Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: BIGGIE on January 17, 2018, 05:36:58 AM
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Some on here already know that i was in the process of purchasing a custom bat from Hitman.
Originally the youtube vids got my attention but a visit sealed the deal.
My bat arrived shortly after Chrissy but ive been on holidays so this is my first chance to post up.
Havent used the bat in a game yet, first week back the league called off the game due to heat and last week it rained 20 overs in (bloody Melbourne). I will post up my opinion once I use it in a game.
Here's my feedback on purchase:
Positives - awesome customer service, prompt response to any query and never felt pressured to buy at any point. allowed me to pay half up front (to go ahead with build) and balance once bat is finished and delivered (im skeptical about paying for something online before receiving it). very patient and explained everything in great detail.
Negatives - forgot tape at base of grip and shoe goo despite requesting this at time of sale. not impressed with how the rear sticker was applied, couple of bubbles. not a big deal I know but this was a very expensive bat (for me), in my opinion a bit more care should have been taken when applying the sticker.
Here are some photo's, as mentioned in my previous posts its not a pretty bat, i picked this based on ping and pickup. also because its not 'grainy' which I didnt want in a bat. from my research the more grains a bat has the shorter the life expectancy.
(http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd391/sperera/Assassin1_zpsoqxcmwwd.png) (http://s1217.photobucket.com/user/sperera/media/Assassin1_zpsoqxcmwwd.png.html)
(http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd391/sperera/Assassin3_zpsiglu8j65.png) (http://s1217.photobucket.com/user/sperera/media/Assassin3_zpsiglu8j65.png.html)
(http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd391/sperera/Assassin4_zps9e5sujdv.png) (http://s1217.photobucket.com/user/sperera/media/Assassin4_zps9e5sujdv.png.html)
(http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd391/sperera/Assassin5_zpsn81avij1.png) (http://s1217.photobucket.com/user/sperera/media/Assassin5_zpsn81avij1.png.html)
(http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd391/sperera/Assassin2_zpsr3mcpu5l.png) (http://s1217.photobucket.com/user/sperera/media/Assassin2_zpsr3mcpu5l.png.html)
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@BIGGIE can’t see your bat pictures. Try another website to host your pictures.
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sorry new to the site, any idea how I host them?
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sorry new to the site, any idea how I host them?
http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=7712.msg682659#msg682659 (http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=7712.msg682659#msg682659)
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sorry new to the site, any idea how I host them?
I used Imagur which seemed to work well
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(http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd391/sperera/Assassin1_zpsoqxcmwwd.png)
(http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd391/sperera/Assassin2_zpsr3mcpu5l.png)
(http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd391/sperera/Assassin3_zpsiglu8j65.png)
(http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd391/sperera/Assassin5_zpsn81avij1.png)
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@BIGGIE photobucket will not work mate, you'll need to use another image hosting site.
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@BIGGIE photobucket will not work mate, you'll need to use another image hosting site.
ok thanks, ive tried again and same result, ill register with a new site, photobucket has really been sh*tting me latley anyway....
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(https://i.imgur.com/OLC0IIp.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/nL3N6jG.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/zGlICfq.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/Vlnm1Gy.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/aEAQ90P.png)
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havent used it in a game yet.
hopefully get a chance this weekend. league called off last weeks game because of heat and week just gone it rained (bloody melbourne)
whats your opinion on the grip? Seller didnt have much to choose from....
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Grip is all wonky! Bit amateur if it came like that
Agreed - can't even look at the rest of the blade if the handle is looking that wonky
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Aesthetically there isn't much I like about that atall - but each to their own. Performance must be A1!
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@BIGGIE what are your thoughts on the pressing of this? can you please share the cost.
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as mentioned visually its not a pretty blade.
picked because of ping and pickup.
cost was $800
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cost was $800
:o I am slightly in shock that in the land of Kranzbuhler GNs this is how someone would choose to spend $800
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thats alot of money to spend on that bat, i hope it performs well for you, i would expect crazy performance for that price
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never spent this amount on a bat before, so my expectations are very very high.
will know soon enough and ill post my honest feedback after a couple of games.
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I'm sorry but $800 for that?
The guy selling them must be laughing all the way to the bank. Ballsy from you putting photos up.
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pretty naive comment, without feeling pick up or witnessing ping? that comment is purley based on cosmetics, which i couldnt give a sh*t about
i felt shop bats before selecting this one, closest i could compare is the DC1080 LE which retails at $1,100, almost identical pick up but ping on mine is a fair bit better
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pretty naive comment, without feeling pick up or witnessing ping? that comment is purley based on cosmetics, which i couldnt give a sh*t about
i felt shop bats before selecting this one, closest i could compare is the DC1080 LE which retails at $1,100, almost identical pick up but ping on mine is a fair bit better
800 is a lot of money for a grade three bat but if you’re happy with it that’s all that matters I personally would of gotten a Stuart Kranzbuhler custom for that
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Could have picked up three new bats off the “for-sale” section here for that much, and probably had change!
Obviously absolutely up to you how you spend your hard earned dollars - but gee wiz that’s a lot of it for something that looks like that.
It must pick up a pound lighter and absolutely trampoline? The way it’s been hyped I can imagine it does!
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I'm sorry but for 800 and a bat looking like that I'm expecting a forward defence to fly to the boundary. Performance on a bat like that may be fantastic, but the price isn't usually as high as that for something that looks like a G3 bat
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Could have picked up three new bats off the “for-sale” section here for that much, and probably had change!
awfully difficult to purchase bats as a new comer when post counts are lower than 150....i can understand why the limit but surely a limit for selling only not buying?
that said if anyone reads this and has control over things such as this i would genuinely love to further this discussion
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I would have preferred Stuart Kranzbuhler or TK made bat if I want to spend that much. But if you’re happy with it that’s all it counts.
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Wow that looks like a terrible bat for 800 dollars from even more dodgy seller, but hey you are happy and at least people here now know what kind of sellers to avoid. He told me he sources the bats from india, Pakistan, England and Australia - wherever he can get the best clefts (i.e cheapest willow to make the biggest margin). Most of his bats look like blank Pakistani (HS, CA, AS) bats.
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I think Grade 3 is probably generous for this blade, probably more like Grade 3/4. I know very little about this brand but assuming he stickers up bats, this would have cost him £50, £60, £70 plus about £10 max for stickers. $800 is around £460 so irrespective of “ PING “ I think his brand should be called “ CONMAN “ Cricket!
But, if people are willing to pay these prices and he’s selling a few bats then he’s got a pretty good business going on.
To put this into perspective, Kippax grade on performance rather than looks and with their various offers recently you could pick one up for £250. They also grow and have the pick of their own willow and make their own bats. 1 Hitman or 2 Kippax. You decide??
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The WUM is strong in this one...
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Someone should probably give Dominic Littlewood a call...
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Let's be fair fellas, it only works out $200 per grain ;)
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Don’t understand the outrage. It’s all relative. To me charging 100GBP+ for gloves or pads is ridiculous. Charging 400GBP for bats is ridiculous. But we see mostly praise depending on the brand.
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Don’t understand the outrage. It’s all relative. To me charging 100GBP+ for gloves or pads is ridiculous. Charging 400GBP for bats is ridiculous. But we see mostly praise depending on the brand.
I’ve never seen any praise anywhere for any brand charging £460 for a grade 3/4 bat with 4 grains. If you’ve seen such praise I’d like to see it!
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I'm sorry @BIGGIE but that's outrageous from Hitman. I know the market dictates what a bat is worth, and you've happily paid $800. But you could have picked up something very very similar direct from a Pakistani manufacturer for around $40AUD.
I'm appalled that Hitman is even happy to put something like this out at that price. The stickers look shocking too.
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Would’ve sent that straight back for a refund!
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Would’ve sent that straight back for a refund!
Even if you'd previously hand selected it? :D
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Ref air bubbles under stickers, a fine pointed needle to puncture them, then re-burnishing will do the trick. Justsayin
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pretty naive comment, without feeling pick up or witnessing ping? that comment is purley based on cosmetics, which i couldnt give a sh*t about
i felt shop bats before selecting this one, closest i could compare is the DC1080 LE which retails at $1,100, almost identical pick up but ping on mine is a fair bit better
Hope the bat really does go well, and justifies the price. I'm interested, and a little puzzled to be honest. You're saying the comment from Potzy was naive, but how exactly did you feel the pick up and witness the ping, before it was custom made for you and delivered?
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why are people here attacking someone who bought a bat? you may not like it, but trying to convince the person that he's wasted his hard earned cash, and that he's been foolish with his wallet, is very, very mean..
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At some point in our cricketing life we have spent a lot of money on gear which we regret now. Before this forum i bought ebay bats which in actual worth probably 50% of what i paid for them. I appreciate that @BIGGIE shared his experience and bat here on forum in all honesty so other can learn from it and avoid sellers like Hitman. I hope he scores a ton of runs with it.
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why are people here attacking someone who bought a bat? you may not like it, but trying to convince the person that he's wasted his hard earned cash, and that he's been foolish with his wallet, is very, very mean..
Honestly, I don't think anyone is attacking BIGGIE, rather most people commenting have a problem with the vendor. Look, from all the source information we know various things about all this:-
1) We know that BIGGIE paid A$800 for his 'Assassin' bat, which is a lot of money.
2) We know that delazy paid A$300 for his 'Punisher', which - to me at least - did not look disimilar.
3) We know that these bats are made in Pakistan and imported to Australia - so the cost price for either bat is probably around A$150 plus shipping, tops - and also that Ryan imports bats in significant quantities, so the shipping costs per unit will be relatively small. Let's guess conservatively at A$25.
4) We know that bat labels of this type probably cost around A$15 and that getting his mate to knock the bat in likely costs around A$45.
5) There might be some import duties and VAT - I don't know. Let's assume 15% of the landed cost, so around A£23.
So, the total cost to Hitman is likely around A$258. Feel free to offer different opinions on my calculations but my guess is I'm not far wrong. We've seen photos of both bats, and I think we can agree that neither is a looker, so one is unlikely to have cost double of the other. If I'm anywhere close to being right, I reckon delazy got a pretty fair deal from Hitman, but BIGGIE got cleaned up.
That's the issue for me. I think it's unfair that some buyers get the goldmine, and others get the shaft. As I said earlier, I genuinely hope that both bats go like the clappers.
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jeez i should have jumped online last night. so many replies!
im not going to respond to each post, dont have the time.
I had training last night, didnt get a nets session in but did use the new stick in some fielding drills. up top there isnt too much to write home about but the bottom half of the bat is crazy good, absolutely flies.
Even let our president hit a few, been with the club since late 80,s and he too was blown away. he is currently using a GN Kaboom and said it doesnt even come close.
fingers crossed ill make a few runs with it this weekend and post up my findings.
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jeez i should have jumped online last night. so many replies!
im not going to respond to each post, dont have the time.
I had training last night, didnt get a nets session in but did use the new stick in some fielding drills. up top there isnt too much to write home about but the bottom half of the bat is crazy good, absolutely flies.
Even let our president hit a few, been with the club since late 80,s and he too was blown away. he is currently using a GN Kaboom and said it doesnt even come close.
fingers crossed ill make a few runs with it this weekend and post up my findings.
All the best with it. Get someone to video your knock, it would be good to see you batting with it, and I for one have forgotten what sunshine looks like.
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im in victoria, 41 degrees C yesterday and 42 today!
ive just come off 3 weeks holidays in the country, 3 weeks straight of 35degrees +, im looking foward to some clouds LOL
ill see if I can get one of my team mates to video this weekends game when im out in the middle, but they will probably be too busy heckling!
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3) We know that these bats are made in Pakistan and imported to Australia - so the cost price for either bat is probably around A$150 plus shipping, tops - and also that Ryan imports bats in significant quantities, so the shipping costs per unit will be relatively small. Let's guess conservatively at A$25.
The cost price for a bat this grade is closer to around GBP25.00 (before shipping), from my experience.
I'm glad the bat performs, and I hope it holds up. But I really can't sit by and see manufacturers charging GBP450 for what is an incredibly low-grade piece of willow.
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Could have picked up three new bats off the “for-sale” section here for that much, and probably had change!
Obviously absolutely up to you how you spend your hard earned dollars - but gee wiz that’s a lot of it for something that looks like that.
It must pick up a pound lighter and absolutely trampoline? The way it’s been hyped I can imagine it does!
About that... where is the for sale section on this forum?
Trying to sell a Blankbat & a top of the range salix before the English season starts
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I dont want to bang on about this for too long, deal is done, this is what I have and that is what I paid.
ill use it for the rest of the season, if last nights performance is anything to go by ill keep the bat for a few season, if the performance dips greatly ill cut my losses and contact one of the builders here.
I do have a question though, allot of people here have spoken about the 'grade' which as far as my understanding goes is specific to how it looks. Does any manufacturer put a price on how a bat 'picks up' or 'pings'?
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I do have a question though, allot of people here have spoken about the 'grade' which as far as my understanding goes is specific to how it looks. Does any manufacturer put a price on how a bat 'picks up' or 'pings'?
Pick-up is pretty much solely down to how a bat is shaped, combined with the weight of the handle. You can make any bat pick up well, just shift the weight up towards the handle.
In respect to ping. Some manufacturers claim to grade on performance, but it's incredibly unscientific at best. And you still generally see prettier bats towards the higher price brackets. Very few people would be willing to spend big money on a bat which looks exactly the same as a bat from another manufacturer, but at a quarter of the price.
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About that... where is the for sale section on this forum?
Trying to sell a Blankbat & a top of the range salix before the English season starts
It's limited to those who have more than 150 posts.
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Tom - is that specific to buy or just selling?
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Tom - is that specific to buy or just selling?
You can buy and sell there. You need 150 “quality” posts.
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It’s been a while since I’ve posted but this thread really made me angry. To charge that much for that bat is beyond a joke. I really don’t want to make you feel bad about this but @BIGGIE you should be asking for your money back and learn something from this experience. For all the flaws of grading solely on looks at least that means you can delve into lower grades and find an ugly duckling that when treated with the proper skill by a bat maker can be as good as a much higher grade bat (although perhaps won’t come into its best quite so quickly or draw so many ah’s and ooh’s of appreciation). But for this guy to use the grading on performance line to say here’s a grade 5 bat but it goes like stink so it’s £400 beggars belief. If you wanted a bat that didn’t have to look great and would last a good long time (unlike a lot of super expensive low density grainy bats) you could have found a great deal of them for a lot lot less.
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@GoldenArm last couple of years most of us paid 600-700 on xp80 1500 or 50+. They didn’t look great either but they all performed quite well. I am not comparing hitman with Gray Nicolls at all but if the buyer is satisfied with the performance of his bat then that’s it.
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im glad that your happy with the performamce of the bat, that is all that matters at the end of the day, look forward to hearing how you get on with it throughout the season
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It’s been a while since I’ve posted but this thread really made me angry. To charge that much for that bat is beyond a joke. I really don’t want to make you feel bad about this but @BIGGIE you should be asking for your money back and learn something from this experience. For all the flaws of grading solely on looks at least that means you can delve into lower grades and find an ugly duckling that when treated with the proper skill by a bat maker can be as good as a much higher grade bat (although perhaps won’t come into its best quite so quickly or draw so many ah’s and ooh’s of appreciation). But for this guy to use the grading on performance line to say here’s a grade 5 bat but it goes like stink so it’s £400 beggars belief. If you wanted a bat that didn’t have to look great and would last a good long time (unlike a lot of super expensive low density grainy bats) you could have found a great deal of them for a lot lot less.
i have no intention of asking for money back. i saw the blade before balance of purchase was paid for so its on me.
to me the looks arnt a priority, so far (which isnt much of a test) the performance justifies the purchase, if the performance drops dramatically ill cut my losses and see what else is out there
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@GoldenArm last couple of years most of us paid 600-700 on xp80 1500 or 50+. They didn’t look great either but they all performed quite well. I am not comparing hitman with Gray Nicolls at all but if the buyer is satisfied with the performance of his bat then that’s it.
I’m fairly sure those xp’s And 50+ didn’t look like they’d been pulled off an old shed and stickered up by Ray Charles though. You were paying not for looks but for size/density so it’s just a different side of the same coin. This bat doesn’t have either of those things going for it unfortunately. I’m saying quite firmly he really shouldn’t be happy, not matter how much it stings to admit it, he should be absolutely hopping mad. We’ve all been there, I bought a total plank off eBay in the early days. Not even sure it was made of willow 😂. Sent it back to the bloke and threatened to report him for selling fake kooks. Did get my money back and went straight out and got a lovely grade 2 Redback Allegiance for £150. Still one of the best bats I’ve ever owned. 🚀
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The cost price for a bat this grade is closer to around GBP25.00 (before shipping), from my experience.
I'm glad the bat performs, and I hope it holds up. But I really can't sit by and see manufacturers charging GBP450 for what is an incredibly low-grade piece of willow.
And you are fine if UK brands charge 500 GBP for their top level bats? And more than 100 GBP for gloves and pads made in the subcontinent?
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I don't know BIGGIE, so this isn't an attack on him or anyone else. Sometimes when we have made a mistake we don't like to own up to it. I think most people on here are trying to reach out to BIGGIE and help him, maybe they aren't being very constructive.
We have all made mistakes and been embarrassed by it. I think people should vent their anger at Hitman bats!
You would have gotten a better bat direct by contacting a few of the Pakistani companies (if that's where they get their bats from). I've done that and then had them adjusted by a local bat maker if I havent been quite happy by the pickup, and its still been better value for money.
We all just don't like fellow forum members being ripped off mate! Could have got a great bat from many forum sponsors for way less.
Hope it all works out, chin up!
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And you are fine if UK brands charge 500 GBP for their top level bats? And more than 100 GBP for gloves and pads made in the subcontinent?
From what I have seen. Very few people on this forum will spend £500.00 on a bat. I cant bring myself to pay more than £250.00 and that is for bats where i get choose the willow and it's local to me.
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I'm sorry but how can anyone justify that price for a grade 3 bat? I'm not saying ugly bats can't be great bats, I have a GN now, light, full and ugly, it's a great stick BUT it cost about $300 au. This guy i assume doesn't charge GST, no retail space or staff to pay, non of the dreaded sponsorship $$ built into the prices, no warranty or support. It really is a joke, how can they charge up to $1500 with none of these costs genuine retailers face?
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I know a guy who bought an Affinity Persona with 4 grains. Pretty sure he still rates it as one of the best bats he has ever owned. Like Biggie I couldn't give a toss about looks. All I care about is how the bat plays. If a manufacturer/brand can guarantee performance for a price I'm keen (hence the large collection of SPS bats). That said, however, I'll never buy a Hitman because he sounds like a flog.
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And you are fine if UK brands charge 500 GBP for their top level bats? And more than 100 GBP for gloves and pads made in the subcontinent?
But top level bats made in the UK cost considerably more than imported "grade 3" bats so it's a different context, although I do agree that some prices have become simply ridiculous lately.
As for softs, the introduction of GST in India has made a fair difference - personally I'm not overly comfortable charging £69.99 for gloves and £89.99 for pads, but if I didn't then I wouldn't exist this time next year (the quality of the product is more than comparable with brands charging over £200 for a set, so I like to think I'm still offering a fair price at under £160 in comparison with the rest of the market).
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At the end of the if the buyer makes loads of runs and plays with it for multiple season than he would consider it as a good buy. I would have personally opted for something else
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This is why i wont review this brand. Grade 4 max. Brand owner should be ashamed of himself.
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I'm sorry but how can anyone justify that price for a grade 3 bat? I'm not saying ugly bats can't be great bats, I have a GN now, light, full and ugly, it's a great stick BUT it cost about $300 au. This guy i assume doesn't charge GST, no retail space or staff to pay, non of the dreaded sponsorship $$ built into the prices, no warranty or support. It really is a joke, how can they charge up to $1500 with none of these costs genuine retailers face?
amen @skip1973. Totally agree. The way they do it is by slagging off their competitors and the big brands and this type of marketing appeals to players who actually brought a dud off the big brands and were disappointed. It doesn’t mean they are getting a great deal, just flipping the bird to ‘the man’.
The entire performance justifies the price is not valid at all imo. Getting ripped off is what it is. Who is to say this will last a season? At least the big brands have a warranty.
GN is a good brand and I think represent value and innovation, they also have a premier bat maker and no doubt extremely skilled bat makers in Melbourne making some nice bats. We also have other bat makers in Australia working hard to make a bat and get it to market and build a reputation. Please let this brand serve as a terrible example of the worst aspects of greed and low integrity. Sorry to the boys who paid good money, but your flogging a dead horse.
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At least hitman are honest about one thing, most brands would cover this with a grain sheet or some paint
Those brands would also sell it for under $150au..
Good luck with it I guess..
On a side note, looking at some of the Hitman claims and prices, seems ethics and honesty dont factor into the company ethos. With so many great local options and even from sponsors on this forum, why people buy from this lot is beyond me.
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The cost price for a bat this grade is closer to around GBP25.00 (before shipping), from my experience.
I'm glad the bat performs, and I hope it holds up. But I really can't sit by and see manufacturers charging GBP450 for what is an incredibly low-grade piece of willow.
Agreed, I was being deliberately conservative in my calculations. Having said that, Ryan at Hit man does appear to be convinced by the quality so my guess is that he's paying over the odds also.
On grading. Buyers seem to forget that even if they are sure they're getting performance over aesthetics, the original cleft will have been sold to the batmaker on looks, usually going by Wright's grading structure. So yeah, each of the clefts in question probably cost the batmaker around £18 or so.
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Guys - when I first joined this forum I knew nothing about bats and kit. This was doubly true as I never played cricket as a youngster so knew less than most!
I made mistakes and bought kit (including the odd bat) which I shouldn't have. I do look back and realise I was very naive but that is all part of learning.
I am sure that biggie will learn and realise that there is no way he should have paid that much money for a Grade 3/4 bat. And that there is a maximum a batmaker should charge for a Grade 3/4 bat, no matter how decent the performance.
@BIGGIE please realise that some of the comments are not aimed at you - they are aimed at the batmaker/seller for charging a ridiculous amount of money for a low grade bat!
They are only making those comments because they feel strongly about the industry and cricket in general, and in this case they do have a strong point!
But also very pleased that the bat performs well and hope you get loads of runs with it! :D
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Guys - when I first joined this forum I knew nothing about bats and kit. This was doubly true as I never played cricket as a youngster so knew less than most!
I made mistakes and bought kit (including the odd bat) which I shouldn't have. I do look back and realise I was very naive but that is all part of learning.
I am sure that biggie will learn and realise that there is no way he should have paid that much money for a Grade 3/4 bat. And that there is a maximum a batmaker should charge for a Grade 3/4 bat, no matter how decent the performance.
@BIGGIE please realise that some of the comments are not aimed at you - they are aimed at the batmaker/seller for charging a ridiculous amount of money for a low grade bat!
They are only making those comments because they feel strongly about the industry and cricket in general, and in this case they do have a strong point!
But also very pleased that the bat performs well and hope you get loads of runs with it! :D
Well said, that is what I was trying to convey to BIGGIE also :)
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Guys - when I first joined this forum I knew nothing about bats and kit. This was doubly true as I never played cricket as a youngster so knew less than most!
I made mistakes and bought kit (including the odd bat) which I shouldn't have. I do look back and realise I was very naive but that is all part of learning.
I am sure that biggie will learn and realise that there is no way he should have paid that much money for a Grade 3/4 bat. And that there is a maximum a batmaker should charge for a Grade 3/4 bat, no matter how decent the performance.
@BIGGIE please realise that some of the comments are not aimed at you - they are aimed at the batmaker/seller for charging a ridiculous amount of money for a low grade bat!
They are only making those comments because they feel strongly about the industry and cricket in general, and in this case they do have a strong point!
But also very pleased that the bat performs well and hope you get loads of runs with it! :D
Very much where im coming from. No disrespect intended @BIGGIE. hopefully free matching pads and gloves arrive at your door to relieve the angst some of this information may have caused.
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Looking it from another angle, one could begrudgingly respect the seller, Hitman, for his massive cojones in charging this much. Not being funny, I've had experience in store of people not wanting to pay £300 for a TK made G1+, arrow straight grains cannon etc etc, so to get someone to pay this much for what is essentially firewood is pretty impressive in one sense!
I think the distinction a lot of people are making is yes, this bat may be an absolute weapon, and ultimately looks are a bit of a vanity thing (I'm up there with the worst for this!), and so the buyer may be very happy with his stick. HOWEVER, I think what a lot of people are saying is that no matter how good this weapon is, you could have got one just as good for a lot cheaper. It may be a very good bat, but it certainly isn't good value for money!
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This thread used to suck . Now its just depressing. :(
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It's like a bad horror movie, I couldn't but keep looking.... So $800.00 dollars is £461.55!
It's depressing because to put it into perspective:
Charlie French does a bat making experience for £295.00
Some Options off the shelf (just picked PRO Direct as random)
GM Original for £463.00
Salix - most expensive one is for £417.00
Kippax -£350 retail reduced to £315.00
...oh if you wanted flagship Pakistani bat you could get a CA 7 star from EAS for £350.00
That's just a quick browse... :( :( :o :o :o
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used the bat in a game for the first time yesterday, dont have much to say as I only made 7 runs before getting run out (and we lost the match by 10 runs :( )
did cut a four and cover drive for 2, felt awesome and really flew off the bat. but too early for a proper opinion just yet.
will keep updating as the bat plays in more
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But top level bats made in the UK cost considerably more than imported "grade 3" bats so it's a different context, although I do agree that some prices have become simply ridiculous lately.
As for softs, the introduction of GST in India has made a fair difference - personally I'm not overly comfortable charging £69.99 for gloves and £89.99 for pads, but if I didn't then I wouldn't exist this time next year (the quality of the product is more than comparable with brands charging over £200 for a set, so I like to think I'm still offering a fair price at under £160 in comparison with the rest of the market).
GST in India was supposed to make it easier (avoiding multiple taxes) but there have been implementation issues and it hasn't been done well. I totally understand what you are saying. And also pads being bulky, the shipping also constitutes a fair charge.
Honestly, I would love to try your bats and have been really impressed with the branding but shipping to Singapore always is expensive. Only prodirect has decent shipping costs due to their sheer volumes (although will never buy a bat from there).
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@sgcricket exactly mate, I think in the long run once everything has been smoothed out the GST will indeed work out positively but at the moment it's just a bit of a mess - as an example there was a 28% levy applied to all bags hence the steep rise in duffles/wheelies across the board this year. There's so many different categories and different levels of tax it must make it an absolute minefield for suppliers (I'm invoiced in GBP so at least it stays consistent regardless of the currency fluctuation).
Appreciate the kind comments on the branding, it's obviously very simple (on purpose!) but I like to think effective. Feel free to PM me if you're ever interested as I'm sure I could sort something out on the shipping (I've just shipped a bat out to @Wickets-then-runs in Aus which came in at under £30).
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Finally got a chance out in the middle over the weekend, batted for 20 overs.
bottom half of the bat is super strong, cant feel anything through the handle and the ball flies off, even with my rubbish timing. made a handy 37 not out so pretty happy :D
still nothing out of the top half of the bat but I guess thats what I asked for, still think the bat is going to improve after a few more games.
toe guard I had fitted locally came off in the second over, so bit dissapointed in that, think i might switch to shoe goo or something
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How's the stick going now @BIGGIE ?
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Finally got a chance out in the middle over the weekend, batted for 20 overs. made a handy 37 not out so pretty happy :D
you scored 37 in 20 overs? you need top spend a day with @Northern monkey he will show you how its done!!
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37 off 20 overs? From the the one i had, it sounds like you middled everything! :)