Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: sarg on December 31, 2014, 09:30:08 AM
-
Hi All,
My fascination with buying cheaper bats continues. This time I have purchased a Boss Menace from a forum member Gibbinscricket. I have also been given a Kookaburra Menace Long Blade to oil, so I thought, what the heck, ill post a few pictures and specs.
I had about six Boss bats to choose from and was allowed to grab a mallet and tap them up. I was least concerned about looks. This is pretty obvious as this bat is all Heartwood and has more than a few knots on the face. Yep this is definitely about personality not looks. This bat is 2.87 oiled and faced. I changed the grip to a GM Shock Absorba. The ping is immense on this bat and just like the other Boss bats I tapped up, well pressed. I didn't really want a concaved bat and could have gone with the Boss Assassin which is a fuller profile with a duck bill and offset edges, but the balance of the Menace was so good I could not resist. Im told its the Dharwan profile and made by the same bat maker. I don't know is this is true, but watching the test series with India, the resemblance to his MRF Genius is unmistakable.
So specs 70 mm spine, 41 mm edge, high spine runs back up the bat into a handle that is thick and oval at the base and round at the top. The Kookaburra in comparison is 60 mm spine, 38 mm edges. Round handle and a light 2.7. The Boss picks up nicer, but the balance of the Kooka is impacted by the long blade that moves the weight slightly further away from the hands.
The pressing of the Kookaburra is different and does not seem as nice with response only around the sweetspot. It will take longer to play in.
Price, well mine would be about $250-300 and I didn't ask what he paid for the Kooka. Its not really a comparison more a interesting to see two high middle, subcontinent style bats with the same name. Perhaps this is Beauty and the Beast. Enjoy the pics.
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/31/30e5366689966f91f9b7b3da0314013a.jpg)
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/31/0ef3f9b5f84c1d7062cff3bc09994d14.jpg)
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/31/3bc2804e7b7018f3fa8143ff1f313ca2.jpg)
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/31/8ad8b0ded81de004742e3b910a9b9026.jpg)
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/31/945bbbe719dc15adf66dc8ba8a0ab205.jpg)
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/31/8fa372214995ac63f9f7ffa308ec319d.jpg)
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/31/29f7566fabf040982a8867ff8d2e70f9.jpg)
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/31/0cf8bb3899cc7ff20575435dc3f8c99e.jpg)
-
How much did you actually pay for the Boss out of interest?
-
Can't really say. It was an offer too good to refuse. Mates rates.
-
Can't really say. It was an offer too good to refuse. Mates rates.
What's the reason for not disclosing it, has he asked you not to?
In my experience, when people ask you not to disclose price, it is probably because they want you to continue thinking you have had a great deal when you could have just paid the usual price.
A local bloke who gets his bats from Pakistan was selling very similar nice pingy bats for £70 - £90, just his usual rate.
-
Looking at the one in the picture, I'm amazed the RRP is $250-$300...
-
Your certainly keen on knowing what i paid, he's selling them for $300. I wouldn't have been able to afford that. I sold 3 of my bats for $305 and got a Slazenger V5 and this. The Boss bat came with a full length padded bat cover. The V5 is cosmetically superior.
Interestingly the finish on the Kooka was ordinary as i could see twirl marks from an electric sander on the edges.
As i said there were much nicer looking ones. That price puts it on par with lower grade big brand bats.
-
I'm glad you like the bat Sarg. After talking on this forum Sarg and I realized we lived about 5 mins from each other we caught up for a beer and talked cricket. I showed Sarg all my Boss bats when I first got them and Sarg introduced me to a few boys from his clubs looking for bats. I sold a bat to one and sponsored a high level batsmen at his club. Sarg isn't saying what he paid for the bat because I sold it to him at my cost. Sarg is a top bloke who talks about bats more than I do and as we play at different cricket clubs I thought it would be good to have someone else showing off my bats.
-
I'm glad you like the bat Sarg. After talking on this forum Sarg and I realized we lived about 5 mins from each other we caught up for a beer and talked cricket.
Just that bit there is why - despite the idiots and the occasional in-fighting - this forum is such a brilliant place.
Don't worry nerds - WE ARE NOT ALONE!!!!
-
Knowing the price just puts feedback in to perspective. Not bad for a bottom range bat and as long as you get runs that's all what matters in the end.
Just out of curiosity are you running two brands i.e. boss and gibbins?
And did you know that kook have a bat called menance?
-
Gibbins is my last name. I was originally looked at doing my own bats and softs I was going to use my last name as the brand name. I got a few samples and didn't like the quality of any of the bats I got, I spoke to Mark who owns Boss (via this forum) and got a couple of sample bats and they were amazing. Organised to become a rep for my state and started getting bats in. Nothing beats having 15-20 bats and being able to pick which one/s you want after ping and pickup testing.
I'm not on the forum anywhere near as much these days. Back 6 months or so ago I was working for a company who made me redundant. Obviously during the time between being told we were going to be made redundant, and being made redundant, I did no work and spent all day on this forum.
Sarg and I actually play each other in a couple of weeks, I look forward to admiring his bat and also sledging him non-stop.
-
Interesting and hope all works out for you.
-
Sledging! I hope we bat all day then in 39 degrees. Lol. Just on the bat i used it last game and although i was spaced out on medication i made 18 no with it partnering a young lad who made his first half century in seniors.
The first scoring shot was a timed pull shot which rocketed past mid wicket to the boundary and then some distance down the road. Second shot was a hook shot off their angry opening bowler. Caught the inside toe, but still made it to the boundary along the ground. The rest of the innings i got singles ant gave my partner all the strike.
I had a massive reaction to a tranquilliser i took the previous day and didn't realise we only had a few overs left, so i was blocking and leaving balls like i was opening the innings at the end of the innings . Bloody embarrassing!
We won easily.
-
Where in OZ are you lads from?
I wish australia wasn't so big so we could have net sessions from time to time like our pommy mates on here!
-
Adelaide. I play for Hectorville and Gibbinscricket plays for Hope Valley in the ATCA C2 grade.
-
Ah ok mate. Bit too much of a road trip from Tamworth I'm afraid!
-
Of course I'm going to sledge! Prepare for lots of 'that bat is too good for you', lots of commentating on your batting and perhaps an old corny 'I've seen better batters at a fish and chip shop'. :D :D Hope I get to face your bowling too, then it could be on for young and old. I have no idea where I'm going to bat though, I've batted 1, 3, 5 and 9 this year. I'll be pissed if I'm batting at 9 again.
-
Well as I'm captain I'll bowl to you unless it's too hot for me or you don't last the over.
If you sledge too much while I'm batting ill just signal for my mongoose or V5!
Keep safe during the bushfires today. Smoke in our area this morning was worrying.
-
Just found out the Kooka cost $400. Its not $150 better bat.
-
Had a mate come over to pickup some refurbs i did for him. Bearing in mind he purchased my V100 G4, he tapped up all my bats and was super impressed with the Boss Menace particularly below the stickers where he could not get over how good the bat pinged up top.
I didn't tell him the bat weights and he picked up each bat.
He didn't think the pickup was as good as my Fisher Custom or Slazenger V5, but like the Mongoose Torq which is 2 oz heavier. Its a subjective thing. He thought the V5 and Fisher were the same weight and the Torq same as the Menace.
I explained to him the weights were almost 1 oz apart for each bat- 2.8 Fisher 2.9 Boss 2.10 V5 2.11 Mongoose Torq. . Interesting
-
It's strange that whilst most club cricketers understand the importance of pick-up and balance vs dead weight, the first question I often get asked is "what's the weight?" or do you have one in 2.7lb.