Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Companies => Custom companies => B3 Cricket => Topic started by: The Doctor on February 10, 2015, 09:36:22 PM
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Hi All,
Read a few topics on willow grading and thought it would be worthwhile to describe how we grade and what we look for.
Before I start, I have to say that grading is very subjective and definitely in the eye of the beholder, and as Willow is a natural material you will get variance from the clefts that I will show you below, but for me these are good examples of each grade. If there is any doubt, we will down grade to the next stripe.
I have tried to show a range of densities also, the lower the grade the higher the average density, tat said you obviously get variance in densities across the grades.
Grade 3 / 1 stripe
(http://i58.tinypic.com/2vwdblt.jpg)
A 1 stripe will have a minimum of 4 grains – if it has 4 or 5 grains I would expect the face to be relatively blemish free. On the other hand we do get 1 stripes with more grains with blemishes on the face.
Grade 2 / 2 Stripe
(http://i58.tinypic.com/16kilt.jpg)
A 2 Stripe will have a minimum of 5 grains, and again if it has 5 or 6 grains I would expect the face to be blemish free, you can get a higher number of grains but these will contain a few blemishes.
Grade 1
(http://i57.tinypic.com/2v9slqv.jpg)
A 3 Stripe will have a minimum of 7 grains with no blemish / pin knots in the playing area. You can get anything up to 30 grains, but these are becoming increasingly rare.
The beautiful thing about what we offer is that you can select what type of willow you prefer – if you are lucky enough to be able to make it to the factory you can go through all our willow stocks to find the one that is right for you. If you can’t make it in, just let me know what you like and I will take a picture of a selection of clefts that you can choose from.
And finally – found this beauty when grading the last lot of willow we had in……
Forum Special
(http://i58.tinypic.com/rjmrlc.jpg)
£350 if anyone wants it……..
Streaky
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@The Doctor , how do you gauge performance of the willow? By performance, I mean rebound/ping/bounce off the face. Is it possible that an ugly G3 will hit the ball further than a pretty G1?
Regarding forum special, how big an edge and spine can you get out of that cleft? I can handle 2-12/2-13 weight. 42 mm+ and 72mm+ dimensions?
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Don't normally ogle pics like that,, but there's something about that special
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@The Doctor , how do you gauge performance of the willow? By performance, I mean rebound/ping/bounce off the face. Is it possible that an ugly G3 will hit the ball further than a pretty G1?
Regarding forum special, how big an edge and spine can you get out of that cleft? I can handle 2-12/2-13 weight. 42 mm+ and 72mm+ dimensions?
For a 72mm spine it would need to be an oversized cleft. And I'm not sure this is.
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the lower the grade the higher the average density
Is this purely down to supply and demand, or do you believe lower density provides another benefit?
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I have to say that the G2 @ 384 on the left of the pic looks rather super.
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For a 72mm spine it would need to be an oversized cleft. And I'm not sure this is.
Chris is right - you would need an oversized cleft for that, and unfortuantely this is just a standard sized cleft.
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why dont all clefts get cut to oversize (75mm height) and then the option is there to make an even bigger bat?
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@The Doctor , how do you gauge performance of the willow? By performance, I mean rebound/ping/bounce off the face. Is it possible that an ugly G3 will hit the ball further than a pretty G1?
Regarding forum special, how big an edge and spine can you get out of that cleft? I can handle 2-12/2-13 weight. 42 mm+ and 72mm+ dimensions?
There are alot of old wives tales about what grain is best, however after years of research I have found a pattern against grain structure and performance. This said however as wood is a natural material - you will always get clefts that break all the rules and show characteristics that a higher spec. cleft should show. We at b3 will only down grade on performance, so all of those lucky people - (I was speaking to Smiley about this today) who have lower grade bats that go like the stink, well done! So if we find a 3 stripe that doesnt play quite as well, we will downgrade it to a 2 or possible a 1 stripe.
If only we could grade on actual performance rather than aesthetics...... If, lets say for example, I might have something up my sleeve that could guarentee performance regardless of what it looked like would you mind? I, coming from a motorcycle background wouldn't mind riding a rusty bike if I knew it was the best..... just a thought, and would really like your thoughts.
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why dont all clefts get cut to oversize (75mm height) and then the option is there to make an even bigger bat?
Jeremy has gone into this in quite some depth, but in a nutshell, if you made bigger clefts your yield would be reduced per tree and cleft prices would increase. I think he quoted a 20 - 25% increase in cost if my memory serves me correctly.
Streaky
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I have to say that the G2 @ 384 on the left of the pic looks rather super.
There all for sale......
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If only we could grade on actual performance rather than aesthetics...... If, lets say for example, I might have something up my sleeve that could guarentee performance regardless of what it looked like would you mind? I, coming from a motorcycle background wouldn't mind riding a rusty bike if I knew it was the best..... just a thought, and would really like your thoughts.
I guess it depends on what you mean. If you can get all bats to perform well and equally then the market would not pay the same price for an ugly one. But if you meant that you got an ugly one that you can gurantee will out perform most other bats then yes looks don't matter, having said that skeptic in me would never pay 400 for that bat simply because there is no way of proving a claim of performance and there has been a lot of those claims in past..
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If the bat market was turned on its head and all bats were graded on performance, would it not effect the average cricketer as they are priced out of purchasing a great performing bat which could of been £150 when graded on looks?
Instead of him buying his ugly but good performing £150 bat a year, he has to settle with a £150 good looking but underperforming bat that may not perform as well as his ugly bat. In turn, the rich kid turns up with his £500 wand and already has a performance advantage over the £150 man.
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I guess it depends on what you mean. If you can get all bats to perform well and equally then the market would not pay the same price for an ugly one. But if you meant that you got an ugly one that you can gurantee will out perform most other bats then yes looks don't matter, having said that skeptic in me would never pay 400 for that bat simply because there is no way of proving a claim of performance and there has been a lot of those claims in past..
Fully Agree, and completely understand your scepticism. What I have in mind would remove all the old wives tales and would scientifically grade on performance alone.
I also agree that you couldn't charge the same price for 2 bats if they were of equal great performance if one was a tru 3 stripe and the other a 1 stripe.
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There are alot of old wives tales about what grain is best, however after years of research I have found a pattern against grain structure and performance. This said however as wood is a natural material - you will always get clefts that break all the rules and show characteristics that a higher spec. cleft should show. We at b3 will only down grade on performance, so all of those lucky people - (I was speaking to Smiley about this today) who have lower grade bats that go like the stink, well done! So if we find a 3 stripe that doesnt play quite as well, we will downgrade it to a 2 or possible a 1 stripe.
If only we could grade on actual performance rather than aesthetics...... If, lets say for example, I might have something up my sleeve that could guarentee performance regardless of what it looked like would you mind? I, coming from a motorcycle background wouldn't mind riding a rusty bike if I knew it was the best..... just a thought, and would really like your thoughts.
Personally, I would happily take a bat that had a blemished face, non-straight grains, hard bars and other spots but went like a cannon. People that I play with, many sub-urban dad weekend cricketers with (average 1.5) kids, middle-class lives and long list of groceries to shop after the weekend match, would also take a bat that performed but was an "ugly betty" or as you say, a "rusty motorcycle" and was cheaper priced. I believe there is a sizable market for a high performance/high value (cheap) bats. We have seen grading on Butterfly bats, regular G1/G2/G3s so why not a "ugly betty" or "rusty motorcycle" grading system for cheap, high performing clefts?
Just to be clear, you are saying that there is no identifiable grain structure that guarantees performance. And, when you grade clefts, you are taking into account performance and aesthetics? Is that accurate?
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If the bat market was turned on its head and all bats were graded on performance, would it not effect the average cricketer as they are priced out of purchasing a great performing bat which could of been £150 when graded on looks?
Instead of him buying his ugly but good performing £150 bat a year, he has to settle with a £150 good looking but underperforming bat that may not perform as well as his ugly bat. In turn, the rich kid turns up with his £500 wand and already has a performance advantage over the £150 man.
Also a good point!
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We at b3 will only down grade on performance, so all of those lucky people - (I was speaking to Smiley about this today) who have lower grade bats that go like the stink, well done! So if we find a 3 stripe that doesnt play quite as well, we will downgrade it to a 2 or possible a 1 stripe.
Always nice to talk bats streaky, thanks for the chat and thanks for the coffee too. Top service.
What I take from the above statement is, a 3 stripe will always perform, so well worth the cost as it isn't a gamble, but for those lucky enough, there are gems in the lower ends to be found.
Hence why I have 2 butterflies, and a 1 stripe that fly, but non fly like the massive 3 stripe I dropped back off for a repair today.
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Not all club cricketers have 400-500 USDs to spend on a high performance bat. The most I have seen people spend is USD 350 and this is the younger group. 35+ age group is thinking twice about anything over USD 300.
There is a market for "high-end" gear and vanity is a powerful driver. I am not going to name names but there is a bat maker who makes a few dozen top of the line bats and charges USD 700 for those bats. They sell like hot cakes. But there are only "few dozen" a year made and are quite a status symbol which means only a "few dozen" or less people own them. Kinda like red Ferraris. There are also Honda enthusiasts out there and they are a BIGGER market.
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@The Doctor
How do you test your bats for performance?
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All that will happen is the price of a £450 will stay the same but you may get one that looks like a £90 and you get the mick taken out of you by those who are less informed
If anything won't these special bats be even more expensive as performance is guaranteed?
Also will refunds be available if the user thinks its a plank and has bought a £100 bat for £450 because scientifically it's a good performer?
I'm not convinced, setting yourself up for a big fall if these performance bats turn out to be dud. At least now it's a lottery and the individual properties of each willow can be blamed
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@The Doctor
How do you test your bats for performance?
At the minute the old fashioned way - with a ball. If it goes through the roof, its a three stripe....
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All that will happen is the price of a £450 will stay the same but you may get one that looks like a £90 and you get the mick taken out of you by those who are less informed
but surely the micky taking will stop when they keep on fetching the ball….
If anything won't these special bats be even more expensive as performance is guaranteed?
let’s not forget it wouldn’t just be the ugly ducklings that will have performance guaranteed, also there would be downgrading on performance also, so you’d get some beautiful looking bats in the 1 stripe range
Also will refunds be available if the user thinks its a plank and has bought a £100 bat for £450 because scientifically it's a good performer?
Absolutely, we would put our money where our mouth is.
I'm not convinced, setting yourself up for a big fall if these performance bats turn out to be dud. At least now it's a lottery and the individual properties of each willow can be blamed
The idea behind it would be that you remove that unpredictability that using a natural product brings.
This is just an idea at this stage, and just really using this as a market research platform to see how the “idea” would be received. I think it’s safe to say that the jury is out at the minute….
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Interesting idea Streaky.
A performance/aesthetic index model could satisfy everyone:
1) Those who aren't interested in looks but are purely performance focused can pay less for an 'ugly' bat with great ping
2) Those who just want a lovely looking blade but aren't really bothered about performance too much can pay the same low price as punter 1
3) Those who want the best of both can pay a premium for it
4) Those who want looks balanced with decent performance can pay a mid-range price
That way, your £150 batsman won't be at a performance disadvantage to your £400 man - it's just that his bat won't look as nice.
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That way, your £150 batsman won't be at a performance disadvantage to your £400 man - it's just that his bat won't look as nice.
Which is pretty much how it works already, aside from buying blind on the internet of course.
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Any predicable industry accepted way of measuring performance would just drive up the average price. It would legitimately allow a supplier to charge more for those ugly bats that perform. Pretty bats that don't will command less. The average will go up though as I suspect currently "most" expensive bats preform anyway the lost value for suppliers is in the many many ugly bats that perform.... You know as a supplier they perform but it's hard to charge the price they could command when looks are the main driver.
Don't get me wrong. I'm only interested in performance so assuming the method was robust I wouldn't mind paying a premium on an ugly stick to ensure ping. Likewise I would hate to spend 4/500 quid on a pretty stick for it to turn out to be a plank.
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At the moment Any supplier that finds a way to index performance would have a great market advantage.
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Quick question Sir.
How would you take account of the fact that bats mature (improve) with use at different rates . Some slow starters develop, into exceptional bats.
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I'm guessing that those bats that ping from the word go will also fetch a higher price than those that might (or might not) open up later on. So in theory, you could get yourself a very pretty stick that doesn't immediately ping for a low price, but turns out to be a cannon midway through the season. Or you could end up with a nice looking plank.
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I think so many of you are missing the point.
What I think trying to be said is this
Research has been done on various grain structure and performance and there are patterns in terms of performance.
Now yes wood is a natural product with natural variation but not as much as you would have though.
Now what where saying is with out "Ready Press" system we can get most bats performing better from the off because quite a lot follow a scientific pattern and the fact we press every cleft differently we can almost produce a "optimum Press".
Have you ever wondered why some people aware by 6-10 grains because most people set up there press that way because it's the common denominator.
This is all work in progress but what where trying to sort is a real way of grading performance because there too many variables.
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Crivens. This has gone right over my head... :-[
Have you ever wondered why some people aware by 6-10 grains because most people set up there press that way because it's the common denominator.
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Substitute aware with the word swear.
Have you ever wondered why some people "swear" by 6-10 grains because most people set up there press that way because it's the common denominator.
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Just sounds like a way of offloading grade 3-4 bats etc at premium price.
If the next couple of years supply of willow suddenly produces a mass of grade 1 willow, the 'performance' will cease to exist and it will be back to grade 1 willow is the best.
Probably in excess of 95% of cricket bats made if pressed correctly will perform exactly the same.
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Just sounds like a way of offloading grade 3-4 bats etc at premium price.
If the next couple of years supply of willow suddenly produces a mass of grade 1 willow, the 'performance' will cease to exist and it will be back to grade 1 willow is the best.
Probably in excess of 95% of cricket bats made if pressed correctly will perform exactly the same.
You mention it sound like offloading lower grades for money what about the other way selling higher grades for less too.
You say 95 per cent if pressed correctly should be the same but how many people actually press uniformally to how many press because that's what the cleft needs to being out the best in it.(Many so called bespoke makers do press all the same exactly no matter what cleft).
Clefts are different but there is a pattern and pattern is what we are looking for. It in its infancy currently but if you look at say our bats from 2 years ago to say now you will know the difference.
We are not trying to reinvent the wheel just change how the gears work with that wheel.
I have been doing so much research around and the truth is consistency is not there from alot because they just keep doing what they do they do not evolve.
This is all work in progress by the way but it shows the levels we are going to because in my eyes and others there too much chance when we feel there does not need to be.
And as for the grade 1 comment Rob look around i guess in the last 2 and a half years we have become (Uk based alone) i would have though in the top 6 users of clefts in the Uk we less than others worry about getting Grade 1 willow.
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I've no idea how all the bespoke bat makers press there bats, to find out you would have to spend time working with them otherwise your speculating on there process.
Let's be fair we've all commented on threads when someone has bought a grade1+bat that was sold to them as performance, which is way of offloading a lesser grade of bat.
I've bounced the ball on my 1 and 2 stripe and can't tell any difference, hence why I'm sceptical on how a bats performance can be truly measured but I'm on here for learning about willow and look forward to hearing all about this
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No speculating anything mate my study is with big brands and small brands because there is simply not that many people pressing bats.
Agree about the point about learning about williow pal.
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On a slightly different note I'll like to bring a bit of science in it, though I don't know 99.5% of it so would be a question to @The Doctor & @procricket B3 and other bat makers.
Last to Last year I was knocking in one of my bats which I feel performs very well from word go and is softly pressed. I was knocking my bat in one of the cricket grounds with a mallet and there was a store room/room sort of around 50 mts away. While knocking the sound the bat was producing was very nice and I could hear it reverberate very strongly from the room and the sound which reverberated was very sweet as well. The sound was reflected very strongly and I felt it was because the bat had very nice vibrations (ping). The sound was so strong that my mates asked me to stop knocking as they din't want to hear the sound so high which is coming in twice (and multiple times after fading). The bat which I felt was not that well performing didn't sound so good & didn't had such a good reflective response from the room and the sound would die sooner. What I want to say is can we bring in Physics here and and measure "Frequency" (or in our words ping) emitted by the bat while hitting with mallet (like we used to measure when a tong was hit on a rubber slab in our school life). The better the frequency or more the vibrations better the ping would be or the frequency should give a suggestion how well or bad a bat will play.
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Fully Agree, and completely understand your scepticism. What I have in mind would remove all the old wives tales and would scientifically grade on performance alone.
I also agree that you couldn't charge the same price for 2 bats if they were of equal great performance if one was a tru 3 stripe and the other a 1 stripe.
Very keen to know what you've got up your sleeve Doc, I am a geek wannabe on the inside, "you had me at science" ;)
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Just sounds like a way of offloading grade 3-4 bats etc at premium price.
If the next couple of years supply of willow suddenly produces a mass of grade 1 willow, the 'performance' will cease to exist and it will be back to grade 1 willow is the best.
Probably in excess of 95% of cricket bats made if pressed correctly will perform exactly the same.
The motive for my research is not to offload grade 3 - 4 bats, rather to ensure the performance of our bats. But this thread has shown one thing that it is not as simple as I thought and really appreciate your thoughts. I do however think there is some merit here and it has never been B3's ethos to follow the crowd, instead to lead the way (hopefully).....
I love a challenge.
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You could just sell the low grades cheaply but garentee performance.. That might just tempt people into buying them instead of a big brand
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You could just sell the low grades cheaply but garentee performance.. That might just tempt people into buying them instead of a big brand
Don't we already look at our prices we where the cheepest butterfly and not far off cheapest lower grades.
Also I use lower grades as well as higher and performance has been great in all grades because we press each cleft.
I guess unlike streaky I'm the other side practical not scientific I guess the test man and I have tested around 10 bats all different grades and different pressing.
We take the same care in butterfly as we do crown
I like this debate it like going back 6 years on the forum gets people actually talking about Willow
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On a slightly different note I'll like to bring a bit of science in it, though I don't know 99.5% of it so would be a question to @The Doctor & @procricket B3 and other bat makers.
Last to Last year I was knocking in one of my bats which I feel performs very well from word go and is softly pressed. I was knocking my bat in one of the cricket grounds with a mallet and there was a store room/room sort of around 50 mts away. While knocking the sound the bat was producing was very nice and I could hear it reverberate very strongly from the room and the sound which reverberated was very sweet as well. The sound was reflected very strongly and I felt it was because the bat had very nice vibrations (ping). The sound was so strong that my mates asked me to stop knocking as they din't want to hear the sound so high which is coming in twice (and multiple times after fading). The bat which I felt was not that well performing didn't sound so good & didn't had such a good reflective response from the room and the sound would die sooner. What I want to say is can we bring in Physics here and and measure "Frequency" (or in our words ping) emitted by the bat while hitting with mallet (like we used to measure when a tong was hit on a rubber slab in our school life). The better the frequency or more the vibrations better the ping would be or the frequency should give a suggestion how well or bad a bat will play.
The "ping" is a different research area altogether.
I should add that noise alone of the "ping" although associated with perormance has nothing to do with how far the ball goes, and this has been scientifically proven in golf.
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love this thread.
I have been thinking about it on my 4 hour journey home. The business man in me thought your consumer would love a performance index but as B3 you will never be able to buy willow based on it. If it really worked then the danger is you end up with willow you can't sell because it doesn't "perform".
What i assume is the mass Bat making suppliers have to assume that some willow will just be a plank... it runs through the production line and ends up in the market place... maybe someone will buy it... maybe if they do they will complain, but iekly they won't.
If as B3 you create a meaningful way of determining performance then you have a perfect foil to promote your own brand and 100% customer satisfaction.. which is priceless. If as B3 you also produce for other brands then you also have the perfect avenue for moving willow. Its a great business model.
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So here is an interesting curve ball to chuck into this one.
I have two butterfly bats made by B3 and Hunts. I also have a custom GM made in Robertsbridge by, I believe, a mr Chris King. What all of these bats have in common (I understand from the manufacturers) is pressing specific for the cleft, and all go really, really well, to the extent that people all comment on this aspect when they are used.
What this suggests to me is that if you can press to a pattern, I.e. optimally for each cleft, then you can get the beat out of each and every cleft. There is one issue with this, and that is that to do this consumes time that isn't available when mass producing.
I fully understand where the Doc is coming from on this. If you can determine a pattern for how willow should be pressed then you can guarantee, within bounds, what the performance should be. Whilst each cleft *is* different, the overall variability of a selection of clefts is likely to follow a normal distribution which will make it much more straightforward to identify patterns amongst cleft characteristics.
David, I'm happy to play guinea pig in any sort of blind tests you are considering setting up. I think I get the theory and I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
I don't think achieving your aim will be your biggest issue. I think overcoming a sceptical public that has been sold "performance grading" for a number of years by a wide range of batmakers will be your biggest challenge!
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The majority of presses I've seen, have been of the basic hand wheel and screw type for the pressure adjustment .
Which is fine when your pressing clefts individually and adjusting pressure when required.
I think the Charlie French press is hydraulic which would suggest an optimal pressure could be set ,(through experience )
And clefts could be run through without the need for constant checking.?
To be honest , this is the one part of batmaking that seems to have gone backward over the years.
At the moment. The lottery with bat selection, is leading to the lack of trust across the industry
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The "ping" is a different research area altogether.
I should add that noise alone of the "ping" although associated with perormance has nothing to do with how far the ball goes, and this has been scientifically proven in golf.
I didn't want to bring the noise into picture, I was rather interested in highlighting bat vibrations. If yhe bat vibrated well (not the handle vibrations) but the sweet spot vibration. I feel how well & effortlessly a bat vibrates defines how well a bat plays. But I know how amatuer I am in talking clefts and its properties.
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I didn't want to bring the noise into picture, I was rather interested in highlighting bat vibrations. If yhe bat vibrated well (not the handle vibrations) but the sweet spot vibration. I feel how well & effortlessly a bat vibrates defines how well a bat plays. But I know how amatuer I am in talking clefts and its properties.
This is another area altogether and again something that we are investing heavily into, but quite separate to this topic of grading willow on performance as opposed to aesthetics.
The sweet spot by definition is the point of no vibration and not an area. The position of this point is dictated by the bat design rather than the properties of the material used. There are also a couple of other things that we are looking at which can narrow the playing area but increase the COR - for the professional player or widen the playing area but with lessen the COR (ideal for me....)
Streaky
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The sweet spot by definition is the point of no vibration and not an area. The position of this point is dictated by the bat design rather than the properties of the material used. There are also a couple of other things that we are looking at which can narrow the playing area but increase the COR - for the professional player or widen the playing area but with lessen the COR (ideal for me....)
oooh now this becomes really interesting... and possibly a little bit mind bending!
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This is really interesting. In golf this is well established - hackers want very forgiving clubs, pros clubs are much harder to use, but hit further with perfect connections.
I think I time the ball quite poorly for the amount of runs I score, so I'm always tempted by a GN scoop type bat as, at least in my head, they should be more forgiving.
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And on this point, I don't really like my current bat, an mh solution (really low middle), because it seems to have a very small, but very powerful hitting area.
I seem to be hitting fewer 6s than before, but far more absolutely huge 6s. Its seems very all or nothing. Either that or its just in my head.
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oooh now this becomes really interesting... and possibly a little bit mind bending!
Agree - really interesting!
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This is another area altogether and again something that we are investing heavily into, but quite separate to this topic of grading willow on performance as opposed to aesthetics.
The sweet spot by definition is the point of no vibration and not an area. The position of this point is dictated by the bat design rather than the properties of the material used. There are also a couple of other things that we are looking at which can narrow the playing area but increase the COR - for the professional player or widen the playing area but with lessen the COR (ideal for me....)
Streaky
exactly the difference between golf clubs for pros, and those for normal people
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Lets not forget the forum special this 350 cleft could make all the below bats 5oz lighter.
If you want a superlight massive bat get in touch i guarantee like the pro bats once this get released on Twitter it will not last long at all
(http://i60.tinypic.com/25jwqom.jpg)
Grade 3 / 1 stripe
(http://i58.tinypic.com/2vwdblt.jpg)
A 1 stripe will have a minimum of 4 grains – if it has 4 or 5 grains I would expect the face to be relatively blemish free. On the other hand we do get 1 stripes with more grains with blemishes on the face.
Grade 2 / 2 Stripe
(http://i58.tinypic.com/16kilt.jpg)
A 2 Stripe will have a minimum of 5 grains, and again if it has 5 or 6 grains I would expect the face to be blemish free, you can get a higher number of grains but these will contain a few blemishes.
Grade 1
(http://i57.tinypic.com/2v9slqv.jpg)
A 3 Stripe will have a minimum of 7 grains with no blemish / pin knots in the playing area. You can get anything up to 30 grains, but these are becoming increasingly rare.
The beautiful thing about what we offer is that you can select what type of willow you prefer – if you are lucky enough to be able to make it to the factory you can go through all our willow stocks to find the one that is right for you. If you can’t make it in, just let me know what you like and I will take a picture of a selection of clefts that you can choose from.
And finally – found this beauty when grading the last lot of willow we had in……
Forum Special
(http://i58.tinypic.com/rjmrlc.jpg)
£350 if anyone wants it……..
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So sounds like most people agree the quality of the grains and the pressing can make a difference on bat performance.
As an amateur interested in learning more about this i have a couple of questions:
1) can a badly (or generically) pressed bat be improved by diligent knocking in, or does a bad pressing mean the bat will never reach full potential.
2) can a lesser grade bat ever meet the performance of a top grade bat given time and care?
Thanks,
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So sounds like most people agree the quality of the grains and the pressing can make a difference on bat performance.
As an amateur interested in learning more about this i have a couple of questions:
1) can a badly (or generically) pressed bat be improved by diligent knocking in, or does a bad pressing mean the bat will never reach full potential.
Depends on the initial pressing, pressed too soft, then yes the bat will get better with play/knocking in. Pressed too hard and the bat wont improve
2) can a lesser grade bat ever meet the performance of a top grade bat given time and care?
No - a typical lesser grade will never perform as well as a typical higher grade bat. I use the word typical, as there are exceptions to the rule that this thread as hit upon. Those exceptions will play as good as a higher grade
A good press should make;
Bad clefts good
Good clefts Great
Great clefts AWESOME
Thanks,
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Lets not forget the forum special this 350 cleft could make all the below bats 5oz lighter.
If you want a superlight massive bat get in touch i guarantee like the pro bats once this get released on Twitter it will not last long at all
([url]http://i60.tinypic.com/25jwqom.jpg[/url])
Forum Special
([url]http://i58.tinypic.com/rjmrlc.jpg[/url])
£350 if anyone wants it……..
Forum Special SOLD to a lucky lad in London, it will make a beast of a 2lb8oz Professional shape 19........
All the other clefts in this thread I have also put to one side, so if you fancy any of them, just give me shout - david@b3cricket.com
Streaky
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how much for grade 2/2stripe?
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Hi pal
http://www.b3cricket.com/prices (http://www.b3cricket.com/prices)