Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: Vulcan Cricket on December 02, 2012, 04:04:38 PM
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Ok what do you look for in bat and why. Blade shape ??? Grains? Handle shape. Stickers ? Cost ? And do you want performance or durability or a mixture also do you think warranty
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After seeing the bats of yours yesterday, a vulcan :)
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...someone wants a discount!!!
First the bat has to be a shape I like. I'm not mega fussy, but a do always go for a low swell. I'm also not a massive fan of concaving. Next the pick up needs to be nice, preferably to the point that it makes me say 'WOW!' - I think handle shape helps play a part. I don't look for anything in particular, it just needs to feel nice.
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Pick up and performance is critical to me as got to feel right in hands
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...someone wants a discount!!!
First the bat has to be a shape I like. I'm not mega fussy, but a do always go for a low swell. I'm also not a massive fan of concaving. Next the pick up needs to be nice, preferably to the point that it makes me say 'WOW!' - I think handle shape helps play a part. I don't look for anything in particular, it just needs to feel nice.
I've got a bat off him Johnny :)
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I'd say feel first; if it doesn't feel right then your not going to be comfortable using it. This covers balance, pick up, handle and swell position. Then performance and finally grains.
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Have to agree with Nath, picking the bat up and seeing if it feels comfortable is a big part and a big advantage if you can do so. Because if you don't feel comfortable with the bat then you won't play well with it IMO.
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Pick up first, this to me is the most important factor closely followed by the handle size and shape being oval and not to chunky, then grains, edge size etc to me is a nice bonus but pick up and handle feel in the hands are the things i look for in a new bat
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Willow, Cane, rubber
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Willow, Cane, rubber ha ha ha
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Willow, Cane, rubber
But your gm is cork right?
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Oh you!
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tough one. I like heavier bats - around 2lb 13 through to 3lb 3 - and the key things for me is that a bat picks up well without picking up too well because the weight is there because I need to feel some resistance. I prefer a higher number of grains, in an ideal world I like a small amount of heartwood on one edge, and I like stickers that are smart rather than gaudy.
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Something with normal edges
I try to use the middle of the bat
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Something with normal edges
I try to use the middle of the bat
me to iam not fussed by edge size bat about 2lb 10oz i love butterfly willow not every ones cuppa light ish pick up well blanced mid to high middle and oval ish handle one grip and a well made handle
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cost/edges/ping
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Anything Canadian willow :)
On a more serious note, traditional shape, pickup very important, couldn't care about looks as long as they perform
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I find it's mostly down to how it feels in the hand. Pick up and balance mainly then handle shape. It's surprising how much weight you can get in a bat without it feeling 'heavy'. After that, it's the sound of the blade, the reputation of the bat company and information given from the seller (supposing they are knowledgeable). I am not too worried about the shape or number of grains too much and the stickers can be removed if I don't like them.
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I think we are fooling ourselves a little here.. I reckon 90% of bats sold on this forum are bought on looks...
How many sale threads are there when someone says "ooooh looks a beauty" and then bang it's sold...
No-one here is buying bats off the forum on pickup and feel and balance... I'd say more looks, edges & profile first and then hope it picks up great
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I think I have a few things I look for, in this particular order:
English willow
Size - As long as the bat is the same length as a regular short handle
Profile & concaving - Middle cannot be too high. I look for anything from low to mid, occasionally mid-high, and no concaving is preferred. If there is any concaving, it has to be only very slight
Handle shape - Must be oval. I think this might just be from reading about oval handles. I'm sure that if I didn't read about them and the benefits, I reckon I would be perfectly happy to use a round handle. Also, the handle has to be relatively thick! I don't like handles too thin.
Weight - I used to look for bats around 2.7-2.10, with 2.10 being really heavy, although I now generally look at slightly heavier bats now, but will be happy for anything between 2.8 to 2.14, with 2.11-2.12 being the ideal weight. Funny thing is none of the bats I would consider being my match bat fall in this ideal weight range at the moment! The 2.14 I use actually feels alright for me to use, if anything, it feels just a tad heavy. Bat speed isn't quite up to what it used to be when I used a 2.8, but it actually limits my shots to the ones I'm good at, and I can actually pull the ball now. Cutting is not easy with a heavy bat for me though!
Looks - Too grainy can put me off, and too much heartwood can too, although I did just buy a Talisman with 18 grains and more than half heartwood :-[ Generally, I look for all sapwood and anywhere between 7-12 grains, with 8-10 being the ideal range. Would happily buy bats with 4 grains if I really liked the profile!
Pricing - Has to be a good deal, or a fair pricing at least. Mind you, I used to get all my bats at RRP at my closest cricket retail store... An Adidas Incurza club for £200 when it came out... :( Good bat, but not a good or fair pricing for it!
Stickers - Despite this being the last thing I look at, this can put me off if I'm honest!
Those are all the things I generally look for when I'm buying bats. If I'm going for bats crafted to your specs, then I'm slightly different, but generally along the same lines as this list! I can be a pain in the ass to work with! 8)
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I think we are fooling ourselves a little here.. I reckon 90% of bats sold on this forum are bought on looks...
How many sale threads are there when someone says "ooooh looks a beauty" and then bang it's sold...
No-one here is buying bats off the forum on pickup and feel and balance... I'd say more looks, edges & profile first and then hope it picks up great
What percentage of forum users bats are actually bought through the forum though? I bet a good proportion are still picked up first
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What percentage of forum users bats are actually bought through the forum though? I bet a good proportion are still picked up first
I'd say a high percentage are bought either through the forum or from an online store or, as the form name suggests, are ordered custom made
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I'd say a high percentage are bought either through the forum or from an online store or, as the form name suggests, are ordered custom made
That may be true, but if you see how many are being sold either new or barely used, the bats bought online end up not feeling right in the hand and sold on. They may be bought on looks, but if they're not comfortable to bat with then they are not what they're looking for in a bat.
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Something that isn't mentioned too much, but a bat that does not take my wallet and blow it to smithereens.
But yeah, a bat that feels alright, that I swing about, play all my normal shots with. Normally has to have a well defined oval handle, mid-middle, perhaps a little bit higher.
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That may be true, but if you see how many are being sold either new or barely used, the bats bought online end up not feeling right in the hand and sold on. They may be bought on looks, but if they're not comfortable to bat with then they are not what they're looking for in a bat.
Exactly... Pickup and feel is very important but what I am saying is that the looks seem to take over our brain and make us buy on impulse
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I'd say a high percentage are bought either through the forum or from an online store or, as the form name suggests, are ordered custom made
I'd have to agree with Number4 here. I would be interested to see how many members who identify pickup and feel as one of their top priorities in a bat, have bought a bat online in the last 6 months, without picking it up and feeling it first. You have to be honest now :)
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I'd have to agree with Number4 here. I would be interested to see how many members who identify pickup and feel as one of their top priorities in a bat, have bought a bat online in the last 6 months, without picking it up and feeling it first. You have to be honest now :)
Guilty as charged
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My last two purchases have been online, both instances I have bought bats unseen, after giving my specs for weight, shape, pickup I always say I don't care what it looks like as long as it goes. The one bat I have bought for looks is the laver signature which I won't use anyway :)
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And how many have either sent back or sold on those bats because they don't like the balance? Guilty as charged...
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Until I joind the CBF i never looked for anything, I just found a bat on line I thought would do the job and bought it in the weight I wanted. Since joining the forum I seem to be looking into every aspect of the bat, grains, edge size, handle shape....but it seemed to have no effect on my batting so might have to go route 1 again.. :)
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Spot on number 4 any bat off here is not bought on feel or anything bar looks
Maybe the odd mm nice profile and handle shape
So is the bradman for sale yet
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Spot on number 4 any bat off here is not bought on feel or anything bar looks
Maybe the odd mm nice profile and handle shape
So is the bradman for sale yet
No chance mate that bat ticks all the boxes for me... Just lucky I guess
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Until I joind the CBF i never looked for anything, I just found a bat on line I thought would do the job and bought it in the weight I wanted. Since joining the forum I seem to be looking into every aspect of the bat, grains, edge size, handle shape....but it seemed to have no effect on my batting so might have to go route 1 again.. :)
Spot on, I second that!
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Never bought a bat in a shop, not bothered about shape/profile. Only criteria I look for now is an oval handle. Not overly keen on heartwood, from a looks pint of view.
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Pick up and balance first. Usually something around the 2.12-2.14 mark. Mixture of performance and durability then looks. Don't care what a bat looks like, so long as I can get a fair bit of use from it and it performs well
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I've bought two bats via the forum, one from Paul at IJC which I went to view as it was a substantial investment. It turned out to be a bat of real character and very heavily discounted. The other was purchased on photographs only, but I had an inkling (since confirmed) of the provenance, which at the price made it a huge bargain. It had been used in a bat off on here and had been marked well if unspectacularly (perhaps due to comparison with some of the other bats?). Anyway, I can't speak for the performance yet, but in respect of pick up, handle, etc. it exceeded all expectations, in fact, it felt 'right'. So I think I dropped very lucky. Obviously I'm also hoping for great performance too, but so far there's nothing to make me feel that it will be lacking in that department.
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I'll buy a bat on stickers alone! ;)
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I'd have to agree with Number4 here. I would be interested to see how many members who identify pickup and feel as one of their top priorities in a bat, have bought a bat online in the last 6 months, without picking it up and feeling it first. You have to be honest now :)
Must just be me then, despite being on here for a while no blind purchases. One off Asad in store, went to meet Gary for the Redback and am looking to go to H4L for a Tempo this week as long as the motorways don't play naughty like the m4 today >:(
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My ideal bat must be handcrafted by shogun unicorns, pickup must be so light that it feels like it has negative weight. I'm not too fussed about grains or edge size as long as it has no less than 50 grains and 65mm edges and 50 grains and 100mm spine height. Any forum sponsors who care to sort me out or do i need to take a trip to my local elf circle to see my special batmaker?
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My ideal bat must be handcrafted by shogun unicorns, pickup must be so light that it feels like it has negative weight. I'm not too fussed about grains or edge size as long as it has no less than 50 grains and 65mm edges and 50 grains and 100mm spine height. Any forum sponsors who care to sort me out or do i need to take a trip to my local elf circle to see my special batmaker?
I think you might need to give Gandalf or the Wood Elves a ring mate!
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I think you might need to give Gandalf or the Wood Elves a ring mate!
Looks like it ._.
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just call 0800 222 222 or visit www.santa.co.uk now ;)
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pickup, oval handle, profile. If it picks up like a feather, feels could in my tiny hands and looks like a tree then it works for me :) Having seen some Vulcan sticks at the weekend, they looks pretty good and everybody came away praising them. I'm still convinced a sticker change and maybe a re-brand would send sales through the roof.
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pickup, oval handle, profile. If it picks up like a feather, feels could in my tiny hands and looks like a tree then it works for me :) Having seen some Vulcan sticks at the weekend, they looks pretty good and everybody came away praising them. I'm still convinced a sticker change and maybe a re-brand would send sales through the roof.
i thinking about a reband on the stickers maybe one set and see what happens with that
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something classy I hope. The choice stickers looked good.
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something classy I hope. The choice stickers looked good.
i got a mate working on some thing
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I may be in the minority here, but the first thing I look at is the price of a bat. There's no point falling in love with a £400 bat when I have no intention of spending that much.
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i got a mate working on some thing
Yer something classy would look mint! Saying that I do LOVE the Ares stickers
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Yer something classy would look mint! Saying that I do LOVE the Ares stickers
any suggetsions what you would think look good
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I could have a litle play around and send you it mate if you want? I'm rubbish with designing things on the comp so would do it my pen etc if that's cool??
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Give it ago m8
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I was thinking something including the vulcan bomber? not sure if something with that could be incorporated into the design mate?
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could be a big bat the vulcan bomber ;)
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Sounds like a plan mate