View Full Version : Can someone give me the pros and cons of hinged cuffs
IoweYouaName
10-04-2002, 00:37
thanks in advance
kennethm3
10-04-2002, 01:09
Hinged cuffs are much easier to use. They only flex one way so you never have the problem of one side pointing one way and the other in the opposite direction, like happens when the "cuffee" is less than compliant. Once you get the hinged cuffs on one wrist they make a great "compliance tool" by giving you greater leverage on the cuffed wrist. I have used them for a while now and love them.
Originally posted by IoweYouaName
thanks in advance
i dont think NYPD allolws hinged cuffs.
sgt. w-2
10-04-2002, 03:41
Hinged cuffs don't give your prisoner the same mobility as chain cuffs, and as posted they give you much more control over a non compliant person.
Just something to keep in mind though.... If you do prisoner transports where you are going to take your cuffs off and put someone elses on. If you are both using hinged cuffs, make sure you don't put both the hinged cuffs on at the same time. If both of they key holes are together, you are screwed and you will probably have to cut them off. Chain cuffs give you a little more room to work, but not much.
They have an airweight version of handcuffs out right now. They are extremely light and are supposed to be stronger than steel. They are a little more expensive but if you are trying to lighten the load on your gun belt it would be worth it. They are so light they almost feel like a toy. So far I have only seen them in chain cuffs, not hinged.
CanineCop
10-04-2002, 10:28
Some of my co-workers don't like hinges because they say they are harder to get on a resistive subject but I have not had this problem. Be careful with the leverage applied you can hurt the little darlings wrist and find yourself in hot water. If you're transporting and the subject is not being an a-hole he will be more comfortable and less likely to become a problem in chains. If a subject has been hitting the iron pile and is all muscled up you may have trouble getting hinges on him because of less flexibility or might have to use 2 cuffs hooked together which is difficult unless one of them is chain. I carry 2 cuffs, 1 hinge and 1 chain, best of both worlds. Do check with your employer before buying, some jobs have very specific ideas one way or the other.
Good luck, k9
Raven231
10-04-2002, 15:21
Well I have used both hinged and chain cuffs and prefer chain cuffs as far as our arrest control goes. My department uses the Koga method and if you do the Koga method properly it is hard to get a hinged cuff on the second hand of a suspect from the standing postion. It requires you to spin the cuff around as you bring the arm back to secure the 2nd arm. The only way to do this with hinged is to leave the initial cuff loose.
I do however carry a pair of chained and hinged. The hinged do provide less mobility in the cuffs when they are on but if you have control of the suspect it is just as easy to control them in chained as they are with hinged. It's all in how you hold the cuff hinged you can grab right in the middle and twist up or down to gain control but with chain I grab one cuff with a C-style grip from the inside of the cuff to the hand and it works just as well.
Raven231
Sheriff'02
10-04-2002, 19:35
They have an airweight version of handcuffs out right now. They are extremely light and are supposed to be stronger than steel. They are a little more expensive but if you are trying to lighten the load on your gun belt it would be worth it. They are so light they almost feel like a toy. So far I have only seen them in chain cuffs, not hinged.
What brand are they any link where I can research them??? thanks
When I was in Hawaii, we could use about whatever we wanted, I carried two pair of hinged. They are alot easier to pt on, and you really cant get them upside down. Also those acrobat girls cant really put them under thier legs and bring them to the front of their bodies. Subjects seem to hate them, they would complain. I say, well they are not made for comfort.
Well I've carried my hinged for about 1 1/2 years now and they suit me a lot better than the chained. They work well for someone with smaller hands because they don't move as freely and flop around in your hand like the chained. Especially with a combative subject you want those cuffs tight in your hand and with the chained (if you have smaller hands) cuffs they flop around and don't give a firm grip. But I like many others, I carry the chained also....and I have a third pair of chained in my duty bag- ya know for those wild nights ;)
I carry/use both chain and hinged. But as I've said so many times - here on this site and elsewhere - don't carry anything that you're not properly trained to use. And keep the training up to date!
Celtic Warrior
10-14-2002, 11:59
As previously mentioned the lightweight cuffs you mentioned are Hiatts (made in England) They are very lightweight, very strong the only drawback is the wrist size is smaller than traditional American cuffs (although they work great on small women and children, who might be able to wriggle out of the other cuffs). I've had my pair (along with my other pairs of Peerless hinged) for many years and never had any problems. They are great for plainclothes assignments.
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