Again, I'm posting this kind of after the fact, but I still want to add my contribution and share my Towers cuffs. It will be great for future collectors to see so many different examples and variations from all of our collections.
These Towers are also an important part of my collection, and after having found first a pair of Towers double lock leg irons and then a nice pair of Towers double lock handcuffs, I recently bought a pair of Towers Detective "Pinkerton" handcuffs.
The Towers leg irons are heavy and well made. The bows are perfectly rounded and curved, and even the inside of the large lock case is convex. The chain is unique to Towers, with large 'waffle' links. There are no swivels, and the cuffs are not mirror images. The double lock is very secure, and these would be very hard to shim due to the tight tolerances, the two planes of curve to the shackle, and the design of the lock. My set was polished steel and has a nice light patina. There are 10 locking positions. The key is rotated backwards to engage the double lock, and must be rotated twice to unlock again. The clevis hinges are thick and heavy, very well made. The chain is rather short.
The Towers handcuffs are similar except of course smaller. They have 9 locking positions. The clevis hinges have built in swivels similar to the Bean Cobb actually. These are from Union Hardware, I believe, based on the single long connecting link. My pair has complete nickel plating in good condition except for small areas under the swivels.
Finally, the Towers Detective "Pinkerton" handcuffs are a neat set. My pair has the three chain links connecting the cuffs, and the middle link is a "waffle" link while the other two are standard. These have a fairly simple lock, which does not double lock. They are well made but not quite on the same level of craftsmanship and design as the Towers Double Lock restraints. The key is similar, however. The edges of these cuffs are not rounded, although the sides of the cuffs are slightly rounded. There are no swivels. There are 8 locking positions, and the cuffs are not mirror image. I like the notches on the outside of the swing arm.
Interesting trivia, these came with the key pictured directly below the cuffs. It works perfectly, but is clearly hand made after the fact. The key below (and the one stuck in the cuff) were purchased from Ian. They are more true to the original key, with the stepped bit that reinforces the key. The key I had works, because the bore of the key was made only deep enough to place the single small bit at the level of the lock pawl. The keys Ian made work perfectly, but my cuffs appear to have a slightly tighter tolerances than the model he based the keys off of, as I had to do a little bit of filing to make the new keys fit. I was able to wiggle the stuck key free and with Ians advice have the keys working perfectly, albeit still a little tight, so I will be looking for a small warding file to get the fit just right.
