would never be interested in AD's line of beautifully-made collars, bondage belts, cuffs and chastity bras. I asked Brigitta about this, and she said that the exchange of power that takes place when a keyholder takes possession of the keys can be one of the most touching of all gifts, involving trust, sharing, unselfishness, and love...all of the things that we consider good an any type of relationship. Beats a dozen roses by a long shot!
So while CB's definitely have a secure place in the D/S scene, they also are proving to be of value to many in long-term vanilla relationships.
Sales have been steadily increasing, but difficult to predict. Their biggest problem is simply getting the word out that CB's are not only real, but beautifully-made by skilled craftspersons. Altairboy's incredible web site is one way many have used to familiarize themselves with this device. Another way is through shows. Paul and Brigitta are now busy getting ready for the Erotica show in New York's Javit's Center. Many people simply do not believe that quality CB's are available until they feel the workmanship in their own hands. The look of surprise on someone's face who sees a CB for the first time, realizing what it could mean to them, makes a succession of four 15-hour days (beginning 4/15/99) worthwhile.
Our meeting was great! Paul's "war stories" are most interesting (although I did get the impression Brigitta had heard them before.) For an extra fee, they will measure you for a belt on the premises in the morning and custom build it for you before you leave in the afternoon. The stories are free. I highly recommend it.
Hopefully, some of the ideas we discussed may result in new products. (They did not like my idea for a wooden CB, though. They were concerned about splinters, I guess.) Keep watching AB's New Stuff for announcements from Access Denied. And as we drove home to the wilds of New Jersey, we both wondered just how Paul got them to name the "Belt Parkway" in honor of their product.
Regards,
Bard
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Page last updated 99-Apr-08 by: Altairboy@aol.com