Handcuffs and Handcuff pouches and cases

Handcuffs are devices to secure two wrists close together. They usually they have a ratchet-action to make them quicker to apply, and to make the size adjustable. There is a metal variety and a much lighter and smaller disposable plastic one. Plastic handcuffs, often known as FlexiCuffs, are lightweight disposable plastic strips to immobilize individuals. They can be carried in large quantities by soldiers and police and are therefore well-suited for situations where many may be needed, such as during large-scale protests. In recent years, airlines began to carry plastic handcuffs as a way to restrain disruptive passengers.

On occasions when a suspect exhibits extremely aggressive behavior, leg irons may be used as well; sometimes the chain connecting the leg irons to one another is looped around the chain of the handcuffs, and then the leg irons are applied, resulting in the person being "hog-tied." In a few rare cases, hog-tied persons lying on their stomachs have died from Positional asphyxia making the practice highly controversial, and leading to its being severely restricted, or even completely banned, in many localities.

Most modern handcuffs in the United States and the United Kingdom can be opened with the same standard universal handcuff key. This allows for easier transport of prisoners and keeps you out of trouble if you lose your keys. However, there are handcuff makers who use keys based on different standards. Maximum security handcuffs require special keys. Handcuff keys do not generally work with thumbcuffs.

Police handcuffs are sometimes used in sexual bondage and BDSM activities. This is potentially unsafe, because they were not designed for this purpose, and can result in nerve or other tissue damage; bondage cuffs were designed specifically for this application.

Who invented the modern-day handcuffs?

According to Joseph Lauher's fantastic Handcuffs.Org an important point in handcuff history was the invention of adjustable ratchets.

Handcuffs and manacles have been around for centuries, but prior to 1862 they were considered "one size fits all." Early handcuffs were simple metal rings that locked in place, causing much consternation for thick-wristed bruisers, and significant ease (and potential freedom) for thin-wristed weasels.

All this changed on June 17, 1862, when an inventor named W. V. Adams patented a handcuff design that incorporated adjustable ratchets. If you've ever played around with kid's handcuffs, messed around with real ones, or been arrested, you'll know that the ratchet mechanism lets the cuffs grip your wrists firmly and tightly.

This design was later picked up by entrepreneur John Tower, who started one of the most successful American handcuff companies in 1865. Tower handcuffs were manufactured up until the Second World War, and they were all based on the original Adams handcuff patent.