Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: play-yourself-in on March 27, 2018, 10:50:12 PM
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So what is the view on the shorter blade T20 style bats? Has anyone swapped to these? No you like them? What are the pros and cons?
Personally i’ve never seen, picked up, or used one so I was just curious.
Are pros using them?
Are the h4l 50/50 and the Newbury Blitz the main ones?
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I've got a couple, one Mongoose cor3 which is quite a bit shorter and one I made myself which is only half an inch smaller than standard. They're great, made myself one to experiment and I'm a convert.
Pros - I like the feel and more wood where it's needed can't be a bad thing. Cons - none? So long as the blade isn't too much shorter there aren't any downsides that I've found batting with one. They do pick up a bit more bottom heavy than a similar standard blade but that's just personal preference whether you'll get on with it or not. If you choke the handle with your bottom hand you won't like them obviously.
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I have been using one as a net bat this winter. I haven't noticed a big difference in the pick up or balance. The biggest issue I have found is that I use an oval handle but as my hands are further up the handle with it being longer, my bottom hand is above the oval part of the handle so that it feels like a round handled bat. I have a strong bottom hand grip with is partly compensated by using an oval handle, but as my bottom hand is above the oval section of the handle, I am dragging balls to leg.
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I like to grip the handle right in the middle of regular SH bat, so when I needed to grip the bat higher in the shorter blade, longer handle version, I couldn't get on with it. Also, holding the bat higher on the handle made me uncomfortable in playing horizontal bat shots. And I could feel this difference even with just the 1-2 cm shorter blade bat I tried that some people said one wouldn't even notice. All depends on the person I guess..
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I've recently reverted to using a short blade bat I had made up back in 2014 and can't look back from it - likely to end up being my match bat come April 14th.
The design itself is slightly different to usual as rather than being a shorter blade/longer handle, the shoulders are simply sloped down (similar to the Newbery Excalibur - effectively just involves taking a standard SH bat and dropping the shoulders either side). Pick up wise the handle and splice have been kept pretty thick so it actually picks up well for what should be a bottom heavy bat. It's probably around 1.5 inches shorter in the shoulders but obviously the same length overall as any SH. The main advantage is it weighs 2.8 and the edges are just under 40mm with the spine touching 65/70mm :D.
I should add I'm 6ft 3", so the shorter blade/t20 style bat not being suitable for taller players is a myth in my opinion!
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I have all sorts of T20 style bats including an MMI3, Bulldog, COR3, custom Red Ink and Warbird. Those bats that are an inch/half inch shorter blade make no difference whatsoever, the massively thick handle of the MMI3 posssibly suits some more than others, the fairly thin handle and lightweight nature of my bulldog make it very easy to use. If I play 'normal' sorts I don't find it makes a difference which bat I use.
Then again my bats weigh from 2lb 6oz to 3lb 2oz So I'm not one of those fussy people.
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I used a Black Cat Joker for a season. Can't believe I sold it ( On every CBFer's gravestone!) . I dragged a few to leg but they were sailing 20m over rope so wasn't a problem.. So much more power generated
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If a GM Neon counts, then it's the best bat I've used for scoring runs.
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Are the h4l 50/50 and the Newbury Blitz the main ones?
The H4L 50/50 is a more traditional shape with smaller edges and higher spine - you maybe thinking of the H4L Warbird - which is a shorter length blade
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If a GM Neon counts, then it's the best bat I've used for scoring runs.
I used a GM Chrome most of last year (regular SH bat) but I picked up a GM Neon in a silly PDC flash sale which is 15mm shorter blade longer handle and I must say it does just feel better and I seemed to play more shots as seemed to have move confidence when hitting over the top, now this may be a mental thing as I was gripping the bat a bit higher on the handle as I have always chocked the handle as being an opening bat I want lots of control so feel like holding lower helps this.
Coming into this season I’m torn between the hat I have always used ie regular SH ot the slightly shorter blade Neon, but I am close to becoming a convert to slightly shorter blade, I’ll never go to Mongoose levels but they are becoming more popular
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the Willow Whisperer @KettonJake himself did pick it out for me, so that's partly the reason for its effectiveness...
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I have this b*stard - it's huge and I love it. It's not knocked in yet but it taps up amazingly.
It makes me feel very sexy and I will surely be a better batsman with it!
(http://i68.tinypic.com/smzhc0.jpg)
(http://i67.tinypic.com/zkpkja.jpg)
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We have had a few made in sizes 5, 6 and Harrow
Here's one that's was bought Monday, by an adult, Harrow length bat, size 6 blade, 36mm edge
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/791/41069637991_80d9ae9299_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/25zbCwK)
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/869/41069637521_e5be47484d_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/25zbCwK)
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/870/27197825858_49d2e835c3_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/25zbCoD) (https://flic.kr/p/HrnY53)
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Anyone know where I can get a really cheap but reasonable short t20 blade style bat? Ive never had the chance to use one and have no idea how I'll get on with one. Tried to buy a mongoose to no avail the other day
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The H4L 50/50 is a more traditional shape with smaller edges and higher spine - you maybe thinking of the H4L Warbird - which is a shorter length blade
Yeah i was thinking of that - Thanks.
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Anyone know where I can get a really cheap but reasonable short t20 blade style bat? Ive never had the chance to use one and have no idea how I'll get on with one. Tried to buy a mongoose to no avail the other day
Budget?
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Anyone know where I can get a really cheap but reasonable short t20 blade style bat? Ive never had the chance to use one and have no idea how I'll get on with one. Tried to buy a mongoose to no avail the other day
One of the GM short blade ranges would probably be your best bet for a budget buy, or maybe approach one of the forum's various home batmakers. If you'll spend a bit more just get a Chase from @Six Sixes Cricket , the R4s are superb value.
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Apologies for the lack of clarity guys, budget would be around the £50 max mark. Understand I may require a used bat for this low budget. I nearly snaffled one of the MMI3s for £36 which I was excited to play with but stock reasons meant I didn't receive
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eBay is your friend there then mate! You'll not find much new for that.
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Thought as much :)
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IT is good to see so many people using shorter blade configuration! Try using shorter length bats than SH as well and you will find your ability to drive the ball will improve. Proportionally KP used shorter bats for his body length than most batsman and he was just devastating with his cover drive to Steyn.
Experiment. Ask bat makers to make you different length bats. If you are willing to part with some cash, Laver makes a great Size 6 bat with Size3 blade. MG2 is also a master of that configuration. If you like a 2-9 bat, they can make you ridiculously pingy bats.
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Love mine, it’s a Newbury made version
Half inch longer handle/shorter blade
It’s an almost convex profile so very full and forgiving
Being 5’9 I like it but I can comfortably switch between sh and this without thinking about it
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Experiment.
This is one thing I'll agree with you on, if you're not average height it's well worth messing with bat length. I can get away with short handle but a tad longer makes it really comfortable, settled on a 1/2" short blade 1" longer handle combo and it's bloody good, for me anyway.
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Had a Newbury Uzi which was a fantastic bat. Didn't notice the difference but found handle too long as always hold bat quite low down. Bought a H4L NV in Harrow, so I'd have a shorter blade and short handle. It's 2.8 and goes brilliantly and half the price. Also you only use about 60-70 of the bat face most of the time so shorter blade makes sense.
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Most of my bats are short blade when your short it's a big advantage they stop you jamming the bat toe into the ground when driving and its easier to follow through with the shot.
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Question for batmakers:
I am planning to invest in a new short blade long handle (LH) combo next season.
In terms of selecting appropriate weight for the new stick, will it be correct to assume that I will have to go with bit lesser weight than my regular SH bat.
Wondering on a rough estimate as to what is the net weight difference when you remove some wood from the blade and add a longer handle, and what should be weight of the shorter blade LH bat in reference to the SH bat?
Cheers
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I've found the opposite mate, personally I've found the SB/LH combination to improve pickup so for the same feel I go about 1 to 2oz heavier with the shorter blade bat for the same feel.
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Yeah I’d definitely agree,,,you should be able to go a couple of ounces up on your normal weight
Pick up is definitely a lot better, and personally I’ve found bat speed to increase too.
Dropping the shoulders/shortening the blade, usually gets an ounce or so off the dead weight.
To be honest, I’d say this blade length combination is by far the most popular of the bats I’ve made, and I’m sure there’s quite a few batmakers out there who produce bats with a shorter blade/longer handle without most purchasers even realising
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Pickup has to get slightly worse, you're moving the same amount of mass further away from your hands. I've always assumed people who think a short blade picks up better must just be holding the handle right at the bottom.
In practice the blade length isn't the only thing that changes though, a batmaker will still balance the bat to how they like it. I'd just use the same weight, the difference will be marginal at best and pickup depends more on the individual bat and where you hold it than it does on how long the blade is.
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Pickup has to get slightly worse, you're moving the same amount of mass further away from your hands. I've always assumed people who think a short blade picks up better must just be holding the handle right at the bottom.
In practice the blade length isn't the only thing that changes though, a batmaker will still balance the bat to how they like it. I'd just use the same weight, the difference will be marginal at best and pickup depends more on the individual bat and where you hold it than it does on how long the blade is.
I'm the exact opposite, grip the handle as high as possible 😅
Good point about pickup though, it is going to be individual to the bat you buy. What I will say, I've got SB/LH bats from Oxfordshire, Scott, Garrard and Red Ink, not one of those would let you down with the bat you'll get if you're going down the SB/LH route.
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The 1/2 inch shorter blade longer handle AM18 I make makes up about 40% of this years sales but is by far the bat that gets the most positive feedback in terms of its pick up and allows for slightly bigger profiles than the SL06 traditional SH shape.
Personally used this set up for about the last 6 years now and just find it suits my game perfectly.
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Pickup has to get slightly worse, you're moving the same amount of mass further away from your hands. I've always assumed people who think a short blade picks up better must just be holding the handle right at the bottom.
In practice the blade length isn't the only thing that changes though, a batmaker will still balance the bat to how they like it. I'd just use the same weight, the difference will be marginal at best and pickup depends more on the individual bat and where you hold it than it does on how long the blade is.
I guess I’ll have to agree to disagree with your views on this mr edge,,
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Personally i don't think the difference in pick up is huge, but others have said they feel it improves.
As always, I suppose it all depends on how a bat is balanced, the profile, handle thickness etc. I like it as a set up, but I'm not massively fussy on blade size etc when batting. If it feels right and suits my eye, I'll use it.
@Jimbo sent his back for a refurb recently and forgot how good it felt. I was tempted to keep it! 😆
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Long as you're happy to make up a copy that hits a ball as well @jonny77 😂
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As well or as well?
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Pickup has to get slightly worse, you're moving the same amount of mass further away from your hands. I've always assumed people who think a short blade picks up better must just be holding the handle right at the bottom.
In practice the blade length isn't the only thing that changes though, a batmaker will still balance the bat to how they like it. I'd just use the same weight, the difference will be marginal at best and pickup depends more on the individual bat and where you hold it than it does on how long the blade is.
Pick up is a simple matter of physics. As you say, pick.up has to get worse with a shorter blade as you are taking weight from close to the pivot point and moving it further away. The only way pick up improves is if you start moving weight higher up the blade to compensate
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The only way pick up improves is if you start moving weight higher up the blade to compensate
Or by reducing the length and weight of the blade.
Making a longer handle and reducing the blade = net weight loss = lighter pickup.
If you take it to the extreme, a bat that was standard length but 90% handle and 10% blade, would pick up incredibly light!
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Or by reducing the length and weight of the blade.
Making a longer handle and reducing the blade = net weight loss = lighter pickup.
If you take it to the extreme, a bat that was standard length but 90% handle and 10% blade, would pick up incredibly light!
It wouldn’t be if it weighed 2’8 though, it would pick up appallingly.
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Or by reducing the length and weight of the blade.
Making a longer handle and reducing the blade = net weight loss = lighter pickup.
If you take it to the extreme, a bat that was standard length but 90% handle and 10% blade, would pick up incredibly light!
If you have lower weight, we know it will always tend to pickup better irrespective of whether you go for regular SH or shorter blade. But with shorter blade, the improved pickup at lower weight can be negated by the loss of pickup due to holding higher up the handle, so overall pickup improvement is questionable/depends on the amount of weight reduction achieved. If short blade bat works for one, good, but to claim that shorter blade bat has better pickup isn't true.
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Or by reducing the length and weight of the blade.
Making a longer handle and reducing the blade = net weight loss = lighter pickup.
If you take it to the extreme, a bat that was standard length but 90% handle and 10% blade, would pick up incredibly light!
Agreed on reducing the weight but the issue was whether you could go with a heavier bat if you go for a shorter blade and longer handle.
A 90% handle 10% bat set up wouldn't have incredible pick up though, it would just be very light in weight
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I find they pick-up really well. Shouldn't that be the only reason people choose to use them?
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I've recently reverted to using a short blade bat I had made up back in 2014 and can't look back from it - likely to end up being my match bat come April 14th.
The design itself is slightly different to usual as rather than being a shorter blade/longer handle, the shoulders are simply sloped down (similar to the Newbery Excalibur - effectively just involves taking a standard SH bat and dropping the shoulders either side). Pick up wise the handle and splice have been kept pretty thick so it actually picks up well for what should be a bottom heavy bat. It's probably around 1.5 inches shorter in the shoulders but obviously the same length overall as any SH. The main advantage is it weighs 2.8 and the edges are just under 40mm with the spine touching 65/70mm :D .
I should add I'm 6ft 3", so the shorter blade/t20 style bat not being suitable for taller players is a myth in my opinion!
Is this still valid after 3 1/2 years?
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I wouldn’t overthink it. Get the same weight and shape you normally use, and enjoy the faster bat speed!
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Height has nothing to do with it since the overall bat length is the same. All about the pick-up!
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I’m a bit less “scientifical”. A bat either picks up well or not.
For me, it lets me get a big bat in a little bit less weight and the majority of the time, thicker shoulders which (in my head or not) helps me manoeuvre the ball better when glancing on the back foot.
Go custom, support a batmaker on here and have a play.
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I’m a bit less “scientifical”. A bat either picks up well or not.
For me, it lets me get a big bat in a little bit less weight and the majority of the time, thicker shoulders which (in my head or not) helps me manoeuvre the ball better when glancing on the back foot.
Go custom, support a batmaker on here and have a play.
It has been suggested (many times) elsewhere that size/weight ratio has little to do with a bats performance. (Speak to the Big Ginge if you're still not convinced.)
But I think you've got totally the right attitude in regards to pick-up. It not something that you can calculate with numbers and measurements.
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During my time at one of the Forum Sponsors we found from club players and International players that the Shorter Blade 'DOES' increase batspeed however please think that youre removing around an ounce from further up the bat and putting it on the rest of the blade.
And Im sorry 'It not something that you can calculate with numbers and measurements.' is incorrect! When designing with CAD there are calcs which you can aquire which give you this and thats why I was able to create over 75 Bespoke desins which receive positive feedback
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I guess I’ll have to agree to disagree with your views on this mr edge,,
It's a bit of a moot point, but ok - how would you make an equivalent shorter blade bat pick up better? Same mass and shape, but that mass is now further away from your hands - it must pick up 'worse'.
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It's a bit of a moot point, but ok - how would you make an equivalent shorter blade bat pick up better? Same mass and shape, but that mass is now further away from your hands - it must pick up 'worse'.
You have to hold the bat further up the handle, you can’t choke the shoulders
Personally, I’ve used this style for about ten years now,,originally with an af toro, I think that was about 45mm shorter blade from memory , I had to build up the grip to stop my hands dropping down the handle
Dead weight on that bat was pushing 2.12,,,picked up nice, but was more about bat speed with certain shots,,,I couldn’t cut the quicker balls but generally I could play most shots comfortably
Fast forward to my knackered present day body and I’m down to about 2.10 dead weight with a 25mm shorter blade
Picks up like a feather, and the lighter weight means I can bat a little longer without suffering fatigue.
Definitely definitely suits some but not all
As with all things, each to THEIR own,,,and whatever suits a particular batting style/game/wickets etc etc
Great topic
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It's a bit of a moot point, but ok - how would you make an equivalent shorter blade bat pick up better? Same mass and shape, but that mass is now further away from your hands - it must pick up 'worse'.
I don't think the weight transfer is notably going to make it pick up better or worse, I think it is down to the bat maker and wood placement. Moving a few cms and spreading them across the bat wouldn't be a massive change for most people, and I have two normal bats, both 2.10, but pick up is notably different due to shape.
The one thing I noted when I used a short blade, and I prefer them generally, is that I realised I held the bat a little further down the handle, which made the longer handle offset some of the weight, which may be one reason why people feel it could pick up better.
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Ngl this concept sounds pretty interesting and I'm interested in trying that out.