I recently realized that the keys for my handcuffs had been lost or misplaced in one of my moves years back and decided to get a new key so I wouldn’t have to keep picking them with a paperclip.
A quick look on Amazon brought me to the Schrade Professionals Handcuff Key (SCKEY).
Of course because I ordered this on Amazon with Prime, it arrived in 2-days and was the correct product.
Design / Usability
The overall design of the key is nice, after using a few shorter “normal” keys, and extended length keys, I definitely prefer the extended length keys. The longer key makes it easier to reach when the handcuffs are actually on someone and you have to do a lot less maneuvering when actually trying to turn the key. It just makes the overall process a little easier.
The large keyring and how it connects to the ring is also a nice design as it makes the key easy to move around and doesn’t really bind up easily, etc. This makes getting to it, moving it around and using the pin for double locking the cuffs pretty darn easy.
Also, with the size of the key, if you are using it on it’s own, you’re much less likely to drop the key.
Build Quality
The build quality of this handcuff key is OK. It’s not some precision piece of art work, but for $8, I wouldn’t expect it to be.
The bluing or anodizing that they use for the main body seems to be OK. I did a quick scratch test, and it didn’t immediately score or wear down, but I don’t expect that the look will last for a long period of time, especially if thrown in with a bunch of other keys.
Other than that, the overall build quality seems to be OK. Nothing glaringly messed up, but nothing super fancy either.
Fit
The fit is where I ran into some issues. They pair of handcuffs that I have is an older set, probably purchased 8-ish years ago and low and behold, the key wouldn’t turn!
So I gave it a nice hard twist to try and score up the key a bit where it was hitting, and it looked like the key tooth was a little tall, so it was hitting the body of the handcuff and not turning.
So not really wanting to send the key back, I took out my grinder and ground the tooth down a bit, and now it works perfectly.
I’m not sure if it’s just this one key was oversized, or they have changed the specs for handcuffs over time, but if you get one of these keys, make sure to check it before you need it! It may not work with your cuffs.
If you don’t mind doing a little grinding, you should be able to make it work with pretty much all cuffs, but you definitely shouldn’t have to. Sounds like a bit of a manufacturers defect?
Update: 12/1/2014
I e-mailed briefly with the folks that make the Schrade products, Taylor Brands LLC., and their response was:
“We only carry the Schrade line of handcuffs so they would not fit [other brands].”
So these keys are only designed for Schrade brand handcuffs, though, that is not something that seems to be written or documented on any material I was able to find.
Ratings (out of 5 stars)
Design / Usability: * * * *
The overall design of this key is nice and simple. It seems to work well and allow for basic easy usage.
Build Quality: * * * ½
The build quality is good, nothing spectacular, but doesn’t feel like it will fall apart immediately either. The coating may not be too durable, so it may show wear relatively quickly, but in my tests, it seems to hold up OK.
Fit: ½
The fit of this key is questionable, it didn’t work without modification in my handcuffs. So if you decide to roll the dice with this key, be prepared to test it out on the cuffs you plan to use it on, and/or take a grinder to it to make it work.
Overall: * *
Overall, this is a nice key setup, however the fit issues are a big deal. I personally don’t really mind having to do a little work, especially for the price. But, if you don’t want to mess with the key, I would suggest trying a different product.