Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: ibrartariq on November 25, 2018, 10:38:53 AM
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Folks first of all excuse me for being a novice in this matter.
I have heard alot about TK bats and saw harris sohail using one today with ca stixkers which a feiwnd told me is TK made.
What makes them so special and sought after bats?
Is it pressing ? Profile ? Performance? Or a micture of all?
It might have been asked before but have not seen a single detailed post on this.
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Shape/profile/pressing
That’s it
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Its mostly the pressing and handles. TK bats feel unreal in the hands and ping like a cannon. They last long too
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Don't really know myself, but I have two coming my way, a B1 and a rather chunky B20 from a fellow forumite... can't wait to try them out.
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The pressing is certainly what separates TK from most batmakers but would argue about the handles. The top hand is where they excel on most handles I have used. They seem oval and very comfortable in the hand. They are slightly thin for my tastes in the bottom hand however obviously this can be modified with tape etc but they turely are wonderful bats.
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Most do but I would not say all ping like a cannon
I think there are some very good batmaker in India which do a sterling job just as well and perhaps one or two names in UK
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All in the pressing!
I do like the handles aswell though
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Most do but I would not say all ping like a cannon
I think there are some very good batmaker in India which do a sterling job just as well and perhaps one or two names in UK
People love Mercedes Benz. Theyr widely regarded by many as one of the best car makers in the world. Doesnt mean there arent other great cars out there.
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Indeed
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handles are perfect for me, exactly how i like them, medium thickness and really oval bottom hand, semi oval top hand.. performance is exceptional from the 3 i have
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Pressing/performance is top notch no doubt but handles/shoulder design are vulnerable/weak from what I have seen.
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Pressing/performance is top notch no doubt but handles/shoulder design are vulnerable/weak from what I have seen.
I've had 6 from new and several others 2nd hand and never had any problems in those areas
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Pressing/performance is top notch no doubt but handles/shoulder design are vulnerable/weak from what I have seen.
The older ones I’d agree massively on this but the new shapes/ handles seem to have negated these issues
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The handles are really thin in my experience, but they do really go. The only bats I've broken, broken have been Keeleys, but I think that's mainly through actually using them for a length of time...
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People love Mercedes Benz. Theyr widely regarded by many as one of the best car makers in the world. Doesnt mean there arent other great cars out there.
There must be a 'popular for being popular' element to it amongst bat nerds? "What do you mean you haven't got a Keeley?"
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I've never had a Keely. But have to admit Newbery were on my list when TK was their main bat maker. Yup I've still not tried a Newbery either... and aren't a priority for me.
Finally got a GM which was on my list so a TK bat will have to waiit. I also have Salix on my list...
Not trying to be negative... not sure how many more years i am going to play and I am at a point in my life where I don't what to be buying a new bat every year. I am failing at this miserably at the moment.
So I may or may not get around to having a TK or AJK. I'm digressing but I regretted not having tried a Millichamp bat... but tbh lots of lovely bat makers... and local to me I rate highly James Dollive at JEDi... okay I'm rambling and not sure what I'm trying to say now... oh yeah... not tried a Keely and life is grand! :)
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Quite a few Pak batsmen use Keeley bats stickered with CA and HS.
I have a few of them and I can say that they are by far some of the best I have used (couple of my CAs and Kranzies are up there).
So, what makes them special? They perform like trampolines while adhering to the new MCC standards. There is nothing apparently extraordinary about them. They have thin handles, normal sized edges, bowed blades. (:D), and mid-low sweet spots and yet, I hit long sixes with them. :D Within the "ordinary" parameters, the guy is churning some amazing bats! I use a Blitz shaped Keeley and it is just ridiculous! If you are looking for a standard shaped bat, save up money and buy a Keeley. I have found them to be the safest bets.
If you are looking for something innovative, get a Kranzie from GN-AUS.
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There must be a 'popular for being popular' element to it amongst bat nerds? "What do you mean you haven't got a Keeley?"
Not really. I have bucked the trend and called out "performance free" bats when they were the rage in the forum. My last 4 match bats have been Keeley, CA, Kranzie, and a Keeley. Can't say I am following a trend here although have returned to my Keeley and contributed to some noise about their (great) performance. :)
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The pros pay to use his bats.
That should be good enough for most people.
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The pros pay to use his bats.
That should be good enough for most people.
Rumour has it they go to other places too?
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Quite a few Pak batsmen use Keeley bats stickered with CA and HS.
I have a few of them and I can say that they are by far some of the best I have used (couple of my CAs and Kranzies are up there).
So, what makes them special? They perform like trampolines while adhering to the new MCC standards. There is nothing apparently extraordinary about them. They have thin handles, normal sized edges, bowed blades. (:D), and mid-low sweet spots and yet, I hit long sixes with them. :D Within the "ordinary" parameters, the guy is churning some amazing bats! I use a Blitz shaped Keeley and it is just ridiculous! If you are looking for a standard shaped bat, save up money and buy a Keeley. I have found them to be the safest bets.
If you are looking for something innovative, get a Kranzie from GN-AUS.
If I do ever get another bat I guess I will have to give them a go. My earlier point was not to take anything away from TK but there are some amazing brands and bat makers out there... and no doubt the TK bats are awesome but there seems to be some kind of .... not sure what the word is... but elevated status.
Maybe as some one who has never used one I may not 'get it' until I use one. However I cant believe they are that far ahead of any other well regarded brands.
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I had two Keeley-era Newberys that were good. But I admit to being a little put off in recent times by the fact that so many smaller - often quite naff presentation wise - brands were believed to be peddling his wares.
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I've used one for 4 seasons and knocked many TK made bats. They generally feel what I would describe as a medium press and the toes are press better than some others. They are nice to knock in and open up fast. Observation of the one I used for seasons is I think their performance can taper off and handles give at some stage, but I haven't owned a bat in recent memory that I have even played in properly before I sold it, to experience these happenings again. TK is one of the best in the world.
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I had two Keeley-era Newberys that were good. But I admit to being a little put off in recent times by the fact that so many smaller - often quite naff presentation wise - brands were believed to be peddling his wares.
I know what you mean
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The real Keeley trick seems to be consistency. If they suit your tastes then you can't go too far wrong with any bat from them (BB probably get you the best value).
The handles are too thin for my tastes, particularly on the bottom hand but all the ones I've seen seem decent performers if not mind mind blowing feel/ pickup.
Nail/head for me this. Good bats no doubt but I don't see that they're on a different level to anyone else who makes good bats - the shapes are alright, the consistency of performance is impressive but not remarkable, the handles are too thin.
The churning out of good bats is what sets Keeley apart from others. Not that that's a bad thing at all of course, quite the opposite.
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There’s not a lot of love for thin handles,,, interesting
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There’s not a lot of love for thin handles,,, interesting
I love the thinner oval handle, suits my game perfectly
Can't use a standard round handle any more, feels like a club. Caveman not golf
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There’s not a lot of love for thin handles,,, interesting
Partly personal preference, but borne out by Keeley having to change the handles after problems with lots of them breaking! Never seen a properly balanced bat with a super thin handle.
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There’s not a lot of love for thin handles,,, interesting
Not a fan myself, don't feel I have half the control with a thin round handle compared to a decent sized oval.
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I had a lovely MH bat which when i took it to be copied the batmaker was suprised the top hand was oval.
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I have small hands and prefer a thinner oval handle... maybe a Keeley is more suitable for me than I know... :D :D :D
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There’s not a lot of love for thin handles,,, interesting
No I would agree however you can modify a thin handle with tape etc and at least you can always go bigger if you choose to - this is something you cannot do with a thicker one (unless you get a rehandle of course)
This is what I tend to do wit TK bats - I also enjoy it too it allows you to get the handle feeling exactly how you want it.
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No I would agree however you can modify a thin handle with tape etc and at least you can always go bigger if you choose to - this is something you cannot do with a thicker one (unless you get a rehandle of course)
This is what I tend to do wit TK bats - I also enjoy it too it allows you to get the handle feeling exactly how you want it.
I'd actually come at this the other way - if your handle's too thick (this never happens anyway :D ) it's not very difficult to reshape it. If it's too thin, you can pad it out to get the right shape but it'll never be as good as if it was right in the first place.
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So, it's because the handles are thin.
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So most people have a view that they perform well but handles are not for everyone.
Apart from bb, phantom and keeey what other brands out their get their bats made by him.
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Mighty willow
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Also Uzi certain models I believe
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Side question Mighty Willow and Willow Twin... are they related or different companies with similar logos?
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Reputation
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I thought the pro's would be stickering up GM Signatures by now.
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If it's too thin, you can pad it out to get the right shape but it'll never be as good as if it was right in the first place.
Spot on.
Also to add, the "if handle is too thin, you can thicken it up by extra grip(s)" doesn't work for everyone as the weight with extra grips could take it beyond one's desired weight range. Secondly the Keeley handles I have seen are so thin that even one grip isn't enough in many cases to get it equivalent to regular handle thickness. Also, people used to single grip might not like the extra grips based on feel as the feel is different with added grips (feels softer compared to one grip if one is used to using single grip).
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Mighty willow
Is black pearl made by him?
If so, I have 8 Keeley without knowing about it.
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Is black pearl made by him?
If so, I have 8 Keeley without knowing about it.
8? :o
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Willow twin and mighty willow completely different brands
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Never tried one, but remember seeing a post from Kumar Sangakkara on his Instagram page with a bunch of bats and him saying thanks to Tim Keeley. Says it all really. That said, you could probably give him a snooker cue and watch him carve apart First Class attacks.
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Found it:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BK1zUHxhMTB/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet (https://www.instagram.com/p/BK1zUHxhMTB/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet)
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What makes a Tim Keeley bat special? Well, I'm a firm believer that there's not that much between top-level batmakers. They all use the same willow and handle - and the MCC have limited any real innovation so is the average Tim Keeley bat significantly better than anyone else's? Probably not. The bats Tim and Nick make are wonderfully consistent and well pressed, but they are not alone in this.
What does set the Tim (and his brother) apart though is their reputation. And that's a reputation he thoroughly, thoroughly deserves. Though it does make me chuckle seeing those saying Tim isn't 'innovative'.
Tim has been making bats by CNC since the 90s, pretty much the same technology that GM launched 10 years later and now claim make them the World's most advanced batmakers. First short blade, long handle cricket bat? Again - Tim Keeley, with the Newbery Uzi. It's taken over 10 years for other brands to cotton on with every brand now offering one in their range. First carbon handle cricket bat? Again. Tim Keeley. Adjustable counterbalanced handles? Yep, him too.
Tim is one of the last remaining batmakers of the John Newbery dynasty, one of the few remaining now Millichamp has stopped making. Newbery has done more for cricket bat design than anyone in the past 100 years. The Scoop was his design, as was the Excalibur. These are 2 of the most iconic designs ever to have graced the field. Tim trained directly under his stewardship.
Keeley fully deserves his reputation and the plaudits, and the industry widely recognises this too. When a young batmaker needs help starting out, who is the first to lend a hand? Who do the Indian batmakers visit for advice on shaping and finishing? He's the most humble, helpful, artisan you could hope to meet.
It's possible to visit the Keeley factory and see them in action and I can't recommend it enough.
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Very well said Tom 👏
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Seems we can add Ayrtek.
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Of my 15 scores over 50 in Grade cricket, 11 of those have been with the same TK made Helios which is 6 years old now. Have tried countless other bats (and spent a lot of $$) but I just cannot find anything that I like as much. The handle is what makes it awesome for me, the top part of the handle seems slightly larger than where my bottom hand sits, which I love.
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I've had bats every good as bit the TK's I've owned from other places (a few possibly better), but I think it's probably their consistancy that keeps me coming back, have had maybe 8-9 and not one has been a dud.
You don't need more than one duffer from a place to put you off buying anymore.
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His reputation is very high but you can get retail ones which are due which are white labelled . Produced by Keeley but labelled by another
Would be rare though
His reputation is very high
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One thing i have noticed is that prices across all the private labelled TK,s vary alot.
So who to get it from for better value for money?
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Nick Keeley
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One thing i have noticed is that prices across all the private labelled TK,s vary alot.
So who to get it from for better value for money?
They will vary as some of the brands are VAT registered where as some are rs so can afford to offer them at a cheaper price point without sacrificing margin upon them.
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One thing i have noticed is that prices across all the private labelled TK,s vary alot.
So who to get it from for better value for money?
I would say Blank Bats for a new TK stick - I maybe should have taken my own advice after purchasing a new stick this year however I really like the "Keeley" decals and would like them to match my pads and gloves lol
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Seems we can add Ayrtek.
I used to source my Bats from Tim and have probably helped a few brands on here get themselves set up by passing on Tims details to them. Given this I now source from elsewhere from what I deem to be the batmaker that is going to be held in the high regard Tim is now once the John Newbery stable of students hang up their draw knifes.
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I used to source my Bats from Tim and have probably helped a few brands on here get themselves set up by passing on Tims details to them. Given this I now source from elsewhere from what I deem to be the batmaker that is going to be held in the high regard Tim is now once the John Newbery stable of students hang up their draw knifes.
I'm guessing he's from Yorkshire.
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How does he make so many bats? And are the ones he supplies by the hundredweight to Rick's Sticks, or whoever, really be anything like the ones he makes for the top pro's?
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I'm guessing he's from Yorkshire.
Barking up the wrong Salix Alba im afraid
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Barking up the wrong Salix Alba im afraid
Kent?
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I don’t think @Ayrtek Cricket is going to tell us!
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I've made no great secret of it as the buyer is entitled to know they are buying something that has come from someone who is skilled in making them.
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Barking up the wrong Salix Alba im afraid
Wouldn't be the first time! I was just guessing from the shape of one of those G2s you have listed. What do you call the bit at the bottom of the swell?
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I've made no great secret of it as the buyer is entitled to know they are buying something that has come from someone who is skilled in making them.
That’s fair! I didn’t mean my comment to come over as a bad thing that you point blank refuse to say more that this ain’t an appropriate place to disclose (I hope that makes sense)