Not sure where to post this, so I am posting here…

Self defense baton
Something compact, that telescopes… that can be carried in a bag or a vehicle
Hard and heavy enough to protect, break a car window in emergency, etc…

Looking to spend less than $100

Recommendations?

Thanks

ASP is the standard and the small ones are < $100

https://www.thehomesecuritysuperstore.com/collections/asp-police-batons

eta- I've seen grown men strike car windows with them repeatedly without breaking them. They make a end cap just for glass breakage.

https://www.copsplus.com/21-p21-belt-clip-on-baton

They are a better leverage tool than they are as an impact weapon. Check your state laws.

Asps are OK for what they are, but it is funny to watch one get bent beating on a window, then watch the window shatter with a little piece of ceramic.

Nothing beats old hickory.  You’d be surprised how little damage collapsible batons do.  A cudgel or a sap is a better weapon.

So what would you recommend then?

What is a better weapon for self defense and something that can break a car window in an emergency?

Like another poster said above, be sure to check your state and local laws. In TN, for example, it is a crime to carry a club (to include an ASP) with the intent to go armed. It is a defense against prosecution that the individual is a licensed security guard, or anyone else, who holds a certificate of training in the use of the baton from a certified instructor.

A coin purse full of quarters for the parking meter.  
http://www.meangeneleather.com/product-category/coin-purses/

No affiliation, he just makes quality products that get recommended here and I may or may not know someone who may or may not have dissuaded a persistent drunk bum from harassing him (no, it wasn't me).  

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE- you don't just wail away on somebody with any sort of striking/impact weapons (unless you're crazy or a beserker), you absolutely need some level of training to use one effectively without killing someone (or the proverbial coloring books for Christmas).

Batons suck. And without training, most people are just going to swing them at a person’s head, which is lethal force anyways.

Was issued an ASP when I was a cop.  Did not work as advertised. Do not recommend.

Old Hickory or Tonfa

A cudgel or a sap…

Check these out? Good stuff

The ASP is pretty much useless for anything other than touching things you don’t want to touch and the glass breaking end cap. A window punch and a hickory tire thumper will do more work for cheaper.

Collapsible batons are useless.  Get wood or a sap if its legal where you live.

I second this. As a LEO for 30 years and Baton instructor for 20 plus, I find ASP, MEB’s useless. I carry one as it’s mandated, and only use it for rooting around piles of stuff I don’t want to touch. Broken a couple windows with them as well.

Exactly! Plus  as I understand it, IF you are holding it you now have a deadly weapon. How are you going to articulate (in court) that you were NOT enough in danger that you shot, but WERE in danger enough that you felt OK introducing a club vs extracting from situation? Cops get them(and tasers, and OC, and bean bag rounds, and radios ect) because they are supposed to arrest people, and do so with a state provided license and qualified immunity. *prosecutor voice*   "OP, a private citizen elected to carry an "offensive weapon" to inflict pain and close with others..."  

If you want a window breaker and a self-defense tool, get a tac pen(quality, cheap ones don't have carbide tips and won't break windows as well) they are SOLID aluminum or steel metal pens with a larger than normal girth(maybe 1/2 inch) refillable, and a carbide tip on top, writing point is tapered to be a striking implement. BUT it is all a "pen" so it isn't a "weapon" if it comes to having to use it, and you ar'nt lugging around a club.

A flashlight.

Not a fan of batons unless you're starting off in Kali Armas Martial Arts where wood ones are good to start with for training before you advance to learning how to use knives.  However, for that purpose just having normal wood training batons (use eye pro) for clacking sticks or dummies is good to go and nobody would use a metal one for that purpose.

I don’t even carry the baton I’m issued. If you want a less lethal option OC is far superior, especially in court afterwards. If you need to break a window an automatic center punch is smaller lighter and you can stab with it if you’re really in a bad spot.

The best batons are the RCB peacekeepers and the Bonowi batons. That or an LED 5 cell mag light.

Some LEO can sound off here, but I was thinking more on this topic and I'm wonder whether LEO are still seeing the Baton as a viable option for riot control?  Part of me thinks that just use of a decent size riot shield would be better, seems like you could push some folks pretty good with one of those without delivering too much force to one body part that would risk serious injury to a rioter.  

I would think the training with a riot shield in force on force could actually be a lot of fun. Hell of workout I'm sure.

I don't see the point unless you are going to take some Escrima classes (and if you do, get ready to get your pride beaten out of you by a tiny Philippino dude - At least for me it was some learning by bruising!)

To echo what the others have said, I've been a cop for nearly 20 years and have never once seen an ASP perform as advertised. We were issued and ASP and a side-handle PR24, and I forbade my probationers from carrying the ASP as their sole impact device. I ALWAYS made them carry the PR24.

You're better off keeping a multi-cell Maglite in your car.

There is only one friction lock baton that is worth a shit and unless you're a cop or security guard they won't sell it. It's the Rapid Containment Baton by Peacekeeper. It's front heavy, the weight is in the striking portion not the handle. An ASP, Casco, or Monadnock, even the ASP Talon or Monadnock Autolock (including the PST, though that does help) are balanced with too much weight in the grip instead of the striking portion. Think about a hammer. Where is the weight?
A baton should be either evenly balanced or have a slight bias towards the striking end.

The Benowi is a good choice, but only available from one source in the US and is almost double what you're looking to spend.
The old, discontinued, Monadnock MX-24 is a decent one, but longer than you're looking for. Same for the thicker MX-24 (especially with the "nylon" or aluminum shaft). They are like 13 inches collapsed.

There are two reasons that batons have fallen out of favor. The vast majority of the ones used in the US are just not effective. The other reason is that they look bad and can lead to lawsuits. Especially with the less effective ones... multiple ineffective strikes look very bad in court.

You're better off carrying a 5C or 4D cell Maglight with an LED conversion. Then you'll have a bright light AND an effective striking instrument.

Please find a class on how to use them though. A baton can be both lethal and less lethal depending on how it's used.