Quite Scarce HIATTS Model 2020 British Chain Handcuffs With External Push Button Double Locks!

These are the HIATTS 2020 chain-link handcuffs with external push buttons for the double lock. They are very, very early 1990s, given that it is a classic HIATTS 2010 design with leftover swivels from the prior 1980 model.

It was a bold experiment, to increase the ability to double lock the cuffs in a hurry without having to use the back end of the key. But it had an unforeseen detrimental effect. The handcuffs could accidentally double lock while in the case on the officers belt or even while gripping the handcuffs to apply them. This means you pull the handcuffs out to secure a criminal... and they won't go around the wrist. Or as you are applying them, you get a couple of clicks or so around their wrist and your grip presses the double lock and they won't properly tighten. Very inconvenient when struggling with a criminal and you have to unexpectedly dig your key out, undo the double lock and re-single lock the cuffs without doing the same mistake again!

These are not a very common item, because they weren't deployed widely, after these issues were noted. Usually cost more than a regular surplus pair of HIATTS 2010, at least 2 or 3 times the cost. I got mine for less than half price of what I would pay for a 2010!

Also, this is the first appearance of my genuine US prison Bob Barker brand orange 2-piece prison scrubs in a video. Plain prison clothing like this in Khaki or orange, provide a nice plain background that is bright enough, with no distracting patterns or dark colours that reduce restraint visibility. This way, you can more easily see the handcuffs or leg irons that are being shown in a worn context, compared to back in the day when I wore my usual black clothing. After all, the items are the only star of my videos! Plus the clothing is a good match for the context of the usage of restraints.

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Enjoy!

Yuil H-3 Leg Iron To Fixed Point To Anchor Person @ Location For Hospital Escape Prevention etc

This is the Yuil H-3 leg irons. Though it is actually 1 leg iron, connected by a long chain to a lockable anchor on the other end. It's primary purpose is for use in hospitals to lock one ankle of the prisoner to the hospital bed to prevent them escaping. Less restrictive than handcuffs, but keeps them from running off.

The body of the leg iron and anchor are aluminium. The inner sandwich metal on the leg iron is aluminium, while on the anchor, the inner sandwich is steel. Both the moving bows (leg iron and anchor) are steel. The leg iron has a silicone internal lining to help protect the comfort of the wearer. They have the usual 2 pawls, but like most modern Yuil restraints, these work with standard keys, so they are not as high security as the old days when you had to use their special keys.

The chain is about 32 and a half inches long, making the locations of it's use flexible. Especially since you can wrap the chain around a fixed location to make it shorter.

This could be useful for transport situations, "booking" of suspects or prisoners at police stations and prisons on top of the intended hospital bed application. Also, if you're into the bedroom activities side of things, a couple of these could prove useful! Especially the ability to wrap the chain around as many times as needed to shorten the chain to the needed length.

All in all, it feels like a quality piece of Korean restraint gear.

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Enjoy!

Yuil H-1 Belly Chain With Padlock and Universal Black Box Transport Security from South Korea

This is the Yuil H-1. It is a black box system with a belly chain that further restricts the movement of the limbs, while also providing some more limitation of the hands, at the same time limiting access to the keyway to thwart picking the handcuffs open.

This is a South Korean take on a US design Blue Box system, which is very similar. Designed for transport situations where extra restriction is needed during transport to prevent escape or effective attacks of guards. The body of the box is made from plastic or polymer and the slide that goes over the top to hold the box closed and allow locking is made of strong aluminium. The chain is smooth with no harsh welds or any snagging on clothing. The design of the black box also has holes for the double lock, so once fitted, the handcuffs can be tightened to the adequate amount and then be double locked while the box is fully set up and secured. The padlock it comes with only locks on one side, but it uses a ball bearing mechanism which cannot be shimmed, which is a nice feature.

The black box works with several brands (I may do a simple video at some point showing which types of handcuffs fit this Yuil black box in the future). It adds more security to handcuffs. You can also forgo the belly chain and use the padlock directly on the black box, if all you care about is further adding security to the handcuffs but don't need such rigid restriction of the limbs!

A quite flexible system, really.

Also, this is the first appearance of my genuine US prison Bob Barker brand orange jumpsuit. I wanted orange alternatives to my khaki so I can alternate, based on what I want. I have the orange 2-piece scrubs version also, yet to be used. Plain prison clothing like this in Khaki or orange, provide a nice plain background that is bright enough, with no distracting patterns or dark colours that reduce restraint visibility. This way, you can more easily see the handcuffs or leg irons that are being shown in a worn context, compared to back in the day when I wore my usual black clothing. After all, the items are the only star of my videos! Plus the clothing is a good match for the context of the usage of restraints.

Enjoy!

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!

Scarce SM Co Darby WW1 Great War British Military M&C 1917 LARGE Handcuffs with Broad Arrow

These are a pair of British MIlitary SM Co (Security Manufacturing Company) pair of HIATT 104 style non-adjustable Darby handcuffs From WW1.

SM Co are only known to have made handcuffs during the first world war, to fulfil government contracts when other manufacturers could not keep up with the demand. These are stamped with the official British military Broad Arrow or Crows Foot stamp, as well as M&C which was a military and government marking of the day. M&C likely stood for Ministry and Civil or Military and Civil. So to have M&C AND also the Broad Arrow is always cool! Dated 1917, as per the stamp. M&C 1917 is stamped very small!

They are a Size 3 large size... If I can spin my wrists around in them, they're big... ! 403 grams in weight. There would be many reasons for handcuffing during The Great War, such as internal soldier discipline if they had tried to desert, or got drunken or such things as well as for prisoner transport.

I had to do some usual maintenance on them. Using Autosol to remove the surface loose red rust to let the dark patina show through, blasting with fully evaporating brake and clutch cleaner, brushing, re-lubricating etc. But once I had finished (and waxed them of course!) they are a really nice pair of handcuffs. And they came with 2 keys! Fully, legitimate working keys. I am very impressed.

Have these been in the trenches subjected to gas attacks, apprehending German military officers? Have they been re-purposed during WW2 or given to reserve units like the Home Guard? Impossible to tell. I was unable to obtain their history because the seller had no direct ties to the original owner.

They work smoothly. This is the first SM Co brand of handcuffs in my collection.

Enjoy!

ASP model 100 Identifier Pink Police Handcuffs

This is the old polymer overmold ASP model 100 identifier handcuffs in pink.

They consist of a thin but strong steel skeleton with pink ordnance-grade strong polymer molded over them. They have the yellow single pawl mechanism.

Like all ASP handcuffs they have nice quality of life and safety features such as a flat wrist contact point for application, smooth operation, double locking via the window or the keyway, a single turn disengages the double lock and the single lock and all the surfaces are smooth to reduce the chance of injury.

This is an older model, which came out in the early 2000s and was eventually discontinued when they came out with their Ultra Cuffs, which were made of aluminium to address some issues.

What issues did the model 100 have? Well, because of their bendiness the bow could over-shoot the cuff body and not engage with the pawl, giving a false sense of having applied them to the wrist. Also of an officer fell over onto the cuffs during a struggle with a suspect, the double strand could crimp together and render the cuffs inoperable. The Ultra Cuffs addressed these issues by making the body from solid aluminium.

Being pink in this case, they are fitting for use during breast cancer awareness month (October) and coloured models like this also for officer personalisation, as well as correctional use to denote risk levels and health conditions of inmates etc.

These are really nice and sought after by people for less than law enforcement uses... because of how colourful they are. Since the whole body of the cuff is covered in the polymer, you get a nice brightly coloured handcuff that has less coldness to it, which is in particular more attractive for uses in the bedroom I would imagine!

All in all, they are great NIJ rated legitimate law enforcement handcuffs of the past. Very comfortable and secure when applied properly. All ASP handcuffs can be easily picked and shimmed, which means it's important for LEO use, that suspects are properly searched to deny them access to keys and picking tools.

Enjoy!

Japanese Masuri 1960s Brass Handcuffs (WW2 Design) with keyway curtain security & comparisons

This is a video primarily about the Brass Masuri Japanese 1960s police handcuffs. This design dates back to WW2 according to Alex Nichols' great books on handcuffs. These are not toys! , they are genuine police handcuffs.

The handcuffs shown in the video are 1960s Brass Masuri, 1980s Steel body Masuri, Steel body Takeda. The Brass Masuri are the main focus of this video and description. They are either nickel or chrome plated.

When you see these handcuffs, you probably think "They're toys" and that is because this style has been copied for years for the mass-produced toy market in China. These Masuri are the earliest brand known that made them and they are identical to a pair taken from a Japanese soldier in WW2.

This pair has "CHIEF OF POLICE" and "MONTE CARLO" stamping. It is not known if this means they were destined for Monaco police or if merely the association with the bustling rich casino locale was just a far-eastern marketing strategy to make them more appealing.

They have a pin wheel mechanism instead of pawls and are unshimmable. They do double lock with a stiff lever, which while provides no real liability protection for the user, it does serve the purpose of preventing accidental over-tightening better than any other version. Since this is the older brass model, it has a curtained keyway which is like a C shape cup, so you can insert the key and turn and the curtain / cup turns with it. This means picking them open is much harder because you cannot just shove a tool in and work with the mechanism, you need to precisely turn the curtain to the right position so that the opening would give you access to the keyway. And the keyway does not have much room to work with!

During Aparthide in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) they were under heavy sanctions and weren't able to get the latest and greatest security hardware from the west and elsewhere. So they used various handcuffs, including a steel version of these Masuri that I featured before and mistakenly referred to as Takeda. The steel model would have been cheaper because it uses stamped steel rather rather than all brass and is much cheaper and quicker to manufacturer. The steel versions are similarly great quality, though they lack the keyway curtain. But are still good quality handcuffs.

I concluded my previously featured steel pair and these Brass ones are both Masuri because of several factors. The quality is exceptional in both. Both have the same JAPAN stamp in the same location, with the same font, in the same size. On the back section, there is only one prominent artifact which is the base of the double lock lever's rotational pin. Both have 10 holes in the bow for sizing. Both have nicely welded chain links. On the other hand, the Takeda mentioned next have 9 holes, 4 prominent artifacts on the back, very shoddy construction, gaps between the body and cheek plate and a JAPAN stamp on the back, which is in a different font and different location, both matching what Alex's book shows for Takeda.

Then came along Takeda and copied the Masuri handcuffs and made them even more cheaply. Stamped steel bodies, still a brass bow, poorer construction, sloppy tolerances, thinner gauge material, poorly welded chain links (just on the corners of the poorly mated link ends) and the double lock levers have no stiffness, at least in my pair. These were later copied by China as toys. In fact in the 1990s I had such toy handcuffs as a kid, ones without the safety release on.

Weights:
Brass Masuri: 304 grams
Steel body Masuri: 278 grams
Steel body Takeda: 240 grams
And for comparison, modern decent quality toy versions, like Viper Tactical (in the UK) are 215 grams.

I believe the key I received is not the original key (I have seen several pictures to see the difference) but in fact is a Takeda key that works fine, slightly snug but works.

The on-body demonstration only shows these newly acquired Brass Masuri from the 1960s. I won't bother making a video on the actual Takeda since a) they are quite poor quality by comparison, look so similar to these and the previous Masuri and I have shown them at least in this video in the comparison.

Enjoy!

Thailand Super High single locking police handcuffs - Very shiny!

These are my first handcuffs from Thailand. They are marked Super High.

These are only single locking, they have no double lock at all. The mechanism is based on the Takeda / Masuri Japanese handcuffs, utilising a pin wheel mechanism with holes drilled into the thin edge of the bow.

These are all steel, likely plated with either nickel or chrome.

When I received them, the swivels were totally seized up. I had to use oil and pliers to work the oil in, to make them able to swivel. The swivels are not smooth but they do twist easily now!

The double lock on the Japanese Takeda etc models is almost pointless because of how easily both accidentally or intentionally, it is to disengage. So the fact that these Super High have no double lock, is a bit better than having one that is less useful than a chocolate fireguard lol.

Enjoy!

British HIATT Darby Leg Irons ~ 1975 Made from good quality alloy

These are HIATT Darby Leg Irons From 1974-1975 timeframe.

The chain and swivel are steel, but the body of the leg shackles are made from an alloy. Commonly referred to as "pot metal" although HIATT being a well known company of quality products, they used a particularly good alloy, perhaps Zamak 5 for strength. The construction is more bulky than the traditional all-steel versions and this is to accommodate for the alloy's properties to maintain the required levels of strength and security. Steel ones did not need to be bulked up.

They have the standard Darby locking mechanism, consisting of an internal sprung bolt which the key interacts with and on it's other end is the pawl that locks into the hole in the shackle to keep them securely closed. As you turn the key to undo them, eventually the collar on the key hits the resistance of the body of the shackle and from that point, the subsequent turns pull the bold outwards, freeing the shackle to open.

Because of the shape of the shackles, they are able to spin around quite well on the ankle, which aids in being able to walk in them better. They are actually quite comfortable.

These were made around 1974 to 1975. According to a reliable source in 1975 HIATT were just coming out with these Alloy models at that time. Being made of a quality "pot metal" alloy, they were cheaper and easier to manufacture. The rectangular and chunkier construction was almost certainly to counteract the shortcomings of the alloy to ensure they would meet security needs for real-world restraints while still reducing production costs and time.

Initially they were branded with the HIATT branding, but with rising tensions in the world about the use of leg irons and connections to slavery and degrading treatment of people, they stopped branding them.

Not too long afterwards of a year or two they stopped production. But the very latest ones they came out with prior to stopping seemed to have EVEN cheaper construction with rivets for the hinge pins and more sloppy tolerances as those were intended for markets other than genuine real security needs.

Given the history, the fact that mine are branded AND they have a number stamped on them and the key, coupled with the fact that the hinge pin is the classic steel type that is flush and the fact that the tolerances are nice and tight, these that I have are no doubt for actual real-world use, part of their initial line of Alloy leg irons.

Enjoy!

Peerless Pink 750C American Police Handcuffs Often used during Breast Cancer Awareness Month

These are the Peerless 750C or specifically 750CP handcuffs in Pink. Genuine USA all-American handcuffs that are used throughout the states as one of the top brands of NIJ certified law enforcement handcuffs.

These are a classic model 750C with pink colour finish. They have one pawl bar, peg and groove bow security, double locking, they backload (backloading is not that important and not a common feature).

Coloured handcuffs are often used in prisons and jails to coordinate with inmate uniforms or to classify someone with a health condition or a certain threat level etc. Also in some cases, non-masculine colour uniforms and handcuff colours have been used in prisons on overly aggressive prisoners as a punishment.

Another use for Pink, specifically, is during October which is Breast Cancer Awareness month. There was a US news story of Smith & Wesson and Peerless donating a bunch of pink handcuffs to a police department free and then the department let their officers BUY those handcuffs from the police department and then they gave that money they raised to the cancer charity.

Also some officers use different colour cuffs in the US as a way to personalise and get their own cuffs back so they don't get swapped around with other officers etc.

These Peerless model 750C are a high quality set of handcuffs. They can be found on Amazon. And in the US there's many places you might find them.

Enjoy!

Hiatt-Thompson 1010 Chain link Red Police Handcuffs

These are the Hiatt-Thompson 1010 chain link handcuffs in the colour RED. They are genuine US police handcuffs.

This company is no longer around but I have a feeling there is a connection to CTS Thompson because even the model number is the same as the CTS Thompson models. (Don't visit the website on the box. After the company was no more, they didn't renew the domain to keep control over it and so it has been acquired by people in China and is riddled with adverts and NSFW material)

These have 2 pawls and they also backload, which is nice. They also have a split double locking bar, which means if you are picking these open, you must pick both levers to disengage the double lock. It sounds like you unlocked it, it feels like you unlocked it, but they are still double locked until you pick the second lever! The ratchet is strong and loud.

Nice to add one of this brand to my collection, though it is a very typical handcuff but with twin double locking bars, and in a nice red colour.

Enjoy!

Czech RALKEM 9927 Hinged Black Secure Police Handcuffs (Looks very cool!) Identical to Alfa-Proj

These are the RALKEM or "RALK" 9927. They are still made today under the newer brand name Alfa-Proj and have the same model number. I am unaware of how old these handcuffs are but they had some rust on them that I had to contend with before they were properly functional. They were really so stiff I thought the double strand might have been pinched, ASP-style. But turns out it was just gunk and rust.

These are fantastic and very secure handcuffs. They use an abnormal flat key that has a split bit on it. The locking mechanism has 3 aspects that make this a particularly secure cuff in my opinion...

Security Point 1: The locking mechanism has 2 separated pawls. This inherently makes picking them much harder and at least more time consuming.

Security Point 2:  The keyway has a spinning one-way ward which must be aligned correctly and the key inserted correctly. If someone is handcuffed behind their back (or in the dark) the chances of unlocking the handcuffs even if they had a key would be very low, unless they had practised meticulously.

Security Point 3: In order to unlock the handcuffs single lock, while turning the key it tightens the handcuffs by 1 click before releasing. This means if someone is wearing the handcuffs and is struggling around, trying to pick them, they will have to fight the level of force they are putting on the bow (single strand) of the cuffs. Their own wrist position is actively working against their ability to pick the cuffs with flimsy tools and making it more difficult to use a key.

The hinge is very sturdy indeed, but has a degree of movement that can help with the comfort of the wearer, rather than them be too inflexible. This hinge also adds to the over all security by making it more difficult to manipulate the lock, since you have less ability to adjust your arms position for optimal picking.

A key thing to remember about all RALKEM / Alfa-Proj handcuffs like this is never apply them overly tight, because to unlock them, it needs to get tighter by one click!

They also feature the typical security feature you tend to find in most modern handcuffs of what I call "the peg and groove" system, whereby the body of the cuff has protrusions that mate with grooves in the bow, so that when the cuff is locked closed, if a very strong person were to pull outwards, those protrusions would grip the bow to add more strength to keep the bow in place and locked in with the pawls. There are few exceptions in the world that lack this feature and usually it's because they are constructed so stoutly that an incredibly strong person would not be able to deform the bow in those cases. Obviously most toy and "up-market professional-like" toys like Viper, Kombat, Vipertek lack this feature.

These handcuffs are my first full set of handcuffs of this kind. I have the briefcase handcuff from this company (the newer branding Alfa-Proj) and you can check my channel to see a video if you wish. These are very smooth in operation, after having cleaned them up to remove rust and lubricate them. All Alfa-Proj / Ralkem seem to be very very smooth in operation. And they easily lock closed with the lightest press on the wrist.

Some info from Google Gemini AI:
"RALKEM 9927 handcuffs marked for both the Prague Police (P.P.) and the Slovak Ministry of Interior (MVS), dating from the post-1993 era.

The Context: P.P. stands for "Policie Praha," which is Czech for the Prague Police. This marks the cuffs as property of the police force in the Czech capital. MVS stands for "Ministerstvo vnitra Slovenské republiky," which is the Czech name for the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic. This indicates the cuffs were part of an order for a Slovak government agency.

Dating: The use of these specific national and city-level police markings places the handcuffs' manufacturing after the January 1, 1993, "Velvet Divorce," when Czechoslovakia split into two separate countries. The presence of both markings on one item makes it a unique piece of police equipment from that historical period."

These are pretty comfortable and very secure handcuffs from the Czech Republic.

Enjoy

DAMAGED (but basically functional) Italian Dollar Handcuff 1930s Also used by Germany and Austria

This is the Dollar handcuff. It is an Italian handcuff that was also used by Germany and Austria, in the shape of a dollar sign. I cannot know which country specifically used this particular example. Quite rare.

It is a rigid handcuff where a single closing action simultaneously secures both wrist apertures at the same time. Very interesting design.

My pair had it's internal locking mechanism gutted so a another better quality cuff could be made to be properly and fully functional. I did a small trade to acquire this as almost "scrap metal" with "minor functionality". I was expecting a cool paperweight, but I was very happily surprised that the basic mechanism to close the cuff, hold it closed and also selectively open the cuff was intact. It has no locking mechanism, so while it can close and stay closed, my pair is incapable of LOCKING closed, you'll see what I mean in the video.

The inventors added a rather nifty feature that authorities could securely attach a chain to the cuff, that when properly locked, would provide either the ability to hold on to the person to stop them running away (a lead chain) or attach them to a fixed location to prevent running away. Quite ingenious design I think.

These are quite rare and I am happy to have one even in this condition. Not sure how widespread their use would have been during WW2 but I imagine this model of cuff saw use.

I demonstrate them with my on-person demo while wearing some bright and plain Khaki US prison clothing so that the cuffs show up better. Normally I wear a lot of black or camo trousers and black shirt so cuffs don't show up that well. So having a plain and brighter background helps. Plus contextually it is more applicable.

Enjoy!

Smith & Wesson M100-1 WeatherShield (Blue) Handcuffs Overview (NIJ)

These are my new Smith & Wesson Model 100-1 WeatherShield handcuffs which come in Blue color. I sold my yellow ones years ago and regretted it ever since!

Very smooth, very high quality and internationally known handcuff that is NIJ certified for law enforcement use. But these particular ones are more resistant to water, supposedly, which is why they call these WeatherShield. They are powder-coated blue for extra durability and identification.

Comfortable both to apply to someone or the person with them on.

You can lubricate them with a light oil now and then to keep them nice and maintained (or use Dry PTFE spray as I do). Like usual, I waxed these with renaissance wax for extra smoothness and protection.

The WeatherShield or Weather Shield line did not last that long. I'm not completely clear why, I have seen some info suggesting they changed the methodology of their colouring, not sure. The yellow was wearing a bit on my old pair. But they are very very uncommon in the UK. I got my yellow pair years ago from some random US-based Amazon seller and never saw them since, until recently on eBay many years later! So I had to grab them immediately!!

I demonstrate them with my on-person demo while wearing some bright and plain Khaki US prison clothing so that the cuffs show up better. Normally I wear a lot of black or camo trousers and black shirt so cuffs don't show up that well. So having a plain and brighter background helps. Plus contextually it is more applicable.

Enjoy!

Coxyspicks custom GITD Glow in the dark grips for HIATT 2103 , 2105, TCH 840 handcuffs!

This is a little look at the custom grips that Coxyspicks made that are glow in the dark! Very cool indeed!!

Enjoy!

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!

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!

HIATTS 2103 British Police Handcuffs with Original Smooth Grip Design (Is old design worse? 🤔)

These are the HIATTS 2103 police Speedcuffs. They are British rigid handcuffs. Though this pair is an earlier pair which had the original smoother grip design. By smooth, I mean a nice flowing ergonomic design with no harsh steps.

These have the usual HIATT pin-push double lock, they have backloading capability and mechanically identical to all my British 2103 HIATTS.

I have 4 pairs of these now, though each one has differences. The grips on this early model are fantastic! The thumb naturally slides into the concave sections of the grips very nicely. Whereas the more modern (and even the new American HIATT ones) have the tear-drop shaped protrusions where the thumb goes. There may be some benefits to the tear-drop models but I find them not as comfortable to grip as this old pair with the nice ergonomic design. Very very nice indeed!

These have 3 pawls, though like every other British HIATTS I have tested, there is no split-spring, meaning if you go to lockpick your way out of these, you only need to pick or shim one of the pawl bars and a tiny squeeze on the bow will make all the other pawls drop. Modern TCH have a split spring so that the only way this is possible is if you hit the exact middle pawl, making the TCH slightly more secure.

I have wanted a pair of these with this grip design for a long time and was lucky enough to find a pair being sold by rusthut2020 on eBay. I have bought several cuffs from them now and it's always been a pleasure. Very accommodating and decent people. Very recommended.

ASP model 300 Folding Rigid Handcuffs

These are the old polymer ovemold ASP Model 300 folding rigid handcuffs.

These are pretty decent, though they are not as solid as a TCH or HIATT folding rigid. They are fit for purpose, though a strong person when cuffed in a certain way may be able to snap them. I saw a video of this being done years ago, but I do not know if they had been modified or were genuinely as-purchased. If these are used in a stack position, they should be very secure.

These are the standard "yellow" pawl configuration, which means there is only a single pawl, like most American handcuffs.

I have wanted a pair of these for ages, but never found them at a good enough price. I planned on not buying any handcuffs this month because money is tight, but I could not pass up buying these and the red training ones while they were available. I am happy to have them in my collection.

Enjoy!

An Early Smith & Wesson M100 (not 100-1) 1980 Police Handcuffs with PATS PENDING stamp!!!

These are the American Smith & Wesson model M100 handcuffs that came out about 1979. The patent wasn't granted until 1981, so the fact that these have PAT'S PENDING on means they are an early model, which is very cool to own!

These were the first time they had their new design of double lock whereby the internal spring also was the double-lock itself. These are stamped with their old Springfield location and soon after this they moved to Houlton.

Basically these are basically identical in function as the modern M100-1. The only real difference is the way the handcuffs are manufactured. Modern ones use rivets to hold everything together, whereas these old M100 have indents around the edge to help line the pieces up correctly and then heat, coupled with a special material added during construction sort of welds everything together. Apparently this older method was more secure of holding the handcuffs together. The modern rivet method is cheaper but still effective.

There was an revision of this M100 whereby the double locking window was not all the way through the cuff, but only was open on the front-facing cheek plate. But they quickly altered the design by having the hole go right through for easy double-locking from either side.

When I received them, the bow on one side was bent a bit and would not freely swing-through without being forced and the double strand was slightly bowed outwards. But I rectified this with a vise and a few bashes and bends by hand which gave these cuffs the chiropractic adjustment needed to function normally and healthily!! 😜

They seemed a bit hazy on the surface so I gave them a light once-over with some 0000 steel wool with some Autosol mixed into it and then after wiping the residue off I wax polished them, as is typical for me, with Renaissance wax. Of course I used some PMA Brake and clutch cleaner to blast out the internals before re-lubricating and cleaning them.

Lovely handcuffs! I wanted an M100 for years but when I found these and the fact they have PATS PENDING on them, since I found nothing else to buy I had to get these before anyone else.  About the only place I see these being used any more are on TV and movies, because the prop departments would have gimmicked them many years ago and never needed to throw them out with the little use they get.

Enjoy!