Modern (in progress)

Smith & Wesson

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA 

Established 1856

Initially, Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson started the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company in Norwich, Connecticut. They produced a lever action rifle, but ultimately they were  unsuccessful and sold the company. Eventually that company became Winchester Repeating Arms Company. 

Below, the Model 90 which uses a push pin double lock activation as opposed to the majority of Smith and Wessons current designs which mainly use the slot mechanism. 

Above, note these were made in Springfield, Massachusetts, as opposed to Houlton, Maine where they are made now. 

Smith and Wesson made firearms, ammunition and cartridges for the first 65 years, and didn't make handcuffs until 1921. In 1940 they paused production to focus on arms for the War, in 1952 they reintroduced their restraints line and introduced the model 936 and 938. 

In 1966, they opened a dedicated handcuffs and shackles factory in Houlton, Maine, which in 2022 had made over 10 million pairs. 

Peerless 

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA 

Established 1914

James Gill, police commissioner, bought the patent for swing through handcuffs from George Carney (not to be confused with Caveney). 

Peerless and Smith and Wesson were closely connected, both being based in the industrial mecca of Springfield, where gunsmiths and machinists were pushing the limits of firearms and mechanical machines of all sorts. 

ASP 

Appleton, Wisconsin, USA 

Established 1976

Started making handcuffs in 2004 after many years of making extendable batons, tactical flashlights, and other police gear. 

They didn't want to assume the standard swing through design was to be taken for granted. Rather they decides to completely redesign from the drawing board, which resulted in a high tech, light weight cuff that featured a replaceable lock core, much like the Bean Cobb design from many decades prior. 

Chicago Handcuff Company 

Chicago, Illinois, USA 

Established 2001 

Chris Patzer started Chicago Handcuff Company in order to bring NIJ approved restraints to the security and corrections market while having them made overseas. 

My impression of the Chicago restraints I have varies. The model 1200 hinged handcuff is very nice, while the chain models (1000 and X55) seem a bit thin. The short chain leg iron, model 1400, seemed solid enough. These are very similar to the Taiwanese manufacturers, such as Valor branded examples. 

Above, the Chicago model 1000 in pink. These are fully functional, and again, quality is in line with most of the off brand Taiwanese manufacturers.