Indentation in S&W 90s

Greetings to all.

I've been collecting cuffs for nearly 25 years. I got hooked when I first saw a pair of Precise Professional cuffs in a knife showcase at a Nichols Department store. Since then I've collected over 200...mostly common ones but a few you might call "high-end".

I have six sets of S&W 90s; one of which is a little different. On both cuffs, the little rectangular indentation you would normally find right under the keyhole is off to the side. On the left cuff, it is right under the word "Mass." in the stamping. Another unusual aspect of these is that the chain length is about a half inch shorter. Since the indentation does not adversely affect the path of the jaw, I'm assuming that this was not a factory defect but rather a variation on the model. Could S&W possibly have made a "juvenile" version?

I'm also curious about a set of cuffs I've seen in two films. A set of S&W 100s with about a foot length of chain is seen in the 1986 film "Something Wild" and the 1990 film "Silence Of The Lambs" Both films were directed by Johnathon Demme. I wonder if these cuffs were personal favorites of Demme or his prop-manager; and if they were ever acquired by somebody at auction. It would be neat to have the cuffs that Hannibal Lechter escaped from!

Also, any of you ever seen the "Star Trek" episode "Patterns Of Force"? It has the worst scene involving handcuffs I've ever seen. Kirk and Spock are both cuffed and as Kirk yanks off a piece of bedspring he pulls his cuffs loose and seems totally oblivious to it. What a gaffe!

I read your add and you asked about the m-100 with the 6 inch chain.Well if you want a pair they have them at the handcuff wearhouse.I think they were 40-45 dollars.

Greetings to all.

I've been collecting cuffs for nearly 25 years. I got hooked when I first saw a pair of Precise Professional cuffs in a knife showcase at a Nichols Department store. Since then I've collected over 200...mostly common ones but a few you might call "high-end".

I have six sets of S&W 90s; one of which is a little different. On both cuffs, the little rectangular indentation you would normally find right under the keyhole is off to the side. On the left cuff, it is right under the word "Mass." in the stamping. Another unusual aspect of these is that the chain length is about a half inch shorter. Since the indentation does not adversely affect the path of the jaw, I'm assuming that this was not a factory defect but rather a variation on the model. Could S&W possibly have made a "juvenile" version?

I'm also curious about a set of cuffs I've seen in two films. A set of S&W 100s with about a foot length of chain is seen in the 1986 film "Something Wild" and the 1990 film "Silence Of The Lambs" Both films were directed by Johnathon Demme. I wonder if these cuffs were personal favorites of Demme or his prop-manager; and if they were ever acquired by somebody at auction. It would be neat to have the cuffs that Hannibal Lechter escaped from!

Also, any of you ever seen the "Star Trek" episode "Patterns Of Force"? It has the worst scene involving handcuffs I've ever seen. Kirk and Spock are both cuffed and as Kirk yanks off a piece of bedspring he pulls his cuffs loose and seems totally oblivious to it. What a gaffe!

Click to expand...

Hi, the indentation can be almost anywhere along the casing to work properly. Any variation can be due to the tooling that makes the indentation being re-made or re-dsigned. All machine tooling does where out and when the new tooling is made, it may be either because another person made it which causes slight variation or it is a chance moment to modify it to make it hopefully better. The varication do not make for a new model, just one different from the last.

regard

Ian

Greetings to all.

I've been collecting cuffs for nearly 25 years. I got hooked when I first saw a pair of Precise Professional cuffs in a knife showcase at a Nichols Department store. Since then I've collected over 200...mostly common ones but a few you might call "high-end".

I have six sets of S&W 90s; one of which is a little different. On both cuffs, the little rectangular indentation you would normally find right under the keyhole is off to the side. On the left cuff, it is right under the word "Mass." in the stamping. Another unusual aspect of these is that the chain length is about a half inch shorter. Since the indentation does not adversely affect the path of the jaw, I'm assuming that this was not a factory defect but rather a variation on the model. Could S&W possibly have made a "juvenile" version?

I'm also curious about a set of cuffs I've seen in two films. A set of S&W 100s with about a foot length of chain is seen in the 1986 film "Something Wild" and the 1990 film "Silence Of The Lambs" Both films were directed by Johnathon Demme. I wonder if these cuffs were personal favorites of Demme or his prop-manager; and if they were ever acquired by somebody at auction. It would be neat to have the cuffs that Hannibal Lechter escaped from!

Also, any of you ever seen the "Star Trek" episode "Patterns Of Force"? It has the worst scene involving handcuffs I've ever seen. Kirk and Spock are both cuffed and as Kirk yanks off a piece of bedspring he pulls his cuffs loose and seems totally oblivious to it. What a gaffe!

Click to expand...

S&W has marketed their model #90 since the early 1950's. Several noticeable changes are seen on these cuffs through the decades.
Generally speaking, the earlier cuffs had their "indent" positioned way off-center from the keyhole. Newer models (1970's onward) have the 'indent' practically right over the keyholes.
You will also notice that the early cuffs only have 19 'teeth', instead of '20'-that later models have.
Yes, the earlier models did have slightly shorter chain-links, which resulted in a slightly shorter overall handcuff length as compared to later models.
You may also notice that the "&" in "Smith & Wesson" (written on the left-handed cuffs) vary through the years in terms of font/shape. These are just simply model variances/modifications through the years. S&W never made a "juvenile" handcuff.

Anytime you see LONG-CHAIN handcuffs featured in a movie..it's usually an "excuse" so that the prisoner can use the long chain to wrap around a guard's neck to strangle; or to simply provide the prisoner with enough limited arm freedom to engage in a fight. Such a cuff of course, would never be issued or used in real life law enforcement.
Hope some of this helps.