Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Forum News and Suggestions => Old Advertisers => Admin Board => Aldred Cricket Bats => Topic started by: Aldred Cricket Bats on October 07, 2013, 03:55:55 PM
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Just one of a couple of different shapes for a new company in New Zealand. He came to see me in the season whilst he was over here to have a chat and sort out what he wanted. A very good cricketer actually just trying to break into first class over there. I know a few were wanting bats with a spine to the toe so here you go here's one that's just been shaped.
(http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t472/Aldredcricket/47d5dc54bc7be586d8f4abdec4cc5ccf_zps91c8d817.jpg)
(http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t472/Aldredcricket/b3c694c45be27cd9c6c2b29bc7a58ec6_zpse509aa93.jpg)
(http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t472/Aldredcricket/f5ef0c228ece31182ccaeff346ecde46_zps36908412.jpg)
(http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t472/Aldredcricket/f019bb5d140deb86005ee29f69d42522_zps054f1a84.jpg)
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reminds me a bit of a GM Icon but the middle seems a touch lower and the edges reduced in the shoulder. Lovely stick!
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Ohh that is lovely.
Does the spine to the toe effect pickup much?
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I think it does but some don't. I think I just makes a difference to the quality of the pick up but that's just me.
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Really nice Paul, I would say you should run the spine to the toe more often! :) I'm sure he will be very happy with the bat!
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Looks a replica of one of my favourite bats a lovely shape that is I think buzz will like that too
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Well May we'll look to put something similar into a new range.
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By 'eck....that's nice!! :D
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What the weight of that currently mate 2-5 and a half ish??
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2-7 , 1 3/8" edges and high spine that particular one.
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You are making bats for other brands?
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Yes I make a few for a couple of people. Only small companies. This guy plays high level cricket in New Zealand and wants English made bats having been down the road of having Asian bats over the last couple of years. He has started his own label with a cool of mates that he plays with. He has been over here playing in the summer and came to pick out his willow having seen my bats around the area he was playing.
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Yes I make a few for a couple of people. Only small companies. This guy plays high level cricket in New Zealand and wants English made bats having been down the road of having Asian bats over the last couple of years. He has started his own label with a cool of mates that he plays with. He has been over here playing in the summer and came to pick out his willow having seen my bats around the area he was playing.
Name wasn't Pete was it?
Where abouts in NZ was he from if you don't mind me asking?
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Am afraid I can't tell you that as you may understand
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Am afraid I can't tell you that as you may understand
No worries mate. Might see a few around these ways in the future then.
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Been massively impressed by Aldred recently.
I think I know what my next winter willow purchase will be :)
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Oh shucks :-[
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Love the new shape Paul. Does this have a slightly higher middle than your standard shape?
Must say that both my Aldreds have been belters.
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Yes that particular one has but he wants some with slightly lower too.
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I do love this shape! Too late to change my mind?? Haha
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You could always buy another to go with it ;)
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That is very much the kind of shape I was asking about when I said about the spine running through the toe like a GN X181. It's like you read my mind, although would prefer less concaving myself. Very looking forward to see how this finishes. Can you post some pics when it's finished please Paul?
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Haha! Please don't tempt me! I now my first one will feel lonely, however might have to wait till next season :(
The reason I like this is because it looks like it will give that bit of extra strength at the toe, always been worries about duck bill bats loosing the GUN factor near there. However never heard any of your bats having a negative thing about them, so I am sure mine will be amazing!
Glad you are coming out with new designs, any idea what you might call this?
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How many people like butterfly stains in their bats? I can remember years ago a couple of companies making bats out of butterfly stained clefts and they were absolute beauties and looked great too.
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Warsop did that and possibly still do?
I find that clefts with those butterfly stains tend to be flyers!!
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Butterfly stains??
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Yes I seem to remember hunts county doing them and was there a company called butterfly bats? Going back a while. Showing my age now
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Warsop did a range as well if I remember
They seemed to be all rage years ago never had one myself but heard rumours they went well
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Butterfly stains??
“Butterfly Stain”, is so called as it resembles the wings and body of a butterfly. It is attributed to pruning and frost damage, especially by hard pruning of larger branches that causes scarring in the timber. Although most of the public do not understand the butterfly stain, it adds strength to the finished bat, giving longer life of the bat with much less likely hood of the bats breaking and i think it looks great.
Does that make sense?
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“Butterfly Stain”, is so called as it resembles the wings and body of a butterfly. It is attributed to pruning and frost damage, especially by hard pruning of larger branches that causes scarring in the timber. Although most of the public do not understand the butterfly stain, it adds strength to the finished bat, giving longer life of the bat with much less likely hood of the bats breaking and i think it looks great.
Does that make sense?
Totally! Thanks!
You can teach me about bats and I will teach you about social media! Deal? Lol
I am guessing this trend disappeared due to people wanting clean faces or 20+ grains. If you had a cleft with a butterfly stain now, how would you grade it, knowing they are pretty good in performance? Sorry if this if off topic.
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We'll it's something I would have to look at as with clefts now. How the bat looks and performs. If it's full of imperfections it would not be graded the same as one with a near perfect blade with the butterfly stain in it if you get my drift
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We'll it's something I would have to look at as with clefts now. How the bat looks and performs. If it's full of imperfections it would not be graded the same as one with a near perfect blade with the butterfly stain in it if you get my drift
Got it! I knew the word butterfly looked familiar! ;)
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http://www.handmadebats.co.uk/store/index.php?route=product/category&path=20_65 (http://www.handmadebats.co.uk/store/index.php?route=product/category&path=20_65)
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Blemishes and butterflies don't bother me.... Get some clefts dug out Paul. Lower grade bats as well so won't have to stump up as much either ;) :D ;)
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Warsop did that and possibly still do?
I find that clefts with those butterfly stains tend to be flyers!!
Warsop still offer a bat of this willow type and the say it his for the harder hitter and will take a little longer to reach maximum perormance. Still sold and advertised on the website as a butterfly bat.
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Hi all, my first post here. :D
Been admiring Aldreds' skill and this is another beauty.
I do like a bit of butterfly, can really enhance performance in the right place. I do have a Warsop Butterfly and where the wobble in the grain is, the wood is a lot harder. You could visibly see the areas around it compressing when it was being knocked in.
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Welcome to the forum.
Always a good post when you talk from experience :D
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JS Wright explain imperfections, including butterfly stains, very well.
http://www.cricketbatwillow.com/imperfections-in-willow (http://www.cricketbatwillow.com/imperfections-in-willow)
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I've always fancied a bat with a butterfly stain, but their not so easy to get a hold of.
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Yes I make a few for a couple of people. Only small companies. This guy plays high level cricket in New Zealand and wants English made bats having been down the road of having Asian bats over the last couple of years. He has started his own label with a cool of mates that he plays with. He has been over here playing in the summer and came to pick out his willow having seen my bats around the area he was playing.
Does this not compromise the integrity of your brand, Paul?
There was a time when pro's would actively seek out butterfly stain - in the same way they (possibly) do heartwood now.
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Does this not compromise the integrity of your brand, Paul?
There was a time when pro's would actively seek out butterfly stain - in the same way they (possibly) do heartwood now.
Why on earth would it question the integrity of Paul's brand? There are many batmakers who make for other brands, thing is, some brand owners like bats made made by a particular batmaker, so would want their bats. With that logic, pretty much every batmaker will have their integrity questioned. I think making bats is what Paul loves, so if this gives him the opportunity to make more, then why not?
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Why on earth would it question the integrity of Paul's brand? There are many batmakers who make for other brands, thing is, some brand owners like bats made made by a particular batmaker, so would want their bats. With that logic, pretty much every batmaker will have their integrity questioned. I think making bats is what Paul loves, so if this gives him the opportunity to make more, then why not?
I thought he was, er, different. Pretty much every batmaker should have their integrity questioned, in my opinion. In fact, hasn't Paul doubted other batmakers' integrity himself often enough?
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I thought he was, er, different. Pretty much every batmaker should have their integrity questioned, in my opinion. In fact, hasn't Paul doubted other batmakers' integrity himself often enough?
The only time you could question their integrity is if they bought in someone else's bats and tried to pass them off as their own. Goodness me, there's enough controversy about who has their own press, fits their own handles, grows their own willow etc. as it is. The bottom line is, if you like the work of a bat maker, buy direct from him. It's cheaper and you can get the bat made to your own spec.
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The only time you could question their integrity is if they bought in someone else's bats and tried to pass them off as their own. Goodness me, there's enough controversy about who has their own press, fits their own handles, grows their own willow etc. as it is. The bottom line is, if you like the work of a bat maker, buy direct from him. It's cheaper and you can get the bat made to your own spec.
Totally agree.
I don't really see what the issue is of Paul making bats for another company. If he can make extra profits go for it. He is pretty talented so the bats being made for the other company are not going to be rubbish, and will probably help the other brand grow. i would not be surprised if he is doing this for a favour as he seems like the guy that would.
I swear pretty much all companies do this - I doubt Tesco make their own extra special pasta sauce.
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Dear me. Let's all start discussing 'what is a batmaker' again shall we.... Do they have their own press?? Do they make from raw cleft or shape?? wonder if Pauls green grocer sells veg to others or just one pre set customer. Give it a rest!!
Grinds my axe this sometimes. Why question anyone for developing and expanding their business? I'm sure if anyone could make extra pennies and help someone else in the process they would. So what's different here to any other pod shaver, shaper, sander, finisher whatever you want to call it doing the same as say TK or the numerous other guys making for other brands or sourcing the raw materials etc.
Jesus. If only you knew how connected the majority of these guys were you'd realise that most bats are the same bloody thing anyway... The difference comes from the talented individual crafting it!!
No sponsor on here needs to prove anything other than what they can produce and that's exactly what they all do with the equipment that appears here. Members are spoilt rotten with what's shared here and I think too many times sponsors receive unnecessary flack
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And for the record.... I know jack all in comparison to a lot of the sharks/sharps on here ( dialect dependant on regional location). And because of that.. I'm Duncan Bannatyne
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Integrity questioned? Well yes your right I have questioned others at times as I do feel that a lot of companies out there mis sell. Many state or suggest hand made when they are not they are made on machines. That is something I question without a doubt and have no qualms over that. Am I damaging my integrity as a brand and business. Well as a business, how many bats do you think I have to sell a year to make this a viable option to make a living? 40-50 a 100 maybe. Well that would make it a part time job. That is really what it has been as I have had to make bats in the day and coach evenings to make a living. Ideally the bats would be the soul trade. As a new brand it takes a hell of a lot of investment to get set up and to keep adding to it. Can I as a brand walk into the business arena and command sales matching that of gm Slazenger or newbery no where near. It has been and still is a gradual build up. I can't run before I can walk.
So making for others how is it done. Do I import bats made abroad and claim they are made by myself? No. Do I claim they are all hand made and have them made on a machine? No. What a small company wants are bats made in the same manner as I make for my brand, by hand hand pressed and the same quality and performance as I make for myself. The same amount of affection care and love that I put into all of my bats put into theirs. If this is a way of helping me grow my business and still gather a great reputation as a skilled bat maker and make me a living out of, then great. I'm not looking to be a millionaire just to be happy making a living doing what I love doing. Is that compromising my integrity and honesty as a business and person? Well I will leave that for others to decide but as far as my future is concerned I think I am trying to go about things in the right way.
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It's the same in my trade, I'm a goldsmith running my own company but do repairs and commissions for retailers.
Some pass of the work as their own some are more honest and say "my chap in London" did it. I don't really mind even when they request their own makers stamp on the hallmark.
Very few craftsmen of any sort will only make and sell solely through their own outlets.
Aldreds' post just beat mine.
No, your integrity is in what you make. Everything as close to perfection as possible and it doesn't matter who wants to sell on your wares.
Keep up the good work.
:)
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Paul - I think only one person questioned your integrity. But all the replies that followed proves that it was not in question for others!
Generally, the quality of bats you have provided on here (I have spoken to a few members to get their opinion on the bat you sold them) have been excellent and I have only had positive feedback!!
So keep up the quality work!! :)
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Thanks for your positive replies. I just wanted to make the point that as much as we want to keep to every ideal at some point you have to think in a business frame of mind and find a way that is going to pay the bills. That's just an every day fact of life I a afraid
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I doubt Tesco make their own extra special pasta sauce.
And what a nice company they are!
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Generally, the quality of bats you have provided on here (I have spoken to a few members to get their opinion on the bat you sold them) have been excellent and I have only had positive feedback!!
So keep up the quality work!! :)
I agree, the finish of the bat I purchased from Paul was outstanding.
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I am of the general impression that Paul is a fine bat-maker and a good bloke. I was simply asking a question.