Police Handcuffs?

Question

I'm in the market for a secondary set of handcuffs. I currently carry Smith & Wesson model 100 nickel cuffs, and they are pretty good, but I need a pair of hinged aswell. I have narrowed my brands list down to 3 companies. Smith & Wesson, Peerless and Hiatt.

Can any police or security guards please tell me with your experience which of those 3 brands is good and which are bad and why? Also how would you rank them from 1-3 (1 being best, 3 being worst)

I have noticed S&W cuffs come standard with the slot-type double locking feature, and you can also get models with the pin-type double locking feature. Is one type of double locking better or safer than the other and why - advantages/disadvantages?

Lastly which models would you recommend from each brand and why (chained, hinged, or both) Note: I don't need the expensive high security models, just the basic but extremely safe ones. Any input is appreciated.

Thanks y'all.

SMITH & WESSON Model 300 Hinged cuffs - Has anyone used them? what do you think of them?

Answer 1

ASP brand are good cuffs. They are made for a variety of wrist sizes and are lightweight. They have both chain and hinge style. If you never worked with hinged cuffs before be prepared. They are much different to work with and a lot of Officers don't use them, myself included. I'd suggest you get a pair of ASP chain style for your back up set. The only problem with ASP is they are larger and will not fit in a standard cuff case. If there's a police supply store around you go and look at the cuffs you are interested in. Good luck

Answer 2

I stick with S&W. Never heard of Hiatt, but all the other brands of handcuffs I've tryed end up messing up after a while. Ranking them 1-3 i would have to put them in the same order as you put them, since I never heard of Hiatt. Personally I perfer the slot-type double locking feature, but I have never really seen any difference between the 2 locking features. As for chain or hinged, it all goes down to preference as well. I perfer hinged. I always see the chain ones and feel uncomfortable with them. I never heard of anyone breaking the chain, but I think it is possible. The only thing I hate about hinged, it's not as easy to cuff a big boy with 2 pairs of hinged cuffs.

Answer 3

Stay away from the ASP cuffs, they are easy to slip out of, and I say that from having experienced it!!!
I would stick with the S&W!!!
I personally do not like the hinged cuffs either. they dont give much room for the person to move thier hands, and you have to be careful with putting them on. They can easily cause injury, resulting in a lawsuit.
I would rank peerless second and the other company third, because i have never heard of them.
all cuffs should come with a double locking feature, if they dont, do not buy them.

Answer 4

I personally carry two sets of hinged cuffs on my duty rig . they are both smith and wessons. i just personally didnt like the way the others were built. s&w seem to be of a higher quality

advantages -


1 - if you get one cuff on the suspect, its very easy to do a wrist lock or arm bar, if they are alot stronger than you, use your flashlight or baton and stick it in the other cuff to use as a lever, (it saved me once)

2 - the slotted double lock is accessible on both sides of the cuff

3 - the hinge prevents the suspect from turning his wrists around and moving to much because it hinders alot of movement

4 - most duty gear is built to smith and wesson dimensions, i have had peerles rattle around in the cuff case while the S&W were nice and snug.(u would be surprised as to who else can hear them jingle in the case) and hiatts have just not fit in most of my cases.

disadvantages

1 - you have to bring the cuff to the hand, ie. you cant turn the cuff around to get their hand in it.

2 - shorter armed people are hard to get into hinged cuffs

3 - be very careful when doing an arm bar or any control technique while on the suspect, i have had the skin between my thumb and pointer finger pinched several times and it hurts. gloves remedy this tho

also i would consider the don hume open top case fpr the hinged S&W's here is a link

http://www.galls.com/style.html?assort=general_catalog&style=LP314&cat=2977

reason is when suspects hear that snap pop, they know what time it is. the chain on chained cuffs rattle when in open top cases. so a chained S&W paired with a don hume open top case is unbeatable, and the case is not big and bulky at all. i carry two behind my back and i barely feel them when i sit down

Answer 5

I prefer Peerless.

They're basic, well-built and get the job done. The key will also work with S&W. If you're going to get hinged cuffs in addition to chains, make sure you're trained on them, as it can be much more difficult to cuff someone - esp if you've been using nothing else.

Calif Deputy

Answer 6

I like the new ASP chained cuffs also. fits larger wrists, easy action, key hole on both sides....just don't fit in a standard cuff case...but ASP makes cases for the cuffs in many different styles.

Answer 7

If you stick with the S&Ws, I think your key will be interchangable. Not 100% on that, but if it is, that would be an advantage to stick with one brand on both sets of cuffs.

Answer 8

bianchi 505's...


oldie but a goodie- not hinged, though.