1. They bend easy af
2. It's can easily be used against you because;
3. You need to come within range of someone physically hurting you to use it (we're talking home invasion defense here, not street self defence).

The best thing to keep around is one you fel confident using, know how to use, and most effectively eliminates the threat. Hate to say it but gun is the only thing that checkes these boxes for me and most people unless they are trained in hand to hand combat and they get training and practice.

That being said. Baseball bat over a golf club all day long.

Edit: my point is; missed me with letting someone get close enough to touch me if I can at all help it.

So is someomg going to downvote me for something other than the gun reference? Like, doyou have better ideas? Is everyone karate certified? Oh right, it's reddit where we downvote without suggesting alternatives.