Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: rockymoghal on May 16, 2016, 07:06:22 PM
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Hey guys,
Not sure if this question has been asked before but I was inspired after reading the ping! thread. I have a bat I bought a while back from a company who shall remain anonymous (but their name starts with C and ends in A) and it turns out that it seems quite dead. It's a "top of the range" model and it looks like something you would expect to perform. Now I will admit that I got sucked into the idea of "Pay more for this bat because it will definitely perform better" and it may have come back to bite me in the rear. All I wanted to know is what has been the biggest bat regret in terms of buying a shocker AND what is the longest you have tried to open up a bat before giving up or it succeeding. I just don't know if I should sell it along and cut my losses or try to keep using it and see if it eventually opens up and starts to ping. Let's hear what everyone has to say! :D
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How much knocking in have you done? Some bats need a lot more than others. I believe that all bats will eventually ping, some may take many years though.
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I paid to have it knocked in and so far I have used in for roughly 2/3 hours on a bowling machine. Haven't actually been able to use it in a match yet but it just seems like I can feel the bat vibrating no matter where it hits on the bat. Low, middle or high all feels quite strange compared to previous bats I have used.
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Location of the sweet spot may not be where you hit the ball ...if the bat has a mid-high middle but you hit the ball low, guess what ? No ping! Similarly if the sweet spot is low or mid-low and you hit high, then you will not experience any ping either .
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I know the bat has a mid to high middle but it just seems strange that response is the same pretty much all over the bat. Okay that's being harsh, I can work out where the middle is based on response but compared to a 10 year old bat I have, this bat doesn't seem to have that much of a middle. It's a bit strange. Maybe the bat just isn't suited to me. I'm not the most fluent back foot player and maybe a mid or mid to low middle bat would be better.
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I know the bat has a mid to high middle but it just seems strange that response is the same pretty much all over the bat. Okay that's being harsh, I can work out where the middle is based on response but compared to a 10 year old bat I have, this bat doesn't seem to have that much of a middle. It's a bit strange. Maybe the bat just isn't suited to me. I'm not the most fluent back foot player and maybe a mid or mid to low middle bat would be better.
the company you mentioned generally makes bats that start performing right out of the packet. so either there is something really wrong with it (broken handle? cracks down the shoulders? delaminated?), or its not what the stickers claim it to be. do you have pics?
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I know the bat has a mid to high middle but it just seems strange that response is the same pretty much all over the bat. Okay that's being harsh, I can work out where the middle is based on response but compared to a 10 year old bat I have, this bat doesn't seem to have that much of a middle. It's a bit strange. Maybe the bat just isn't suited to me. I'm not the most fluent back foot player and maybe a mid or mid to low middle bat would be better.
Have you had a hit in the nets? Some bats ping fine in your house when bouncing the ball on the bat face. It is entirely a different matter when the bat is taken to nets or the middle.
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@brokenbat I can uplaod some pics once I work out how to do it lol. I can put some pictures up tomorrow for you. But just to let you know the bat has no signs of damage and I would hope there isn't any as I bought it brand new from a local retailer. To be honest I'm already not liking the bat because of the fact its not actually SH length and I genuinely didn't know that. Being 6'1 means that the bat does feel small to me and does affect my stance. The bat does look awesome, hence the reason I bought it.
@InternalTraining I have used the bat in 3 nets now by myself for an hour each time with a bowling machine. It just doesn't feel like the bat is solid. So much feeling through the handle. I guess it's worth mentioning that the bat does seem to be denting quite a bit so I guess that means it's not fully knocked in yet. Either the bat is soft or the knocking in service was a rip off lol.
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Have you let anyone else have a few throwdowns with it in the nets and asked what they think?
I have had a few bats in the past that I have not got on with and as soon as you start doubting the bat I think you will struggle to get confidence back in it.
I had a GN millennium that I was 99% sure was no good and couldn't get anything off the square, I gave it to one of my teammates and he went out and scored 100 with it. It may have had a bit to do with ability also ;)
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@InternalTraining I have used the bat in 3 nets now by myself for an hour each time with a bowling machine. It just doesn't feel like the bat is solid. So much feeling through the handle. I guess it's worth mentioning that the bat does seem to be denting quite a bit so I guess that means it's not fully knocked in yet. Either the bat is soft or the knocking in service was a rip off lol.
I am knocking a brand new bat right now and every mallet hit and ball bounce is leaving marks. It is soft pressed just the way I like it. Is it ready for nets? No.
I have three bats of your brand and they have all performed exquisitely. They are all soft-pressed (just the way I like it) and a lot of mallet time went into making them ready. Amazing bats!
Another thing to keep in mind is that you are 6'1'' and you are probably not hitting the bat's sweet spot. I am 5'7'' on a good day and these bats are just right for me. :)
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Would suggest at least trying a net with real cricket balls. Some bowling machine balls never feel good!
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@InternalTraining Yeah I think I just may need to knock it in and see how it goes. However I do think you're right about the middle and me finding the sweet spot. I've actually ordered a B1 from IJC which I am going to pick up on saturday. Will be nice to see how that compares in the nets. I do agree that normally CA (no point hiding the name lol) produce quality bats but this one (15000 players edition) just surprised me at the response. I guess I'll persevere and see what happens
@TCB Not yet but I might give it a go when I get the chance. It's so hard when you lose confidence in a bat. I do really like this bat but once you're not comfortable with a bat it becomes a massive mental thing. I had a similar issue when I had a terrible innings with a bat. I could never use it again with confidence.
@brokenbat That is the plan. Problem is I recently had knee surgery so I'm not playing this season. All I am able to do right is practice on the bowling machine lol. If I can get a decent offer then I might just sell it on to someone who can get more out of it and invest in a H4L or B3 (both on my list right now)
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Some bats are just stinkers.
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Here in Melbourne, 3 different people have had the same issue with CA bats from last year. Maybe they are drying the bats too much as the bats feel a bit too soft to be able to generate any power.
Now at the end of the year- the bats are already starting to show a lot of face cracks and the performance hasn't improved much.
One of the bats is now being used as a rainy day practice stick - I was asked to refurbish it - Alternating between sanding and glue - Ended up taking a lot of willow off the face. Oiled it a couple of times.
This is the only bat that's showing some performance improvement since.
Put some pics up, a lot of knowledgeable people up here.
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Here are the pictures as promised. Sorry about my camera work. Doesn't seem to be a decent place to take pictures in my house :(
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4kZpI_HPKoU/VztXBomTWsI/AAAAAAAAByM/w0j1sa5ox0IAYbns2NwqD4P10C3XZ-c9ACCo/s640/20160517_182941.jpg)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VkVtJmQR-7Q/VztXBlX4v1I/AAAAAAAAByQ/q6ZztyXNzRAI6GvebyZPqBm07b7QTfcoQCCo/s640/20160517_182954.jpg)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VZ7YD2xG1v8/VztW_klX4AI/AAAAAAAAByI/kFGrW_mp5uUauc_QLyoGKzQg7MMGIpl6wCCo/s640/20160517_183122.jpg)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4z7wJEgW1TM/VztW_YxEPfI/AAAAAAAAByE/7xSG2egGGYk6m4-tLwRH4PlYQASFXl4-wCCo/s640/20160517_183008.jpg)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-U5bT4ECQxNI/VztW_GQ-ykI/AAAAAAAAByA/46Eg2cRPOhoKiqsXtLyMjTKwy0a0WQmaQCCo/s640/20160517_183001.jpg)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YMQNQ2MFoX8/VztW6iLsKHI/AAAAAAAABx8/wRWtzuSAU0oT256VlGcF4z9f3KMRxrTXACCo/s640/20160517_183145.jpg)
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The bat looks ok to me, if the hologram sticker genuine, maybe the bat still need more time to play in, my two cent
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That bat has 5 rubbers in the handle so it should feel different. I picked one up on Sunday at a LMS game. Think you need to play it in. Handles loosen up with use and with all these inserts it will have more glue to losen. Then the vibration will stop.
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This is my personal opinion and I may be 100% wrong but these high-end CA bats are made and sold PURELY based on looks by placing loud and ugly stickers on over dried grainy clefts.
The manufacturer has minimum to no focus on performance. They don't care, or perhaps don't even know, that each individual cleft requires a specific pressing to get the best out of it.
And they won't talk about moisture content (perhaps they don't know whatever the heck that is, or what does it do)
All they do is create huge bats with over dried willow, average quality handle, but with awesome grain structure, and very dodgy weight stickers - and perhaps the biggest lie of a sticker "Ready to play"
CA bats are NEVER ready to play when bought brand new.
And their customer service is a shame!
I have heard some good feedback by some players, so perhaps it's a hit or miss thing when you GENEROUSLY open your wallet to buy a high-end CA bat.
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I have only seen a couple of these close up, and both of these were up there with regards to grains and looks however neither player who had them thought much to the performance.
Maybe they were just unlucky with those 2 however.
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When I was In Pakistan earlier this month I went to the CA center and initially I was amazed to see those grainy bats and almost bought one for Rs.45000 (£300) but then I thought they looked too dry and something was just not right so I left it there.
One more thing the guy told me that because these bats have a lot of grains so they don't need knocking in thats why it says fully knocked in on the bats...lol
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One more thing the guy told me that because these bats have a lot of grains so they don't need knocking in thats why it says fully knocked in on the bats...lol
hahaha this made me chuckle :D :D :D :D
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I bought the bat from a retailer here, sq-sports. They seemed friendly enough and the price they offered was the cheapest around. However I do feel like the knocking in service was a waste of money and I was better off knocking the bat myself. To be honest the bat does seem dry and it just isn't what I expected. I have a CA from 5 years ago and that performed straight out of the packet. I think it also doesn't help that the sweet spot is high and I am a front foot player. All that rubbish about "enormous sweet spot" doesn't mean anything when the response is so poor lower down the bat. It's not a terrible bat but just too many things wrong about it, and now I have found this forum there are too many better options to go with. I'm just hoping I can sell without making a massive loss.
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I will give you 50 pound plus postage for such a bad bat I think I could get it singing
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Hmm tempting. Maybe slightly higher and we have a deal lol. Honest opinion though, looking at the pictures do you think the bat would suit a front foot player at all (I am aggressive) or is it not worth the hassle and time. I don't want to sell it but I don't want a bat that requires so much time when there are better options on the market. Decisions, decisions :(
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I think, in all honesty you have already made your mind up that its not for you (correct me if I'm wrong). The middle does look fairly high so maybe as you like to play on the front foot, and by the sounds of it quite like to hit over the top (Im guessing that from the "aggressive" part of your batting description) something with a slightly lower middle may be better suited.
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Sometimes it's just that the bat doesn't suit you. I had a lovely Salix but couldn't get the ball off the square with it. Other guys had no problems. I eventually sold it to a teammate who tans the hide off the ball with it. I just couldn't get the best out of it.
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Is it not worth seeing if someone with a knocking in machine could have a go with it and see if they can get it going? Think Red Ink/H4L/B&S have them
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@TCB I think you're right to be honest. It's just once you have a few bad experiences it's very hard to have confidence in the bat, especially when you have other bats that are ready to be used lol. Looking at where the marks are on my old bats, there doesn't seem to be much over halfway and when I compared it to the CA, the ball marks were nowhere near the middle of my new bat. It just shows that I don't play the ball high on the bat. @trypewriter It is annoying when that happens but I guess it can happen. This is the first time I have felt this weird about my bat. All my dad's bats used to feel fine and I would get decent scores with them. @JB I was actually contacting reatilers to see if they would be willing to trade but that seems like a long shot lol. I may try the knocking in machine if I can't get a decent price or can't sell it altogether. My heart wants to try and get something out of the bat but I feel in reality it was just a poor buy which is frustrating but oh well :(
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This is my personal opinion and I may be 100% wrong but these high-end CA bats are made and sold PURELY based on looks by placing loud and ugly stickers on over dried grainy clefts.
The manufacturer has minimum to no focus on performance. They don't care, or perhaps don't even know, that each individual cleft requires a specific pressing to get the best out of it.
And they won't talk about moisture content (perhaps they don't know whatever the heck that is, or what does it do)
All they do is create huge bats with over dried willow, average quality handle, but with awesome grain structure, and very dodgy weight stickers - and perhaps the biggest lie of a sticker "Ready to play"
CA bats are NEVER ready to play when bought brand new.
And their customer service is a shame!
I have heard some good feedback by some players, so perhaps it's a hit or miss thing when you GENEROUSLY open your wallet to buy a high-end CA bat.
Not mine. Got 3 and they ping better than any other bat! Majority of CA owners I know love their bats. Some started playing without much knocking and still loved the bats.
Regarding moisture content, none of the custom bats I own had a moisture reading!!!!! Should I return them. People get hung up on "techinacalities" that are meaningless in the field - all you should care about is performance!!
They don't care, or perhaps don't even know, that each individual cleft requires a specific pressing to get the best out of it.
How do you know this? Are you a bat maker?
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@InternalTraining Just wondering when was your most recent purchase of a CA? I have seen plenty of brilliant CA bats and to be honest it has not put me off CA in general. I feel like the standard from CA has been slowly declining and the prices have just gotten silly. CA recently released an upgrade to the CA 15000 players edition known as the 7 star model. I fail to see any difference in the two bats and yet they are happy to charge an extra £70 for exactly the same bat with new stickers. This will be the last time I look a the price tag as any indicator of bat quality as most off the shelf companies are just looking for the easiest way to make the most money. In future though I would probably go pick the bat in person rather than relying on the retailer. Some retailers are great, like the many forum sponsors here, but some I feel do try to offload products that they know maybe aren't as great to random customers in order to save the real quality products for their return customers or friends etc. It may just be bad personal experience but I do find it hard to trust most retailers as most times I have had too much of a headache resolving a problem. Also I've seen certain retailers, no names, actually sell products they know aren't as good to people who are genuinely looking for help. My knowledge on cricket bat is fairly limited so I do rely on trusting the retailer to find me a quality product. When that doesn't happen and the retailer then doesn't want any more to do with you now they have your money, it's just rubbing salt into the wounds. However it's not all bad as my interactions with Paul from IJC and Tai from blank bats has been phenomenal and I just hope the product will match the service. I will see what happens with the CA. Will knock it in for a while and give it a decent run and then if I still can't get anything out of it then I will sell it and make room for a new bat :) :D
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As has been said, it sounds like your mind has been made up and anything now will only reinforce that. Cut your losses, take Dave's 50 quid and try again with one more suited to you :)
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@InternalTraining Just wondering when was your most recent purchase of a CA? I have seen plenty of brilliant CA bats and to be honest it has not put me off CA in general.
I bought two last year, after the season ended. I have friends who have bought 15000 and SM-18s this year, pre-season. The bats have seen match action and their owners are very happy.