Totally butchered HIATT Darby handcuffs - Salvaged & turned into a gimmicked set by CoxysPics

Just a quick look at this pair of HIATT darby handcuffs, which are likely from the very very early 1900s, given the font, shape of shackle and the clevis bulge. But they have been absolutely tortured and butchered by someone trying to make them work, because the bolts had been stripped of threading. It's a shame, because it is a nice pair of Darby handcuffs otherwise!

‪@CoxysPicks‬  got them cheap and was able to restore them to function (Video here:    • HIATT Darby - From Broken to functional   ) and turned them into a gimmicked pair for me (they pull open without needing a key), since with that level of butchering done to them in a former life, they are not really a collectors item any longer. He did a great job at getting them working again. Though because of the damage previously done to the end plug on one side, it kept trying to come back out. So I have twice applied some JB Weld MarineWeld, to try and help keep the plug in. It has not totally come out, but it doesn't like to stay perfectly in either. Hopefully this last application will do a better job at keeping the plug on one side properly installed.

This pair does not have WARRANTED WROUGHT on and neither is it a HIATT BEST, so I am wondering if perhaps these were not used by primary police, but by some other person like perhaps security, or something? Still, if you ignore the damaged plugs, they are a rather nice looking old Darby handcuff!

JG 1943 WW2 False Backstrap British Military Darby Handcuffs

These are JG (J.G) Handcuffs from World war 2 ( 1943 ). They are British Army issue and have the Broad Arrow (or crowsfoot as it's sometimes called) stamp very clearly on the lock tube.

These are really cool and heavy handcuffs (605 grams), though strangely are a bit on the small side. I can just about fit my wrists in them but they are certainly not comfortable at all, so I won't be doing an on-body demonstration.

These are a false backstrap, which means the hinge looks like a backstrap but it isn't. Imagine a backpack strap. You have the material end and the other end is a buckle kind of thing. The shackle of the cuff is longer and gets fed through a rectangular hole made in the lock tube and then the shackle tail bit is folded back on itself so that it is permanently linked to the lock tube.A FALSE-backstrap like on this handcuff is opposite. The lock tube does not have a solid rectangular hole made, it has pincers that are poking outwards and the shackle is meaty on the hinge side and has a hole drilled through it. The shackle is placed between the pincers that are part of the lock tube and then the pincers are crimped inwards into the hole that is on the shackle to create a permanent connection and form the hinge.

There is a little crack near the cap end of the lock tune on one of the cuffs that lets light shine through. Though there is more than enough integrity surrounding it so that it's not a security issue or any form of show-stopper. 00:43 shows the crack on the bottom shackle near the right side by the plug end.

All in all, very nice indeed! Very happy to have another world war 2 handcuff in my collection and a British Military one at that! The little nick on the key barrel and the crack in the lock tube leads me to believe these have likely seen some serious action.

Anyway, 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.

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!

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!

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 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!

🎖🔗🇬🇧 JG British Military Faux Backstrap Darby Handcuffs from 1952 (Korean War)

These are the JG (J.G) British military Darby handcuffs from 1952 around the time of the Korean War. They are known as a faux or fake backstrap design, due to how the hinge was designed. A backstrap darby handcuff has a flap of the bow pulled back to make a gap for the hinge, whereas a fake backstrap is visually designed similarly, but it's more of a pronounced hole that is made in the chunkier metal of the hinge area.

These are the most heavy darby handcuffs in my collection. Approximately 55% heavier, 25% wider bow and 20% wider lock tube. These are BEEFY handcuffs indeed! 627 grams! This size is a tad on the smaller than regular and are very tight on me. If I flex my fist while wearing the cuffs, they hurt. But at least they fit enough that I could demo them for you.

They are a fixed bow, non-adjustable handcuff.

I won these on eBay and they had no key. Luckily I had won a bid on a key weeks earlier when I first bought a pair of Darby handcuffs. It did not fit any that I had my eye on but I knew it might come in handy since I wanted a pair of these! As luck would have it, these cuffs showed up and I won, so now I have 1 working key for them 😎 The key number is KE 2770.

Enjoy

HIATT 2 M&C (Ministry & Civil) Model 104 Darby Handcuffs Made 1916 (Behind back demo also)

These are a Ministry & Civil (M&C) pair of HIATT Darby handcuffs from 1916 (world war 1). SHINY! They came with no key, but the key from my HIATT BEST pair work fine with these.

These are apparently military, though not used for front-line war purposes. Perhaps they were used by military police or some other domestic purpose. They are not stamped with the crows foot or broad arrow because the M&C was enough to mark them as being Military property at the time.

These are very similar to the previous pair of Police version of these handcuffs, only these are older and still have the chrome plating intact which looks shiny as hell and feel very smooth since waxing them. Truly a nice pair of cuffs.

The seller had listed them with the wrong brand name of "RIATT" but the images clearly showed they were HIATT. So I was the only person who bid on them and I unexpectedly won them for about £25 total which is a total steal at that price!

At the time of writing, these are 105 years old and still work great. I did have to clean a lot of dirt and graphite out of them and then re-lubricate and polish them but once done they are amazing.

Enjoy.

HIATT Best British Police Darby Handcuffs Made approx 1930 Still working great!

These are genuine HIATT BEST British police handcuffs, made somewhere between 1920 and 1938.

These are wrought iron handcuffs, hand-made. They have a very slightly larger wrist capacity size than my R.C.S Military handcuffs.

While these have a little lateral play on the hinge, the snap-close feature is smoother on these than the R.C.S model.

These are a Derby handcuff, meaning the style is very Victorian. This style of handcuff had been used from the mid 1800's till the mid 1900's and is in fact still used in some eastern countries like Pakistan. These are non-adjustable, so it was not the most convenient for police because if someone had giant wrists, they might not fit. If someone's wrists were too small they could slip out of them!

These work smoothly after the work I did on them. I blasted them inside and out with PMA Brake & Clutch cleaner (evaporates and leaves no residue), this removed bits of gunk, old lubricants and got them decently clean. Then I inserted the key and fully unlocked and dowsed the insides with the WD40 Specialist Dry PTFE lubricant I use in all my cuffs and worked the key back and forth to ensure the whole mechanism was lubricated. Then I sprayed some PMA again on the outside to get excess lubricant off (I had to add some more lubricant to the hinge after this video because it washed off and you can hear the squeak!) and then gave these cuffs 3 coats of Renaissance wax to protect the metal and give it a nice sheen.

I show these used behind my back, only because I am confident in accessing the keyholes. I'm a fairly large guy and I do not have the same flexibility to use keys in small keyholes behind my back. But Darby ones are amongst the very view I can let you see how they look from the back.

Enjoy!

Genuine British Army Darby Style Handcuffs from 1956, made by R.C.S Ruben, Craddock & Sons

These are British army / military handcuffs from 1956. They are stamped with the British government or military broad arrow symbol. These are only slightly different than those that were used during WWII World War 2.It is a screw style mechanism and are not adjustable to different wrist sizes.

There were 3 sizes made, though it is unlikely that military or police would carry all 3 sizes in my opinion due to weight, which is why the ratchet handcuff was to be adopted not too long after these R.C.S versions of the Darby style cuffs were used. This style of cuff has been made by various brands, most notably HIATT.

This style is surprisingly comfortable, considering that this design dates to the mid 1800's. As long as your wrist fits in the bracelet, they are relatively comfortable.The screw mechanism is very simple. A STRONG spring keeps the pawl in the closed position and when you screw the key in, it progressively pulls the pawl plunger outwards, enabling you to open the handcuff.These have the Victorian / Sherlock Holmes vibe to them because the basic style is so old. But they are effective and designs like this are still used in some eastern countries like Pakistan.

I also demo these behind my back so you get an additional view of how they look and restrict.

These are not the quickest handcuffs to operate! The springs are extremely strong and often hard to snap shut. You can imagine how inconvenient and possibly pointless and dangerous it would be to have to screw a key so many times to lock handcuffs on someone's wrist if you did not have enough strength in your hands to snap them shut!  The modern swing-through ratchet handcuff was so much of an improvement that it has become the standard world-wide to replace this design.

Enjoy!