I was an instructor for a department that used ASP batons. As a former Millwright I pointed out how friction locks were not able to stand vibration. They use Monadnock Autolock batons now. ASP was and still is a serious weapon. I skilled user could easily take out multiple attackers with ease. I still have a soft spot for the old ASP 26”. It’s served me well. ❤
I have the 26" ASP since 1999. I used sucessfully many times, including to control jail mutins. The friction lock failure is easily solved cleaning the baton with a good degreaser. Most lock failures are caused by lubrification or cleaning with WD-40 or similar.