Algemas Brasil - Are these real?

just curious if anyone has knowledge of this brand and whether or not these handcuffs are law enforcement grade? ive seen a few videos of them and it looks like they follow a very basic design that includes a single three tooth pawl and are easily picked and shimmed. they almost seem comparable to fury and vulcan in terms of quality as opposed to being asp, smith, peerless, cts, and chicago competitors. but i will give them credit for some very interesting designs.

Algemas Brasil

i think they also have a limited edition really bright green model floating around somewhere. ive seen pictures of the model but its not on their website. 

The Algemas cuffs are "real", but i wouldnt use them in law enforcement. Quality wise, i put them in about the same category as the Nextorch cuffs that come from China. Personally, I think the swinging bows are too thin. I could see them damaging your wrists if you were to fight them. The swivel mount that is inside of the cuff also seems to be pretty thin. The chain is a Thinner chain than a standard S&W or Peerless Chain and the Algemas cuffs chain links are longer than the standard ones are. The cuff body is constructed well and has a nice weight to it. But overall, I dont think they would do as well in testing as S&W or any of the leading brands. I have not tested hem in anyway, so that is all speculation on my part.

The special edition green cuffs come in two different sets, shown here. The all green set and the green with black bows. These were made in a quantity of 50 sets each, for a friend's collection in Doncaster, U.K. The are marked as "DRM" He is selling out what he has left of them on his FB page. The page is called the DRM Doncaster Restraint Museum. Join the page and shoot him a message if you want one of the limited sets. I dont recall how much they cost, but having them shipped from the U.K. adds a bit onto the total.
-Richard Knip-

Algemas Brazil has quite good range of handcuffs. And different quality too. The cheaper one meets NIJ standard just and just for strenght (I have tested) but coating varies a lot and it is not best possible, rust problems are possible.
But their stainless steel handcuffs are in very good quality. Well done and finished. And worth of their low price.

Here are Algemas Brasil handcuffs from my collection.
I have tested several of these and Algemas has a very good quality handcuffs too.

vakevainen.mika wrote: ↑

Nov 14, 2023

Algemas Brazil has quite good range of handcuffs. And different quality too. The cheaper one meets NIJ standard just and just for strenght (I have tested) but coating varies a lot and it is not best possible, rust problems are possible.
But their stainless steel handcuffs are in very good quality. Well done and finished. And worth of their low price.

I think the green ones use a different style of coating. I am not sure in tangible terms as the all green ones are the only Algemas I have. I do like them though.

thanks for all the feedback. im gonna err on the side of  caution and say these probably arent the best choice for real world use. maybe for play but even then the weaknesses of the design appear to be obvious such as thin links. the green ones are amazing but i just wish they were more law enforcement grade rather than play grade. but they do make fun designs that might be suitable for personal use altho i bet they can easily be compromised by someone halfway strong. 

In my opinion they are law enforcement grade. They do not feel like toys. I think police in Brazil use them.

GUEST wrote: ↑

Nov 15, 2023

thanks for all the feedback. im gonna err on the side of  caution and say these probably arent the best choice for real world use. maybe for play but even then the weaknesses of the design appear to be obvious such as thin links. the green ones are amazing but i just wish they were more law enforcement grade rather than play grade. but they do make fun designs that might be suitable for personal use altho i bet they can easily be compromised by someone halfway strong. 

We made here in Finland some tests, which based on NIJ standard. We choose randomly one pair of Algemas Inox 304 and made the tests to breaking point.
Mechanical loading tests were:

4.7 Mechanical Strength Each pair of handcuffs shall withstand a tensile force of 2200 N (495 lbf) for a period not less than 30 s when tested in accordance with paragraphs 5.6.1 and 5.6.2. The handcuffs shall not open under load, shall show no sign of permanent distortion or fracture and shall function in a normal manner* following these tests.

We loaded handcuffs with 250 kgs (550 lbf) without any problems. After that handcuffs worked fine and no sign of permanent disortion or fracture. Load added to 300 kgs (661 lbf), next step was 350 kgs (771) and when hanging on that weigt appeared the first signs of fracture. 

Then we tested 5 other Inox 304 and loaded straight 250 kgs (550 lbf) for 2 minutes and all handcuffs worked fine after that.

The first test sample was also tested for locking mechanism and the handcuffs passed that without any problems too. Also check plate test passed clearly.

So, in my opinion, Algemas handcuffs are suitable for law enforcement use.

If we are looking for something negative; coating varies quite much. Corrosion test passed, yes, but possibility for corrosion is reality. But that was only for Inox 304 handcuffs. We made corrosion test quite much harder what is written in NIJ standard. That could be one reason.

well that is an amazing turn of events involving Algemas handcuffs. I would have to yield to your mechanical tests then. I still caution they are easy to pick and easy to shim and might be more vulnerable to the chain binding technique and/or the  window exploit method on the models equipped with a window actuator. as i said they make very interesting restraints but i personally would need them to prove reliable and competitive. thanks for the testing and the input. very much appreciated.

Smith & Wesson handcuffs are easy to pick and relatively easy to chain bind and snap, but are still popular law enforcement and security handcuffs. People who are arrested should ideally be search and not left alone to their own devices for prolonged periods. So it is likely not too big of a problem.

One interesting difference with the Algemas is the slightly longer distance between the cuffs, making them a little better for very large people.

i get the supervising of detained subjects but the bottom line is these issues should have been considered through decades of engineering negligence if you will. there is no reason why at some point between 1990 and 2024 that smith and wesson could not have even slightly improved their design to resist some of the known weaknesses. instead they choose to suggest detainee supervision snd searches as the only way to insure against these known design flaws. great way to save some qc money i guess

GUEST wrote: ↑

Nov 17, 2023

i get the supervising of detained subjects but the bottom line is these issues should have been considered through decades of engineering negligence if you will. there is no reason why at some point between 1990 and 2024 that smith and wesson could not have even slightly improved their design to resist some of the known weaknesses. instead they choose to suggest detainee supervision snd searches as the only way to insure against these known design flaws. great way to save some qc money i guess

The thing is, the more changes they make, the more money it costs in testing and re-certification. If you want protection against chain binding, go with the latest ASP range. If you want unpickable and non-exploitable you'll be looking a long time. Even as good as the German Clejuso high security cuffs are and as hard as they are to pick, you can flip off the double lock easily and shim them open. There are many ways people can attack a mechanism, if you allow someone to have tools on them. I'd say a good search and ASP blue handcuffs is the best, attainable every-day security that would be acceptable. Chain binding is impossible I believe, plus has the same exploit potential as high security German Clejuso, in that you can easily disable the double lock and then shim them open, hence the need for a good search of the individual.

ASP fixed all of these concerns. Zero chance of chain binding, as it uses no chain links in the design. Not easily shimmable. No key holes to exploit. No double lock slots to exploit. These will size down snuggly, to fit any size wrists. https://www.handcuffwarehouse.com/asp-t ... ngle-unit/

-Richard Knip-

djhalfdead wrote: ↑

Nov 17, 2023

ASP fixed all of these concerns. Zero chance of chain binding, as it uses no chain links in the design. Not easily shimmable. No key holes to exploit. No double lock slots to exploit. These will size down snuggly, to fit any size wrists. https://www.handcuffwarehouse.com/asp-t ... ngle-unit/

-Richard Knip-

Actually, these are shimmable. but at least you made me laugh

CuffmanBelgium wrote: ↑

Nov 17, 2023

djhalfdead wrote: ↑

Nov 17, 2023

ASP fixed all of these concerns. Zero chance of chain binding, as it uses no chain links in the design. Not easily shimmable. No key holes to exploit. No double lock slots to exploit. These will size down snuggly, to fit any size wrists. https://www.handcuffwarehouse.com/asp-t ... ngle-unit/

-Richard Knip-

Actually, these are shimmable. but at least you made me laugh

Click to expand...

I didnt say they werent shimmable, just said that they are not easy to shim. If placed properly, the locking block would be below your wrists or could be placed atop the wrists, with your hands facing each other. Not easy to reach the locking block to be able to shim it, in either configuration.
-Richard Knip-

I do not think anything is 100% perfect. You could have the best security, non-shimmable, non-pickable. But if someone has a SERE diamond rod file secreted on their person they could, with enough time, cut through the bow to extricate themselves. Police/security people etc must be responsible with handcuffed individuals, both for security as well as safety... A "perfect" handcuff could lead to recklessly negligent practises by lazy handcuff users.

I love mine. I have a few from their differnt range.

I love how they have incorporated a split Double lock bar to increase the picking difficulty on their latest models.

i dont know i mean it goes both ways. we can argue the supervision need and we can argue the reliability side. i just think if the manufacturers would fix some of the more common problems then those improvements with supervision would make their restraints that much better. i get the costs involved to change and recertify the product but we're talking decades of time to have made these changes. i mean what happened here is clear as day. profit over safety function and reliability. end of story.

GUEST wrote: ↑

Nov 17, 2023

i get the supervising of detained subjects but the bottom line is these issues should have been considered through decades of engineering negligence if you will. there is no reason why at some point between 1990 and 2024 that smith and wesson could not have even slightly improved their design to resist some of the known weaknesses. instead they choose to suggest detainee supervision snd searches as the only way to insure against these known design flaws. great way to save some qc money i guess

Smith and wesson did change their design. It's a super small improvement. Older models there is a gap near the top of the window that allowed easy tool access. This was changed when the started serial "B" Handcuffs.
They also added a cost cutting design I'm not a fan of. With serial "D" laser etch models, the pawl has been changed from a uniform triangle to make a perfect mating face, they now have the cheaper, easier to shim, leaning pawl - often found on chinese/Taiwanese single pawl models.

so at the end of the day. we have learned that smith and wesson has proven to be a lower standard restraint which is sad. the name alone carries  a lot of rep so to see handcuffs made with more compromise than improvement kind of sucks but the again how many people in service actually buy peerless, smith, chicago, and others compared to ASP especially now that Sentry has emerged.