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Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: Bats_Galore on January 18, 2017, 08:13:57 PM

Title: Favourite Blemish
Post by: Bats_Galore on January 18, 2017, 08:13:57 PM
There is a reasonable amount of contention regarding butterfly willow, from batmakers such as Len Newbery, James Laver and Paul Aldred, who think it is amongst the best performing willow, if not the best, to other makers feeling it's good for heating the building. It made me wonder whether any blemishes improve performance above even straight grains, and if so which ones improve performance the most and which ones deminish performance the most.
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: Buzz on January 18, 2017, 08:18:21 PM
I am a fan of graping on a bat face.
I dont like knots
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: tom line on January 18, 2017, 08:21:53 PM
Also a big fan of graping, ball seems to fly off it, however I love a hard bar, if you can get one in the middle of the bat and it's been pressed right the ball rebounds off them phenomenally well
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: Seniorplayer on January 18, 2017, 08:42:07 PM
iMO Best performing willow has white straight tight promenent  grains and  no blemishes
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: Bats_Galore on January 18, 2017, 08:44:19 PM
I am a fan of graping on a bat face.
I dont like knots
How does the graping change the performance of the bat?
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: Bats_Galore on January 18, 2017, 08:45:28 PM
iMO Best performing willow has white straight tight promenent  grains and  no blemishes
What difference would the prominence of the grains make?
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: jd163 on January 18, 2017, 08:54:43 PM
I will take graping over any other blemish.. Butterfly willow bats are OK only if they cost less than £100. Paid over £200 for Aldred butterfly bats.
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: smilley792 on January 18, 2017, 09:13:57 PM
Best performing bat I own, have ever used. Gray nicolls kaboom players edition. Has grapping and a big chunk of heartwood.


Up highly in my rated list, - g2 H4l half heartwood with grapping, several B3 butterflies(infact my club has about 11 of them and all perform very very well) some grade 3 kookaburras(old and new)

I've had a few g1 bats that went well, b3s, H4l, affinty etc.



On the other end of the scale I've had some cheap G3 plank from gray nics and GM, but I've also had a few high end plans with perfect grains from GM.






I prefer a bat to have character but in my opinion non of it means performance!! Either get from a reputable seller and or maker, who will back the bat.
Or get to the shop and have a try. Should easily avoid a plank then. Regardless of grade and markings.
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: Seniorplayer on January 18, 2017, 10:10:08 PM
What difference would the prominence of the grains make?
the more promenent the grains the quicker the fibres will open up  in between  the grains.
Also promenent grains  are an indiacation that the bat as been pressed correctly
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: WalkingWicket37 on January 18, 2017, 10:20:40 PM
I love a blemished bat I do!

Not fussed about butterfly stains, I can take or leave those

I like heartwood on my inside edge (no more than 1/3 of the bat though...), graping & hard bars.
Something a bit like this is perfection to me...

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g66/tom_line/IMG_4849_zps4nxslvjp.jpg) (http://s53.photobucket.com/user/tom_line/media/IMG_4849_zps4nxslvjp.jpg.html)

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g66/tom_line/IMG_4845_zpstkyrgexg.jpg) (http://s53.photobucket.com/user/tom_line/media/IMG_4845_zpstkyrgexg.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: tom line on January 18, 2017, 10:27:20 PM
Guess the guy who found it should get a mention really... 😉😂
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: steelcouch on January 18, 2017, 10:59:17 PM
Graping being the horizontal marks across the face of a bat, normally a bit harder?

What causes it?
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: steelcouch on January 18, 2017, 11:01:46 PM
Buterflies feel a bit hard to me. Some like them on the back which I have to be and that really flue.
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: langer17 on January 19, 2017, 01:41:09 AM
I'm not phased by any really. I like bats to be ugly on the back as they are like ugly ducklings to me. My Helios has a knot on the bat and I like looking at it when I bat. No idea why though.
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: cesare_in on January 19, 2017, 01:54:43 AM
Also a big fan of graping, ball seems to fly off it, however I love a hard bar, if you can get one in the middle of the bat and it's been pressed right the ball rebounds off them phenomenally well

What does graping on a bat mean? Can you please share a pic?
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: edge on January 19, 2017, 02:02:38 AM
Graping is like this:
(http://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/af230/ch4d0m4n/IMG_8353.jpg)
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: cesare_in on January 19, 2017, 02:32:57 AM
Got it, thnx!
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: adb club cricketer on January 19, 2017, 03:03:38 AM
On a side note, the GM 404 looks awesome for the grade...didnt know one could get such willow for a 404!
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: sachin200 on January 19, 2017, 03:27:37 AM
There is a reasonable amount of contention regarding butterfly willow, from batmakers such as Len Newbery, James Laver and Paul Aldred, who think it is amongst the best performing willow, if not the best, to other makers feeling it's good for heating the building. It made me wonder whether any blemishes improve performance above even straight grains, and if so which ones improve performance the most and which ones deminish performance the most.

I don't care how ugly the face of my bat looks as long as it goes and I don't mind showing that 'UGLY' face of my bat to the bowlers bowling to me more often. I guess, they may hate it more than me......lol!

On a serious note, shape (small edge, high spine), mid to high sweet spot, light weight and pickup and last but not the least, handle shape (exaggerated bottom oval hand) is all what I look for in my bats. I may not go for a bat that has more than 30% heartwood but that is just due to the fact that it may be too hard. Any well pressed bat but ugly willow works for me!
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: Number4 on January 19, 2017, 07:21:46 AM
I am a fan of graping on a bat face.
I dont like knots

Ditto
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: Aussiecollector on January 19, 2017, 09:44:07 AM
@Number4  you wouldn't know what a knot looked like  all your bats are customs & babied
Title: Re: Favourite Blemish
Post by: Number4 on January 19, 2017, 10:57:20 AM
Well you do have a point there