Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: Blazer on August 22, 2012, 07:42:27 PM
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After seeing discontent over big branded bats bought blindly off the internet, What is the general opinion about online bargains ? Are they worth the discount you receive ?. Sellers like It's just cricket , cricket store online, Uzi sports gives you an accurate picture of the equipment , but the rest are very much hit and miss. I have been dissappointed by the bargains received more often than not.
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Surely that's a big part of the trade off. You take the risk for a better price. Maybe it's worthwhile paying that little extra to get what you want (and support out sponsors! :D )
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If I was you and your paying a lot for a bat then get of asad or IJC cause then u won't be dissapointed cosmetically
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Yeah, you can also ask their personal opinion on the pick up too and how it sounds off the mallet, which is about as close as you can get to buying a bat from a specialist store in person. I have done this with Paul for a Newbery Mjolnir 5 star, and I am very pleased with my purchase. Easily better than many of the bats I have spent more for in specialist retail stores! :)
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IJC and Uzi sports are exceptional cases of excellent service.
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i buy 90% of my bats online blind .........
i have had 6 bats (all limited edition alledgedly) from retailers and only liked 2 .... the 2010 MH Distinction and the 2012 Distinciton although it is a bit heavy
I have had about 10 bats from custom makers and liked the look of them all.
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IJC and Uzi sports are exceptional cases of excellent service.
agreed and i would add talent cricket in there too
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I do not like buying online if ism honest nothing beats the actual pick up trying it.
For me the idea is find a maker who has made for you and keep going there if the bats are good
I buy off here and through the forum but they tend to only last a week or two because the pick up is not what I really wanted
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Toenails,
What was the reason you bought your bat from Owzat?
I'll hazard a guess and say it was down to cost, the reason most people buy online.
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Well they were the only place to have one in my weight and they seemed good on the Phone so that made me go with them as I love the oblivion shape
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And cost mate
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I buy off here and through the forum but they tend to only last a week or two because the pick up is not what I really wanted
Pick up is the most important thing that worries me when buying online. GM's idea of indexing is brilliant but I am not sure of relevance as I once bought a bat with a pick up index of 1 but did not feel right.
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Pick up is the most important thing when buying a bat I think bar nothing
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Pick up is the most important thing when buying a bat I think bar nothing
Unless it's a complete and utter plank, however his is hardly ever the case so yes, I agree.
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Hard to test plankness in a shop though
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I have bought one bat online, a Salix Pod Players. When I first opened it is was unimpressed to say the least, although there were no blemishes or heartwood, there were only 6 grains and very wavy. However using it for the most of last season I am extremely happy. The ping is amazing! Returning did cross my mind but now I'm glad I didn't.
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Hard to test plankness in a shop though
Bounce a ball or tap it up with a mallet?
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Bounce a ball or tap it up with a mallet?
In Romida they let you use a mallet however they don't let you tap up balls as I think think they're afraid of the apparition of seam marks.
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In Romida they let you use a mallet however they don't let you tap up balls as I think think they're afraid of the apparition of seam marks.
Yeah I had this with the Romida in Maghull.
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In the states there's no option but the internet. I have lucked out in picking reputable places like IJC. I usually call them and get their opinion about pickup and request pictures to check out cosmetics. For performance and ping I just have to take their word for it.
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I have ordered all my bats online and every single one has been a stunner. I've got four bats through Asad - and I know trust his choice. I've also had a H4L which was great and Matt provides great cs. I guess the rule of thumb is get a bat from one of the forum sponsors here and you won't be disappointed - great community here.
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First bat I bought online was a SG cobra- best bat I have ever owned
Next two bats were from bulldog - fantastic bats even the basher which had 24 grains.
Then came a very sexy SAF which is perfect.
I then bought a heavy warsop but had to swap that as I just could not middle a ball with it. I swapped it for a Duck and Run 5* centurion which is almost exactally the same profile & weight as my SAF... :D :D
The internet is yet to let me down when it comes to bats... other things I have not been so lucky with.. Worst buy ever was a hair dryer for the wife, blew up in her hand and while I thought it was extremely funny :D she was not to impressed. ???
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The last 3 bats that I bought were all over the internet. Last seasons bat was bought before I new about the forum and wasn't really quite right for me. Now if I'm buying online I'll look at the forum sponsors first and discuss what it is I'm looking for with them before purchasing.
I bought my Shark and my L&W Heritage off Ryan that way, and with the latter is very useful to be able to read a number of reviews on it first.
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Thanks for starting this thread, Ajmal - very interesting...
Is there anyone on here that's bought bats online despite living within 5 miles of a cricket shop? It would worry me if there are such types - I suspect there are though...
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Thanks for starting this thread, Ajmal - very interesting...
Is there anyone on here that's bought bats online despite living within 5 miles of a cricket shop? It would worry me if there are such types - I suspect there are though...
I have game set and match 15 miles to the east and another shop in southampton but when you add the cost of fule and the very high prices of the bats its not worth buying from them...would use the forum or ebay before i used a shop unless said shop had a sale on..
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I have game set and match 15 miles to the east and another shop in southampton but when you add the cost of fule and the very high prices of the bats its not worth buying from them...would use the forum or ebay before i used a shop unless said shop had a sale on..
Frank, I think 15 miles is far enough to make an online purchase a good option, to be fair! Especially, as you say, if their shop prices are so high. It's interesting that they do this. Our bat prices are, generally, exactly the same in-store as they are online...
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Frank, I think 15 miles is far enough to make an online purchase a good option, to be fair! Especially, as you say, if their shop prices are so high. It's interesting that they do this. Our bat prices are, generally, exactly the same in-store as they are online...
I did pop into the shop a little while ago to try helmets and while they did have some nice bats the price was off the scale compared to what you can get on the forum and some times on ebay..
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Nearest cricket shop when I lived in Scotland was probably Penrith, goodness knows where the nearest to Oslo is.
Happy buying most gear online but prefer to have a feel of a bat when at all possible, hard to resist buying online when it's often around half the price though (nevermind trying to get to a shop)
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Thanks for starting this thread, Ajmal - very interesting...
Is there anyone on here that's bought bats online despite living within 5 miles of a cricket shop? It would worry me if there are such types - I suspect there are though...
I live just a couple of miles away from fordham sports in Kingston, but I find that hey are seriously over priced... The last bat I bought online was from Morrant, having gone down the road to Fordham's to test pick up etc of the bat I wanted! But when it comes to shoes pads and gloves, I need to buy in store as I like to check they fit.
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I have only ever bought softs online and would never buy a bat but then I am within driveable distance of Uzi Sports, M&H, Redback plus walkable distance to Ayrtek and don't have to pay for fuel so I guess I am lucky ;)
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bar steward :D
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bar steward :D
:D
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I did buy a bat online this year. the service was good, the bat was decent and well presented, but in use it was way too heavy. Totally my fault, and I could easily have made the same mistake in the shop as wafting one around in store is a bit different to using one in anger. On the bat in question the pick up was fine, but trying to cut or pull with it was a different matter.
During the process of taking advantage of IJC's Olympic offer, I initially expressed an interest in a different bat to the one I eventually bought. During the course of emails with Paul, I eventually decided not to go forward with my initial choice. This was totally down to Paul's honesty in assessing the bat in question (which I did eventually see anyway when I visited, and which to be honest I would NOT have been disappointed if I had bought it - it was a fair an accurate assessment). Having been tempted by the opportunity to get a substantially bigger bang for my buck, I visited IJC and made a purchase. Again, I would like to stress that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the bat that I rejected. It was very aggressively priced and excellent value, but in terms of performance it did come second, which was perhaps to be expected given the difference in price.
My final thoughts are that if you were to buy what might be classed as a boutique brand bat from a reputable internet source, you are probably less likely to come unstuck than if you picked a higher volume brand, perhaps due to quality control issues?
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I've only bought 1 bat online (ijc sale) and I'm very pleased with that - but as has been alluded to, I was very worried about what weight to go for and what the pickup was like.
This is what makes me a bit reluctant to order without being able to have a bit of a swing test beforehand! Luckily I'm vaguely near talent cricket so I can go and have a proper nosy at bats, although it depends what they have in! This does impact my thoughts about the more bespoke forum sponsors though as I'm unsure what to ask for and most are too far away for me to have any chance of trying out before I buy (i'm sure I will in the end though!)
In the case of shoes (and helmet when I get one) I need to try before I buy as I've got odd shaped feet & head!
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In the case of shoes (and helmet when I get one) I need to try before I buy as I've got odd shaped feet & head!
No offence but with a name like Duck, I'm not surprised you have odd shaped feel and head, and possibly a bill in there too? ;)
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No offence but with a name like Duck, I'm not surprised you have odd shaped feel and head, and possibly a bill in there too? ;)
:)
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Majority of my purchases have been made online or via the forum, now I have learned that there are some retailers who are better/trustworthy compared to others. But having said that it also depends on what you are buying, till fairly recently i used to believe that if you buy a higher quality bat than the chances are it will be good but lately i have seen some on the forum that have been disappointing...my experience is good but it comes with some bad ones too that i learned from quickly..
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Nearest Cricket shop to me is 80 miles away :(
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I'd recommend Talent Cricket in Loughborough. Myself and mate bought full kit from them in May. Really good service and prices were reasonable. We live in Brum and was the nearest good cricket supplier to us. Website is well organised and they are really helpful on the phone.
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Personally wouldnt buy a bat online as they could send you the thinnest bat with a load of knots in it as you don't get to see the pictures of it! And if you get it from eBay they could easily scam you. I'd like to feel the pick up, weight, etc
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Personally wouldnt buy a bat online as they could send you the thinnest bat with a load of knots in it as you don't get to see the pictures of it! And if you get it from eBay they could easily scam you. I'd like to feel the pick up, weight, etc
Yes they could! :o But come on let's be reasonable, a shop is not going to do this are they? No, they want your money so they aren't going send you a crap bat, they will send you a bat isn't going to not make you come again. And regarding the thing about if you buy a bat on eBay they could scam, yes, they could, you just have to find a reliable seller, whic there are many of! Oh and you say 'they' don't send you pictures, I guess you haven't dealt with It's Just Cricket and Uzi Sports, and probably many other places that give you pictures of the bat before you buy it.
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It's the waiting that kills you...
Yeh im inpatient, however I must say asad has done a very good job on answering my questions and quick postage ! Highly recommend him
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Yes they could! :o But come on let's be reasonable, a shop is not going to do this are they? No, they want your money so they aren't going send you a crap bat, they will send you a bat isn't going to not make you come again. And regarding the thing about if you buy a bat on eBay they could scam, yes, they could, you just have to find a reliable seller, whic there are many of! Oh and you say 'they' don't send you pictures, I guess you haven't dealt with It's Just Cricket and Uzi Sports, and probably many other places that give you pictures of the bat before you buy it.
Whoever they are they're not gonna get the best bat they have and send that one, because then the knotted and bent grained ones are on show in the shop! I know there are reasonable people on eBay, but if you feel you will risk it and trust someone based on "100% feedback" then by all means go for it. But in my opinion I wouldn't want to do that...
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The thing with online purchases is, for me, to make sure that you give very specific details of what you want - whether that be in terms of the exact spec for a custom bat or just an off the shelf one, you need to make sure that you have controlled as many of the variables as possible, as this gives you both a better chance of being happy with the eventual product and more of a comeback if that which arrives is not as it ought to be.
Personally, I have no problem with internet purchases - being a long handle or long blader it tends to be easiest to order precisely what I want/need rather than scratching around what is usually a p155 poor range of options in a shop.
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Personally wouldnt buy a bat online as they could send you the thinnest bat with a load of knots in it as you don't get to see the pictures of it! And if you get it from eBay they could easily scam you. I'd like to feel the pick up, weight, etc
You can return the bat within distance selling act if they did this.
I bought a bat from cricket direct online great price, but then they were horrible to deal with afterwards.
I think before buying a bat online, call them up ask about the bats grains, pickup, similar bats etc
If you get through to someone who gives you good customer service, I would wager the store would be reasonable (they would also be likely to remember your name on the order) if you can't get through to their customer service or they are not very helpful heed caution
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If you get through to someone who gives you good customer service, I would wager the store would be reasonable (they would also be likely to remember your name on the order) if you can't get through to their customer service or they are not very helpful heed caution
Most do - I've had good experiences with H4L, Black Cat, IJC, Morrants and VKS in this regard. Was less keen with my experiences of Fordham Sports, but even they were "okay"!
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Most do - I've had good experiences with H4L, Black Cat, IJC, Morrants and VKS in this regard. Was less keen with my experiences of Fordham Sports, but even they were "okay"!
Indeed most do, talent and IJC have been very useful for me.
But if you asked me to call cricket direct, i'd rather floss with barbed wire.
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Personally I don't need to worry about purchases from other retailers - if I wanted to go to a retailers I would go to Uzi Sports, or IJC or the like on here!
With the likes of the retailers on here, they will look after you plus easy to return the goods if required!!