# Telescopic Baton Question



## Lil Tenzan (May 8, 2008)

A while back i put up a post about a telescopic baton i ordered. Well the problem i had was it wasn't locking well as it would lock out but just a slight shaking or swing if you will, would make it limp and collaps. I didn't pay much for it as most cost I got mine for 20 bucks. Anyway I was talking to my friend at walmat who works in the rifle department. I was telling him about my issue and he said what he did once when he had a simular issue with a cheap baton he bought, he said he took one of those knife sharpening tools and he roughed the edges of the baton bars. Afterwards he said the only way to get that thing to collaps was to bang it on the ground because it wouldn't retract any other way.

I was wondering if you guys would recommend doing such a thing or not. I just wanted to get you guys opinion on the issue.


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## Drac (May 8, 2008)

Lil Tenzan said:


> A while back i put up a post about a telescopic baton i ordered. Well the problem i had was it wasn't locking well as it would lock out but just a slight shaking or swing if you will, would make it limp and collaps. I didn't pay much for it as most cost I got mine for 20 bucks. Anyway I was talking to my friend at walmat who works in the rifle department. I was telling him about my issue and he said what he did once when he had a simular issue with a cheap baton he bought, he said he took one of those knife sharpening tools and he roughed the edges of the baton bars. Afterwards he said the only way to get that thing to collaps was to bang it on the ground because it wouldn't retract any other way.
> 
> I was wondering if you guys would recommend doing such a thing or not. I just wanted to get you guys opinion on the issue.


 
The *ONLY* baton's I recommend carrying are made by Monadnock..Most other makes *have* to be slammed in order to close them, the Monadnock has a button..My opinion is not to screw around with the internal workings unless ya know what you are doing..You don't want it to close at the wrong moment??


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## Grenadier (May 8, 2008)

When it comes to telescopic batons, the old adage of "you get what you pay for" holds much validity.  

All of the cheap 20-30 dollar batons are going to be the type where you have to hit a hard surface to close them, such a concrete slab, or even tap the tip with a hammer.  Unfortunately, though, some of them have poor friction, and can collapse all too easily, while others are going to require a full fledged "banging" onto the hard surface.  

None of the cheap batons are going to have the same kind of durability as the better ones will.  I've seen too many of the hollow cylinders that dent all too easily, making it impossible to close.  

I am not familiar with the Monadnock batons, but I do have a good bit of familiarity with the ASP batons (considered amongst the better brands).  The difference in quality between the 80 dollar ASP versus the 20 dollar generic is significant, indeed.  Kevin Parsons really did his homework when it came to designing these products.


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## Brian R. VanCise (May 8, 2008)

Grenadier said:


> When it comes to telescopic batons, the old adage of "you get what you pay for" holds much validity.
> 
> All of the cheap 20-30 dollar batons are going to be the type where you have to hit a hard surface to close them, such a concrete slab, or even tap the tip with a hammer. Unfortunately, though, some of them have poor friction, and can collapse all too easily, while others are going to require a full fledged "banging" onto the hard surface.
> 
> ...


 
I am a fan of the ASP batons as well and train extensively with them.  Monadnock is another alternative for quality.  Still both Drac and Grenadier are telling it like it is in that if you buy cheap you usually get a cheap product.


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## jks9199 (May 8, 2008)

Drac said:


> The *ONLY* baton's I recommend carrying are made by Monadnock..Most other makes *have* to be slammed in order to close them, the Monadnock has a button..My opinion is not to screw around with the internal workings unless ya know what you are doing..You don't want it to close at the wrong moment??


It's been well covered...

When you're buying weapons or tools, spend the money to get quality in the first place, unless it's meant to be disposable.  Because otherwise, you'll spend the money again, and again, and again to replace the cheap stuff.  

Asp and Monadnock make good quality batons.  Personally, I like the Monadnock Auto-locks because you can open in a variety of ways, and you can close them without finding something to smash it on.  That's convenient... especially if you're trying to find somewhere to put a 26 inch metal tube on short notice, and you're holster has a bottom to it.  You can also reliably thrust with an Auto-lock; you can't with any friction lock design.


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## Ahriman (May 12, 2008)

I was once offered an "extremely good baton" for 4000Huf (a bit more than 20 USD). I asked that how good is it. The seller said that I could beat it on a piece of CONCRETE - FOR HOURS!! I told him that let me try it and if it survives 30 seconds of concrete banging, I'll pay 8000HuF. The seller most likely was used to wimps buying batons to look dangerous, so he agreed. The baton bent on first hit, but I used up all 30 seconds to make sure that he'll never be able to sell that crap to anyone.
Conclusion: buy quality and you'll cry only once - when you pay.
...
If it's important to improve your baton's friction, I'd see if it could be picked to pieces. If yes, lightly and evenly hammer the openings inside a little. Three keywords are: lightly, evenly, a little. Reassemble it, see what happened. If still not good, disassemble, do it again. If it becomes way too tight, disassemble, hammer outside more carefully. If it becomes just too tight, disassemble, get a needle file, and even more lightly start removing a little steel. Care is very important here, as you can rehammer it any time but you can't readd the filed-away steel.
Properly doing so need time and patience, and even with those, you can easily screw it up. Decide if you need that baton this much or not.
If you can't disassemble it, you can try to hammer it while open. You have to be even more careful, and the hammer hits have to be very close to each other to avoid distortion.


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## Paul-M (May 12, 2008)

they have a rifle department in walmart ? LOL !


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## jks9199 (May 12, 2008)

Paul-M said:


> they have a rifle department in walmart ? LOL !


Yes, at least in some states, just like K-Mart does.


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