The Forum at Handcuffs.Org

Swiss police handcuffs

28 visible archived posts · 28 preserved total · topic ID 1042

Rothen 01 Jan 2006

I came across this page on the Berne police website:

http://www.police.be.ch/site/index/pom_ ... hellen.htm

now I think those are the same as or very similar to these Alcyon cuffs shown here on handcuffs.org:

For some reason I find this quite surprising - especially as I thought those handcuffs were obsolete quite a while back. Does anybody know what the police in Switzerland use? I suppose it's possible that they're using a set that were issued a long time ago for their photo gallery.

Adrienne 01 Jan 2006

Of the 3 pics on the linked website, the 1st pair of cuffs is different from the other 2 and the one you posted in your thread on this site.

grenchat 01 Jan 2006

Nice vintage Star handcuffs. These and certain Alcyon models feature a neat anti-shim wheel. I believe that the Swiss authorities have been using them for decades, but am not sure if they are still current issue.

Happy New Year!

Jason

patrick-handboeienfreak 02 Jan 2006

hi al

the first cuff on the link looks like an alcyon 5050 rig
and from the information I've got alcyon is still the cuffs they use there

cheers

Patrick

Rothen 02 Jan 2006

Thanks! I always thought the star ones were interesting, but it's nice to see that someone is or has been actually using them.

grenchat 03 Jan 2006

Larranaga y Elorza made handcuffs were sold under the Fury name here in the US. Back in the mid 80s, the Fury model 15900 High-Security handcuff made its debut, and sold for as much as $50 retail; an outrageous price for an imported Spanish cuff. The market had been flooded in the previous decade with cuffs marked as Jay-Pee, Romo and others. While far superior to the novelty shop cuffs of the day, these werent even suited for serious law enforcement work, so when the Fury High-Security model was actually selling for a higher price, it raised a few eyebrows, eventually garnering a cult following. When the company discontinued these models, I picked up the chain version of this cuff on closeout.

You can see the Fury 15900 with a brief description at Yossies Award Winning site.

http://www.blacksteel.com/hcs/index.cgi ... t=2&mode=1

Jason

Unresolved image reference ↗

Mark Lyons 03 Jan 2006

Hi. Happy New Year to all,
I was told by a army surplus dealer that the 15900 was a cuff used by NATO forces. I deem this source as fairly unreliable, but the possibility does exist. Has anyone else heard of this claim? Do we have an actual NATO member among us that can acknowledge or deny this claim?
I was not aware that these cuffs are discontinued. I do not have the chain version of this cuff.
Better find one soon.

mark
O--O

grenchat 03 Jan 2006

Mark,

The few places I remember that carried the 15900 also sold N.A.T.O. surplus items. Certain people that I knew in the private security and P.I. fields favored their extra safeguards, but, as I am sure you are aware, these are not exactly made for speed-cuffing.

Cuffsland has a version with a nicer finish and slightly different swivels in the collectors section. http://www.cuffsland.com/collectors.html

Happy Collecting!

Jason

Unknown / guest 03 Jan 2006

Not only have these been discontinued, but it would also appear that Alcyon is only producing cuffs that take a universal key these days.

http://www.alcyon.es/catalog/index.php?language=en

What gives with that?

Jason

Monica 03 Jan 2006

#10

I have a Spanish friend who was a NATO MP and is now in private/contract security (I was her Jui Jitsu instructor). As a NATO MP, she carried, as issue, an Alcyon high security cuff.

The key holes and lock case were the same as in the pix above, but the swivel arm had the groove slots and the chain was like a couple of heavy duty ferrules (lack of a better term) that allowed the prisoner to bend the cuffs in only a single direction, depending on which way the ferrules were facing. It was like a hinged swivel - unique and tricky for the prisoner. They also had an anti-shimming device and some other internal features that made escape extremely difficult; I was unable to escape them, even after much study and several attempts!

The drawbacks were: the cuffs were not as refined or as nicely finished as they could have been, so they were not great aesthetically-speaking (for those who appreciate the way cuffs look - like me) and not good for speed-cuffing - very notchy and requiring of a lot of force to cause the swivel arm to swing through and engage as preferred.

patrick-handboeienfreak 03 Jan 2006

#11

hi monica

the alcyon cuffs are the 15901 cuff
they call it universal hinge

cheers
Patrick

larho01 03 Jan 2006

#12

It seems strange to me why NATO would, according to my opinion, choose such a low quality handcuff. However, the Cava (Spanish Champagne) is an excellent product.

/Lars

Monica 03 Jan 2006

#13

Unresolved image reference ↗

stan willis 03 Jan 2006

#14

Is the Cava marked in any way? Do you know who made them and when?
Stan

monica 03 Jan 2006

#15

I agree with you, Lars. They had a good design and were sturdy and effective, but not refined or machined like the nice German or American cuffs.

larho01 03 Jan 2006

#16

No Stan, tha Cava wasn't marked but I was after several glasses. I really can recommend Barcelona for holliday. It's a very nice city with great restaurants serving their own Cava. Stan, they also have great seafood in our taste.

Monica, I'm happy you agree to my complain of finish. They also don't have the same smooth action compared to American and German cuffs.

BTW; Happy New Year!

/Lars

Stan, I'm still looking for a suitable object for trade

Monica 03 Jan 2006

#17

I can recommend Barcelona, too. Las Ramblas! I've never seen so many people meandering the streets and at all hours - on weekdays, no less. Not all "tourista", either.

grenchat 03 Jan 2006

#18

Monica,

Thank you for the information. I highly doubt if I could have escaped from the hinged version even with the key in hand. An interesting challenge might be to try back-shimming the Star cuffs posted by Rothen, being that these are linked and without a double lock. Has anyone ever done that? I imagine that it would still be pretty difficult with those awfully tight leaf springs in these models.

Keep on escaping

Jason

The Amazing Michael 04 Jan 2006

#19

Mark, I bought a pair of the Alcyon 15901 (chain version) from Cuffsland last year. They were sent in pristine condition and their service was great, especially since they came all the way from Europe! My cuffs are a little different than the ones for sale on their site right now. Mine have four independent ratchet pawls in each cuff....two on either side of the lock ward, they also have some additional trade marks stamped into one of the cuffs. This is my favorite (modern-day) piece in my collection. I had a heck of a time finding them, so grab a pair while the getting is good!

Cheers, Mike

josef5 04 Jan 2006

#20

Monica,

have you ever escaped from Czech RALK handcuffs with double pawl? They are similar to STAR cuffs, but owing to the shape of their arms is very difficult to rotate the wrist in them. I guess even for a women with very thin wrists is this impossible, so when these cuffs are properly put on a person (writst properly orientated towards the lock case)it is impossible to open them even with original key... And they also hold wrists in very close proximity. This model is nothing extra as a whole, but these two features are great...

I made a special page about them, several more photos are displayed there + several technical info available too. There is no link from my public sites to this page, this is only for readers of this Forum. Link is:

http://cz-pouta.wz.cz/topic_ralk.htm

Josef
Czech Republic
http://cz-pouta.wz.cz

Monica 04 Jan 2006

#21

Josef, I have never encountered the Czech RALK cuffs, but I can see by the pics in your link that they would cause problems for an escaper. Small bracelets, short chain, different key/hole, double pawl....

A pair of cuffs that won't allow a woman to spin her wrists inside the bracelets should be outlawed, I tell ya'. What kind of a man would be so evil as to lock a woman up like that?!

I have shimmed my way out of multiple pawls before, but not when they were deadlocked, of course.

If I remember correctly, the high-security Alcyon's my friend used had 3 or 4 pawls - possibly all independent (I've seen pawls paired before as well).

Don't exactly remember, but I know she gave me a shot at shimming hers, but the cuffs had an anti-shimming device, plus the cuff arms were so deeply engaged into the pawl teeth, I wouldn't have been able to shim anyway. I remember I couldn't spin my wrists in her cuffs, either. What kind of a woman would be so evil......

I remember that we ended up calling them "PCP" cuffs because we decided that no person on any amount of PCP could break that swivel/hinge thingamajig (or defeat the extra security measures) like some have done w/ small chain cuffs before.

josef5 04 Jan 2006

#22

To tell the truth, I think that women in handcuffs are more dangerous than men, on general:) Handcuffed men rely only on their strength and try to destroy cuffs, or at least I was told this by several my friends who work as policemen. While women know they are too weak to destroy them, but are more clever and more inventive. In addition many of them wear hairgrips (in US you use word bobby pin)in their hair and this is dangerous tool against handcuffs.
In addition when I tried thes model on my female-friends (only in fun), the cuffs were normally clamped, they were able to bend their wrists more (simply better movement of female joints) and they had better chance to insert the key into the keyhole. I was almost unable to do this. So from this point of view I agree with such a shape o handcuffs, it´s very secure. Not human, but secure and that´s the thing that counts. In fact you don´t have to use this way of handcuffing, but it´s good, when the cuffs you use enable this.

To tell the truth, I guess that this feature (prevent from rotating thin wrists) was not intended, when RALK designed. This pattern comes from the late 40s, and at that time nobody in my country had any idea about this kind of handcuffing. The only idea was to make cuffs which could be closed tightly, nothing more.
I also design cuffs and construct them in my free time and it´s difficult to make cuffs which can take into account all sex and individual differences...

Josef

Michael Busch 04 Jan 2006

#23

Hello everybody,

I have a chain-style cuff of this model for sale. The cuff works perfectly, the condition is excellent and the key that comes with the cuff is original.

I would like to offer this cuff for the price of US$ 40.00. Shipping to the USA is US$ 18.00.

Please drop me a line in case you are interested.

Best wishes,

Michael

Rothen 04 Jan 2006

#24

Josef, two of the pictures on the page you linked two appear to be missing.

josef5 04 Jan 2006

#25

Strange, when I checked this page, everything was O.K.

Rothen 04 Jan 2006

#26

How very odd, it does seem to be working now.

Those are interesting-looking cuffs. Something to put on the list of things to get for collection when I have somewhere to put one and something with which to buy said items.

josef5 05 Jan 2006

#27

I also have a pair in new unused condition for trade. I am looking for new unused Peerless 700. If any interest send me an email.

Josef

dwight 17 Jan 2006

#28

I have a set of these cuffs and Iwould like to find what they are worth.