Clejuso model 8 leg irons from Germany

These are German leg irons from Clejuso, model 8.

These are made from Zamak material rather than steel, similarly to their model 13 and 15 beefy handcuffs. It's a strong zinc alloy, but requires more bulk of the material to off-set it's lack of inherent strength that steel would have. This produces a strong restraint that is not as heavy as a solid steel one would be.

They have a steel chain and the internal mechanism, except the spring, are also Zamak alloy. The springs are presumably steel.

They are not swing-through, but they have a double lock, as you would expect for safety and security reasons. It's basically like a HIATT 115 Scotland Yard handcuff, made larger for legs, with a double lock added.

The chain is short (just slightly less than 30cm long, which means your walking stride has to be significantly shorter than normal a normal walking pace. Also, the design of them is not super comfortable and if you try to walk faster, the rotating of the shackles can cause discomfort. So walking in these is much slower than normal. British Darby leg irons are more comfortable because of the more rounded shape means they can turn naturally around your ankle without causing pinch points, whereas these German ones do cause discomfort IF you try to walk faster.

The cheek plate has a lip on the inside, acting as a ward that protects the double lock. You cannot use a Clejuso model 13 or 15 key to disengage the double lock because the lip blocks you. The double lock could be picked open with a long, strong and bent tool, but I have not experimented much, because I cannot simply replace these leg irons in the UK if I were to break them. The single lock is easy to pick using a parker jotter pen clip or similar strong bit of thin metal.

It is not apparent at first glance but there is a right and wrong way to apply these. The clasp that connects the chain to the shackle has a tilt. They need to be worn with the clasp on the front-facing side with the angle pointing inwards. If you try any other method, the chain is further shortened and trivially creates much more discomfort and awkwardness while walking.

The small length of the chain, like the British Darby leg irons, means than standing with your legs together does not drag the chain all over the floor or make loud clacking noises as you walk, since the chain does not touch the floor while walking. This helps protect the floor from having steel chains scraping across it as the person walks.

All in all, this is a high quality and effective leg iron walking restraint.

Enjoy!