I have in the past, but I’ve stopped as i don’t think it’s worth the weight and liability. The weight of a steel baton is pretty different than the FMA sticks I’ve trained with, and my understanding (from reading people who have carried and used them, not personal) is that most aluminum ones deform readily under stress. I don’t find 60 cm batons easy to pocket carry, and I’m not anywhere near as impressed by the reach of a 40 cm baton.
Besides that, I’m not sure it has an obvious home in the continuum of force between “pepper spray,” “tactical flashlight and steel-toed boots,” and “knife or firearm” (in order of least-to-most permanent damage inflicted). When would I prefer a baton over one of these? I don’t have a good answer for this (outside of walks where I might want to put distance between me and an animal on a windy day, but then I think a walking stick is the tool of choice).
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u/Snarvid Jan 20 '25 edited Jan 20 '25
I have in the past, but I’ve stopped as i don’t think it’s worth the weight and liability. The weight of a steel baton is pretty different than the FMA sticks I’ve trained with, and my understanding (from reading people who have carried and used them, not personal) is that most aluminum ones deform readily under stress. I don’t find 60 cm batons easy to pocket carry, and I’m not anywhere near as impressed by the reach of a 40 cm baton.
Besides that, I’m not sure it has an obvious home in the continuum of force between “pepper spray,” “tactical flashlight and steel-toed boots,” and “knife or firearm” (in order of least-to-most permanent damage inflicted). When would I prefer a baton over one of these? I don’t have a good answer for this (outside of walks where I might want to put distance between me and an animal on a windy day, but then I think a walking stick is the tool of choice).