Imitation or Tower Leg Irons?

I have two sets of leg irons that look like Tower Double Lock Leg Irons, but the chain doesnt match any Tower chain that I have ever seen on the D.L.L.I.? In some collections I have seen them listed as an Imitation and in other collections I have seen them listed as an early version of the Tower Double Lock. To me, the chain looks to be machine welded? Can anyone give any additional information on these? Maybe approx age of manufacture and a country of manufacture? Are they Tower brand or maybe a remake after the Balco Co. took over the Tower designs?  Any help is appreciated.

In my pic the top set of leg irons is thicker than the bottom set. Not sure if they are from the same maker? The top set also look to have been made better, to a higher standard of quality.
-Richard Knip-

djhalfdead wrote: ↑

Nov 25, 2021

I have two sets of leg irons that look like Tower Double Lock Leg Irons, but the chain doesnt match any Tower chain that I have ever seen on the D.L.L.I.? In some collections I have seen them listed as an Imitation and in other collections I have seen them listed as an early version of the Tower Double Lock. To me, the chain looks to be machine welded? Can anyone give any additional information on these? Maybe approx age of manufacture and a country of manufacture? Are they Tower brand or maybe a remake after the Balco Co. took over the Tower designs?  Any help is appreciated.

In my pic the top set of leg irons is thicker than the bottom set. Not sure if they are from the same maker? The top set also look to have been made better, to a higher standard of quality.
-Richard Knip-
IMG_0492.JPG

Click to expand...

To me the chain looks exactly like the chain on the US Handcuffs site that shows Tiwer leg irons with a modern chain, but I am a rookie at this.

Richard

You bring up an interesting topic and something I’ve wondered about for some time. I have seen advertising copy from Tower that featured a picture of leg irons with the single descriptive word “twisted” obviously referring to the chain but unfortunately I don’t have a copy of this to forward. I’m of the opinion that Tower did offer leg irons with twisted links in their final phase of production and this is confusing because in addition there were imitators out there producing similar irons. I think the irons of superior quality are probably Tower and the others by some unknown maker but just my opinion.

Spencer

Here are a couple of mine , one with twisted links and the other elongated oval links.
Double lock with swivel and bottom key.

The Balco leg iron takes a different key than the Tower line, so one can tell if one is a Balco or not.
I find it odd that Balco never made handcuffs.  If a prisoner needed to wear LI, my guess is that almost 100% of the time they would need to be handcuffed as well.

Thank you for the input everyone! I took a good look at both of my sets of odd chain "Tower" Leg Irons, with another collector, yesterday. Here is what both of us, kind of think. I had seen the pair on the USHandcuffs site as well as the pair that Stan had on his CD. I have also sen at least 5 or 6 other pairs as well. I dont think they were made in a prison as a modification. The chains I have seen on all of them, are machine welded. Putting them as being made sometime after the 1920s. My thicker set does use a Tower Double Lock key. My thoughts is that these may have been made by Union Hardware from the original Tower design? I have zero way of proving that tho.

I can say the thinner set I have does not use a Double Lock Tower key and is not made to the quality the thicker set is. I do believe that the thinner set is the "knock-off" imitation one. The Balco key does work in the thinner set, but not in the thicker set, so I think the thicker set was made before Balco took over and Union Hardware stepped out. Though they would not have been made for very long, since Balco took over the design, sometime in the 1920s, as far as we know. It may be possible that Tower Union Hardware continued to sell Tower Leg Irons for a while, after the Balco Leg Irons hit the market? Again, I cant prove or disprove that thinking. And why the change in the chain, i have no idea. Im afraid, this one is going to have to stay a bit of a mystery, for now. Anyone able to add anything or shoot down any of my thinking on these two sets of Leg Irons?

-Richard Knip-

djhalfdead wrote: ↑

Nov 25, 2021

I have two sets of leg irons that look like Tower Double Lock Leg Irons, but the chain doesnt match any Tower chain that I have ever seen on the D.L.L.I.? In some collections I have seen them listed as an Imitation and in other collections I have seen them listed as an early version of the Tower Double Lock. To me, the chain looks to be machine welded? Can anyone give any additional information on these? Maybe approx age of manufacture and a country of manufacture? Are they Tower brand or maybe a remake after the Balco Co. took over the Tower designs?  Any help is appreciated.

In my pic the top set of leg irons is thicker than the bottom set. Not sure if they are from the same maker? The top set also look to have been made better, to a higher standard of quality.
-Richard Knip-
IMG_0492.JPG

Click to expand...

Richard do these double lock? I came across a iron and bought it but it seems to be made to only single lock. Mine came with a key that looks similar to Spencers key posted with his set of irons on this topic. As always thanks in advance. Ron J

Ron. The silver pair is the heavier set that I believe is an actual Tower made Cuff. It does double lock. The brown set is the thinner set I believe was made by Balco. It does use a standard Balco key. This set only double locks on one side. The key may be too worn or the double lock lever may be too worn to be activated. I will try to make another key and see what that does for it. I do have a really heavy set of Tower Leg irons that has a strange, long, twisted style chain on it. This one does not double lock. I dont know if it did at one time and is just too worn to go into double lock mode or if the cuffs never had the double locking capability? I do not know that Tower ever made a single locking Leg Iron of this style, though? I just call it a Single Lock Leg Iron to avoid any confusion.
-Richard Knip-

djhalfdead wrote: ↑

Mar 03, 2023

Ron. The silver pair is the heavier set that I believe is an actual Tower made Cuff. It does double lock. The brown set is the thinner set I believe was made by Balco. It does use a standard Balco key. This set only double locks on one side. The key may be too worn or the double lock lever may be too worn to be activated. I will try to make another key and see what that does for it. I do have a really heavy set of Tower Leg irons that has a strange, long, twisted style chain on it. This one does not double lock. I dont know if it did at one time and is just too worn to go into double lock mode or if the cuffs never had the double locking capability? I do not know that Tower ever made a single locking Leg Iron of this style, though? I just call it a Single Lock Leg Iron to avoid any confusion.
-Richard Knip-TOWER SINGLE LOCK LONG TWISTED CHAIN LEG IRONS #584 FRONT.JPG

Click to expand...

Richard thank you for your help. I believe I have an imitation Tower that was made to only single lock. I’ve added a few pictures of the set and it’s key. The key is definitely different from a Tower key as well as the chain links. A Tower key will not turn in these iron’s because they haven’t got the cut as the key in the photos do in the flag.Thanks again, Ron J

For what it’s worth I think I’m correct in stating that the chain links on Balco irons are round unlike those found on Tower and that some leg irons are marked Balco and some are not.

Spencer

ssbaldwin wrote: ↑

Mar 04, 2023

For what it’s worth I think I’m  correct in stating that the chain links on Balco irons are round unlike those found on Tower and that some leg irons are marked Balco and some are not.

Spencer

Spencer I agree with you on the Balco’s have a flat round link. However I just used my Balco key and it works perfectly on this twisted chain iron I just got. Now I have actually made a key coping my Balco key perfectly so I’d have a key that not only opens the irons but double locks them as well. The key that came with these irons only unlocked them but wouldn’t double lock them. Is it possible Balco made a twisted chain iron? The cuffs on these irons match the cuffs on my Balcos perfectly. Ron J

djhalfdead wrote: ↑

Mar 03, 2023

Ron. The silver pair is the heavier set that I believe is an actual Tower made Cuff. It does double lock. The brown set is the thinner set I believe was made by Balco. It does use a standard Balco key. This set only double locks on one side. The key may be too worn or the double lock lever may be too worn to be activated. I will try to make another key and see what that does for it. I do have a really heavy set of Tower Leg irons that has a strange, long, twisted style chain on it. This one does not double lock. I dont know if it did at one time and is just too worn to go into double lock mode or if the cuffs never had the double locking capability? I do not know that Tower ever made a single locking Leg Iron of this style, though? I just call it a Single Lock Leg Iron to avoid any confusion.
-Richard Knip-TOWER SINGLE LOCK LONG TWISTED CHAIN LEG IRONS #584 FRONT.JPG

Click to expand...

Richard oddly enough I tried my Balco key on the irons and the key unlocked and double locked each cuff with ease. I have now copied my Balco key so the irons I just purchased have a working key. I’m just curious if anyone knows if Balco possibly made the twisted chain irons? As the cuffs on those iron’s match the cuffs perfectly on the Balcos I bought from you a while back. Either way I’m just happy that my twisted chain irons now unlock and double lock as they should. Ron J

Ron

While it’s possible that Balco did at some point make leg irons with twisted links I have never encountered any nor am I aware any such set.

Spencer

ssbaldwin wrote: ↑

Mar 04, 2023

Ron

While it’s possible that Balco did at some point make leg irons with twisted links I have never encountered any nor am I aware any such set.

Spencer

Sir is it possible that a Balco key just happens to work perfectly on other sets like I have discovered tonight? Maybe it’s just pure coincidence . Ron J

Ron

I think that it’s possible for sure. I’m always a little leery about trying different keys in different cuffs for fear of getting them stuck in the lock case.

Spencer

ssbaldwin wrote: ↑

Mar 04, 2023

Ron

I think that it’s possible for sure. I’m always a little leery about trying different keys in different cuffs for fear of getting them stuck in the lock case.

Spencer

I am as well but after reading that Richard tried a Balco key in a set and it worked I figured I would also. Ron J