Polish Kel-met KM 1100 Single-locking Training Handcuffs

These are the Polish Kel-Met KM1100 training handcuffs. They are designed to aid in training officers/security/military on the application of handcuffs, with added safety in the training environment and with the increased speed of not having to deal with keys and double locks.

The fact that they have no double lock, makes this obvious to me that they are not for a complete training of complete standard operating procedure, despite how important double locking the cuffs is. This is clearly just about training people to apply the handcuffs onto the person successfully and then they will follow SOP after it's importance has been drilled into them over and over.

They are stainless steel (more skin-safe than typical plated handcuffs) and use only 1 pawl, since there's no need for multiple pawls for a training handcuff.

It's a nice handcuff and the slider buttons are fairly easy to operate on your own, for safety reasons.

One thing to be aware of is the slider buttons are actually screws. On my pair, one side was very loose and the other was super tight and I was unable to unscrew it even with pliers. But the other side was always loose so I just applied some blue Threadlocker and tightened with pliers and now it feels very secure from accidental unscrewing by hand contact. I would have used red permanent threadlocker but I have none. If buy buy a pair, ensure you check them to make sure they are tight!

I can imagine some people might use these within a bedroom context because of how real they feel (they are real cuffs...) but the fact that they have a super fast way to open them if need-be.

Enjoy!

ASP model 100 Red Training Handcuffs with Slip Pawls (factory gimmicked)

However I found it odd that they would leave the double lock functionality intact...!?! Whenever I, myself, gimmick a handcuff, I always do my best to deactivate the double lock to ensure only the single lock functions. When people training to apply handcuffs, they have to learn to use the double lock and when they do during training, the wearer cannot pull the cuffs off. So... not sure why they wouldn't just simulate the double lock feature but just not have it actually double lock. But that's just me.

What I have done since recording, is take some JB Weld Steel Stik epoxy putty to make tiny "door stops" for the hidden section of the double lock. So once I re-insert the lock-sets, the double lock won't engage because the space it needs to move outwards into, has some shaped hard epoxy putty I can slip in or remove if I want to make the double lock work again. So now there is zero chance of them double locking. This is good if you want to put the training locks in a normal set of ASP for single lock picking or as a costume prop, because if anyone puts them on, nobody can troll the wearer by double locking them to get them "stuck". If you would like me to make a video demonstrating this double lock deactivation "door stop" let me know.

These are in pretty good condition, no obvious cracking in the polymer. They are basically a yellow security cuff but with the only difference that the pawl's teeth are angled on both sides to allow the bow to pull open rather than only push closed.

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!

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 )