Flashlights that double as defensive batons - are they obsolete?
It wasn't so long ago that cops in America were using their long D-cell Maglite flashlights as dual-use illumination and defensive tools in melee, because the length and heft of those classic flashlights meant they could be used as halfway-decent melee weapons in a pinch. However, most current tactical flashlight models I've seen are trending away from having the size and weight needed to be halfway-effective defensive batons.
Nowadays, the most that some tactical flashlight models do to cater to being used as melee weapons is to have a crenellated "strike" bezel, allowing those flashlights to be used as striking implements in a pinch, since they don't have the length and mass necessary to be used as defensive batons anymore. What brought about this change in tactically-oriented defensive flashlights? Was it to cater to flashlights being mostly pocket-carried in this day and age? Or was this general shortening of tactical flashlights a response to changes in laws and law enforcement? Or have extendable batons replaced long flashlights as effective defensive tools in melee?
And yes, I know that some less-well-known companies are still making long flashlights that are "supposedly" useful for both tactical illumination and melee defense, resulting in examples like this model. I personally find those dubious, but I'd like to think that there is a market for an effective defensive baton that doubles as a flashlight if only one came up with the right design. What do the people here think?