# What's the best way to get handcuffs off? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 29, 2001, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650 "2001-06-29T20:15:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650/1 "2001-06-29T20:15:04Z")
Will a hacksaw work or is the steel too hard? How about a bolt cutter on the chain (of course that still leaves me with matching bracelets, but at least they’re not joined). How easy is the lock to pick, assuming I have no lockpicking skills. Once when I handled a set, I noticed that the spring-loaded catch that engages the “hooks” can be pushed in if you have something long & skinny like a paperclip. I was able to release the cuffs by manipulating this lever, but wasn’t bold enough to try it while cuffed. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650/2 "2001-06-29T20:36:22Z")
There’s a lot of cheap metal handcuffs that can be gotten in Spencers, toy stores, etc. They need a key to open them but the keyhole is big enough so that they can be manipulated open with a safety pin or paperclip. So if THESE are what you’re stuck in, I’d say to pick the lock. The ones that you’ll find hanging from a cop’s belt are a different story. Usually MUCH harder steel. And a keyhole that barely fits the key. Very hard to pick if you have neither experience nor proper tools. But remember that handcuffs are not meant to imprison anyone, just to make it hard to escape. So, getting out of them is definitely not impossible, just difficult. I’d use a rotary tool with a metal cutting wheel to get through the links first. Then, at least, you’d have your hands apart. Or bolt cutters might work for cutting the links open. Then, definitely, the rotary tool for cutting apart the bracelets. That’s going to generate a LOT of heat, sparks and noise, so try to get some sort of shield between the bracelet and your wrist so you don’t get burned. And use something to protect your hearing. ---
**Author:** ![bare](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bare/32/471_2.png) [@bare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bare)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650/3 "2001-06-29T20:44:59Z")
HeeHeeHee…tell us the story and maybe we’ll tell you how to get out of them. Seriously though, aren’t all professional cuffs keyed alike? Just find someone with a key. ---
**Author:** ![Grok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Grok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grok)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650/4 "2001-06-29T21:19:08Z")
Just tell your lover you are ready to be behave yourself… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650/5 "2001-06-29T21:30:26Z")
You can find sites all over that carry the typical police issue Smith and Wesson cuffs. Police all by the same pair and they are all keyed alike. I am curious to know if that stunt they pulled in _Con-Air_ with the pin was real or just typical Hollywood bullsh\*t. If you put a barrier between your skin and the cuff you could put liquid nitrogen on the cuff and hit it with a ball ping hammer, or try the bolt cutters. You could sneak into a machine shop and use a 10,000 lb. press to punch through the metal. Woah, stand back! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650/6 "2001-06-29T21:34:51Z")
I havn’t tried it but I would go for a cordless dremmel and use it with your wrist submerged to disipate the heat. (cordless to prevent electrocution - but try not to submerge the dremmel anyway) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650/7 "2001-06-29T21:35:14Z")
If you can get a thin piece of metal down the gap where the ratchet part of the cuffs goes in, you may be able to trap the spring and release them (practice with the cuffs off because you need to close them by half a ‘click’ so that you can trap the spring. ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650/8 "2001-06-29T22:24:14Z")
Use the key? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Kalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalt)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650/9 "2001-06-29T22:43:03Z")
i’ve always wondered whether it would be illegal to wear a belt with a handcuff key on the back. So if you are ever handcuffed behind your back (as cops tend to do) you would have a small key right there on the back of your belt. Assuming you had the right “generic” S&W key for the handcuffs they use. Maybe illegal isn’t the right word… but what would happen? Is it illegal to take handcuffs off (when applied by a cop who arrests you)? Is possession of a handcuff key illegal? ---
**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650/10 "2001-06-29T22:47:50Z")
How about not getting put in the handcuffs in the first place 😛 – If your in a situation you dont want to be in them, you shouldnt have done what you did to get into them in the first place ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650/11 "2001-06-29T22:53:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by k2dave \* > \*\*I havn’t tried it but I would go for a cordless dremmel and use it with your wrist submerged to disipate the heat. (cordless to prevent electrocution - but try not to submerge the dremmel anyway) \*\* Great idea. Dremel and after-market manufacturers sell lines of high-end, and horribly expensive, diamond and carbide-tipped/embedded grinding and cutting tools. Standard with most Dremels is a long umbilical attachment used for getting into tight places, assebly lines, etc. It would be safe to submerse in water. In combination, it just may work. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650/12 "2001-06-29T22:53:28Z")
I didn’t know the key was generic. Makes me wonder why they aren’t already all over the place like guns are. I think I’ll just behave myself and maybe I’ll be let out. ---
**Author:** ![RoboDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bbe5ce/32.png) [@RoboDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RoboDude)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650/13 "2001-06-30T02:05:16Z")
> [@](#): > > i’ve always wondered whether it would be illegal to wear a belt with a handcuff key on the back. So if you are ever handcuffed behind your back (as cops tend to do) you would have a small key right there on the back of your belt. Assuming you had the right “generic” S&W key for the handcuffs they use. > > Maybe illegal isn’t the right word… but what would happen? Is it illegal to take handcuffs off (when applied by a cop who arrests you)? Is possession of a handcuff key illegal? I don’t know if it’s illegal to posess a handcuff key (I wouldn’t be too surprised if some jurisdictions did prohibit them.), but if the arresting officer finds it while checking you for weapons, he/she might confiscate it, so it would probably be a good idea to conceal it somehow, perhaps tape it to the back of your underwear. As for laws against removing handcuffs applied by an arresting officer, the exact laws probably vary from place to place, but I imagine they’d probably get you for resisting arrest. ---
**Author:** ![Neurodoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/848f3c/32.png) [@Neurodoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurodoc)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650/14 "2001-06-30T03:35:43Z")
All common brands of handcuffs (Smith & Wesson, etc.) use the same key…so the best way to get out of them would be to have a key on your person. These keys are easily concealable. I work in the penal system in a large Western state, and know personally of several prisoners who hid keys (factory made or inmate manufactured surrogates) in various body cavities with the intent of escaping. Of course these are the ones we caught…I guess that there were a few we didn’t catch who may have gotten away… ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650/15 "2001-06-30T04:14:36Z")
> [@](#): > > Will a hacksaw work or is the steel too hard? How about a bolt cutter on the chain (of course that still leaves me with matching bracelets, but at least they’re not joined). Speaking from personal experience, either a hacksaw or a bolt cutter will cut through the bracelets. A bolt cutter is obviously quicker but often is difficult to fit into the right place, so usually a hacksaw is the best chocie. ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650/16 "2001-06-30T04:16:55Z")
If your underwear has a label that is sewn on all four sides you could undo the stitches on one side and slide the key inside. ---
**Author:** ![excitableboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@excitableboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excitableboy)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650/17 "2001-06-30T04:31:24Z")
You can find flat profile handcuff keys online. I’m not sure if they have them anymore, but [http://www.southernordnance.com](http://www.southernordnance.com) always has lots of good stuff like that. ---
**Author:** ![Kalashnikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kalashnikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalashnikov)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650/18 "2001-06-30T05:07:22Z")
I’ve seen keys for sale at gun shows… no wonder they want to outlaw such shows, eh? ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650/19 "2001-06-30T05:20:00Z")
I read the lock mechanism is spring loaded. A sharp rap in the right direction at the moment of pulling apart the opposite sides of the ‘claws’ should open them. I believe this is the main way Houdini opened standard cuffs. But this whole thread has me curious. Wouldn’t escaping be the harder part of this equation. If you could pull THAT off, obtaining a key should be childs play. And if you get stuck in handcuffs yourself just horsing WITH NO KEY, well… ---
**Author:** ![Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morrison_s_Lament)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650/20 "2001-06-30T05:31:50Z")
I just wanna know if it’s hard to type like that 😃 — G. Raven [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-get-handcuffs-off/70650.md?page=2)