Custom Bats Cricket Forum

Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: Kieron_BT on January 16, 2014, 11:30:23 PM

Title: Charlie French
Post by: Kieron_BT on January 16, 2014, 11:30:23 PM
Ok so ive been looking at Charlie French bats for a while now and they look very, very nice and a very good price. I also live in Sheffield so can go over to the shop but just wondering what peoples experience with the bats are like?

A mate of mine has just become a part sponsored player for them but hes not got round to using the bat yet apart from indoor.

i have an unused RK bat im wanting to sell for about £65 so this will be up soon to help with the purchase (unless anyone here makes me think otherwise)

All views welcome!
Title: Re: Charlie French
Post by: lazza32 on January 17, 2014, 12:16:13 AM
Great bats. Slightly harder pressed than i am used to but top value for money. Look out for the bats of the month you can pick up a real bargain.
Title: Re: Charlie French
Post by: Johnny on January 17, 2014, 06:02:44 AM
I have an agents account with Charlie. Really nice bloke and produces some great bats. He won joint 1st (with H4L) at the Northern bat off held a few years ago. Agree that he's great value for money. He went through a phase of producing bats with a really flat toe, which was a slightly quirky shape, but I had a lot of custom orders with h that requested the spine through to the toe, and he seems to have now incorporated that into his standard shapes.
Title: Re: Charlie French
Post by: tim2000s on January 17, 2014, 06:28:49 AM
The Hosk has a lovely one that I've had the pleasure to use a few times. Really nice bat.

Sent from my HTC One mini using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Charlie French
Post by: toenails97 on January 17, 2014, 07:22:15 AM
There used to be a little porter cabin, on the grounds of Philadelphia CC (smiley has played there for he league); anyways Philadelphia is 10 minutes from me so I bought a CF Recurve a few years ago and that was a good bat although it didn't have much wood in it
Title: Re: Charlie French
Post by: Johnny on January 17, 2014, 07:55:34 AM
The Goal's (a.k.a. The Hosk I presume) was the one at the Northern Batoff
Title: Re: Charlie French
Post by: FvanN on January 17, 2014, 07:57:50 AM
The only CF bats I have seen have been on this here forum and they all looked very very nice.. 
Title: Re: Charlie French
Post by: trypewriter on January 17, 2014, 08:01:22 AM
I think Pedals has experience with CF bats too.
Title: Re: Charlie French
Post by: Giraffe208 on January 17, 2014, 08:05:13 AM
A team I played in the summer contained 3. 2 absolute guns and one plank! Although the "plank" was being used by a less than high class batsman!
Title: Re: Charlie French
Post by: trypewriter on January 17, 2014, 08:06:12 AM
A team I played in the summer contained 3. 2 absolute guns and one plank! Although the "plank" was being used by a less than high class batsman!

Feeling his pain - I can turn anything into a plank... :(
Title: Re: Charlie French
Post by: ajmw89 on January 17, 2014, 08:07:36 AM
Our 1st XI caprain had a cf. Not sure what one, but it was so hard pressed that there was no response to it
Title: Re: Charlie French
Post by: smokem on January 17, 2014, 08:17:11 AM
I bought one for my brother some 18 months ago when I first joined the forum. It felt pretty nice with a mallet but it felt so-so in the nets. I kept netting with it in an attempt to get it to open up but to no avail. So I handed it to my bro and said "here you go mate" and a year later it turned into a gun. Nice big sweetspot and very nice ping. He says it's the best bat he's used! I didn't believe him so I had a net with it and it had become a completely different bat!

Moral of the story - be patient with it and give it a decent 6-12 months before passing judgement. Probably true for most bats... :)
Title: Re: Charlie French
Post by: Giraffe208 on January 17, 2014, 08:22:18 AM
Moral of the story - be patient with it and give it a decent 6-12 months before passing judgement. Probably true for most bats... :)

That's literally the most offensive thing I've ever read on here! ;)
Title: Re: Charlie French
Post by: smokem on January 17, 2014, 08:27:18 AM
That's literally the most offensive thing I've ever read on here! ;)

Last post before my ban then?.....  ;)
Title: Re: Charlie French
Post by: smilley792 on January 17, 2014, 08:32:20 AM
Our opener has one. It hasn't slot of wood in it, very traditional shape. But goes like a gun.


Strangely though, he's bought a kookaburra menace to replies it just as it's peaking???
Title: Re: Charlie French
Post by: Johnny on January 17, 2014, 08:33:56 AM
Smokem -  Seem to remember that bat being a stunner, though it was a 2nd attempt - first one didn't turn out so well :(
Title: Re: Charlie French
Post by: smokem on January 17, 2014, 08:38:07 AM
Smokem -  Seem to remember that bat being a stunner, though it was a 2nd attempt - first one didn't turn out so well :(
Yeh mate, some issues with the first one but my brother is super happy with the 2nd. Thx for sorting it all out mate! :)

Would definitely consider another!
Title: Re: Charlie French
Post by: Kieron_BT on January 17, 2014, 09:31:41 AM
Thanks for all the replies guys, some really interesting comments.

Think i'm going to go for it!
Title: Re: Charlie French
Post by: e4sby on January 17, 2014, 11:18:21 AM
Definitely go for it, Charlie made me on last year, he wasn't happy with the response of the first bat so made me another.

Even Procricket was impressed with the bat.

Agree with Johnny about the flat toe, he seems to have moved away from this with his new shapes