Nickel: Nickel plating is the most popular handcuff finish. Our two best sellers: Smith & Wesson Model 100 and the Peerless Model 700 both are nickel plated handcuffs. Smith & Wesson has a satin nickel finish on their handcuffs making them dull and creating a cloudy finish on their cuffs. Peerless’ nickel finish is much more shiny and reflective, making them more attractive. CTS, Hiatt, ASP and Chicago also nickel plate a majority of their restraints.
Blue: Bluing, not the actually color blue, but the same process used to protect firearms and make them black. Blued handcuffs are very popular. Bluing is used to add mild corrosion resistance to handcuffs. Bluing is most effective in keeping your handcuffs rust free when they are oiled liberally. Smith & Wesson, Peerless and Hiatt all have blued (black) handcuffs in their lineup.
Carbon Nitride: Formerly called Melonite, Carbon Nitride is a chemical process used to blacken handcuffs and increase surface hardness. Currently the only manufacturer that uses this process is Smith & Wesson. They have two models of Carbon Nitride handcuffs their standard model 100 in a Melonite finish and their M&P Melonite handcuff.
Stainless: There aren’t many stainless steel handcuffs on the market today. Smith & Wesson makes a stainless steel handcuff, their model 103. Chicago Handcuff Company also makes stainless models of Chain & Hinged handcuffs. Stainless steel is used in a variety of applications because it is extremely resistant to rust.
Colored Handcuffs
Color Plated: Peerless Handcuffs are available in 5 different colors. The color coating is applied using a process called Electrolytic Polyurethane Plating (EPP). EEP fully coats restraints inside and out without interfering with the lock mechanism and jaw swing through.
Powder Coated: CTS (formerly Hiatt-Thompson) colored handcuffs are powder coated. This creates a thick layer of paint most of the handcuff. As part of their process, the end of the swinging arms of CTS handcuffs is not fully coated.
Cerakote: Made popular by gun manufacturers, Cerakote is a durable ceramic finish that can be applied to metals. Peerless handcuff company uses Cerakote to color their lightweight aluminum handcuffs
