Disarm, break or defeat? I can do all this, plus I am made from steel and can not be easily broken. What am I ? It is of course a telescopic baton. It can act in the hands of the defender as a means of defense, in the hands of a police officer, as a coercive means and in the hands of the Security Services as weapon. Its use is diverse, but it will not dissapoint us in any moment. It is great in defensing against the knife, but also when entering the buildings. Do we know why? Let´s talk about it.

Construction is a basis 

The first telescopic baton was used by British Commandos during World War II. Since then its design was constantly changing until the 80´s. The telescopic baton as we know it today was invented by American company ASP. Its purpose was clear - special forces. Thanks to its simplicity and clear usefulness quickly got into other spheres including civilian one. Baton consists of three main parts – handle and two tubes. The main thing for durability and endurance is of course material. With the cheap batons we can see low quality steel, that does not meet criteria. That is why the best option used is hardened steel. We need the construction to be strong so we can rely on it. Baton should withstands all of the challenges. With the hardened steel it is quite possible.

Flick it 

That is all fine, but how do we operate it?  When closed, all we have is a handle. The rest is hidden inside. At the bottom there is a release spring with a clip. This holds the tubes inside. All you need to do is to flick. When we flick, the centrifugal force release the rods of the clip and lock them into the place. How secure it will be, it depends on the force of the flicking. When closing the baton we slam it straight down on a hard surface to release the cylindrical shafts. We might need more attempts so we simply repeat it until the cylindrical shafts are released. In the expanded (open) state, the baton has up to three times its original length. Do we know already where the advantage is ? We practically carry a rod with us,which we pull out and use at the right moment. The advantage of length is on our side. 

The difference is in the selection 

If we thought there was only one baton, we were wrong. There are many types of different brands,which differ mainly in design. There is one type of baton that differs from the others by its construction. The German company came with it and it is suppose to be the best baton of all times. For this status we will pay extra, but offers many advantages over ordinary batons. Even the "ordinary" baton is a good choice for defense. The main difference is in their lengths. It is usually stated in inches and states the length of open baton. Standard are lengths 16“, 18“, 21“. The dimensions are the main attributes when choosing the baton. 16" baton is sufficiently long for defense and at the same time great for concealed carry. On the other hand, 21“ long baton can obviously reach longer distance, but its carry is not as comfortable. The baton is quite large, which is more suitable for carry it on a belt or vest. Choose wisely, pay attention to material first and then choose the right dimension.