Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: Percy on April 04, 2016, 02:48:10 PM
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Hi
Just looking at the ebay thread and was interested in the chat on Hunts bats. I was wondering why they aren't more fashionable; Tony has a great reputation and from what I can see makes great bats at a great price, but they just don't seem that popular. Is it just that they are happy with their current market share and don't push the marketing, is it purely fashion or are they too regional?
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In my opinion they make great bats but their branding is very dated.
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Dodgy stickers.
I think Kippax have improved their image and now they seem to be starting to get more widespread acknowledgement for what they are doing. Ok it helps big bats are in vogue and they do make big bats.
Sorry, Hunts. Dodgy stickers.
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My first SH bat was a Hunts County Reflex, really should make an effort to get another. The Retro stickers they brought out for was it the insignia last year were very nice!
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I used a hunts made bat for years before it died on me over the winter and it was an absolute stunner to play with
Unfortunately the branding does likely have a lot to do with it, for me it just doesn't seem up there with some of the more fashionable brands
You'd have to say a lack of exposure throug sponsorship on the big stage might hurt them as well
In terms of the bats though I can't recommend them highly enough
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They should endorse a few young county players. H4L did that and now they are doing so well! plus they ahve an awsome product, seen they can send the bats off to get laser printed (engraved) into the wood! thats the next thing for bats! Ideal for weight reduction also!
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They should endorse a few young county players. H4L did that and now they are doing so well! plus they ahve an awsome product, seen they can send the bats off to get laser printed (engraved) into the wood! thats the next thing for bats! Ideal for weight reduction also!
Hunts have got Reece Topley at the moment... top quality batter :o
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I imagine Hunts sell 10x more bats than H4L, despite the inferior stickers and sponsorship strategy.
Hunts really look after local clubs and the forces very well. I think anyone in the forces gets trade price with them.
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I imagine Hunts sell 10x more bats than H4L, despite the inferior stickers and sponsorship strategy.
I'd be surprised if they didn't, especially if you include their white label bats - all they really need IMO is a revamp of their livery and they could be back at the forefront. Every bat I've used from Hunts has been second to none (Made by Matt, not Tony!)
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I imagine Hunts sell 10x more bats than H4L, despite the inferior stickers and sponsorship strategy.
Hunts really look after local clubs and the forces very well. I think anyone in the forces gets trade price with them.
It is perhaps their army/ schools/ village image they need to shake off?
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It is perhaps their army/ schools/ village image they need to shake off?
From what I have seen of Hunts operation they seem quite happy. Why do they need to take on the "big boys"? I'm quite happy they dont ... £200 for a custom g1 and have it made in front of you! Can't beat it!
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From what I have seen of Hunts operation they seem quite happy. Why do they need to take on the "big boys"? I'm quite happy they dont ... £200 for a custom g1 and have it made in front of you! Can't beat it!
I can beat it ;)
It's £185 from us :)
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From what I have seen of Hunts operation they seem quite happy. Why do they need to take on the "big boys"? I'm quite happy they dont ... £200 for a custom g1 and have it made in front of you! Can't beat it!
Yeah that is a really good deal, nothing like seeing a craftsman at work and getting a class bat to boot after
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I can beat it ;)
It's £185 from us :)
Was 165 last time I went! Was guessing as I couldn't remember what it had gone up to.
Also David Willey was using Hunts not too long ago, wouldn't surprise me if hunts still make some his blades for him.
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I spoke to Tony for the first time this afternoon on the phone regarding a bat I had sent him to repair and I have to say - what a lovely bloke!
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Was 165 last time I went! Was guessing as I couldn't remember what it had gone up to.
Also David Willey was using Hunts not too long ago, wouldn't surprise me if hunts still make some his blades for him.
Yes was £165 from us a few years ago, I'm sure willow costs will continue to go up and the price will continue to go up every so often but it's still a very good deal :)
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See, I had heard he was a bit grumpy - but I think if you want to talk bats with him, he is as much of a nerd as the rest of us!
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See, I had heard he was a bit grumpy - but I think if you want to talk bats with him, he is as much of a nerd as the rest of us!
Had a long chat with both Tony and Matt when I first went up to Hunts with a couple of mates - both cracking blokes, could've talked for a lot longer too (we were there hours as it was!).
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Can't fault Tony; he's a top bloke and makes some beautiful blades; was slightly disgusted when I asked for a 3lb bat, but god it goes like a train. On a par with the Kippaxs I have; bad news is a friend borrowed it for a net - and has smashed the edge in two places :( gutted doesn't cover it.
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Can't fault Tony; he's a top bloke and makes some beautiful blades; was slightly disgusted when I asked for a 3lb bat, but god it goes like a train. On a par with the Kippaxs I have; bad news is a friend borrowed it for a net - and has smashed the edge in two places :( gutted doesn't cover it.
did he offer to replace it?
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Can't fault Tony; he's a top bloke and makes some beautiful blades; was slightly disgusted when I asked for a 3lb bat, but god it goes like a train. On a par with the Kippaxs I have; bad news is a friend borrowed it for a net - and has smashed the edge in two places :( gutted doesn't cover it.
Always say 'if you break it you pay for it'
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I can beat it ;)
It's £185 from us :)
@Percy
And i can vouch for @Vitas Cricket service. Got a joker profile custom bat through Vitas and its been a kick ass performer. Almost a year now and still going very strong. If interested i can post some photos for you ...
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@sanredrose I would like to see if you get a chance to upload.
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I can beat it ;)
It's £185 from us :)
@Vitas Cricket , can Hunts make big bats?
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@sanredrose , I put a straight ruler against my laptop's screen to see if your bat has a bow. It looks like it does! How big is it? What are the specs? Is the bow big and nice?
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@InternalTraining - Will check the bat this weekend and let you know .... :)
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@Vitas Cricket , can Hunts make big bats?
On talks with vitas as early as begining of last week, no they don't have access to oversized clefts.
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@Vitas Cricket , can Hunts make big bats?
Depends what you mean by big. They don't do oversized clefts as Smilley has said.
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Oversized is 'just' a raw cleft that is larger than the standard. Making a bigger bat from a standard density.
Supersized is taking a lighter cleft and making a bigger bat for the weight.
At least that's my understanding. Do Hunts or anyone else have a name for the supersized clefts (apart from a B3 crown maybe)?
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Oversized is 'just' a raw cleft that is larger than the standard. Making a bigger bat from a standard density.
Supersized is taking a lighter cleft and making a bigger bat for the weight.
At least that's my understanding. Do Hunts or anyone else have a name for the supersized clefts (apart from a B3 crown maybe)?
not sure where supersized has come from, i've never heard that term, they are generally called low density. And yes like all batmakers Hunts will have some low density willow. Economies of scale of course suggest that the more willow you order, the more lower density you are likely to get, Hunts had a few of these clefts last year and they all sold quite quickly. No idea if they have any currently.
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Super sized was the stupidly large drink and fries McDonald's did before it was banned because obesity.
Low density cleft is the words ive heard used for the lighter clefts.
I wouldn't call them super sized as there the same size as an ordinary cleft. Just Lighter
Oversized can be low density, and are generally what's needed to create a Warner/Pepsi profile in a light weight.
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What is the standard density of willow?
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It's a natural product so will vary.
But
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/wood-density-d_40.html (http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/wood-density-d_40.html)
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(http://i1268.photobucket.com/albums/jj569/wellbatted/Hunts%20County%20Range2_zpsf1srauw4.jpg) (http://s1268.photobucket.com/user/wellbatted/media/Hunts%20County%20Range2_zpsf1srauw4.jpg.html)
Hunts County are a company close to my heart. I've used them ever since a kid, and scored my first ton using the Steelback in large handle. Yet it hurts me to say that their branding is all over the shop and to be honest is the reason that I moved onto a different bat brand; and no doubt the reason many other cricketers opt for other brands. I know of people that have got HCB to make their bat yet asked for no stickers. For me, as a branding person this is not a great sign! It sounds very vain when thinking about it but too be honest when you spend a fair amount of money on a piece of wood then you want it to look nice right? I drop in and out of the forum, as without sounding massively hypocritical it does get very geeky about grains, "philosophies of a seller" and the amount of bats people have. But branding is interesting (well, at least for me) and thought I'd create some sort of discussion!
Back to HCB; at some point they decided to move on from the stag design, and gradually phased into the iconic C logo. I'm not sure how offended people were of the stag, as I actually quite liked it. Original, stood out and you knew it was a Hunts County Bat. Which goes onto next point. They use HUNTS, and County, and Hunts County within their branding to no real avail. Yes we know GM to be Gunn & Moore and GN and Gray-Nicolls yet they have slightly more awareness than HCB. So with the phasing out of the stag into the C, along with brand identity issues, then HCB wanted to get stickers to suit. I'm sure some people like the current (2012ish - current) stickers yet to me they look cheap. The thing with HCB is you really get value for money. They have cracking (bad pun?!) craftsman that make a quality products and charge 35% less for their top end bats which if we're completely honest, do the exact same job... help us score runs (or not in my case most of the time).
If they had their branding down, with nice stickers and a little bit of coverage (appreciate budget for international cricketers is not quite there, but for decent county BATSMEN) then they really would do well and perhaps be taken on my more retailers etc and be a more in demand company.
No doubt, the brief HCB gave to the designer was to incorporate the new logo and to appeal to the younger market. I think their main audience is schools and womens cricket? But with the latest trend for slightly retro bat designs, with less is more being key (again like my batting) so I have thought this the best route to go down. So, as I read this post about HCB and always thought the stickers need re-jigging, then I spent 30 minutes at lunch having a play (I'm not a designer before I get a stream of haters!) to see if I could do better. So I created a few designs. What do you think? I've tried to blend brand colours red/black, with their new logo and incorporate the stag heritage. Some elements are better on one design to another...
Perhaps HCB HQ may see this thread and consider a change. I stress however, their products are sensational. If they re-stickered, then maybe might sell more of them and get more air time on threads such as this.
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I really like the front sticker on option 3 - looks eye catching and iconic without being gaudy
As for the rear stickers, out of the ones you designed option 1 is my favourite, bu on the ticker tape bit i'd have it just reading Hunts County
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4 front 2 back for me but without the stag thing and make it the Big C circle
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Went into Hunts County yesterday to pick up a refurbed B&S. The refurb was done very well but the quality of willow that they get in and sell as their own is poor. No doubt it's made well and the guy who shapes them is highly skilled but you will never find a bat with that many grains and with no blemishes. £275 their top of the range bats are and the Blank Bats net bat I had looked a lot nicer. I'm sure they fly like others say but I'm unconvinced by the looks of things.
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Went into Hunts County yesterday to pick up a refurbed B&S. The refurb was done very well but the quality of willow that they get in and sell as their own is poor. No doubt it's made well and the guy who shapes them is highly skilled but you will never find a bat with that many grains and with no blemishes. £275 their top of the range bats are and the Blank Bats net bat I had looked a lot nicer. I'm sure they fly like others say but I'm unconvinced by the looks of things.
Not so sure about that. Maybe they didnt have any stunners on display the day you visited. I received a custom from them last year and it is one of the best looking pieces of willow i own.
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Went into Hunts County yesterday to pick up a refurbed B&S. The refurb was done very well but the quality of willow that they get in and sell as their own is poor. No doubt it's made well and the guy who shapes them is highly skilled but you will never find a bat with that many grains and with no blemishes. £275 their top of the range bats are and the Blank Bats net bat I had looked a lot nicer. I'm sure they fly like others say but I'm unconvinced by the looks of things.
Never, you say ?
http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=29580.0 (http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=29580.0)
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Fair point well made, never was probably a rather strong word to use. But, I was disappointed about the lack of nice bats on display, especially in their top end section.
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Fair point well made, never was probably a rather strong word to use. But, I was disappointed about the lack of nice bats on display, especially in their top end section.
I picked these out when i was there yesterday.
(http://i.imgur.com/EsEW3Lgh.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/SHxv0QDh.jpg)
I agree sometimes their bats can appear a little less attractive in terms of numbers of bullet straight grains compared to other brands. But they can definitely satisfy the desire of the customer who wants a really attractive grainy bat.
Ask and you will receive, they have a treasure trove round the back and upstairs.
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I've had a couple of hunts bats, always ugly but went like trains. Like the women I get involved with.....