Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: CricketXI on July 24, 2018, 03:45:50 PM
-
Bat manufacturing units or bat makers are spread over a wide geographical range, be it New Zealand, England, Australia, Pakistan and India and some are made in South Africa too.
Most of you might have played with the bats made somewhere in above mentioned places.
I would like to generalize and know where the best bats are made and what makes them better than then other. I understand its not that easy as all of the bats are made of same raw material and there are very few major suppliers who I do not think are adopting any scientific methods to improve the performance quality.
I would like you to not to consider the cheap, unknown or lesser know brands or companies while you rate the bats.
I also understand majority of the bats comes from subcontinent and now even the big UK, NZ and Aus brands are getting the bats from subcontinent. So we are left with very few options to make our decision from.
I do not want you take the probats into your considerations because of various reasons.
As most of us have our own criteria while choosing a bat, I also want you to list the criteria as well.
As for me its value for money, where Pakistani bats excels there is no other winners than the Pakistani bats, one can get same wood same performance and arguably same durability form a very less expensive Pakistani bat than a premium priced NZ bats.
And when I say I consider value for money, some of us will say then what about performance.
In my honest opinion I donot think one can judge the performance just by looks or smacking a mallet or tapping a cricket ball.
So here is my list:
Pakistan (Best value for money- if you are able to source them from a reputable dealer)
England (* the bats that are listed at a fair value not the crazy priced- buy in exchange of gold bricks )
India (Good value for the money, but they are getting costly and when you compare CP to SP they might come at same value as England made bats. )
NZ (Just know only one big brand coming out of there, have heard those are good ones, never used one though )
Australia (* Mann.. they are costly, Are they making them out of Bocote wood )
-
It is true. Pakistani bats offer the best value for money. The problem with pakistani bats is not lack of skill. It is lack of vision and overall tendency to deceive. It is very rare to find a bat of your desired specs unless ur willing to scan through the whole lot yourself. Just a small example. I was in lahore this february on the lookout for a Ca bat, it took me 13 retailers to find a bat that weighed 2lb8oz. Most retailers dont even know the difference between 2lb8oz and 2.8lb. So yes. Great value for money. But you're more likely to be duped 7 out of 10 times.
-
Friend of mine used to go to India for the IPL, would bring bat loads of bat he had got for nothing over there and bring them back. There’s a few Indian websites that you can get decent stuff from for no money at all only problem is delivery.
-
I personally don't physically pick up any bats. I buy them thru intermediaries. My best bats are sourced from Pak, ENG, and AUS. All of these bats were hand picked by people in the trade. Outstanding bats, all of them. Some collector items.
-
It is true. Pakistani bats offer the best value for money. The problem with pakistani bats is not lack of skill. It is lack of vision and overall tendency to deceive. It is very rare to find a bat of your desired specs unless ur willing to scan through the whole lot yourself. Just a small example. I was in lahore this february on the lookout for a Ca bat, it took me 13 retailers to find a bat that weighed 2lb8oz. Most retailers dont even know the difference between 2lb8oz and 2.8lb. So yes. Great value for money. But you're more likely to be duped 7 out of 10 times.
I personally get mine directly from Sialkot (CA/MB/Ihsan/mids) factories through my connections and so far they have served me quite well. They are indeed the best value for money. I can get a G1 Bat for less than $200.
-
I personally get mine directly from Sialkot (CA/MB/Ihsan/mids) factories through my connections and so far they have served me quite well. They are indeed the best value for money. I can get a G1 Bat for less than $200.
That’s a bargain that the equivalent of about 170-180 pounds
-
I personally get mine directly from Sialkot (CA/MB/Ihsan/mids) factories through my connections and so far they have served me quite well. They are indeed the best value for money. I can get a G1 Bat for less than $200.
Key word here is "connections"
Another small example. Last year i went to Ca official website and ordered Ca player edition batting gloves left handed large mens size. What got delivered was righty gloves standard mens size. No exchange no refund. Same with a friend of mine. Ordered a 2lb8oz Ca plus 12000 bat, received a bat weighing nearly 2lb12oz with a 2.8 sticker on it
-
@Mfarank:
I guess the weight measure issue is due to the fact they mostly use grams to measure weight in general and as far as I know Pakistani bat makers label the weight without grip, twin and stickers.So that adds to ounce or two to the actual weight and the other thing is the seller do not have much knowledge about the bats or equipment they are selling and I guess cricket goods are sold and valued on the players who are using them.
And I guess it’s everywhere that unless you know the seller very well you have to wonder around to get a good bat and a good deal and I guess if someone is a regular customer to a reputable store then they can get bats near to their specs.
@alexevo94:
Yes there are few websites in India which sell sporting goods but I am not sure of the quality and services offered by those sites, and most of the sites are plagued with counterfeits
-
@Mfarank:
I guess the weight measure issue is due to the fact they mostly use grams to measure weight in general and as far as I know Pakistani bat makers label the weight without grip, twin and stickers.So that adds to ounce or two to the actual weight and the other thing is the seller do not have much knowledge about the bats or equipment they are selling and I guess cricket goods are sold and valued on the players who are using them.
And I guess it’s everywhere that unless you know the seller very well you have to wonder around to get a good bat and a good deal and I guess if someone is a regular customer to a reputable store then they can get bats near to their specs.
@alexevo94:
Yes there are few websites in India which sell sporting goods but I am not sure of the quality and services offered by those sites, and most of the sites are plagued with counterfeits
There’s one site i use never had a problem all genuine stuff. Delivery takes between 5-7 days and is relatively cheap for the quality of stuff. Got MRF gloves that AB wears for 40 quid including delivery. Why pro direct there about 90
-
I bought my first ever EW bat from OLS. Great bat very light pickup but unfortunately toe cracked as I played wrong shot. Then I bought few others directly from different bat makers. They all are amazing bats.
I have one newbery that is good but I guess needs to play more to reach peak.
I recently ordered another Indian bat direct from factory really really cheap that will be with me next week hopefully.
Personally I would not buy bats from anywhere else. Why spend more for same product.
-
Posts like these always make me laugh, bats are such a thing that everyone is going to have differing opinions on experiences.
Some guys will say UK all the way, some will say subcontinent or whatever. All based on experience.
All of these places can make a great bat at an affordable price, just may have to look a bit harder.
A personal note, up until this week, i had never owned a GM. Had repaired so many over the years and had felt that many duds that i never bought one, many would argue i am mad but thats my experience. Does it mean GM make a dodgy bat.....of course not. Every company around the world can make good bats, the difference in the market is those who can consistently do it.
There is so much interpretation in these posts all based on experiences. After my first GM Purchase this week (Sports direct 606) i have purchased another GM but im still using my MIDS that i spoke about a few days ago. There is value everywhere, just got to do some research and get what is going to help you do your best
-
There’s one site i use never had a problem all genuine stuff. Delivery takes between 5-7 days and is relatively cheap for the quality of stuff. Got MRF gloves that AB wears for 40 quid including delivery. Why pro direct there about 90
Can you name the site?
-
Bat manufacturing units or bat makers are spread over a wide geographical range, be it New Zealand, England, Australia, Pakistan and India and some are made in South Africa too.
Most of you might have played with the bats made somewhere in above mentioned places.
I would like to generalize and know where the best bats are made and what makes them better than then other. I understand its not that easy as all of the bats are made of same raw material and there are very few major suppliers who I do not think are adopting any scientific methods to improve the performance quality.
I would like you to not to consider the cheap, unknown or lesser know brands or companies while you rate the bats.
I also understand majority of the bats comes from subcontinent and now even the big UK, NZ and Aus brands are getting the bats from subcontinent. So we are left with very few options to make our decision from.
I do not want you take the probats into your considerations because of various reasons.
As most of us have our own criteria while choosing a bat, I also want you to list the criteria as well.
As for me its value for money, where Pakistani bats excels there is no other winners than the Pakistani bats, one can get same wood same performance and arguably same durability form a very less expensive Pakistani bat than a premium priced NZ bats.
And when I say I consider value for money, some of us will say then what about performance.
In my honest opinion I donot think one can judge the performance just by looks or smacking a mallet or tapping a cricket ball.
So here is my list:
Pakistan (Best value for money- if you are able to source them from a reputable dealer)
England (* the bats that are listed at a fair value not the crazy priced- buy in exchange of gold bricks )
India (Good value for the money, but they are getting costly and when you compare CP to SP they might come at same value as England made bats. )
NZ (Just know only one big brand coming out of there, have heard those are good ones, never used one though )
Australia (* Mann.. they are costly, Are they making them out of Bocote wood )
There is so much garbage coming from Pakistan it is hard for me not to snigger at your conclusions when you eliminate the very reason why they cannot be at the top. So a bone-dry bat that can't be pressed properly with a rubbish handle is something you filter out to reach your conclusion by saying it's cheaper. Let's also acknowledge all the fakes coming out of there.
Try knocking a few and see what you conclude. Spend 3-4 hours knocking them in and you reach a pretty good understanding of what the performance potential is and the care that has been taken to make the bat. Pricing is also dictated by the labour costs and logistics, for example, Australia has a strong economy and is located far enough away from anywhere to make its more exports costly. you cannot generalise like this. A good bat is a good bat.
-
There is so much garbage coming from Pakistan it is hard for me not to snigger at your conclusions when you eliminate the very reason why they cannot be at the top. So a bone-dry bat that can't be pressed properly with a rubbish handle is something you filter out to reach your conclusion by saying it's cheaper. Let's also acknowledge all the fakes coming out of there.
Try knocking a few and see what you conclude. Spend 3-4 hours knocking them in and you reach a pretty good understanding of what the performance potential is and the care that has been taken to make the bat. Pricing is also dictated by the labour costs and logistics, for example, Australia has a strong economy and is located far enough away from anywhere to make its more exports costly. you cannot generalise like this. A good bat is a good bat.
Exactly as i said. Its great value for money IF u know someone on the inside who can provide u with a good bat. Most stuff in the market is garbage too
-
I understand that Asian markets are rotted with counterfeits, fakes and they cut corners even with genuine products.
Which is not only the case for sporting goods but a lot of other things as well, this is how their economy has shaped up due to various reasons.
And there are few dealers who are knowing or unknowingly selling counterfeits Cricketing goods. And I also understand how economy, logistics and product costing works. And as I said that is my opinion and not a conclusion.
I am not generalizing just like that but whenever you go out to shop everyone has some key pointer in his mind for me its value for money and others may have some different criteria. And I may not have used/knocked as many bats as others have or had, that why I asked everyone to state the opinion-criteria for them
And the cleft drying practice is now being followed everywhere to cut down weight for big light bats.
And we get drier bats from subcontinents is due to the climatic conditions. But I do not think there is a huge gulf in the moisture contents in Asian made bats to the bats made elsewhere.
I think breaking of handles are attributed to the reason that they are lot thinner which is due to fact that
You do not get multiple size bats in Pakistan and the same size bat are being used by an adult and a 15-17 year old boy (I may be wrong here). But it is not like every other handle is breaking off.
I may be wrong here as well but I suspect most of the companies get there handles from the subcontinent so the material is the same.
In my experience if you get a Pakistani bat from a good dealer then there are very few chances that you run into such problems.
I know bat making is highly skilled job but when you consider people making thousands of bats in a day there will be some bad bats too, which is true with every bat industry not just Pakistani bats.
-
I think British bats are best. Why? Because I’m British and I like to support British makers. That’s not to say that makers in other parts of the world are inferior as there are excellent makers worldwide. But for consistent quality and aftermarket care I don’t think we can be beaten. if we don’t support local makers we will lose them due to cheaper labour and labour practices elsewhere.
-
I think British bats are best. Why? Because I’m British and I like to support British makers. That’s not to say that makers in other parts of the world are inferior as there are excellent makers worldwide. But for consistent quality and aftermarket care I don’t think we can be beaten. if we don’t support local makers we will lose them due to cheaper labour and labour practices elsewhere.
That is the most honest answer!
-
Must say personally my top 3 bats of all time ( reckon I have owned and used over 75) are all uk make with these being Salix, UK made GN and my current GM.
I have had some great sub continent bats but they never seem to last or have poor quality handles. Also as per above comments if I can I prefer uk made to support uk makers but now I do only look for bargains as I think the cost has gone a bit silly given I am now a firm believer in that performance is not related to grade
-
Performance is definitely not related to grade. I've a lovely GM, but had a fantastic Kook gold crown back in the day and a BDM that was incredible. Each country will have master makers, and each manufacturer will produce great sticks, I guess the only consideration is the likelihood of getting a dud, pick the make you think gives you the lowest chance.
To me best means balance and performance, nothing more. Don't care about finishing or looks at all. Value is import and if that's a consideration I think it changes the conversation a little, but I'm of the mantra 'you're better off buying well once, than cheaply twice'
-
I understand that Asian markets are rotted with counterfeits, fakes and they cut corners even with genuine products.
Which is not only the case for sporting goods but a lot of other things as well, this is how their economy has shaped up due to various reasons.
And there are few dealers who are knowing or unknowingly selling counterfeits Cricketing goods. And I also understand how economy, logistics and product costing works. And as I said that is my opinion and not a conclusion.
I am not generalizing just like that but whenever you go out to shop everyone has some key pointer in his mind for me its value for money and others may have some different criteria. And I may not have used/knocked as many bats as others have or had, that why I asked everyone to state the opinion-criteria for them
And the cleft drying practice is now being followed everywhere to cut down weight for big light bats.
And we get drier bats from subcontinents is due to the climatic conditions. But I do not think there is a huge gulf in the moisture contents in Asian made bats to the bats made elsewhere.
I think breaking of handles are attributed to the reason that they are lot thinner which is due to fact that
You do not get multiple size bats in Pakistan and the same size bat are being used by an adult and a 15-17 year old boy (I may be wrong here). But it is not like every other handle is breaking off.
I may be wrong here as well but I suspect most of the companies get there handles from the subcontinent so the material is the same.
In my experience if you get a Pakistani bat from a good dealer then there are very few chances that you run into such problems.
I know bat making is highly skilled job but when you consider people making thousands of bats in a day there will be some bad bats too, which is true with every bat industry not just Pakistani bats.
I completely agreed with you. My connection from CA says the same. There are lots of counterfeit out there that you don’t get to experience the actual products.
-
You do not get multiple size bats in Pakistan and the same size bat are being used by an adult and a 15-17 year old boy (I may be wrong here). But it is not like every other handle is breaking off.
Not true with genuine bats from reputable sources or direct from factories. I have only ever dealt with AM as I have a good relationship and experiences with them, they are my go to brand for bats and gloves in Pakistan.
I've heard from one retailer he dropped Ihsaan as they sent over real poor bats and wasn't happy with their quality and service either. Lot of people have said CA are expensive when you look at them relative to other leading Pakistani brands. Although they make great sticks... there's better value elsewhere.
The kids size thing is not entirely true either. Reality is they do make smaller size bats but rarely in English willow due to the cost of the cleft.
In the past I have ordered custom harrow bats in English willow from Pakistan and they charged the same price as adult bats due to it being English willow and cost is the same to them. Both bats were awesome and were praised by the Dad's as best bats they had for their kids.
On the flip side there's too many fake bats, especially copies of the big brands so I understand where people are coming from. Just look at video by Hanif at EAS on youtube with fake CA bat and grain sheets!!!
-
The best value Pakistani bats, in my opinion, are AS Sports bats.
AS Sports bats are an unsung hero.
Great quality, good customer service, very reasonably priced (including international shipping).
Perhaps the only thing you won't like is the stickers but then which other Asian brand does not have layman type stickers that don't scream on your face?
-
Answer to the question - apparently the ones that aren't in my collection, as I seem to be unable to stop buying! :(
In all honesty, bats from different regions offer different qualities. Huge number of things which affect this, which will be a mixture of different techniques and also conditions. (Bats from Pakistan, Australia and India always seem huge because it's drier there, and so the clefts naturally lose more moisture) Personally I've gotten on best with Indian bats. Light and really ping. In terms of the best for longevity and consistency, I'd most likely buy English/NZ(Laver).
Thing is, a lot of these are perceptions based on what I've used, and I haven't used many English made bats that I've thought, 'phwoar, what a cracker' that are 2.9 and below, while Asian bats tend to offer more forgiveness at lower weights. Just my own experience, please don't shoot me! ;) That being said, around the weights of 2.10-2.11, a lot of English made bats I've had really feel exceptional. This might just be my own tendency to buy bats above 2.9, but perhaps that's also down to my own experience with most lighter bats not quite offering the punch I want. (Have relatively quick hands, but not a big hitter)