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!

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!