Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: SOULMAN1012 on January 15, 2014, 11:43:00 PM
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A few of the players from my club met up tonight to play some darts and have a few beers and as normal we started talking about kit and bats then the subject if grains came up. Mainly how important is grain structure to you?
There was lots of divided opinion from players saying they don't care that grains really as no impact on how a bat will perform and that you pay twice as much for grains that are straight and even to others that swore grains equalled performance. Personally over the past year or so I have become less fussy about grains and also dead weight and more about pick up.
Just wondered does grains play a part when you pick a bat??
Discuss
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It used to make a difference to me it really did. Everybody openly wants a gorgeous blade to look at but as pointed out recently they are not necessarily the best performing!
Having seen the videos on here and spoken to a brand owner regular basis my next bat will be picked on performance above looks
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I guess they do a bit I can't deny it.
It more pick up and feel but I look at the blade and I like 7-10 grains and straight I do not like blemishes and I know it does not Guarentee me a good bat either.
Pick up and feel is essential but do it with gloves on and is my most important part of the bat.
Performance for me is tested 2 inches above and below the middle (coverage over strength of middle for me) then I take a look at the grains. I have turned down bats for looks I admit that but normally on pick up I can tell if it coming home with me
As for performance well if it is pressed well it half the battle but performance can for me only really be judge after half a season
The end out put anyway
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I think I gives me confidence when I look down and see some nice grains
That's just me though, but then again I prefer to pick a bat on feel!!
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i remember watching a youtube video on screaming cat bats a few months ago and Julian said bats with around 7 straight grains are the bats he likes. Was interesting considering alot of people have the more the merrier attitude towards grains.
personally i think 7 mininum just based on cosmetics alone i think timber in general looks better with some grains showing.
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what is the least amount of grains you have seen. I saw a 5 grainer from gabba cricket.
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There was a 3 grainer floating about on the forum for a while, was huge for it's weight.
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Fast(er)eddie has a 4 grain Tempo.
It's an absolute gun. It took a while to knock in properly.
We've got a few from our club who want it.
My best bats have had an unknown number of grains. Until recently I never bothered. It is all about pick-up, handle, and ping.
Grains don't sway my decision.
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3 grainer? How'd that tree grow so quick?
I've never really looked at grains that much, until I came on this forum, that is
I look at the same qualities etc as Procricket has mentioned, the wearing gloves point is a very good one.
I must admit though, a guy at my club has a M&H with about 16 arrow straight grains, and the bat is just one big sweet spot .
I always remember Duncan Fearnley bats having about 7/8 thick straight grains, playing very very well
The more and more I read on here, the more I think it is down to pressing?
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I used to believe the "more grains the better" however since joining CBF, I have lost all belief that looks means anything.
I am not bothered about grains, just performance.
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Anything around 8-10 is absolutely fine with me. they dont have to be spaced to the exact mm either. if a bat is pressed well then grains dont really become too much of an issue. it will perform regardless. with the lack of 12+ straight grained clefts available your going to start to see alot lower grained bats for G1. yes grains look pretty but thats not everything
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Never been a major concern to me personally, yes its nice to have something thats blemish free and looks nice when you cast your eye over it but thats not going to score you more runs.
Iv had a few bats that looked great but didnt perform so id much rather have something that scores you runs but may have 5-6 grains and a few marks on it and even when miss-timing a shot or toeing one than something that looks great but doesnt.
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Performance for me is tested 2 inches above and below the middle (coverage over strength of middle for me) then I take a look at the grains. I have turned down bats for looks I admit that but normally on pick up I can tell if it coming home with me
this is exactly what i look for in a bat. Grains wise as long as there are say 8 or more and no blemishes im happy
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Grains will always be pretty vital on the forum until someone discovers a way to measure 'ping'.
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Measure 'ping'?
I reckon, because woods natural, we are never gonna truly be able to accurately measure it. It's a feel thing anyway, , way too much mysticism about ping.
Now , how can performance be measured?? Again, is it possible? Or purely personal?
I wonder, if years ago, top class tennis pros had the same questions regarding tennis racquets ?
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I like a good amount. Gives you a bit of confidence.
I was once told, many moons ago, that a bat with a lot of grains is more likely to break than one with fewer. The one with more will perform better early on and the fewer grains will take a while to open up.
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Measure 'ping'?
I reckon, because woods natural, we are never gonna truly be able to accurately measure it. It's a feel thing anyway, , way too much mysticism about ping.
Now , how can performance be measured?? Again, is it possible? Or purely personal?
I wonder, if years ago, top class tennis pros had the same questions regarding tennis racquets ?
I thought 'ping' was perfrormance related?
I meant purely measuring the rebound from a bat, either overall or in a set area and quantifying it so they can be compared.
I like a good amount. Gives you a bit of confidence.
I was once told, many moons ago, that a bat with a lot of grains is more likely to break than one with fewer. The one with more will perform better early on and the fewer grains will take a while to open up.
Our old pro used to describe grainy bats as 'a blaster not a laster'.
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I'm in the 'less is more' club - 5-10 is fine for me
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Does less grains mean that the bat is more 'punchy'? somehow, I get the impression that less grains means harder wood..is that a correct assumption?
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I just like the grains to run straight through the toe. Confidence/placebo trick.
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Its is not as straightforward as saying I want X number of grains though, is it? I mean, there are other issues, such as preferences regarding heartwood, weight/pick up and all the other variables. In an ideal world I go for grainy bats - don't mind the odd blemish or wonky grains, I just like that the ones with closer grains go better earlier in the piece, which fits in with my going through three, four sticks a year!
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So it seems the general consensus is that grains do not make a real difference to us when we but a bat then,
What I have taken from the 20 odd replies is-
Straight threw toe is important
About 7 seems to be the minimum exceptable amount
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I not that fussy about grains as long as the bat performs but if picking just on grains I think its important to get the grain right though the Centre off the toe and I think around 8 to 12 nice even spaced grains and as straight as possible
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I like grains. The more the merrier
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I like grains. The more the merrier
Would you buy a bat with say 14 straight even grains with good pick up over say 7 straight even grains with excellent pick up?
I'm trying to see the overall importance of grains to the average buyer.
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Hmmm good question
Do we get to bounce a ball on it?
Or are you saying,buying just from pics etc
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I will go with ping of the willow, if the bat is responding excellent i will buy it regardless of how many grains it has ;)
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Would you buy a bat with say 14 straight even grains with good pick up over say 7 straight even grains with excellent pick up?
I'm trying to see the overall importance of grains to the average buyer.
My bats weigh 3lb plus, and I like them to pick up 3lb plus. So the "pick up" feel may be slightly different between us,
Im drawn in by grains first, as the bats I have with more grains seem to perform better IMO then the ones with less.
One of my b3 3stripe has 10grains, the other has 24!! They both weigh 3.3, the 10 grain picks up slightly better, but the 24grain one goes further when I middle it.
My team mates(the few that can use heavy bats) agree that the 24grain one is in a different league to the 10 grain one.
Yet both are g1 willow, pressed, shaped, finished and knocked in by the same people?
On not so much a level playing field, my 14grains g3 aldred, is far superior in terms of ping and feel to the low end gms, and ss I have in my collection(and I think there g2 too) that have 7or less grains. But that just could be down to Paul's bat making skills.
So because of the above, I am drawn to grainy grain grain bats,
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My brief to rob is simple.. The shape and profile I need and a performance bat.. Don't care what it looks like tbh
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Grains always catch my eye, it's not the most important thing, but I do like about 10. The thing that is more eye catching is the profile, I prefer one with a small amount of concaving, and a good and even willow distribution along the length of the blade and a decent sized edge. Grains aren't always important, but if I'm paying for a top end bat, I expect a good number, but not too many! (8-12)
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I think grains are only important if you are forking out the cash for a bat made from willow that is supposed to be very grainy, I.e. a top grade 1. Otherwise I'm happy to have something that isn't so beautiful. My instinct has great performance, but you wouldn't describe it as a looker.
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