Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: six and out on February 04, 2014, 06:28:05 AM
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hi all,
I have finally got the money together to get the new bat i need however, after being on the forum a while and seeing what a diverse group we have on here, players of all standards, retailers, manufacturers etc...
i am very interested to know people's thoughts and preferences on buying a bat either online or physically going into a shop and buying?
Paul, Jake, Asad - have you seen any trends in your customers buying there bats more online vs coming to see you in the shop etc...
Does everyone now feel more confident buying online then they use to be etc...
Myself personally have never bought a bat online because i wouldn't have the confidence to not be able to pick up the bat and feel what it is like before handing over a lot of money etc... However i am coming round to the idea considering some of the comments people have said about the forum sponsors on here etc...
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Do your research first.
Shortlist a few bats check if the store has them in stock then pay them a visit. Make a day out of it mate.
I bought my match bat online and absolutely love it. The bat I picked myself in shop, I did not get on very well with as it was too heavy. So you can go wrong when you pick yourself.
Just from being on forum I know quite a lot of people buy bats online but they usually ask many questions.
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I got my B & S Fireblade from Vitas last year via this site and their website and love my bat...literally!
If you have a decent cricket shop with a wide range of bats close by then probably worth a trip,but the online option opens up a much wider choice..
So,to sum it up....erm...up to you!
One thing I would strongly recommend is to communicate with the seller if you go for an online bat.
Exchange emails,get some pics etc.
Jake and Dusty were great ( and. Very willing ) to do so.
Hope this helps...
Another thing to do is post on here what your budget and requirements are and seek some friendly advice!
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I always recommend players to come and visit us and as we carry huge amount of stock they have a choice of going through different weights, brands, profiles etc.If I was buying a bat I will definitely visit the shop if there is a good shop available and people serving you have good knowledge of the product. We also have our customers who can't come to the shop for various reasons have confidence on me to come as close to their specifications.
We are seeing more and more people coming to the shop, sometimes travelling from quite far.
People who have visited us they can shed more light on the quality of bats we carry as well as the amount of choice they get when they visit us
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In the end, only you know what you like. If you ask a sponsor to pick you out a 2.9 bat which picks up like a 2.8, then they will pick you out a bat which THEY feel picks up like a 2.8. Thing is, our perceptions of pick up and balance vary quite a lot, someone's 2.8 could be another's 2.11! I can play with any bat really, I'm not good enough to notice much of a difference in my batting with a bat which picks up a bit heavier than the other etc. But having the right pick up for you does help, I think the bat which has felt the very best in my hands was the GM Flare OLE that Vitas have as a test bat!
Anyways, sorry to get off topic. The best thing to do is to go to a shop, pick up a few bats and then decide. :) Make sure you don't go too far out if your weight range, as the excitement can often make heavy bats feel like toothpicks! Also, if you can't decide, try picking up the bats with gloves on, as that is usually the deal breaker!
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Over the last 12 years all my bats have been bought on line but for my latest purchase I contacted Asad @ Uzi sports.
During last summer I found a shop in Petersfield purely be accident who had a selection of bats which I had a swing with and found one I really liked, but when I asked the the staff for the weight I was told that they could not tell me as the manufacture did not inform said shop >:( (more like they did not want me to go away and buy it on line) so I left empty handed.
So this season I contacted Asad at Uzi sports, told him what i liked and asked a million questions (Sorry Asad) to which he always answered in quick time and with photos of a selection of some mighty fine willow. He has since set a side the bat of choice for me in a weight I feel will suit.
So as others have said, find a shop and have a play... And if your like me shop around on line for the bat of your choice.
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definitely take your gloves with you - I was surprised at the difference it makes.
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I think we are gaining confidence in buying online. I do it a lot.
I hate the idea of buying a bat online - except I did it!
I read lots about what was available on this forum and then basically tried it. Personally I'm not fussed what a bat looks like, so a photo is enough. I don't understand how people can say its dead weight is this, but it picks up 2 oz lighter, this is really subjective, that's the hardest thing buying online, in my opinion. Middle, edge measurements, handle all seem to me to be interpreted easy enough online.
The other factor to me is, I don't have a reference point as I'm in Australia, not exposed to many of these brands. I found the responses on this forum really accurate - so good luck with it!
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I would trust one of the forum sponsors with picking my bat. I haven't heard a bad word about any of them. The fact that they hand pick their bats based on performance coupled with the fact I'm not big headed enough to think that I would know more about bats than someone for whom cricket is a profession would mean I would be more than happy to order a bat online through one of these guys.
That said, it is a lot of fun to go to a shop and pick up just about everything they have, something you obviously can't do on the internet!
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definitely take your gloves with you - I was surprised at the difference it makes.
This is a great advice, my beloved GM Epic goes from feeling a bit bottom heavy to perfect with gloves on.
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Always bring your gloves. If you don't i'll make you wear mine before you pick up any bats, and i can't promise any pleasantries with regard to smell/sweatiness ;)
13th man makes a great point. 'This bat is 2'10 but picks up like 2'8' is a statement i read/hear a lot. But going by the evidence presented, what is a 2'8 bat? If you have three 2'8 bats all of them will feel different, so which one of those does the 2'10 feel like?
A bat is the weight it is. It either picks up light, or it picks up heavy, and of course some bats will pick up 'just right' for the user.
The majority of our trade is through the door. I think this is because we haven't properly committed to the online world yet, also having a net in-store certainly helps to get numbers to the shop.
That being said, we do get a few online sales, and a number of people from CBF purchase things from us. I always try my best to pick out a bat that I feel suits the persons requirements. I am yet to receive a bat back because the buyer wasn't happy with what i had picked out for them.
I am always able to visit Kookaburra at a moments notice to select something specific for you if i do not have it in stock. We are 20 minutes down the road from them and we visit all the time. Exactly the same story with regards to Hunts bats.
Anyone who emails or messages me will get a response with pictures of suitable bats. As well as my thoughts on the performance/pickup etc. Is it better to pickup all the bats yourself with me next to you to answer questions? Of course, but it isn't possible for everyone.
Jake
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13th man makes a great point. 'This bat is 2'10 but picks up like 2'8' is a statement i read/hear a lot. But going by the evidence presented, what is a 2'8 bat? If you have three 2'8 bats all of them will feel different, so which one of those does the 2'10 feel like?
I concur.
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I had one local cricket shop I bought every bit of my cricket gear from for years but I got to admit, I prefer online shopping, bats an'all. Make sure they have a good returns policy and what's the worse case scenario, you spend £6 sending it back? Less than you'd spend in petrol.
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Totally agree with 13th Man and Jake regarding the "my bat picks up 2 oz lighter statements"
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Because it is such a subjective decision I've always made the trip to either the bat marker or shop.
I've bought a couple of bats 'blind of pick-up and feel' from the forum sponsors, but not match bats.
Would I buy a match bat without swinging it? Not sure.
I've bought guitars online and have ended-up sending a couple back because they didn't 'feel' right. It's such a subjective purchase it is very tricky.
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I have noticed that since we started to hand-pick all our bats, we have had a lot more online orders for bats. I also think our YouTube videos help quite a few undecideds or those who simply live too far away to visit our shop...
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I have bought a fair few bats online and from overseas (as it was alot cheaper than buying here in Australia) -these include off the shelf bats and custom made as well - can't say I have been disappointed yet. I think if they have a good reputation that should alleviate some concern. Also if online sales make up a decent portion of sales for a shop then you would expect them to be pretty reliable as they have a reputation to maintain. I'd personally go with only the dedicated cricket stores though, as you are much more likely to get something you like - since the staff tend to be more dedicated and knowledgeable and also more responsive. Bigger sports stores that cater to all sports (eg Sports direct in the UK or Rebel sport for example in Australia), its much more of a gamble in my opinion so in this case I would like to visit and pick out a bat.
It also helps if you know exactly what you are after, as you can convey that to the sales person (assuming they are knowledgeable enough - which is why I would stick to dedicated stores only), they can usually find you something that is right up your alley.