Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: Dhiraj on June 09, 2013, 11:51:35 AM
-
last year ordered a Kahuna 600 from sportdirect. I was playing after almost 6 years. Oiled it,knocked it and started using it. It had a nice ping but soon when I started to snadpaper the edges I found the wood was a bit powdery. Also it was so dry that i would easily take 2 coats of oil and still feel a bit dry. Last week in the nets it just broke(thats the worst part) after playing 15 balls and in all I might have played say 6 to 7 games. It was 120 euros when I bought it last year on some discount sale.
Ofcourse some guy was bowling with not the best ball, but still for a grade 1 bat to crack like that, I was really disappointed. The bat broke from side of the handle to almost till middle on the inside.
Should one buy from these sites at all or should one never buy products on a clearance sale?
-
Kahuna 600's aren't grade 1.
This sort of thing can happen to any bat, at any time, willow is a natural product. The problem with sports direct isn't the products they sell, it's the level of service and knowledge of the staff. Also smaller retailers like ourselves or the other guys on the forum will go and hand pick the very best bats we can find to stock in our shops, sports direct do not.
-
Kahuna 600's aren't grade 1.
This sort of thing can happen to any bat, at any time, willow is a natural product. The problem with sports direct isn't the products they sell, it's the level of service and knowledge of the staff. Also smaller retailers like ourselves or the other guys on the forum will go and hand pick the very best bats we can find to stock in our shops, sports direct do not.
I agree with Jake. Instead the term smaller retailers it would be good to say specialize retailers. I have bougth some stuffs from you(Vitas) and Rematch, both of your service was excellent. Although I sometimes get lured to the lesser priced items :)
-
Kahuna 600's aren't grade 1.
This sort of thing can happen to any bat, at any time, willow is a natural product. The problem with sports direct isn't the products they sell, it's the level of service and knowledge of the staff. Also smaller retailers like ourselves or the other guys on the forum will go and hand pick the very best bats we can find to stock in our shops, sports direct do not.
Yes I completely agree. But it is sometimes so difficult to ignore the low prices. You just sometimes buy and hope they turn out atleast half decent.
-
What I would do mate, is write to Kookaburra direct, and explain what happened. They might be able to help if you explain that you've not used it that much. I had a big kahuna that was 2 years old that snapped i sent it back and they replaced it (twice).
-
What I would do mate, is write to Kookaburra direct, and explain what happened. They might be able to help if you explain that you've not used it that much. I had a big kahuna that was 2 years old that snapped i sent it back and they replaced it (twice).
can I do that? :o I bought this through Sportsdirect so will they even care?
-
Yeah mate I sent kook an email and they dealt with it. Quality customer service. Just tug on the heartstrings a little bit. They're very good!
-
My father would say "Buy cheap, pay twice".
There are many great retailers and small batmakers on the forum who will give you excellent customer service.
Have a browse around, but be aware that once you buy from one, you won't stop!!
-
We had a customer come in a week ago who'd bought a bat from Sports Direct and they'd covered up a big knot with a price sticker. This knot was right in the middle of the bat, and sounded very different off the mallet to the rest of the wood around it, so I was pretty sure performance would be affected. Lo and behold, the customer bought a bat from us and sent back his blemished Sports Direct stick. Those price stickers are a bit cheeky in my opinion! Even if there aren't blemishes behind them, why would you put a sticker on the most important part of the willow?!
-
Even if there aren't blemishes behind them, why would you put a sticker on the most important part of the willow?!
Because where we see grains and beauty, they see a profit margin.
Dhiraj, Sorry to hear about your bat, sometimes we don't know how long a bat has been sat in a store or a shop, so the bat could have been in somewhere in direct sunlight which could prematurely end up drying the bat out.
-
I have 2 Kook's that have both split/cracked at the bottom - They have both 4-5 years old but might send Kook some pics and see what happens!
-
Kieron_BT - I think that's being a bit optimistic :)
-
Although the post mentions bats from SD, but what you guys think about soft goods ?
I fully agree with buying bats from specialised sellers, but how about soft goods like gloves, pads etc. Many times there is a huge price difference which is hard to ignore ?
-
Although the post mentions bats from SD, but what you guys think about soft goods ?
I fully agree with buying bats from specialised sellers, but how about soft goods like gloves, pads etc. Many times there is a huge price difference which is hard to ignore ?
Personally when I see bats "made" for a SD price range then I assume the softs would be the same. The bags are certainly made from inferior materials. I haven't even considered a Slaz bat since I saw a "reduced from £200 to £70" bat that had a vinyl covering with a picture of grains printed on it. I just couldn't believe they would produce something like that, no matter the price range.
-
Although the post mentions bats from SD, but what you guys think about soft goods ?
I fully agree with buying bats from specialised sellers, but how about soft goods like gloves, pads etc. Many times there is a huge price difference which is hard to ignore ?
Softs will be absolutely fine as long as they aren't the 'exclusive to sports direct' etc ranges
-
Softs will be absolutely fine as long as they aren't the 'exclusive to sports direct' etc ranges
I agree. You just have to look carefully at the product you are going to buy. Buying from your local specialist retailer can be a good thing to do though because you will get much better service.
-
My father would say "Buy cheap, pay twice".
There are many great retailers and small batmakers on the forum who will give you excellent customer service.
Have a browse around, but be aware that once you buy from one, you won't stop!!
absolutely!!!! but I still dont learn :( the worst part is that it broke in the nets...would have been something if I had hit a six and then it goes plonk!!!
Anyways I will try my luck with Kookaburra, I still have the bills...thanks a ton guys for all the advice... I wish I had come across this forum much earlier :(
-
I never like batting in nets as the floor doesn't give, so the only thing that gives is the toe of the bat meaning it can do quite a bit of damage to the toe; I've had a couple of bats (different manufacturers) both do the same.
I've also had mixed experiences with Kookaburra! I had a Kahuna 300 (piece of crap but not a bad piece of willow for £100!) and that went and they replaced it straight away. Then moved onto an Ice 850 and that took the whole inside edge off and they messed me about saying they'd replaced it and it was on it's way, then it hadn't been seen yet and was awaiting repair before a fortnight had passed and after constant badgering, they admitted to losing the bat..! They gave me the value of the bat to spend where I bought it, but that's still not good! Not had a Kookaburra since!
-
How long should a bat actually last? And how do manufacturers warranty compare? I find it hard to gauge as one player could play twice a week and net every week and others like me currently don't make nets and play once a week.
-
I never like batting in nets as the floor doesn't give, so the only thing that gives is the toe of the bat meaning it can do quite a bit of damage to the toe; I've had a couple of bats (different manufacturers) both do the same.
I've also had mixed experiences with Kookaburra! I had a Kahuna 300 (piece of crap but not a bad piece of willow for £100!) and that went and they replaced it straight away. Then moved onto an Ice 850 and that took the whole inside edge off and they messed me about saying they'd replaced it and it was on it's way, then it hadn't been seen yet and was awaiting repair before a fortnight had passed and after constant badgering, they admitted to losing the bat..! They gave me the value of the bat to spend where I bought it, but that's still not good! Not had a Kookaburra since!
Thanks for the info. I am going to try my luck with them.
The issue is I got it from SD to Finland and I have to now find a local address to get them replace the bat if they can.
Not sure whether they would post it to Finland.
-
How long should a bat actually last? And how do manufacturers warranty compare? I find it hard to gauge as one player could play twice a week and net every week and others like me currently don't make nets and play once a week.
My bat lasted say about 6 matches max...and 10-12 net sessions. There was atleast no guarantee on this atleast I think so.
-
That's not long is it, I'd honestly expect 3 years from an expensive bat
-
Hi Dhiraj, how expensive was your bat? And did you manage to write them an email regarding this? Bats lasting for just 6 matches and 12 practice sessions should be of low quality.
-
Hi Dhiraj, how expensive was your bat? And did you manage to write them an email regarding this? Bats lasting for just 6 matches and 12 practice sessions should be of low quality.
And/or not fully prepared. I used to completely lazy preparing my bats and wonder why they always broke :-[
-
Me and mate got some bats in week, mates going to have to have a word tommorrow, kookaburra 600, was hitting balls for fielding practise earlier and its got two great splits in the bottom, the toe guard broke whilst he was batting too, he'd only hit a few balls in the air and that's all it had had, he's not happy, tempted to get a mallet as after reading and speaking to lads from both sides earlier new bats need at least 4-6 hours knocking in and I'd be shocked if shop had had time to do that before we picked them up.
-
Me and mate got some bats in week, mates going to have to have a word tommorrow, kookaburra 600, was hitting balls for fielding practise earlier and its got two great splits in the bottom, the toe guard broke whilst he was batting too, he'd only hit a few balls in the air and that's all it had had, he's not happy, tempted to get a mallet as after reading and speaking to lads from both sides earlier new bats need at least 4-6 hours knocking in and I'd be shocked if shop had had time to do that before we picked them up.
No shop will knock a bat in unless you pay them to do it, and if you haven't knocked it in then I'm not surprised that its broken! I'm sure the shop will look at it and see that it hasn't been knocked in too lol and tell you to go forth and multiply. Thats a seriously naive mistake to make as a cricketer! All bats need a little bit of knocking in lol
-
No shop will knock a bat in unless you pay them to do it, and if you haven't knocked it in then I'm not surprised that its broken! I'm sure the shop will look at it and see that it hasn't been knocked in too lol and tell you to go forth and multiply. Thats a seriously naive mistake to make as a cricketer! All bats need a little bit of knocking in lol
Talent cricket will knock in a bat bought in store FOC if you ask.
I've had one, my mates had 2 done which we bought there.
-
We sold and knocked the bat in question in. It is due back for an assessment today, most likely a straight-forward repair as the damage looks relatively minor looking at the pictures i have been sent. But if necessary it will be replaced.
Many bats nowadays come with some form of pre-preparation, and require less knocking in than many people think. Many people still hold the view that you must hammer away for hours and hours and hours. This was once the case and still is for some bats, but nowadays I would rarely find myself spending 4-6 hours of actual man hours on one.
Each bat is individual also, some are softer meaning they can be manipulated more easily (toe compressed, edges rounded off) whereas a harder bat will 'feel' knocked in quite quickly but will need a bit of time and brute force to get the edges and toe sorted.
The bat is question is very grainy so is statistically more prone to damage (almost instant performance at the cost of durability) compared to a bat with less grains (performance will come in time, but the bat is more likely to last)
The one thing we can never rely on is the willow itself. It is a natural product and failures can happen at any time during a bats life, i've seen £300 bats shatter when they face their first ball (the customers dad bowled it, making it all the more painful for the lad in question) and equally i've seen them last season after season. That's where great customer service comes in to help the distraught customer who's pride and joy has let them down early into its life.
We like to think we offer some of the best customer service around. Hopefully in a few days Kev (and his mate Ben, who owns the bat in question) will be happy with the outcome, and will be back to scoring runs on the weekends.
I'm far from an expert though, despite selling the things, knocking them in and repairing them every day.
We would never tell a customer to go forth and multiply ;)
-
We sometimes knock bats in for free. Depends on a number of factors though:
Has the customer purchased quite a few items/spent a lot of money? If so, free knocking in is a bit of a thank you to them.
Or, do we have a lot of work on at the time? Repairs, other knocking in etc? If no, we will usually knock it in for free if asked.
If we like the look of you (oooh, matron!) or we've had a good chat and a bit of a laugh you'll usually get free knocking in too.
Regular/repeat customers usually get lucky too.
-
Kahuna 600's aren't grade 1.
This sort of thing can happen to any bat, at any time, willow is a natural product. The problem with sports direct isn't the products they sell, it's the level of service and knowledge of the staff. Also smaller retailers like ourselves or the other guys on the forum will go and hand pick the very best bats we can find to stock in our shops, sports direct do not.
Nothing to do with hand picking bats or customer service more to do with that SG over dry Kook bats so they have massive edges and profiles for lightweights I have had 2 CA and 1 Kook bats all top models spectacularly break due to being way to dry.