Limited Edition Peerless 95th Anniversary Gold Handcuffs! Model 700L only 400 were made in 2009!

Many thanks to the Doncaster Restraint Museum DRM for helping me acquire these. These are the, now, hard to find Peerless 95th Anniversary golden handcuffs. They were made to commemorate their pride in having made great quality handcuffs from 1914 to 2009 at that point. Well done Peerless!

I wore white nitrile gloves for this video because I did not want to get finger smears on them on the video lol!

These handcuffs are not a genuine gold plate, but they are a nicely golden coloured type of nickel finish. I have been informed that the golden finish on these 95th anniversary cuffs is more hard wearing and long lasting compared to a 24 carat gold plated handcuff.

I have serial number 111 of 400 which is a cool number, I think! These all sold out years and years ago, since they were only manufactured in 2009 and only 400 pairs were made. So the only way to get a pair is to find a collector somewhere who is willing to part with them.

It is a typical Peerless model 700 handcuff (700L), with all the same design and features, just with the lovely shiny gold colour to them. I have not done an on-person demo of them because it was too difficult to try and get the gold to come out right on the video when I tried. But in person to the naked eye they look really nice indeed!

Enjoy, like and subscribe! 😁👍🏻

Japanese Takeda Police Handcuffs - Comparing the REAL police ones to modern toy copy versions

These are Japanese Takeda police handcuffs likely from the 1970s. The design is familiar to many, as a toy handcuff. This design was a genuine police handcuff, long before it was copied by toy manufacturers. There were solid brass ones and steel ones with brass bows. This is the latter.

The design of these handcuffs is very basic and to be honest not that great. It has a nice pin-wheel design that cannot be shimmed, but the double lock is merely a switch which easily and trivially can be switched one way to double lock and the other way to undo the double lock, making them not very safe from police liability.

These have welded chains, no rivets on the back and only 2 rivets or protrusions on the front to prevent the double lock switch going too far.

This design of handcuff is best known as being toy handcuffs and are sold all over the world, using lesser quality parts and lacking security considerations. For example the toy versions are made of more flimsy metal, they have exposed rivets to try and keep the things together and their chains are not welded, which means a strong person could pull or twist on the chains to get out of them. Also often the swivels on the modern toy versions are longer, which makes them more likely to snap.

This pair of actual Takeda handcuffs was used by someone in the Rhodesian BSAP police force. However it is a Japanese handcuff and even has JAPAN stamped on it near the swivels (not sure if I got this on video).

I thought this would be a somewhat interesting video to show you a pair of "toy" handcuffs that are actually not toys and were officially used by police forces and compare them to actual modern day toy versions.

Enjoy!

A quick comparison of Victorian HIATT 1800s Backstrap Darby handcuffs to my previous ones.

Since these handcuffs are essentially identical to my previous ones, except where the number is stamped and the fact that the key doesn't work in my existing ones, I decided to make a comparison video rather than a full video overview.

These handcuffs were scheduled for recycling at a place that deals with metals, but someone spotted them in a pile of junk metal from a house clearance and decided to list them on eBay. I asked the seller what brand they were and he said they had no brand, only having "HARD" stamped on both shackles. Well he was incorrect. They are HIATT. I was kind of hoping they would be a different brand. But I feel like I have helped rescue them from becoming part of a electric vehicle engine block or something lol.

They are nice, though generally speaking not as nice external quality as my existing ones. The stamping is ok but the HIATT is not quite as deeply stamped as the one side on my existing ones. In person they look not too bad after I did some work to get rid of rust. But on camera here they look a bit dreadful. Weird they look so bad on camera but not too bad in person.

HIATT 104 Approx mid 1800s Genuine Backstrap Darby Victorian Police Handcuffs in GREAT condition

Happy Handcuffs day! (Feb 20th) These are a Victorian pair of HIATT 104 Darby Backstrap handcuffs from the mid - late 1800s.

These differ from my other HIATT 104 handcuffs, in that these are a genuine backstrap or back strap. This means, instead of having a more modern hinge style where the two sections mate and a pin is pushed in to keep them connected, these instead have an elongated tongue at the end of the shackle which is fed through a specially made gap in the lock tube and folded back on itself to create a sturdy hinge. It is quite an elegant system, really.

In the early 1800s, Darby handcuffs had various hinge styles, including backstrap and pinned hinge. There are also later hinges called False backstraps, like on my JG Army handcuffs which was a somewhat similar visual style but instead of folding a tongue over to create the hinge, the shackle was made more chunky and a hole drilled through it, at which point the lock tube would be permanently connected through the hole in the shackle.

I am incredibly happy to have an actual backstrap handcuff in my collection! They had been in the original owner's family for many many years. Handed down. The seller's Granddad had them since before WW2 and I would imagine his dad gave them to him since these are from the 1800s, given this old hinge design. I got a great deal on them. I could not fully tell from the images but once I got them, I knew for sure what I had! They had some surface rust but were in amazing working order. I used a bit of super fine wire wool, some peek metal cleaner, Autosol polish and Renaissance wax polish and now they look a million miles better.

They are less heavy than my other 1800s pair of HIATT, by about 100 grams lighter (these are 397g, whereas my more bulky 1800s pair weigh 496g. They are what I would call a large size. I have somewhat large wrists and there's decent room left when wearing them.

Best estimates I have seen from people with more experience of varying models, are that mine are an early Hiatt backstrap pair from approx 1850 ish (mid 19th century) So at the time of making this video, they are probably 160 years old and still work smoothly!

Enjoy!

Victor Works Model 1035 Irish 8 Rigid Handcuffs with Hamburg 8 Locking Mechanism

These are the Victor Works model 1035 Irish 8 style handcuffs with a Hamburg 8 locking mechanism. I am unsure of the age of these, but I do not see VW often at all.

These are a solid, rigid handcuff that have a somewhat simplistic locking mechanism. The key is basically a shim by any other name. The key is pressed into the keyway and this is enough to unlock them. So if you have a flat-head screwdriver, you can also disengage the lock. So, not very high security UNLESS they are applied adequately. If these are placed on someone in a rear stack position with the keyhole facing downwards, it would make escaping very difficult. The key is hard to insert by hand and the more outward force is placed on the cuffs, the harder the key is to press into the mechanism to unlock them. So the best way to unlock these yourself is to get the key into the hole and then relax all force on the cuffs and press the key down inside using your chin or a pushing up under a tale top etc so that you're not struggling against the cuffs while pressing the key in.

For a larger person like me, if you put rigid cuffs like these on with your palms facing each other, it is very restrictive because the more you pull your arms in towards you, the more your arms need to separate, which the cuffs won't allow. So it can be painful and maybe even snap bones if you try too quick or fall down while wearing the in such a position. SO be warned! Stack positions are most advisable. I demo a front stack but if you do the same thing behind the back that should also be safe.

This is the first example in my collection of Victor Works, which is nice. Also the first Hamburg 8 mechanism that I have. They are made in Pakistan, similarly to KUB or KUBIND handcuffs and leg irons etc.

A very restrictive handcuff, like the two KUB rigid ones I did videos on prior.

Enjoy!

ASP S100 Sentry Chain Police Handcuffs In All Stainless Steel ~ ASP Features at Lower Cost

These are the ASP Sentry model S100 chain-linked handcuffs. These are the first in a lower cost or budget line of restraints that provide some nice ASP safety and quality of life features, at a lower price point. VERY worth the purchase for LEO officers and security etc. They weigh 348 grams, which is more heavy than the 288 grams statistical average weight of handcuffs of this style in my collection. But they are robust and have features that are worth it, in my opinion...

With ASP you get smooth edges, double locking via the slot window and via the keyholes, keyholes on both sides and these Sentry handcuffs also have these features.

You get very smooth action which is almost guaranteed every time to engage the bow when applying the handcuffs, even when not much force is applied, making manual tightening easier.

They have a single pawl, like the yellow double lock window models of their higher end and previous models. Another plus about modern ASP handcuffs (I think the more expensive Ultracuffs have this too) is these chain cuffs are more resistant to chain-binding attacks. Chain binding attacks are where someone in handcuffs can literally snap the handcuffs and escape by binding the chain on its self and applying force with their arms and snap them. These Sentry (and as I said, I think the others too) have a special system which reduces (or maybe prevents) this from happening... Something to consider.

There is a downside to Sentry models, which is almost a non-issue due to their construction! With Sentry models, you cannot replace the locking mechanisms or "lock-sets" as they call them. However... These Sentry are all steel, like any other police / regulation pair of handcuffs, whereas every other ASP metal handcuff, including the high end Ultracuffs have plastic internal parts which can break. So it makes total sense for the ultracuffs to have the facility for owners to buy and replace their lock-sets at will, to reduce costs and prolong the life of their handcuffs. Since these are all steel, there is no plastic to wear out or get damaged any faster than any other totally metal handcuff like Smith & Wesson or Peerless.

So, why bother with Sentry if you have a profession where you already have handcuffs? Lower chance of injuring someone, easier size adjustment since you can re-double-lock the cuffs via the keyway instead of having to remove the key and re-locate the DL slot window and these cuffs engage quicker and easier than almost any other brand. The only brands I know that can rival the smoothness on these are Alfa-Proj (which have the flat keys) and Kel-Met.

These are very worthy to be purchased by any and all LEO police or security personnel who want a really good quality handcuff, with additional safety and convenience features at a more affordable price.

These will fit in more cases than the more expensive Ultracuffs from ASP since they are a tad thinner.

Designed by ASP in America, these are manufactured in Taiwan, but by a company who does a FANTASTIC job of manufacturing handcuffs, clearly. These are not cheap rubbish, these are the real deal.

Enjoy!

ASP S200 Sentry Hinged Police (all steel) Handcuffs Latest Model! More robust & more affordable.

I think I have the world's first YT video overview of these Hinged model! I have searched and found no videos on the hinged version at this point. These are the hinged Sentry S200 handcuffs from ASP. They are designed by ASP in the USA and are built in Taiwan to exacting US standards. It is a high quality handcuff, not unlike Chicago brand handcuffs which are also police-grade and made in Taiwan. Not all Taiwan handcuffs are great, but ASP and Chicago most certainly are VERY good quality indeed. These weigh 393 grams, which is a tad above the statistical average of 347 grams weight for other hinged handcuffs in my collection. However the features you get are worth the extra weight in my opinion...

These are made from all steel construction and are a more cost-effective cheaper way for police and security etc to get some of ASP's really nice features, instead of having to fork out for the more expensive models. They are basically the same as the yellow double-lock window handcuffs. They have only 1 pawl, like Smith & Wesson or Peerless do.

These have the smooth surfaces to reduce injuries, double locking via both the slot window and also the keyway. This keyway double lock access makes it quick and easy to adjust handcuffs that are too tight and quickly double lock them again once adjusted. They also are exceptionally smooth in operation, meaning that even if minimal force is applied, the chances are almost guaranteed that the bow will engage, making it easy for you to then tighten by hand. They are really nice, as you would expect from any ASP handcuff. As usual they have keyways on both sides of the handcuffs, so you can always easily get at keyholes.

They are slightly thinner than the Ultracuff, more expensive models, which means you have a better chance of fitting them into a regular pouch or holder than you would with the chunkier ultracuffs.

I really, REALLY like these. Nice weight to them and they feel great quality. I can speak from experience of having ultracuffs to compare to and I can honestly say that if I were in an occupation where handcuffs were a required tool, I would at minimum want a pair of these on hand because of the minimised chances or injuring someone and the other conveniences.

One downside to this more budget range of ASP handcuffs, is that you cannot replace the lock-sets. These are like any typical Smith & Wesson or Peerless handcuffs etc, where you cannot disassemble them. The more expensive Ultracuffs and UltraPlus Cuffs can be disassembled to replace the locking mechanisms if they get worn out. This is important with ultracuffs, as they use plastic parts inside the mechanism. These Sentry are all steel, so it makes sense that you wouldn't even need to replace locks on these anyway!

An excellent, high quality budget ASP handcuff that has a lot to offer.

Enjoy!

HIATT 115 Scotland Yard Adjustable Darby Handcuffs - A Later Alloy Version?!

These are the Hiatt 115 "Scotland Yard" adjustable darby handcuffs. My existing pair is gimmicked, meaning they pull open. So now I have a non-modified original pair to put in my collection so that I can pull my gimmicked ones out and keep them separate with the rest of my gimmicked cuffs.

I have not done an on-person demo of these because the springs are very strong and hard to operate with one hand.  

They are basically a darby style handcuff which has a ratchet so that they can close smaller and smaller to fit the wrist size of the wearer. It was a great idea, but since the mechanism has to be exposed by the open hole at the bottom, it is possible to stick thin objects in and release the handcuffs without having to use the key. They were not super popular from what I have heard. Standard Darby non-adjustables were preferred for a very long time.

This pair is from perhaps the 1970s or 1980s, as they are not steel. They aren't the grey ones which were more cheaply constructed, but a better version. Non-magnetic essentially (very very slight attraction, maybe from the plating). Almost as heavy as my all-steel ones.

I was hoping to get a pair from the early 1900s to go into my British Police Cuff Lineage box, but these are legit and will serve the purpose of filling a gap in my collection.

I'm glad to have a non-gimmicked pair in my collection!

Enjoy

A quick look at some cheap eBay HIATTS 2050 Hinged Handcuffs that I gimmicked / tricked out

This is just a quick look at a pair of Hiatts 2050 hinged handcuffs that are gimmicked. Basically they are identical to the recent TCH hinged handcuffs I did a full overview on. I got them cheap off eBay for the purpose of having a look-alike hinged handcuff which is gimmicked. The only real differences are the edges are slightly less harsh and the branding stamp says TCH instead of HIATTS, but aside from that they are identical.

Gimmicking is a modification process that means you can pull the handcuffs open without having to use the key. This gimmick is sometimes referred to as "Bridge Jumpers" after this style was used when people jumped off a bridge and escape handcuffs in the water. It's a really, really stupid simple gimmick. It would not pass inspection in close up magic. Not only are the teeth filed at a non-normal angle (which only a pro would notice) but you always hear the cuffs open with a Zzzziiiipppp when you pull them open. So not very covert.

Gimmicked handcuffs are routinely used on TV and in the movies, for health and safety reasons. This way if there is an emergency on set when actors and extras are handcuffed or leg cuffed, they can get them self free in an instant. They can also be used as safe props for stage work, used for costume and related cosplay, pranks etc.

I go one step further and modify the double locking push-pin activator to ensure if someone were to borrow them and use them, the wearer cannot get "trolled" by someone jabbing a paper clip into the double lock activator and get the person stuck in them. To do this I use a rotary tool with a conical grinding bit to widen the hole at the exterior side. Then I clear the hole using PMA brake cleaner to ensure it's free from oil/debris etc and I plug the hole with Steel-Stik, which is an epoxy putty. Once it cures hard, you cannot push the pin to double lock them. Imagine trying to push an avocado through a little kitchen funnel. It won't press in any deeper. You can visually see this at this timecode on the video 00:24 and 01:11

Making these gimmicks is a pain, because you need to repeatedly test each tooth over and over again after grinding and make sure every tooth is decently enough perfect so that random rare hang-ups where they glitch out and stop pulling open at some point are prevented. If a glitch like that were to happen you'd have to jostle them about and try again or tighten by one click and then try to pull open etc. So perfecting the grinding or filing of the teeth is very important.

I always like to have some gimmicked handcuffs on hand because they come in handy for experimenting picking or using keys in various cuff positions, knowing that if you screw up,  you can get yourself free. Also friends/family/colleagues around here could borrow a pair if they were going to some fancy dress thing and wanted some more legit handcuffs for their costume that look and feel real but are safer to mess about with lol. Never happened yet, but always nice to have!

Enjoy!

J.G 1950s KE 2770 British Military Darby Handcuffs (stamping ground off 😭)

I had a pair of these J.G British Military handcuffs a while back but sold them because they were too small for me to comfortably demonstrate for people.

I was holding out that a larger size would be available but they seem to be always small. Since I had no other false back-strap handcuffs, I decided to get another pair. But unfortunately some military jobsworth ground all the branding and military signage off the cuffs before parting with them. They even ground off the contract number and broad arrow off the keys!!?! 🤬 There are tell-tail traces enough that based on my prior experience I can tell they are J.G and the same KE 2770 contract, however other than detecting that they are from the 1950s (like most I have seen) I cannot tell which specific year in the 50s they come from. It is just loopy beyond comprehension looking at.... well lets call it what it is DEFACEMENT of these really nice handcuffs. You'll see me make a curly gesture going off screen lol. My god. I just can't believe someone would do that. They aren't even personally identifiable markings to any individual. Anyway..

I really like the design of false back-strap because I feel like they are more rugged than a riveted design. Shockingly these are heavy! They weigh 617 grams! The typical darby style handcuff is about 400 on the top end, so these are up there in the meaty category, especially considering I can barely close them on my smaller wrist. It's a lot of metal for a small-medium wrist size cuff...

Over all I am really, really happy to have a pair back in my collection. I will put up with them being small, just to have this design back in my collection. Though, if I find a better looking pair at a decent price in the future, I may swap them out for a better looking pair with stampings intact.

Enjoy!

TCH 810 Hinged British Police Handcuffs

These are model TCH 810 hinged handcuffs from Total Control Handcuffs (TCH).

As I understand it, these are sometimes carried as an additional or backup set of handcuffs by police. They are more restrictive than the older style chain handcuffs but not as restrictive as rigid handcuffs. They have the usual 3 pawl bar system and push-pin double locking.

This is the standard size, so they can close to a smaller size and won't accommodate very very large people. Modern speedcuffs have the larger "superior" size. So I got these to have the comparison.

They have a very, incredibly strong, 3 bar hinge system. This provides, in my opinion, SO much more strength and mechanical security against brute-force escape attempts. There is a video of someone snapping a peerless hinged handcuff in half that he was cuffed to an interrogation table at the police station in the US. I do not think that would ever work with these TCH hinges.

They are very nice, a matt less reflective nickel finish. Older models of TCH tended to be very very shiny, but I have noticed as time has moved on, they seem to be doing everything in a matt, almost "Smith & Wesson" style nickel finish.

Very high quality. Though unfortunately in my case the brand stamping is not properly formed.

A really nice addition to my collection. I have not had a standard-length TCH hinged in a long time. Perhaps one day I will get a HIATT version. That would be nice! I do have the extended hinged model though, that you may like to check out.    • 🇬🇧 Somewhat rare TCH 860 Extended Len...  

Enjoy!

Indian ' Hiatt 115 style ' Adjustable Darby handcuffs 1950s 1960s

This is a pair of old Indian Adjustable Darby handcuffs, that I would guess based on the craftsmanship and styling would be around the 1950s ish but I am not 100% sure.

They are fashioned after the Hiatt 115 style of adjustable handcuffs. These handcuffs are easy to open using a bobby pin or hair grip by pressing the pawl back inside the lock tube and thus allowing you to pull them open. So these were not as secure as the one-size classic Darby style of handcuffs.

They are sized for a quite large wrist. I take large gloves and I can shut these all the way to the tightest setting and it not be uncomfortable, so these would fit someone of very large hands.

Based on comparing the design and craftsmanship of this pair, my WW2 Indian Darby pair and numerous modern Indian darby handcuffs that are characteristically lower quality than their older counterparts, I would say they are 1950s. The swivel is fashioned nicely with a ovular or tear drop hole, of similar shape as the Hiatt models, whereas the modern ones tend to be hastily constructed and shaped more circular and less refined in appearance. Generally less care tends to be put into making modern Indian handcuffs from what I can tell. Of course there may be some manufacturers which put care in but I have not seen them.

I like these, but it is a shame that the clevis (part with the eyelet that attach the ring to the shackle) is not constructed as nicely as it could have been and one is loose. Now it appears that the rectangular hole in the shackle narrows as it reaches the outside of the shackle, so even though I have really put a lot of force to pull them apart, the clevis does not pull all the way out and has still a good chunk of distance it would need to go to free that shackle and thus destroy the security of this pair. So at least that is something, but still, this could have been done better. There is quite a bit of room in the hole and the clevis can rattle around. That could easily have been prevented I think during manufacturing.

I got these from someone who claims to have had them for 40+ years in a display case..., so with that, the construction/styling/craftsmanship and the comparison between my WW2 Indian darby and modern ones, leads me to believe they may be 50s or 60s.

Enjoy!

KUB Kubind KB-917 Large Irish 8 Handcuffs A Recreation Of Old UK Design.

These are a rigid handcuff from Kub in Pakistan, based off the classic Irish 8 with Darby locking mechanism. Prior to the invention of the Darby locking mechanism, they used a special nut and key in the Plug 8 model.

Though this has a classic style of Darby locking mechanism, no other Darby key I have will fit. It will bite a very slight bit, that in an emergency if you lost your one key you might be able to pull against the spring and get them open. But only Kub keys will fit this handcuff, based on my experience.

The spring is not too strong, which is nice. There are 2 hinges, because not only does the main part of the shackle need to fold down over the wrists, but then the other hinge is so that the locking tube can swing into position and lock. They snap shut and are locked without having to use the key, like most Darby handcuffs.

Very restrictive! I have a pair in the Large Men size (according to the official box). I have somewhat large hands and take a large or extra large Nitrile glove. My right hand & wrist are larger than my left and in the largest side of the handcuffs (closest to the locking tube), I can spin either of my wrists around in that side, which helps to use the key to get out of them without needing help! But if you have a more snug fit, you might struggle to get out of these handcuffs without having another pair of hands to help out...

I do not have any genuine old Plug 8 or Irish 8, but at least I have modern, good quality representations of these two styles of handcuffs from this Pakistan company Kub aka Kubind. Genuine old ones, such as by Hiatt, tend to be quite expensive.

Enjoy!

Smith & Wesson M100P-1 Long Chain Police Handcuffs ~ (Tested behind back also)

These are the Smith & Wesson M100P-1 handcuffs which have a longer chain for use on longer individuals.

Instead of the window design, they use the older push-pin style of double lock. I feel this is more secure because of the many and various attacks on the mechanism that are possible via the window style.

They have a single pawl mechanism like all their other cuffs, but given that suspects/criminals should be searched and not left unattended, it's not normally a major problem that a cuff doesn't have more fancy security measures.

The added chain length is useful for use on larger individuals that might otherwise require 2 pairs of handcuffs to be linked to extend the length. I tested them behind my back and they are more comfortable! However, this length also lends themselves to being used for carrying important and expensive goods in cases, to ensure that merely snatching a bag or case from someone would not liberate it from the owner. But in this situation it would be of basic grab & run protection, since anyone with a standard key could take the handcuffs off the bag or case if they had the time or threat of violence etc.

Of course some people use these in the bedroom, since they are longer, they adapt well for use on bed headboards and posts etc, as seen in the Stephen King movie "Geralds's Game". The ones used in the movie were the version that used smaller chain links (so there were more chain links) but the same 6 inch length. It probably should go without saying, but if you use handcuffs in the bedroom, always use them safely and verify the cuffs work and that you have more than 1 key around!

As you would expect from S&W these are great quality handcuffs and feel very smooth to the hand. Very shiny too. Not mirror shiny but they reflect light in a nice way (especially when you wax polish them as I do most my handcuff collection)

Enjoy!

Algemas Brazil AB304 CONSTRICTOR Bright Green Handcuffs ~ Limited Edition for DRM

These are a very special limited edition pair of Algemas Brazil AB304 "CONSTRICTOR" police handcuffs. This pair is in an extremely bright and shiny green colour and is exclusive only for the Doncaster Restraint Museum (DRM).

I got the one in all green, but there is also a model where the bows are black. If you want to see that one I would point you to @CoxysPicks who has a video that shows both models. Only 50 of each was made and apparently this colour is only for DRM.

These are a single pawl, double locking handcuff that have some nice features. They have flat contact points, similar to ASP, which makes it less likely to damage the wrist when pressed on, since the force is spread evenly over a wider area. They also feature twin keyholes, meaning no matter which way the handcuffs are put on, the officer always has access to the keyholes.

The chain links are longer than typical police handcuffs, meaning they could be used to secure someone who is on the larger side. Not only this, they have quite a wide maximum wrist size (though not as large as TCH maximum size) and they close quite small. So over all, these are quite a capable pair of NIJ rated police handcuffs.

They are smooth in operation and the colour is particularly interesting, as it seems to change depending on the light and viewing directions. As shown in the latter part of the first section of this video, it goes from a goldy bright sparkly green, down to a matt darker lime green. Very cool and interesting to see in person. I think my video displays this quite well.

I would say this is a very nice pair of handcuffs. You can buy this model (though not in green) direct from the manufacturer Algemas Brazil. They also sell other models and also leg irons.

I would be shocked if I ever saw another green handcuff as green as this ever again. It's truly astonishing how bright green these are! They make the zombie green Peerless 730C look like it has a second hand paint-job while out in a sand storm lol. Just so nice.

I did notice there is a bit of the coating chipped off on one chain link, but it is common for chain links to get colours worn off since they are always clinking about freely. A couple of small blemishes here and there from manufacturing but all in all I absolutely love these. Good quality amazing looking handcuffs with since nice features. If they changed to a 3 pawl design with a split spring, double locking bar activator and some anti-shim, I would say it's one of the best on the market. But as it stands it is already good when you compare these Brazilian handcuffs to any typical police handcuff used in North America. It does everything Smith & Wesson and Peerless standard models can do, only better.

These weigh 338 grams
S&W weigh 289 grams
Peerless weigh 279 grams

So they are slightly on the heavier side but it's not too bad.

Enjoy!

Smith & Wesson Model 90 Police Handcuffs From Late 1970's / Early 1980's

This is a pair of Smith & Wesson Model 90 handcuffs. They were used in the US by police (probably military police as well). I am not sure when this model was first manufactured but it would have been probably early 1970's or perhaps earlier. The airweight model 925 was modelled on these and I believe 925's were around in the late 50's so... chicken or egg. Not sure which came first but I do like these model 90.

They stopped manufacturing these in 1979, I believe. Based on the design nuances and serial number of mine, it would track with the original sellers claims that these were bought in the US 40+ years ago.

This pair has some interesting professional stamping of DFC and A / A which I do not know the meaning of. But there is also a owner-engraved number on there which fits the format of a US Social Security number. Apparently the US military used SS numbers for identity for a long time, so it makes me think these were possibly owned by someone in the US military. Given this context, if you know what DFC or A / A means, please comment below.

The mechanism is very strong and in amazing condition. I did have to use some 0000 steel wool to get some gunk off and then do my usual cleaning and maintenance steps to ensure proper working order.

I really like these! Very smooth feeling and yet have all the required modern features you would want, including the indent system for the bow which bites and holds the bow in place in case a very strong person tries to escape by pulling outwards.

Enjoy!

Scarce / Rare Smith & Wesson 926 Airweight Lightweight Aluminium 1970s / 1980s Handcuffs

These a pair of lightweight (known as airweight due to the extreme lack of weight) Smith & Wesson 926 chain link handcuffs. They are made from aluminium or aluminum and are exceptionally, extremely, ultimately, ludicrously light at 100 grams!

These have a single pawl like most S&W handcuffs and has the usual double locking. This is an old pair, likely from the 1970s or 1980s but in excellent like-new condition, pretty much. The bow teeth are still fully intact and sharp!

To see them, you might think they were a model 90 basic old S&W handcuff, but the rarity of handcuffs in this weight-class is where they stand out. These are so light, lighter than even Peerless 730 Superlite. They are so light people would swear they are toys. They weigh absolutely nothing. If you put some fur on these from a toy set of handcuffs and warm the handcuffs in your pocket to body temperature and hand them to someone, they would absolutely believe they were toys, not a hard to find expensive pair of handcuffs from one of the world's best known gun manufacturers!

I got a great price on these from @MrHandcuff . Normally these can be anywhere around £150 / $200 etc. While not strictly "rare" they are very 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 hard to find. This model was manufactured somewhere between the years of 1958 to 1979, though not in as large batches as the regular steel handcuffs, making them harder to find.

HIATT in the UK made a similar extremely lightweight handcuff, based on the 1980 pattern handcuff, but due to the larger costs to make them, they opted for less and less aluminium and more of a steel alloy which is lighter than normal handcuffs but not as RIDICULOUSLY lightweight as their early models, like this Smith & Wesson pair.

I used some very fine wire wool to clean some tarnish from the top side near the swivels and I polished with Peek cleaner and Renaissance wax, as well as lubricating with WD40 Specialist Dry PTFE (do not ever use graphite on aluminium handcuffs!) They are amazing!

At this moment they are not featured in my collage/tower image of my handcuff collection, but I shall be doing that as my next task once I get some time to set everything up.

Enjoy!

HACKETTS Nipper or Come Along from early 1900s or perhaps late 1800s

This is a one-handed restraint known as a "come along" or "nipper", which is a type of device to restrain one arm and maintain control over someone to guide them to where you want them to go, but having the ability to apply pain or break the wrist or forearm if they struggle. It was an alternative to using handcuffs, when people were less likely to be violent and need fully restraining.

This particular one is referred to by Hiatt as a Snap, because it closes with a "snap!" However this does not appear to be made by Hiatt, it has HACKETTS stamped on the top of it. Basically nothing is known about this manufacturer or brand, but this particular Come-along I have was owned by the great grandfather of the seller, who was a policeman in Cheshire, England at the turn of the 20th century (very early 1900s, probably a bit before too, since we are talking about the father of the seller's grandfather being the original owner..)

A nice interesting alternative to handcuffs, that I thought I would share with you.

𝗔 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 to @CoxysPicks for acquiring this nice and unique addition online, to add to my collection. I am not sure if I will include it on my handcuff collection images, because strictly-speaking it is not in anyway a handcuff, as far as I am aware. But I am 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 happy to have this 😁 .

Enjoy! 🍻

HIATT 104 (basic) 1949 British Military ᗑ Darby Handcuffs

These are a pair of Hiatt 104 Darby handcuffs. They are from 1949 and are British Military issue, 4 years after WW2.

The mechanism uses a screw key, as most Darby handcuffs. However, the internal bolts' threading is worn/abused and while one cuff (with the crows foot / Broad arrow stamp) works decently enough, the other only works with 1 key out of all keys I have and only if I am careful, slow and lose while initially turning. So, I will not be doing an on-person demo of them because I do not want to have to destroy them to get them off me or anyone else.

They do not have any markings like BEST, WARRANTED WROUGHT or HARD. So, these are likely a more budget model of lesser quality/ruggedness after the war when things were tight due to the country trying to rebuild. The damage on the threading makes sense to me in light of the presumed lower-grade quality & strength, because if they were hardened, they would have been stamped HARD and the fact it has no such stamp means they are made (likely) of softer more wear-prone steel.

They are size 1. I did try them on initially. On my wrists they are snug and fit ok, but if I flex out my hands to separate my fingers the max distance, I can feel the discomfort on my wrists.

They have a very nice Broad Arrow or Crows foot stamp on the hinge of one bracelet. Not obscured or worn, still very easily visible! I like this.

It is a pity they are not in better-working condition, but due to a poll I posted, 75% of people said they would keep them regardless of their lack of ability to function properly, so I have decided to officially welcome them into my collection 😀

Enjoy!

TCH 840 Blue Rigid Speedcuffs Northern Ireland Police Handcuffs

These are the familiar TCH 840 rigid speedcuffs, which have the Northern Ireland blue coloured gripping area.

I have not seen these handcuffs in photos very often but it's a known thing that these were for Northern Ireland. I have seen video footage where they were worn on officers belts, but I was never able to find this again on YouTube.

They have 3 pawl bars and all the other usual TCH features like back-loading and double locking.

The number of colours that TCH 840 speedcuffs come in are black, red, blue and yellow. Black are standard, as used by most police forces. Red are used during training which clearly identify the person in them is not actually under arrest. Yellow have been used by private security, to signify they are not impersonating a police officer, since they do not have the typical black colour. Blue is for Northern Ireland police.

Enjoy!

🧒 Viper Classic Handcuffs - Metal toy cuffs which are "not bad" for what they are

These are "cheapo" handcuffs made by Viper. They are sold as their "Classic" model. Let's face it, they're toys. They are made of decently solid and weighty steel and are very smooth in their action. I had these as a kid, sold under generic no-name brands. They used to cost about £5 from the joke shop in town. They used to make models like this with the lever on the side. But I was always the kid with this version that had no safety lever to open them.

Now, these do feel perhaps slightly better quality than the ones I had back in the day. But the chains are still non-welded and they are not the best for large wrists. Instead of having teeth and a pawl, they have holes in the bow and a wheel with spikes on which act as the closing mechanism.

They have large open keyways that you can drive a truck into, in case you lose the key, so you can jab many potential things in there to get them open.

Very weirdly, this particular design is based off of a REAL Japanese police handcuff. You can tell the old "real" ones apart because they have a pretty solid casing and have no visible rivets. If you want to see what REAL original actual police version of these handcuffs looked like, have a look at these two images: https://i.imgur.com/Hh9ezqt.png

All in all, they are not bad toys. Amongst the most budget handcuffs, they are decent quality. But if you can spring for the more modern style of police handcuff they would be better quality and more secure.

I am not adding these to my collection image or lists, as I only bought these mainly as a "stroll down memory lane", to see from my modern perspective, what I think about these handcuffs. There are even lower budget versions of this which are GARBAGE. I had a pair of black low budget ones I will try and add a card link near the end of the video if you want to see rubbish versions.

Enjoy!

Quik-Kuf Pre-assembled HIATTS 2003 handcuffs with Bolt-on Hard QK Grips. Strong pseudo-rigid

This is the original Quik-Kuf. It was initially trialled by the British MET Police in London in late 1992 for 3 months, to see if having a rigid handcuff would provide an advantage for officers in terms of restricting arm movement as well as offering more control over suspects.

This pair of cuffs consisted of a pair of HIATTS 2003 chain-link handcuffs, which are the 17% larger wrist size model (same size used today on modern British rigid cuffs) and special hand grips, designed by Quik-Kuf were then bolted on over the top, encasing the chain-link handcuffs in hard polymer or FRN type material. This made a pseudo-rigid handcuff. It is not a true rigid, because if someone could use leverage or extreme strength they "might" be able to snap the casing and gain more movement. Maybe... But they are very strong and a decent rigid handcuff.

So as you would expect, using a pair of standard HIATTS chain handcuffs, they have all the usual features, 3 pawls, back-loading, double locking.

After the trial, it was determined that this rigid style was excellent at helping control dangerous individuals as well as performing the typical functionality of securing arms. Later in 1994 a specific rigid handcuff was made from the ground up and manufactured by HIATT in partnership with Quik-Kuf which had a rigid steel bar connecting the bracelets and then a similar set of grips (though different style) bolted over the top to make handling of the handcuffs ergonomic and easy.

So this is pair is a nice (and as-is complete) pair of handcuffs to add to my British Police history of handcuff usage box, because it represents a turning point, going to rigid as standard instead of chain-link.

I hope you enjoy the video 😀

HIATTS 2010 Chain-link Handcuffs with ᗑ British Military Broad arrow / Crows-foot!

These are a typical pair of HIATTS 2010. The regular size of their chain-link handcuffs. But these are from British military surplus. They are in stunning condition. They look almost unused and have good, strong springs in the mechanism!

These have the year of manufacture on them (1992), they have the NSN number (NATO Stock Number) stamped on and if that wasn't cool enough, they have the British military Broad arrow or Crows-foot stamped on them too which is just the cherry on top!

All the features you'd expect. They double lock, have 3 pawls and they back-load. Soon as I got them I did some maintenance on them just in case. I brushed any crap out of the teeth (pawls & bows), polished them with Peek metal cleaner and then waxed them. Also I lubricated the boss rivet, swivels and internal mechanisms with WD40 Specialist Dry PTFE lubricant.

These are one of my pairs which are so shiny, it's hard to photograph them because they want to look black, due to reflecting my camera's body lol.

I am super happy to have these in my collection, even though I now have 3 pairs of HIATTS 2010. I have a standard pair with serial number, a MET POLICE stamped pair and now this British military broad-arrow pair!

😀
🌜

Enjoy!

New KEL-MET KM 1001 Polish chain link NATO certified military handcuffs NCAGE: 2034H

These are the new KEL-MET KM 1001 chain link handcuffs in stainless steel, from Poland. I used to have a pair of KM 1000 before, and I thought these were the same but they aren't! These are the newer model used by Polish police I believe, but are also military certified and even have a NATO stock number!

These have a 3 pawl mechanism, some rudimentary anti-shim at the beginning of the pawls and they are made of stainless steel with no coatings, so that they are hypo-allergenic, that means they are more skin-safe for more people than a typical nickel-plated handcuff.

Because these are made from all stainless steel, instead of the typical hardened carbon steel with nickel plating, they are thicker, meatier and a bit more heavy than a typical chain handcuff. They weigh 356 grams.

They have a twisted chain instead of a plain flat chain. This could add some anti-snap technology to make it harder or impossible to "break" the handcuff chain by binding it up.

The double locking area protrudes slightly (though the pin is concave which helps) and it is too narrow for Smith & Wesson key double locking pins on the end of their keys.

These have no back-loading capability, though I was not impressed with their early attempts at back-loading on their rigid handcuffs. If adding back-loading means a handcuff will not double lock on the last solid click, then it should not be added, in my opinion. So I like these a lot.

They have mirrored sides, meaning the keyholes are facing the same way when applied to the wrists in the same downward motion. Some other manufacturers (typically eastern, but there are others) use one mould for their handcuff bracelets and so you end up with one keyhole facing the front of the hands and one keyhole facing the body, which is just goofy and lazy in my opinion!

The 3 pawls tend to act as one single pawl because the internal spring has no split in it, meaning if one pawl is pressed down, all the other 2 pawls will drop also, so this is something that could easily be improved upon by adding a split spring so that not all 3 pawls are controlled by one single spring.

All in all, I like these handcuffs even more than the rigid ones they do.

btw here are links to both the product page and the NATO certifications:

http://www.kelmet-defence.eu/km-1001-stainless-steel-handcuffs.html

http://www.kelmet-defence.eu/kelmet-certificates.html

Enjoy!

ASP Rigid Ultra Cuff 600 TRAINING Red pawl handcuffs

Just got back from a dog walk, please excuse my Darth Vader sound! This is the training version of the ASP model 600 rigid handcuffs. They are made from forged aluminum or aluminium as known in the UK, with steel bows. The red pawls and red body indicators signify that this is a training model. If that is not sufficient, it has in 5 places stamped on it TRAINING ONLY in case anyone does not know the meaning of the red colouration.

This handcuff is designed for easy training, to speed things up, since when single locked, the wearer can pull them off without the operator having to use a key on each bracelet. This can speed up training. Also for people interested in picking handcuffs, it offers a safety feature so that the wearer can get out of them in case their picking attempts fail.

This technology is commonly referred to in the magic/escapology community as "Gimmicking". The concept of gimmicking is that there is an alternative mechanism to get out of the handcuffs without having to properly use a key. Usually a quick mechanism. This particular type of gimmicking is referred to as "bridge jumpers" because it was used by magicians etc to escape handcuffs in an instant when jumping from a bridge or building into a body of water, where every tiny moment matters. Some types of gimmicking are more elaborate and able to withstand audience inspection etc. This style is very basic and makes a loud zipping sound when you escape them, so they are not best suited for magic tricks, though they work great as a safety feature during training or lockpicking experiments.

Long ago there were some red-pawl ASP handcuffs made which were NOT "escapable" training models. So if buying second hand, ask the seller and test them yourself to be sure they are what you expect.

They are very nice. The body of the handcuffs is absolutely identical to any other of their similar handcuffs. The only difference is the fact that red is ONLY used for training models and they also have TRAINING ONLY stamped on them. If you were to remove the red locksets and replace with a standard "real" lockset of yellow, green or blue, you would have an entirely secure and fully functional handcuff. The magic of this capability is entirely in the pawls / locksets which have the red double locking window.

Anyway, hopefully this has enlightened you as to the purpose and capabilities of the red "training only" models of ASP handcuffs.

Enjoy! (please like and subscribe :D )

Smith & Wesson M1900-1 leg irons

These are the Smith & Wesson M1900-1 leg irons. Similar to the slightly older M1900, but these have the familiar modern rivets as part of their construction.

These are very nice quality. Their shape and design mean they can fit quite a wide array of ankle/leg sizes.

They have the usual familiar window double locking mechanism and work pretty smoothly.

They are decently comfortable and because of the ovular shape, can accommodate with people with particularly muscular calves/ankles due to the shape.

They came with 2 standard chunky S&W keys, one of which I have converted into a back-cut TOOOL  Ultimate Handcuff Key.

The nickel finish on them seems a bit on the patchy side. Almost like it consists of grubby hand prints all over it. It is hard to describe but you may perceive them to be dirty, but let me tell you that I have cleaned them with metal cleaner, polished them with Renaissance wax and given them some PTFE lubricant. It's part of the finish. Also it seems during transit they got slightly chipped. On the back of one of the double strands the nickel has flaked off on a small area making it feel a bit rough when running a finger over it. Normal skin contact areas are intact but this was a bit of a disappointment never the less.

I believe Yuil definitely copied this design. I no longer have a pair of Yuil leg irons, as at the time I did not really want to collect leg irons and I gave them to a worthy home :) But as I recall from memory these are extremely similar to each other.

On their smallest size, they are adequate to secure around my hands and on their largest size they would accommodate a leg larger than mine, so I find that quite impressive.

On the very very largest setting, within the ramp divot area, you can double lock them and they do appear secure, though because it is a slope either side, unsuccessful attempts to kick the bow tighter or pull it out may progressively damage the teeth on the pawl, whereas when closed on a normal click, any attempt to kick closed or pull open either go nowhere or merely pull on the pawl teeth. So I would recommend closing them on a proper click unless someone has SO large ankles that you have no choice but to use that little initial groove area.

These are mainly used in the US but there may be other places using them. I have seen them used in transport situations and in courtrooms/prisons but it's not a typical "cop on the street" item as far as I can tell.

Very nice and glad to have these in my collection!

Enjoy 😀

🇺🇸 ASP 700 Ultra ankle cuffs aka leg irons (incorrect stamping) with nice carrying case

These are a nice pair of model 700 ASP ankle cuffs, better known as leg irons. They are the Ultra line which are made from FORGED aluminium or aluminum. Very strong and very sturdy.

This pair has incorrect stamping on which would normally be used on a pair of handcuffs. It says "Model 400". Which should actually read "Model 700". I wonder if this was an early run?

I love ASP handcuffs and these leg irons are a nice addition to my collection. If you are reading this, stay tuned because I have a different pair of leg irons being sent to me!

I love the carrying bag these come in. It's of very nice quality. When you interleave the leg irons as I have shown in the bag, they kind of stay together as a nice solid piece rather than floating around and scratching up against each other.

I do wish ASP would increase their QC Quality Control. This is not the first time I have heard of incorrect model numbers stamped on cuffs. My pair of these ankle cuffs has a little bit of an issue with the locking mechanisms, in that the centrally located keyways did not work to disengage the single lock using the key provided.  When the bows are not locked in the body of the cuff, the key would work but when they are closed, even by a single tooth, the key would not work. This is due to the presence of the bow in the mechanism pushing the pawl down a little bit. The central keyways have less travel room than the keyways that are on the edge of the cuff. So in my case, the key would stop at 45 degrees. I have filed my key to accommodate for the issue.

All in all though, I really do like these ankle cuffs. The central round ring in the chain is for use to be connected to the expensive ASP transport system, to connect them to the handcuffs. I do not have this and while I did create a DIY belly chain to demonstrate the transport rigid handcuffs, I'm not going to lengths to put anything together to connect these leg irons with the handcuffs as there's no real point for me.

They are comfortable.

By the way, in case you didn't know, ASP stands for "Armament Systems and Procedures"

Anyway, enjoy and I will see you next time 😀

(The little lioness guest appearing is our cocker spaniel, Amber. We've had her just over a year. She's about 6 and a half I think)

HIATT 101 Superintendent Lightweight British Darby Handcuffs Pre WW1 with original key

These are the British lightweight HIATT model 101 Darby handcuffs, known as Superintendent model. These are pre WW1 / WWI / World War 1 / The Great War. They were listed in the Hiatt's 1904 catalogue. I am not sure when they were actually first released but my pair "just" pre-dates The Great War.

These weigh 265 grams. They have an extra chain link on either side of the swivel. They are about the same over-all length as a normal pair of model 104 Darby handcuffs because the chain links used are smaller.

The swivel is also smaller and lighter and the shackle or bow is thinner in width than the average Darby handcuff. All this goes towards lowering the weight. An average Darby handcuff weighs approximately 400 ish grams. But here's a list of my other darby weights, so you can see a comparison for how light these are:

265g HIATT Superintendent model 101 (the pair in this video)

390g R.C.S Military model 104 style.
402g Model 104  M&C 1916
404g Model 104 1930s
413g Model 104 M&C 1915
490g Model 104 Large (late 1800s)
848g Chunky Model 104 basic design British Indian Army WW2

In 1904 this model would have sold for about 6.5 shillings, while the standard model 104 would have cost about 5 shillings. Apparently these were often used by the MET police in London, but elsewhere were not as widely carried as standard, due to the increased cost. This is why you see many more model 104 for sale than 101 superintendents. Check the pinned comment for a picture of what a Superintendent looked like in 1920. No wonder they needed lighter, thinner handcuffs! Very little places to carry anything!

KUB 115 Plug 8 Handcuffs A Recreation Of Old British Design. Made in Pakistan. Nice Quality!

These are a set of Plug 8 handcuffs made in Pakistan by KUB (short for KUBIND). Model 115 or KB-115.

They are a recreation of an old British design that I believe pre-dates the regular Darby style.

These were apparently used mainly for transferring prisoners to and from court and possibly used in prisons, as I have read somewhere.

I think these weren't used as regular-use handcuffs for some reason. They are quite limiting and bulky.

It was difficult to do the on-person demo of these because of the difficulty and discomfort involved in operating them on yourself without help. This on-person demo is the second take. The first take I did took ages. I kept dropping the key, dropping the plug and it absolutely killed my wrist. I was stuck in them for a few minutes while I let my wrists have a little rest before continuing.

They are made very well, are nice and smooth and are very good quality. I believe they are made of brass and they're nickel plated.

They have a little plug that seals the keyway to add extra security. Why do you need to screw the key in before you can interact with the actual mechanism? (I thought). Well, I think it is both to make the keyway smaller, because now you have threading to negotiate instead of it being a wide open keyway. Also, the plug it's self acts as a barrier to picking. Sort of a double lock feature. So if people were put in these handcuffs with the backs of their hands facing the lock mechanism, and the plug was installed, it would be EXTREMELY difficult to escape them. Not only are your hands facing the wrong way, the keyway narrowed because of threading, but also the exterior threading means it's fiddly and precise to get the key into the keyway. If you do not align the key properly it's super difficult to get the key to screw in. Pretty high security! (I'm sure Coxyspicks may disagree 🤣) I bet this is why they were used during transport when going to court.

Enjoy!

U.M.W British Indian Army Darby Military Handcuffs WW2 era VERY HEAVY! Behind back demo also.

These are from the British Raj period, during the World War 2 era. These are a model 104 style Darby handcuff that were made in India for the British Indian Army.

These old WW2 handcuffs have an extremely high quality of production, according to experts these are much better quality than India's modern handcuffs. They use a higher security mechanism which is similar to one Hiatt called "The Sheffield Pattern", which swaps around the male and female parts so that the inside of the handcuffs looks like you'd expect a Darby handcuffs key to look like and the key looks like what you'd expect to see inside a Darby handcuff!

The springs are so strong that I am pretty much incapable of snapping them closed. Since getting them this morning I have managed to get one to snap but it took me ages and a LOT of effort to get it to snap shut. So, unless you're Hercules, you really need to use the key when locking them.

They are a large size, with a nice rounded shape. I can even spin my wrists around in them, so they must be big! But the weight is off the charts. 848 grams! They are in a similar weight/comfort category as the modern Clejuso model 13. They are heavy but they are pretty comfortable.

I love these things. I am so happy to have a pair in my collection. They don't make them like they used to! These are epic.

Enjoy!

Hiatt 115 Steel Adjustable Darby Handcuffs 1950 era (gimmicked by a magician or escapeologist)

This is an early pair of Hiatt 115 Steel Adjustable Darby Handcuffs from the 1950s. The classic Victorian design Darby handcuff only has 1 size. It is what it is. Either you have a small pair, a medium size pair or a large pair, but whatever you have on you is the only wrist size you can handcuff. These adjustable ones were to offer a police officer the ability to have all sizes of handcuffs in one handcuff.

The early models were made from steel, while later ones were made of cheap pot metal. The key I have is a pot metal key from a later pair.

These were the precursor to the modern style of swing-through handcuffs used by British police. Swing-through cuffs had been invented many years before, but because of costs, weren't adopted as a style in Britain until 1960 when Hiatt made their 1960 pattern.

This pair I have, has at some time been modified by a previous owner who was either into magic or escaping handcuffs. They have been gimmicked. When I received them, all but the last 2 teeth had been gimmicked, meaning you can get out of them by a sharp and hard yank outwards unless they were closed to the 2 smallest sizes. This technique of leaving the last 2 teeth is so they can be put on a small assistant and they can be tested as being secure, but when placed on the larger wrists of the magician, can be escaped without a key.

Since they were already gimmicked anyway, I decided to file 1 more tooth on both bracelets so that my wrist size has no ability to get locked in them, as the one key I have is a bad quality pot metal key that if damaged, could be annoying.

I was hoping they would be a normal pair of Hiatt 115. They were sold as "Good working condition" which depending on how you look at it, is true. They do "work" but they are not a secure pair of handcuffs as they had been intended to be when they were manufactured. So I am a bit disappointed. But they will do as a placeholder pair of handcuffs which help illustrate the journey through time of British police handcuff evolution.

They are relatively comfortable and when handcuffed behind your back, they are very restrictive that would make it difficult for someone to access their keyring or things from their pockets. Your hands are side by side, horizontally.

Enjoy.

HIATT Model 104 M&C 1915 British Military World War 1 Darby Handcuffs Broad Arrow Stamp & has ORIGINAL case

These are a pair of Hiatt Model 104 Ministry and Civil 1915 Darby handcuffs. These are a British military pair. Exactly the same as my younger 1916 model, these 1915 are slightly heavier though and not plated. So these would have been made 1 year into WW1 (world war 1 also known as The Great War).

They also have the broad arrow or crows-foot stamp on them, which apparently is not often seen, since the presence of M&C already denoted they were military issue. M&C was non-combat/war related, so my theory is perhaps they were broad arrow stamped because they actually made it to the field of battle and the presence of the broad arrow may have been preferable since it was on most of their other stuff? I do not know, this is just my theory.

They are size 2 and just fit my wrists (same size as my plated shiny pair of 1916). So these would likely be a medium size. Comfortable enough for my wrists. I take a size large in gloves and I'm absolutely not a skinny person... So bare these things in mind when judging sizing if you acquire a pair.

I am assuming these have been well-used because when you turn the key, the pawl plug it's self actually twists a bit, meaning the square hole it fits into is not as tight fitting, so there is some slop in the movement internally. So I think they have probably seen a lot of use, though I doubt they are in danger of being worn out.

When I saw these on eBay, I assumed someone had found an old leather pouch that they fit in, but it turns out after looking more into it and asking around that this is absolutely a genuine leather belt case to hold them in, with a nice lobster claw connector so the key can spin freely without having to be unclipped, while being easy to unclip if the key needed to be handed to someone else.

The key number matches the handcuffs, which is nice. This key perfectly fits my 1916 pair but does not nicely work in any of my other cuffs. I won't abuse this key to try and get it's threading working in my other cuffs, I have enough keys for those, so I will leave this key as-is. It's a nice complete whole set!

I did have to do quite a bit of spraying solvents and oil in to get some gunk out. I have used peek polish and renaissance wax on both the cuffs and key as well as the leather case.

I love this little set! I shall keep it all together in my box, rather than separate everything. Normally cases are in some drawer, keys are centralised in my safe, but in this case I will leave it all intact.

Enjoy!

HIATT BEST 104 Darby Large Size Handcuffs Late 1800's - very early 1900's

These are amazingly nice! They are a pair of 104 Hiatt best darby handcuffs of the large size. They are most likely the oldest handcuffs I own. Though I have no hard date, they are from between the late 1800's up to pre 1920.

These have a bulge where the clevis (connector which connects the chain links to the bow) being inserted in the bow causes the bulge. In later years they minimised this bulge.

They are marked with WARRANTED WROUGHT, though there's a lot of wear on the engraving. However you can see a comparison on the video which shows a later pair which has the stamping intact vs these. They are also marked HARD signifying that they are made from hardened steel.

They are pretty comfortable and are the heaviest darby cuffs I own at this point in time. They weigh 496 grams.

They came with no key, but luckily I have 2 keys which I was able to forcefully work into the mechanism to make them function nicely. Apparently HIATT were not very uniform with the bolt threading, so there were little variances between pairs of handcuffs.

I love these, the shape is really nice. Most Darby handcuffs I see have the slightly more rectangular shape, whereas the bows on these are a nice smoothly curved " c " shape.

Enjoy!

American Handcuff Co (Fond Du Lac Wis) L600 Oversized over-boot 'World's Largest' leg irons

These are the world's largest leg irons! Made by the late company American Handcuff Co (Fond Du Lac, Wis). They are the model L600 or L-600.

Here's some info from the manufacturer:
_________________________________________
Constructed of half hard carbon steel
Lock parts case hardened and rust proofed
Features 16 lock stops with single and double lock
14 inch nickel/chrome plated chain (23 links in length)
Inner perimeter expands from 12 1/2 to 16 1/4 inches
Serial and model numbered
Equipped with 2 standard keys
Overall length is 23.75 inches
Weighs 19.84 ounces
Lifetime warranty to registered users
World's biggest Legiron
_________________________________________

The weight they state is incorrect. My pair I weighed comes to 27.2 oz (772 grams)

These are fit for giants! They fit over work boots, tactical boots, leg casts, snow boots, cowboy boots, making them very versatile. I wear a UK size 10 boot (US size 11, EU 44) and they still have lots of clicks to get them tight enough to be secure. This means there's plenty of room for chunky footware or clothing layers in the case that they're being used in extremely cold climates where they're likely to be wearing very warm footwear and thicker layer trousers etc.

In certain circles, they have been used as neck cuffs, such as in the bedroom or for photo/video shoots of an adult nature. Though someone would have to have a somewhat thin neck to use in that fashion and may not be the safest thing you could use them for..... So beware if you go clamping any sort of cuff on anyone's neck.... You've been warned.

All said, they are really cool and I got them for a good price. It would cost me about £110 to get the modern version of this size leg iron, now made by Chicago but I got theses for under £90 and these are the original real deal AHC brand leg irons. So I am very happy!

Today is Escapology Day, making it a fitting day to upload a video on restraints that people could use to perform escapes.

They have 1 pawl, double locking, have the ditch and peg system which keeps the bow in place in case someone very strong tries to pull outwards to dislodge the bow's teeth from the pawl's teeth. This is something I expect to see on all modern handcuffs (with few exceptions if the metal is chunky and innately less likely to bend by default).

The chain feels the same as my elongated TCH handcuffs. It's a very silent chain with minimal clinking sound at all. I LOVE this kind of chain. In comparison  my Chicago transport chains have a very LOUD connecting chain between the leg irons and handcuffs.

Please like, subscribe and..

Enjoy 😁

Chicago 3500 Transport chains handcuffs and leg irons

These are the Chicago 3500 Transport restraints, which consist of a pair of handcuffs connected to leg irons. These are seen while prisoners are transported between locations. These (and other types) are also used in American courtrooms. They weigh just over a kilo.

These transport chains are a bit more secure than their Peerless 700CTC-32 cousins (linked in card above the video) because the handcuffs have 2 pawls instead of 1 and the double locking bar is split, making it a bit more difficult to pick.

The connecting ring which is attached to the handcuffs is connected through one of the two handcuffs' normal chain links. This is not very symmetrical and while it looks a bit off, it is perfectly fine and secure. I would just have preferred it if they had connected them by perhaps adding 1 extra round chain link between the normal chain links and use the middle one, so that it looks nicer. But perhaps I am being a bit picky lol.

These are nice. I like them. I find it odd that the leg irons backload but the handcuffs don't... Not a problem but just seems a bit weird. Out of the two, I would have expected the handcuffs to "need" backloading way more than the leg irons! Oh well, this is just an observation.

Enjoy!

TCH 820 SL Long Chain Handcuffs (7 chain links) for larger people. Includes behind back footage

These are the TCH 820 SL long chain handcuffs. They are the superior (larger size, the same as their 840 speedcuffs) size of the model 800 with 7 chain links instead of 2. This elongated chain makes them very suited for securing people's arms behind their back if they are either very large or have some injury which makes it extremely painful or dangerous for them to get their arms that close behind their back.

The chain on these handcuffs is not the typical type I normally see on TCH. They have more of that metallic-plastic feel which jingles less than usual. The chains are magnetic and real metal and secure but they just feel different and nice.

These have the usual 3 pawl bars for added security and have backloading which makes speed cuffing in a tense situation a bit easier.

The bow alignment is not 100% perfect, but due to how TCH design the ends of the bow, they taper to be thinner at the end which means they are able to seat themselves into the channel in the body of the cuff and affirmatively click closed when you press them onto the wrist. Very nice.

I like these a lot. You never really see these in the wild. I have only ever seen them sold by Nordhandle in Germany. But since I know of these handcuffs existence I ordered them directly from TCH them selves. Along with 3 other items they make which will feature in 1 or more future videos! Not handcuffs themselves but related to handcuffs. Stay tuned!

Hope you liked this, please like and subscribe and I will see you next time 😁

CTS-Thompson 1010C Purple Handcuffs

These are another chain link pair of 1010 CTS-Thompson handcuffs. This time in a purple colour.

They have 3 pawls, but one solid spring which means while picking them, if you pull any 1 pawl down, all the rest of the pawls drop since the spring is not split at any point.

Still, they are good handcuffs. But... the finish quality on the purple coating was pretty bad. It had residue and blotchy appearance. They looked a MESS. But a very very gentle polishing with Peek metal cleaner brought them up nicely. Unlike the yellow hinged pair I have, these do have the colour all the way to the ends of the bows AND they do not smell like Satan's personal plastic factory 🤣. The Yellow hinged ones smell very bad.

They have backloading feature which is nice to get a quick handcuffing of a suspect. However the bow alignment could be better and often it does not ratchet when pressed onto the wrist. It just bangs against one of the cheek plates, which then necessitates you manually clicking them to get them to start locking, which is less than ideal.

But all in all, not a bad handcuff if you can deal with having to possibly to a small amount of polishing to get the finish to look good.

Enjoy!

HIATTS 2103 Handcuffs MET POLICE stamped speedcuffs

These are a pair of HIATTS 2103 speedcuffs, but these have the rare MET POLICE stamping on them, which signifies they were issued to police forces in London.

These have 3 pawls, great bow alignment and are in amazingly good condition. I am thrilled to now have a MET POLICE pair of speedcuffs and the chain cuffs.

They also have the backloading feature and for whatever reason, this pair does not hardly rattle at all, compared to my other ex-police pair which has the serial ground off.

I am really happy to add these to my collection.

Enjoy!

HIATT Peerless Handcuffs 1960 - 1969 (limited run under license) predecessor to HIATT 1970

This is the HIATT Peerless handcuff. This version is from around 1960 - 1969. This was created by HIATT under a license with Peerless to use their handcuff bracelet design. It uses a similar swivel design that were used in Darby handcuffs and the Hiatt 1960 models instead of a more modern chain design.

These are good quality handcuffs, though not perfect. They have the channel cut into the bow but the body of the handcuff has no protrusions to make use of it. This means a very strong person could pull outwards and pull the bow teeth away from the pawl teeth and escape.

These were too expensive to make due to the licensing restrictions and as such did not see widespread issuing in the UK. So later on, Hiatt tweaked the design to get around patent issues and they made the Hiatt 1970, which was free of licensing issues and in my opinion was a worse handcuff than this Hiat-Peerless design.

These have one single pawl but they have strong springs which can make picking a little bit more difficult.

I am very happy to have this handcuff in my collection, to show the lineage of British handcuff designs that were used by our police forces.

Enjoy!

USA HIATT 2103 Speedcuffs with British TCH 840 Style Handcuffs Grips. A mystery!

This is a case for Moulder and Skully. This is a genuine latest USA produced HIATT 2103 rigid "Speedcuffs" handcuffs. It has a very nice etched branding on the double strands. These are ex BRITISH police issue. Yes, an American handcuff used by UK police. However, it has British TCH style modern grips which are branded HIATT.

How is this possible? Is the US brand HIATT now offering TCH style grips? Were a bunch of American HIATT speedcuffs procured by a particular force in the UK for some reason (instead of buying TCH domestically) and they asked TCH to make them some grips with HIATT stamped on them instead of TCH? This is a mystery.

What I know, is that these were procured from one force in the UK and that they only had 4 of these available. They all are USA HIATT 2103 handcuffs (based on branding style and the fact HIATT no longer is a UK company) with the nice etched branding on the double strands and they all have HIATT branding on the TCH style grips.

The truth is out there...

I was not going to buy any more handcuffs, but with very limited quantity available, I had to get a pair asap.

If anyone in the US knows of any HIATT speedcuffs with this style of grips, please do let us all know in the comments below. Also if anyone from TCH or HIATT or handcuff museum comes across this and has any insight, please share with the rest of the class 😂.

Enjoy!

UZI Pink Handcuffs Model UZI-HC-C-PINK (High class toys, not professional grade, but decent!)

These are the classic pink UZI handcuffs. Model number UZI-HC-C-PINK.

These are what I would call a high class toy. They are a good quality product, though the tolerances are not very good (bow alignment, as you'll see on the video). They do not have mirrored sides, so that means one keyhole is front and one is back when they are placed down on the wrists. This is a common trait with eastern handcuffs, which does not always mean bad quality, but it is annoying. It means they cheaped out using the same handcuff design for both bracelets rather than making a left and a right bracelet.

They have a decent amount of strength and solidity to them, so as a toy, they are very very good indeed. They do not have the peg and groove system for the bow, meaning a very strong person could pull outwards and pull the bow teeth away from the pawl teeth and free them selves. Which is why, given that there is not enough metal for the required strength to mitigate this, they are not professional grade handcuffs.

They take a standard key, which is always good if anyone is wanting handcuffs for "messing about with". Whether that me in the bedroom or for cops and robbers games or whatever it might be. Standard keys working in a cuff means more options to get out if you are stuck (picking them, police helping you out etc).

Let's talk pink handcuffs in general for a moment. I showed a comparison during this video of what people typically will find then looking for pink handcuffs. Flimsy, sharp as hell edges, absolute garbage quality cuffs (I am hesitant to even call them handcuffs they are that bad) with fur on. Now, if you really have your heart set on having fury handcuffs, I would suggest either you make your own fur tubes from material, or buy a garbage cheap paid of those fluffy fury pink handcuffs and take the fur off and put them on a decent or really good pair of handcuffs. I show this in the video. That way you get a decent quality, more trustworthy handcuff while still having the fluffy aspect you might be looking for.

All in all, not too bad handcuffs, as long as you don't want them for professional or occupational use. If you want a good pink pair for genuine on-the-job use, get a pair of pink Chicago 1000 handcuffs. A video will be linked in the cards ( i ) at the top right of this video.

Enjoy!

#handcuffs

Very quick look at MET POLICE stamped & actually issued HIATTS 2010 handcuffs!

Since they are the same model of handcuff as I did a usual video on, this is just a quick look at another pair I received today which are a pair of HIATTS 2010 that have actually been issued to a police officer and still have the MET POLICE stamp intact.

Usually when used police handcuffs are sold in bulk, part of the contract is that the serial number and police markings are ground off. However when police officers retire, some or all of them are given their handcuffs to keep and many of these eventually get sold over the years. So I am lucky to have found and bough these before anyone could beat me to it lol!

Yuil M-09 Indigo Blue Lightweight Handcuffs NIJ

These are Indigo Blue versions of the Yuil M-09 lightweight handcuff.

They have 2 pawls, anti-shim protection, standard handcuff keys work with them and they have some pick resistance too.

They have a nice blue colour. However, the bow alignment is not what I would have hoped and the edges are sharply angular. Both before and after recording I have had to use a diamond knife sharpening rod to lightly take the bur off the edges of the cheek plates (body of the handcuff). The bow is decently smooth on the edges but the cheek plates needed a slight bit of attention.

Not the most comfortable handcuff I have ever tried, for sure. But they do look cool and are NIJ certified.

They are lightweight, coming in at 163 grams.

All in all, I am happy I have them in my collection :) Especially now that I lightly filed off the burs.

Enjoy!

Smith & Wesson M100-1 M&P (Military & Police) Chain Handcuffs in Black Melonite Finish NIJ

These are a standard pair of Smith & Wesson M100-1 handcuffs which have 2 special things about them. This is the M&P model, which stands for Military and Police. These have a Melonite (Carbon nitride) finish which provides a similar look and feel as a blued finish and also provides protection from rusting, but also further hardens the exterior metal face to offer scratch resistance etc.

Another thing which makes these special is the fact they have a lever action double lock. Smith & Wesson do some models where you dig the end of your cuff key into the side of the handcuff to double lock, they have their classic window slot where you use the back of the key to slide the double lock across and the M&P have a lever which you can pull using your finger, without needing to use a key.

The double lock lever should work even if you have bitten your nails off too!

Aside from this, they are just another excellent pair of Smith & Wesson handcuffs. Yes, they only have 1 pawl bar like most standard US handcuffs, but these are top notch build quality, tolerances and quality control. A really, really nice handcuff. I like it a lot! Smith & Wesson are trusted by police officers, amongst other brands like Peerless, Chicago, ASP, Hiatt, CTS Thompson and many more.

Enjoy!

HIATTS 2010 Standard Chain British Police Handcuffs from 1990's

These are an old pair of HIATT / HIATTS (not sure why they had both names in their history) 2010 standard chain handcuffs.

These have their (and TCH) modern smooth domed swivel design and are over all very very shiny. They are in really good but used condition. If memory serves, the condition of these and the finish is nicer. TCH 800 replaced these, though in the early-mid 1990's the police moved to using rigid handcuffs in the UK as their standard issue handcuff. So this style of handcuff would not have been used as often by police once rigid cuffs came into the forefront.

They have the backloading feature, they have 3 pawl bars for added security (a standard for modern Hiatt and TCH handcuffs) and the double lock feature is nice with a defined good click to it.

While their condition is very good, I did have to do some cleaning to get rid of  gunk from use. I have no idea if this pair have been used in a police/security/military capacity, whether they were from a collector or if someone used them for bedroom activities. But in almost every case when buying second hand / used handcuffs I always clean them out with a nylon brush, blast inside and out with PMA Brake & Clutch cleaner (it evaporates and leaves no residue) and sometimes I also blast with WD40 specialist contact cleaner. Then I lubricate with WD40 Specialist Dry PTFE. It's always good to do this basic cleaning and maintenance to sure they are nice and clean as well as continue to work in good condition from the time you acquire them.

A very nice pair of handcuffs. I've been wanting a pair of these again in my collection for AGES and had so many bid-failures over the months lol. But I have some now!

Enjoy

Kyung Chang KCH 010 Lightweight Korean Police Pink Handcuffs [NIJ]

These are the Kyung Chang Lightweight KCH 010 handcuffs in pink colour.

They are a South Korean police grade handcuff which are very lightweight. They have 3 pawls, steel bows, aluminium / aluminum body and come with 2 special keys which are best suited for these handcuffs.

Normal "standard" universal handcuff keys work in these handcuffs HOWEVER, it is crucially important that you get to know which way to turn for the double lock and if you use a standard key, STOP TURNING as soon as you have disengaged the double lock. If you keep turning that same direction after you have disengaged the double lock, the key will be stuck and you will be trapped in the handcuffs. See the video linked below for info on how to try and get out of them if you really mess up in this manner.

Short video of a key getting stuck in the handcuff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJKBx...

Video on the techwg channel that shows ways to try and get out of the handcuffs and try to get your key out safely: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHNpf...

Kyung Chang handcuffs are very nice, however please do be careful if you end up using different keys in them... The keys they come with are perfect and you have nothing to worry about, but do not be the person on a 999 or 911 recording asking for help because you got trapped in handcuffs using an ill-suited key! That kind of video would go public, be shared and stay with you forever and everyone would know. Not a good image!

Enjoy!

ASP Ultra Cuff Model 600 Rigid Transport Handcuffs & DIY Belly Chain Demo of Transport Feature!

These are the ASP Ultra Cuff Model 600 Rigid Transport handcuffs. These have the blue high security mechanism which uses a special key (normal keys can be modified to work with them).

These rigid handcuffs are very nice. The most comfortable of all rigid handcuffs I have tried. They have great features like rounded edges, keyhole activated access to the double lock activation and they can fit a larger size wrist compared to conventional handcuffs.

They have a rectangular hole in the middle which is for use with the official ASP Transport Kit, which consists of either a chain model or a nylon webbing belt version. These transport kits are not cheap, so I made a make-shift DIY belly chain which performs the same basic feature of securing the handcuffed hands close to the body. This helps stop a suspect or convict from strangling someone or attacking a guard or police officer etc. The official kits have options to connect them to leg irons also for added security, though it looks a bit weird with how that system works. (See official free ASP youtube videos on their transport kits to see them in action).

These handcuffs are really nice. You can put whatever security level of locks you want into them. Mine came with green European 3 pawl locking mechanisms, which I swapped around my mechanisms and put a blue set in these and moved the greens into a different pair. I love the blue because they are more secure and less common. The yellow are very basic and I am not a big fan of them. I don't know why they bother even making the basic yellow mechanism when they make the green one which is slightly better while still using standard keys.

My DIY belly chain / waist chain,  consists of a 4mm thick 316 stainless steel chain with long links, a 5mm thick Dee shackle and some JB Weld MarineWeld epoxy which I put on the threading and openings of the Dee Shackle to ensure it never unscrews ever again once installed onto the chain. Before I installed the Dee Shackle, I used a hacksaw and cut off the thumb-turn area, to make it more flat. Then I mixed and appliex the epoxy and screwed the bar in place using my pliers on the exposed sliver of the thumb-turn I left. Once fully cured in 24 hours, this epoxy is waterproof, acid proof, chemical proof. So I figured that would be more than adequate. I might keep this belly chain or one day I might sell it, so I wanted it to be a decent job.

One last thing to mention, I did have to do some small amount of grinding on the outer edges of the tall parts of the Dee Shackle and I had to use a dead-blow hammer outside to bend the shackle to allow it to slide in the transport hole on the cuffs and then to straighten it, I clamped it in a vice and used a pipe wrench to bend it back into being a nice even shape, while still fitting into the cuff's transport hole. It took a little bit of effort, but it was not hard to achieve.

The links to the exact Dee Shackle and chain that I used are below:

Chain: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164917122044
Dee Shackle: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3735316615...

Anyway, I hope you found this video useful or interesting, please like, subscribe, share and I will see you next time :D

Enjoy

CTS-Thompson Hinged Yellow Handcuffs Model 1054

These are the CTS-Thompson Hinged Yellow Handcuffs Model 1054. NIJ rated.

These are bright yellow! Very nice, Hiatt-like design. Good strong hinges, 3 pawls, superior (larger) size like modern speedcuff sizes are.

They have a yellow coating which does not go all the way to the start of the bow. It's like they clicked them 1 click and baked the colour on. It's a shame, but this company is known for not always having full coverage of the colour coating over the entire surface.

All in all, I do like these and they have a very smooth mechanism.

Enjoy!

American Handcuff Co Model N100 Black Chainlink Handcuffs. Issued in 1983 during The Cold War

Since I unfortunately sold my old pair I videoed, this is another pair of N100 black American Handcuff Co handcuffs, with the Fond Du Lac stamp. They also came with 1 of the original keys.

This particular pair was issued to someone in the United States Air Force who was attached to Royal Air Force base Greenham Common during the cold war. They were issued to them in 1983 for base security, brand new in original packaging. By 1985 they had been sitting in a drawer until I acquired them the other day! They had been used only 2 or 3 times on protesters at the "Peace Camp", when some of the protesters against nuclear weapons illegally got onto the base.

Very nice handcuffs. I did have to do some work on them since they had slightly rusted, but I've cleaned them up pretty decently, re-lubricated with PTFE and due to the age and finish I also used a bit of penetrant oil to add a bit of internal protection for the future. Normally I don't use oil in handcuffs.

Enjoy!