Smith & Wesson M300-1 Black (blued) Hinged Handcuffs

These are Smith & Wesson M300-1 handcuffs in a Blued-black finish. They are the M300 model with external rivets, which is what the -1 means in the model number.

These are very very strong indeed. The centre links are thick steel and feel very secure. They offer only a very little amount of freedom of movement outside of the intended hinge direction.

They are identical in operation to the regular chain link version, just with a more restrictive connection between both bracelets.

Why would you want hinged cuffs? Well they offer even more restrictive movement for dangerous people and they can be easier to hold when applying since they do not flop around everywhere since they are connected so well. The downside of hinged handcuffs is they can be problematic to apply with a combative suspect because you have to get the person's other wrist into the right area to let the handcuff secure them, whereas a chain link handcuff can be manipulated in various angles to get the other wrist secured in the position it is at.

These are very nice. I have wanted to get a pair of these for years but never got around to getting one till now. I am able to do my little trick I came up with where I can put the keyholes facing my body and use the key and get it into the keyway and turn to get free, so if you do bets and things, it is possible with these cuffs!

Different handcuffs have varying tolerances. My pair have one side which is easy to pick and the other side has a very slightly mis-aligned keypost which does NOT hinder it's operation in any way. But this small mis-alignment reduces the space for tools to get into the keyway, so it is much harder for me to pick one side :D

All in all, Smith & Wesson handcuffs are top notch quality and do the job well. The blued finish is an oxidation which provides some protection from rusting as well as making them black. This finish wears over time and blued cuffs need a bit more frequent care to ensure they do not rust up when they get worn in. I prefer non-blued handcuffs where possible but these are the best, cheapest option I had available to get regular M300-1 cuffs and they are the genuine article as used by police in the US and elsewhere.

Enjoy.