Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: CrickFreak on April 02, 2016, 05:35:27 AM
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Recently I have been looking for a new bat and reached out to some batmakers on here. My request was nothing out of ordinary. But was disappointed to find that some did not respond and one said my bats are getting recognition all over the world and my product is best, take it or leave it! This experience was not very pleasant. When I am looking for a coffee table, i know my needs and how I am going to use the product. So no matter if you are the best craftsman, I know the best about how i am going to use it and need the product to be certain way. Same goes with bats, I know how i play and need something that meets my needs and help overcome my weakness.
I am posting this to see if you had similar experiences or its just me.....
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Had bats from 10+ different custom makers most of which I have visited and only had that response from 1 who was basically I make for x and y pro so just trust me in shape weight looks etc and send me the money then I'll send you a bat
No offer of photos or visit or anything
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Where abouts are you based? We do alot of bat days, especially this time of year. They are by appointment only and Matt would talk through your requirements before hand, to make sure we could fulfil. Hope this helps.
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Not just bat companies that do this, car companies(ask @WalkingWicket37 )and various others.
Standard answer on here is usually "pick up the phone" but imo if your not willing to reply by emails then don't have an email.
Red ink, spot on, replies quickly, and makes contact if issues arrive during making(I.e I sent the cleft and it was heavier than expected so we need to lose some mass somewhere).
He also replies after sale and sorts issues fast. Highly recommended.
Affinty, Marcus replied, then rang, and spent along time on the phone with me to make sure I was getting what I wanted.
He then explained he was off in holiday so would make after, which I accepted. Bat arrived quicker than I thought, with a few free gifts to say sorry for delay.
Highly recommended!
B3, can be slow on emails but get a reply eventually, after that the service is spot on, bats are near perfection, service after for repairs and replacement has always gone without a hitch. And the play beautifully. Good ping!
There happy to throw in scuff sheets etc for free when you collect to. And if you can visit(which I recommend) they are some of the soundest blokes I've met.
H4l, the bats are good, very good. but they are a strange company, I found there emails replies are sporadic to non existent when buying, which frustrates, but then if a problem arises after purchase, they become s*** hot and reply instantly and sort you out with some great customer service.
I tend to through jake @Vitas Cricket for h4l now to avoid the initial communication issues, but currently I want a custom of them, but I am still struggling for info!!
Others, which I won't name and shame as we are apparent trolls aren't so great,
I've had G3 bat turn up when paid for a g1 and maker claimed "only cleft I had left" l.
I've had a bat turn up well under weight and maker claim "I make on feel and trust me you'll score runs with it, it's a good un"
And I've had the one that grates my gears so much. As I use a heavy bat, I often get sent the worlds smallest bats and makers proclaim "well as you wanted a heavy bat, I've used the opportunity to get rid of the awful he at clefts no one wants"
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Looks like you are based in the US..
It's far easier for us here as we can visit them and just pick some we like, or use a retailer if that particular batmaker prefers you to do that-As a lot of them do.
Personally i think handles are important,so that varies a lot, I've found warsop and h4l 'Feel' the best but someone else would say different- it's very subjective.
But generally speaking if a batmaker gave me a bat with 5 grains and said just knock it in double or treble time for one with 10 grains and it will play the same I would take their advice.its what they do for a living not what I do.
But like I said, it's easier for us to do this in the UK. We may well be spoilt for choice compared to other countries.
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Were there any extraordinary requirements which were not possible or would have taken a lot of his time (good bat makers in UK should be very busy at this time)? After joining this forum I have also had a few bats made by the custom bat makers (most of them odd shaped of which a couple were a bit extraordinary) but no unpleasant words were exchanged with any of them at any time. There were a few requests that were not easy to do but they had been very clear about whether they would or would not do it. Perhaps I may not have dealt with this particular bat maker but my overall limited experiences have generally been pleasant so far.
I have had a response some time back from a UK bat maker who used to make custom bats that due to very high demand for their current models, they are no longer accepting custom bat orders. But that definitely was not a rude response.
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H4l, the bats are good, very good. but they are a strange company, I found there emails replies are sporadic to non existent when buying, which frustrates, but then if a problem arises after purchase, they become s*** hot and reply instantly and sort you out with some great customer service.
I tend to through jake @Vitas Cricket for h4l now to avoid the initial communication issues, but currently I want a custom of them, but I am still struggling for info!!
Thanks for the feedback. No doubting we are strange ;) .
We try and check emails on a regular basis, but as Matt is in production constantly, and I am often on the road, they can get done at funny times. This is something we are working on. The new website will have alot more detail on specific items such as the custom experience, willow grading, the process of production etc and videos are in production. So hopefully that will help with alot of the questions. The new site also makes ordering alot easier.
For instant replies we have been using facebook messenger alot. Alternatively Jake and Asad are extremely good to work with.
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If batmakers or any other business fail to respond or have the take it or leave it approach my advice would be try elsewhere as they are not worth bothering with also just imagine if you had aftercare problems.
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B3: fantastic! Great service, they make my handles the closest ive seen to my old Scats, they ping and if there is a problem, they fix it. Period! No arguing, they just get it fixed or replaced.
Affinity: the first couple of bats were absolute stunners but the last 4 were massively overweight. Marcus always sorted it out but it cost me $85 each time to send the bats back only for the next one to arrive heavy...
I bought a few bats from a sponsor on here and all of them had the same lovely oval handle which the batmaker explained that it is his standard handle and the shape he used to use. I ordered another bat from him and it arrived with a round handle. I emailed him and he told me that i should have specified an oval handle and to build it up with tape. If i wanted a brand new bat with a round handle, i would have ordered a round handle! I buy a LOT of bats but will jot be buying from this chap ever again...
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I've been playing cricket over 40yrs now, and in that time I've used quite a few different bats. M&H , laver,Salix ,Newbury ,ace,gn,
For me on the whole, bat makers are genuinely passionate about the products they create and only wish to supply the highest quality bats they can.
Yes there are some characters, but you find that in all walks of life
As for lack of communication , personally I long for the old days before constant emails, and mobile phones,car trackers etc
The chance that's out there now to go and watch a true CRAFTSMAN actually create a bat in front of you, well, that's priceless.
Do we as cricketers genuinely know what we need out of a bat to score runs?
I had my preconceptions turned on their head, by Marcus @ Affinity, he listened to my thoughts, watched me bat, and created a bat for me that I scored quite a few runs with.(a Toro )
I've had similar service from Paul Aldred, who's bats are excellent.
Matt at hell for leather is creating top end cricket gear that's in huge demand for obvious reasons.
I would love to go and watch Charlie French and hunts as both are bats I've long admired.
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I am not entirely surprised that you would have had slow replies to emails, but in fairness, bat makers are not running a shop, they are in a craft business which takes a lot of hours for anything to be made, hence by nature especially for smaller makers that don't have admin support, they are going to have much less time than retailers for communications. As such, I suppose I would view a slow response as almost reassuring as it would suggest they are busy with their craft. With a shop I would expect a response within the day, with any business which is actually making its own product I would allow at least a few days for a response.
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I've had custom made bats from Red Ink, H4L and Affinity.
As Chris said, John's communication is excellent & he is great to deal with. Got exactly what we discussed, handle etc was perfect and the bats were spot on! When I first inquired about an Affinity bat Marcus rang me straight up, had a good chat and he made me a LH Spectre (absolute gun) then I've had a few more off him since as the whole experience from phone call to receiving the product was so good. I've got 2 H4L Customs through Jake which are excellent. Jake is great to deal with, nothing is a problem and he is right on the ball with getting back to you. The bats were perfect and exactly what i'd requested. I have bought a couple of bats direct from H4L (Tempo Devil & NV G2) and had good experiences with both.
Haven't had a bespoke/custom from B3, just had off the shelf stuff. They were excellent to deal with too. I took a repair in when i was passing and the fellas in there were very helpful!
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Perhaps the service we receive is in someway due to the way we ask?
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@CrickFreak , if you are based out of the US, then be cognizant of the shipping cost of sending the custom bat back to the bat maker in case of issues. The cost of shipping back is high. If you are based in UK, then it is very easy to visit the bat maker and get what you want.
I don't recommend custom bats unless you can't find your bat from an off-the-shelf maker. I have many custom bats, and only two bats matched my spec. There are many retailers on this forum who can pick an off-the-shelf bat for that matches your spec. Bat makers that met my spec to the tee are Aldred and Laver & Wood. Overall, custom bats are over rated. Off-the-shelf bats perform better and are less of a hassle.
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Overall, custom bats are over rated. Off-the-shelf bats perform better and are less of a hassle.
Why belong to a forum dedicated to custom bats if you think that?
It's like an Arsenal supporter being on a Spurs forum.
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Why belong to a forum dedicated to custom bats if you think that?
It's like an Arsenal supporter being on a Spurs forum.
That's very linear thinking and I would like to challenge you to broaden your understanding of life's unpredictability and complexity. If you continue down this path, you will never invent time-travel or a proper "Back To The Future" style hover-board. Just sayin'. :D
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Pretty bold statement saying off the shelf bats perform better as I have found the complete opposite
Different strokes for different folks I guess as I prefer the individual pressing compared to the mass pressing process
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That's very linear thinking and I would like to challenge you to broaden your understanding of life's unpredictability and complexity. If you continue down this path, you will never invent time-travel or a proper "Back To The Future" style hover-board. Just sayin'. :D
Thank god I've already sorted out my flux capacitor :D
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Pretty bold statement saying off the shelf bats perform better as I have found the complete opposite
Different strokes for different folks I guess as I prefer the individual pressing compared to the mass pressing process
I have off-the-shelf bats that perform better than some of my custom bats. They are cheaper too and less hassle.
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Thank god I've already sorted out my flux capacitor :D
Hehehe
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I've only used B3 and Laver & Wood so far.
B3 is absolutely fantastic. I've gotten multiple bats from them, and its always such a pleasure dealing with them. As others have mentioned, service after getting the bat is tremendous. If they make a mistake they will rectify it without a second's hesitation. If your email doesn't get answered, I would just call them to follow up. Streaky is one of the nicest guys in the market and getting a Skype consultation is so much fun.
L&W: Very responsive to initial questions etc. Slight frustration is that its hard to actually talk to James himself but Anthony is super helpful. Once you put down your deposit / payment, James is a lot more accessible and you can discuss specifics to the Nth degree with him. And he is very knowledgable. Email response varies, but again, you can always follow up with a call if you think your email is lost. Worth mentioning that I was initially put off by their bats, because I thought they only make certain pre-set shapes, but that is not true. Its a fully customized service - you can specify whatever you want.
Both these two let you choose your cleft (as does every other custom bat maker now, if I'm not mistaken).
ONE BIG PIECE OF ADVICE: be VERY VERY specific with everything, no matter who the custom bat maker is. If you're picky about things, DO NOT ASSUME ANYTHING. You HAVE TO SPECIFY everything, even if you feel silly doing it. I feel that if you do that, you will avoid some of the problems mentioned earlier (getting a tiny bat that is made from a super dense cleft, wrong grade, wrong weight, etc etc).
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And that's the key be specific don't assume give the batmaker a written list of your requirements and get exactly what you want that way a custom made bat beats an off the shelf every time.
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I have off-the-shelf bats that perform better than some of my custom bats. They are cheaper too and less hassle.
So your original statement said off the shelf bats perform better than custom now you have some off shelf that perform better than your custom
This is the point I think performance is willow and pressing and a custom maker can get crap willow and not press it right but an off the shelf maker gets so much in they are bound to get stunning willow through that the press settings they use just happen to make a stunner, I think @petehosk had a £100 adidas that was as good as anything else in his 10000000000 bat collection so k won't dispute it can happen
Going custom for me is not about performance it's about the little things I need long blade, double bound handle, shape tweaking
I will say if people go custom for purely performance they are barking up the wrong tree for me but also I have found custom cheaper than the £500 off the shelf brands
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ONE BIG PIECE OF ADVICE: be VERY VERY specific with everything, no matter who the custom bat maker is. If you're picky about things, DO NOT ASSUME ANYTHING. You HAVE TO SPECIFY everything, even if you feel silly doing it. I feel that if you do that, you will avoid some of the problems mentioned earlier (getting a tiny bat that is made from a super dense cleft, wrong grade, wrong weight, etc etc).
Clear communication covering as much of the specifications as possible is very very important as it gives you a better chance of getting what you have in mind (it may still not be one hundred percent the way you want, especially for someone like me who reside outside UK and can't make a personal visit to the bat maker). From my experience so far, I have found the bat makers (those I have dealt with) on this forum to be quite understanding and professional. I go to them mainly because I like the experience and the shapes I request for are mostly not available on off the shelf bats.
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I've found getting a bat I like copied is the only way to achieve a bat that I really really want. Even then, I've had a couple come back which tbh, I was very unhappy with as they were smaller pieces of wood or comcaved when I asked for full profile etc etc
Sadly, some makers will palm off heavier clefts because otherwise they'd be left with loads of unused ones. Now, if I don't get what I want I just send it back.
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Reading through threads like this makes me wish I used my B3 experience a lot better :(
Not that it was B3's fault and I still have a mighty fine bat, I just didn't take the opportunity to get really specific, I should have took my time and gone through the clefts myself etc.
Ah well hey, lessons learnt and i'll definitely go back!
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B3 is absolutely fantastic. I've gotten multiple bats from them, and its always such a pleasure dealing with them. As others have mentioned, service after getting the bat is tremendous. If they make a mistake they will rectify it without a second's hesitation.
Did you ship the "mistake" bats back to them? How much did you have to pay for shipping the bats back from the US?
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So your original statement said off the shelf bats perform better than custom now you have some[/u] off shelf that perform better than your custom
No, I wrote "some custom bats". ALL my off-the-shelf bats are trampolines! I never count Lavers in the custom crap I got! Lavers are class apart.
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I've found getting a bat I like copied is the only way to achieve a bat that I really really want. Even then, I've had a couple come back which tbh, I was very unhappy with as they were smaller pieces of wood or comcaved when I asked for full profile etc etc
Sadly, some makers will palm off heavier clefts because otherwise they'd be left with loads of unused ones. Now, if I don't get what I want I just send it back.
This has been my experience as well. Crap pressing and no-bow was the final straw!
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No, I wrote "some custom bats". ALL my off-the-shelf bats are trampolines! I never count Lavers in the custom crap I got! Lavers are class apart.
Your original post does not say some
It says off the shelf bats perform better than custom ones
Off-the-shelf bats perform better and are less of a hassle.
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Where is it?