Posted by Greg Gilman on December 10, 2001 at 06:21:41:
In Reply to: Research Project posted by Jimmy Warnell on May 29, 2001 at 21:09:43:
Hi: The top 3 selling companies should be relatively easy. I am a beginner at going about cuff collecting through good research, but I'm a good researcher, so what would I suggest, that could help, now that I am no longer just looking for old cuffs in any condition in flea markets?
Well: From about threeweeks of lookingat online sales on eBay and some manufacturers web pages linked to this one, I'd say Colt is number one in modern cuffs, but I think they have stopped producing, not sure. Smith & Wesson and Peerless would be my two second guesses. I think there are a lot of companies still out there, but if Colt has stopped production, maybe S&W,Peerless, and someone like American Handcuff? American handcuff and a few other companies might be closely ranked behind S&W and Peerless, for third place. S&W and Peerless also do some work on the same handcuffs together at times, causing hybrids with both names on them now and then. I wonder why you wonder? There must be a lot ofgovernment andPolice websites that would go a ways toward telling you something near the grand totals. WHat I'd like to know is how many pairs get lost, stolen, retired, discontinued, and sold off as, "Used," cancelled and inactive pairs per year and where all these guys are buying up so many used pairs that they can sell clean used cuffs on eBay for under what the companies charge new ? Let me know anything you feel like sharing. You could do a little homework to determine the average life of a pair of handcuffs, the average nuber of peoplein law enforcement, and all kinds of security filds: where they have to own reasonably new, assigned pairs of cuffs, and just do the math, adding some number for the BDSM and collector groups that won't probably bevery accurate. Again, share what you find useful, if you want, especially where t get used pairs cheap, parts, tp-be-repaired-surplus cuffs, etc.