Sorry if this is off topic, but it didn't seem quite appropriate anywhere else. In any case, I was going to wait a bit before giving a review, but it turns out that the baton had other plans...
I purchased the 26" expandable baton during the april fool's day sale for $20.00, a pretty good deal. It's about 10" closed, weighs a little over a lb., and comes with a belt holster.
Out of the box, it opened up and locked up pretty tight, although not quite straight. It was capable of bearing my weight (180 lb)when extended and required a heavy slam against an unyielding surface to close.
I hadn't gotten around to testing it by hitting any solid objects until today, when I decided on impulse to hit the 3" thick telephone book in the student lounge. I hit with slightly less than maximal force and put a small dent (a few mm), with some tearing, into the book. The baton did not fare as well. The top section was now bent at a slight angle. I closed it, thinking that it might straighten on reopening, but when I tried to to reopen it, WHOOSH-PING! The top section flew out and hit the wall across the room. Luckily, I was the only one in the room. Thus ended the testing.
I am glad that I found out about this whilst testing, rather than on some street corner. I do not know if this is representative of Dragon Forge batons or if I received a defective product and hesitate to make sweeping generalizations about their products. I fully intend on contacting 1SKS about this product.
In the meantime, if you have one of these batons and have tested it, please describe your experiences! I'm curious as to whether I received a dud. If you haven't tested it, go hit something ASAP!
prin