Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: InternalTraining on December 21, 2019, 06:13:08 PM
-
Now that I am not paying exorbitant prices for bats, I am having a lot of fun finding hidden gems at low prices. These searches have led to me ask questions about acceptable price ranges. So, what'd be your ideal range for a trampoline of a bat regardless of "looks" (could be classed by some gougers G1 or G1++)?
-
£250 seems my limit at the moment. Less is preferable...
-
Ideally no more than £200
I think the last 4 bats I've bought have cost £60 each and they're as good as any of the more expensive sticks I've had in terms of performance
-
I'd be unwilling to really go above £150-ish unless it was something very special. £250 max really as I cannot see it worth more to sit around in my bag most of the time.
I don't mind the looks of a blade, and some of the uglier willow done by the right guy works well enough for me.
-
No more than 150. BF chase bat turned out very good. My only gripe with the bat is edge size and shoulder size.
-
How many sub 150 bats does it take before you select one to play with?
-
I like the face of the bat to look totally clean and have straight grains. Sadly that means I have to go the upper end of the price scale, as it seems far too much emphasis is placed on aesthetics during the grading process, rather than solely performance.
-
Always had 250 as max and now use the GM 808 as my yard stick... but if you want to treat yourself then no limit, just what you are comfortable with spending that is the point of a treat... spoiling yourself...
-
How many sub 150 bats does it take before you select one to play with?
My match bats have been sub £150 for the last 3 years and play as well as any others tbh and this years will be less than £150.
That’s just my preference though if others want to spend £500+ then that’s there choice but i would prefer 3 or 4 bats compared to just one
-
A decent bats worth whatever someone’s willing to pay for it
My only issue with the super rare pro bats, is their fragility,,,,,if you’ve paid a hefty chunk for them,(say 350 plus) then they have to be treated very carefully and used primarily for match days.
I don’t think cost really comes into buying a decent bat tho,,,it’s more knowing what suits you and your game, then digging through as many bats as you can, or trusting a bat maker or supplier, to source something that suits.
As long as it’s not been over pressed, chances are most bats can be knocked in and prepared to give decent performance.
Trouble is, no one wants to knock a bat in anymore
Best bat I ever had was 25quid off a former teammate,,,
I’ve had a hundred quid ace bat that performed unreal for years
Aaaannnd, thanks to this forum, I’ve paid a hell of a lot more for some lovely pro bats.
Best performing bats I’ve made? Two of my mates are using grade three bats I made for them, and both claim they are the best bats they’ve ever used,,(both of em are old campaigners like me)
-
This is a good question as the most I have paid was £250 when £300 was about the limit which was probably about 10 years ago.
These days £250 would still be my limit for a shop bat (e.g. not a genuine pro bat), wonder how many bats are sold to club players in the £450-500 range or above. With the big brands it always seems the pros must surely get their best bats so am not convinced there is not much value there for amateur cricketers.
There is value though in the upper end of a mid range bat (GM 808 , 909 as a benchmark) with a bit of effort made to pick the cream of the crop or an end of season bargain. No doubt there will be examples of lower grades than these.
-
My match bats have been sub £150 for the last 3 years and play as well as any others tbh and this years will be less than £150.
That’s just my preference though if others want to spend £500+ then that’s there choice but i would prefer 3 or 4 bats compared to just one
£150 on a bat multiplied by quite a few a season still equals a fair bit of money Chris ;)
I've never spent more than £250 (M&H Distinction was the most expensive way back) and wouldn't spend any more than £200 now as I don't think it's worth it playability wise, you're just paying for the looks 99% of the time and I'm not fussed about that sort of stuff really.
Two of the best bats I've ever had were a 606 Flare from Tony Pryce Sports and my current Neon signature from @t2ylo which is the best bat I've used I think.
-
Still not sure what constitutes a 'genuine pro bat'. If a bat is pressed well then it will perform imo, regardless of cost and grade. Most people on here will have had ugly looking sticks l and cheap bats which perform as well as anything.
As Northern Monkey says, any bat is worth what someone is willing to pay. If you like nice grains and have the money, then pay £500 if you're happy. However sub 200 will buy you a bat which anyone would be happy to use in terms of performance and would be able get runs with. That's dependent on ability obviously, no amount of cash spent on a bat can make up for lack of skill! :D
-
You just pay more money for looks, although it can be harder to find quality bats in low grades - the big companies tend to overpress or overdry the cheap bats. Making your own saves you money but the highest grade bat I've walked out in a league game over the past couple of seasons is a G3, and the ball doesn't go any less far!
-
£150 on a bat multiplied by quite a few a season still equals a fair bit of money Chris ;)
I've never spent more than £250 (M&H Distinction was the most expensive way back) and wouldn't spend any more than £200 now as I don't think it's worth it playability wise, you're just paying for the looks 99% of the time and I'm not fussed about that sort of stuff really.
Two of the best bats I've ever had were a 606 Flare from Tony Pryce Sports and my current Neon signature from @t2ylo which is the best bat I've used I think.
Oh I’m well aware of that mate, i dread to think how much money iv spent on willow over the past decade. My point however for me is that if i was going to spend say £1000 a year on bats or kit I would rather 6/7 bats as opposed to a couple of OLE or LE bats for example.
AND AS FOR THIS PRO G1++++ NONSENSE DOMNT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON PRO BATS as to the vast majority they are no different to what you or i get except they are 10 times better players and practise daily and have done most of there lives
-
There’s definitely some bats that I can see why people play 4/500 for, but just don’t really see the poin when you can get something of a similar performance for say sub £175.
Also hate knocking in and using breaks new bats so tend to get most of mines on here used. Which obviously usually knocks a fair bit off the RRP.
Like mentioned before I spend way to much on buying bats but have the fun is the high turnover and getting to try lots of types rather than just 1-2 expensive ones.
-
A decent bats worth whatever someone’s willing to pay for it
My only issue with the super rare pro bats, is their fragility,,,,,if you’ve paid a hefty chunk for them,(say 350 plus) then they have to be treated very carefully and used primarily for match days.
I don’t think cost really comes into buying a decent bat tho,,,it’s more knowing what suits you and your game, then digging through as many bats as you can, or trusting a bat maker or supplier, to source something that suits.
As long as it’s not been over pressed, chances are most bats can be knocked in and prepared to give decent performance.
Trouble is, no one wants to knock a bat in anymore
Best bat I ever had was 25quid off a former teammate,,,
I’ve had a hundred quid ace bat that performed unreal for years
Aaaannnd, thanks to this forum, I’ve paid a hell of a lot more for some lovely pro bats.
Best performing bats I’ve made? Two of my mates are using grade three bats I made for them, and both claim they are the best bats they’ve ever used,,(both of em are old campaigners like me)
Couldn’t have put my thoughts better than this, trust the people who know what they are doing
-
I don’t think cost really comes into buying a decent bat tho,,,it’s more knowing what suits you and your game, then digging through as many bats as you can, or trusting a bat maker or supplier, to source something that suits.
True. It took a lot of bats and $$s to find out what worked for me. That kind of search can be discouraging to many weekend cricketers though.
As long as it’s not been over pressed, chances are most bats can be knocked in and prepared to give decent performance.
Trouble is, no one wants to knock a bat in anymore
Unfortunately, that's true as well as most weekend players have little time for "proper" preparation and care for the bat, at least where I am. They want both durability and quick performance in their bats without time investment.
The common question (or biggest unknown) I hear is how do I know bat is ready and how much knocking should I do? So, how do you know the level knocking is needed to get performance out of a cheap bat you picked up especially when you want it use it yesterday. Lot of guys I know plunk down USD 350-450 to get a bat that they know will perform. I have said this before that we need a better way of classifying bats. Weight and size dimensions are not enough. If the uncertainty of balance, feel is replaced with measurable dimensions like swing weight, balance point, location of node of percussions, density, and some measurement of ping, it would make it a lot easier to pick bats and prepare them for performance.
-
Tbh from the time I have knocked in and started playing with a bat, it takes me approximately 2 seasons to fully open up. I'm talking about weekend cricket only.
Phew.. that's some time elapsed.
Also, my best performing bat is the 2nd cheapest and 2nd best is the cheapest. I agree most of the bats today will perform. At my level, I hardly notice the difference in performance (at least with ones I have bought and my limited capabilities + experience). So, it's been futile accumulating more than a dozen bats . At this rate, it will take me ~26 years to have all these fully opened up :D.
I guess best to buy a bat purely on feel and pickup irrespective of cost.
-
£250 seems my limit at the moment. Less is preferable...
Given what you can still get for under £100, I may change my view...
-
I think the two bats i've picked up this winter have put an end to spending big money on willow. A grade 2 Neon which with good preperation is flying and still to get better and the sale B3 I picked up which is just ridiculous.
It's stupid but I definitely play better with the bats I have been given or didn't pay much for. Maybe its a lack of care so I swing harder but its definitely in my head somewhere.
I dont think i'll be paying over £200 maximum again - Potentially push that to B3's new two stripe price if I see a cleft I really like or something they post.
-
Most I've ever spent on a bat was 220 for the Blank Bats B4 I have now but that was a gift to myself for starting a new job. Wouldn't want to spend more than 180 absolute maximum now, largely because I know I'm not a good enough bat to do anything more expensive proper justice.
-
If we as cricket bat lovers stop falling for these flashy stickers and new marketing ploys of G+++++ Plus pro players grade etc, and know that this is the same exact willow that used be sold for ages at a reasonable prices. And now this it's up to £1000 a bat? That's crazy.
150 should be max.
-
150 should be max.
I'm not sure how you could say £150 should be the max price, considering raw material costs have gone up a fair bit and manufacturers overheads are an unknown quantity. That seems very low, top of the range bats from 10-15 years ago were still around the £200-250 mark. I would much rather put my money into a UK manufacturer, but no doubt the overheads are going to be higher so I accept the costs are going to be higher than bats made in Asia.
The thing with willow that I find strange is that it's graded on looks as that's pretty much the only thing you can grade on when dealing with raw materials. Yet we know that the vast majority of times looks has nothing to do whatsoever with how well a bat plays.
For me, GM bats are unbelievable value, made in the UK and their own grading system seems pretty good, but I'd never shell out for anything in the 909 and above range as for me personally the law of diminishing returns kicks in once I go above the 808 range. Yes the bats are prettier, but am I getting a bat that's twice as good for what is effectively twice the price of a lower grade model?
Nope, not in my experience.
There is a quality/value peak for me that sits around the £150-200 mark and I don't think this has changed for quite a few years. It does fluctuate between manufacturers (Gray Nichols grading for me is terrible compared to others around the same price bracket) but chances are, it's not going to be a plank, it's not going to be the prettiest either but will almost certainly be a quality performer that given a bit of time will help me score runs.
-
I'm not sure how you could say £150 should be the max price, considering raw material costs have gone up a fair bit and manufacturers overheads are an unknown quantity. That seems very low, top of the range bats from 10-15 years ago were still around the £200-250 mark. I would much rather put my money into a UK manufacturer, but no doubt the overheads are going to be higher so I accept the costs are going to be higher than bats made in Asia.
The thing with willow that I find strange is that it's graded on looks as that's pretty much the only thing you can grade on when dealing with raw materials. Yet we know that the vast majority of times looks has nothing to do whatsoever with how well a bat plays.
For me, GM bats are unbelievable value, made in the UK and their own grading system seems pretty good, but I'd never shell out for anything in the 909 and above range as for me personally the law of diminishing returns kicks in once I go above the 808 range. Yes the bats are prettier, but am I getting a bat that's twice as good for what is effectively twice the price of a lower grade model?
Nope, not in my experience.
There is a quality/value peak for me that sits around the £150-200 mark and I don't think this has changed for quite a few years. It does fluctuate between manufacturers (Gray Nichols grading for me is terrible compared to others around the same price bracket) but chances are, it's not going to be a plank, it's not going to be the prettiest either but will almost certainly be a quality performer that given a bit of time will help me score runs.
I tend to agree with a lot of what you've said here. Anything between £100 and £250 depending on how flush I'm feeling! I have become increasingly interested in second hand bats as so many people sell on because they're not quite right. My £65 GM Mythos Signature that I bought off of here has done as well as the GN Prestige that I got in a sale for £200!
-
For me, GM bats are unbelievable value, made in the UK and their own grading system seems pretty good, but I'd never shell out for anything in the 909 and above range as for me personally the law of diminishing returns kicks in once I go above the 808 range. Yes the bats are prettier, but am I getting a bat that's twice as good for what is effectively twice the price of a lower grade model?
Agreed.
An old team mate's 606s are some of the best value bats I have seen, and pingy to boot!
-
If someone wants to point me towards some of these good quality £65 bats that'd be ideal 😅
-
I'm not sure how you could say £150 should be the max price, considering raw material costs have gone up a fair bit and manufacturers overheads are an unknown quantity. That seems very low, top of the range bats from 10-15 years ago were still around the £200-250 mark. I would much rather put my money into a UK manufacturer, but no doubt the overheads are going to be higher so I accept the costs are going to be higher than bats made in Asia.
The thing with willow that I find strange is that it's graded on looks as that's pretty much the only thing you can grade on when dealing with raw materials. Yet we know that the vast majority of times looks has nothing to do whatsoever with how well a bat plays.
For me, GM bats are unbelievable value, made in the UK and their own grading system seems pretty good, but I'd never shell out for anything in the 909 and above range as for me personally the law of diminishing returns kicks in once I go above the 808 range. Yes the bats are prettier, but am I getting a bat that's twice as good for what is effectively twice the price of a lower grade model?
Nope, not in my experience.
There is a quality/value peak for me that sits around the £150-200 mark and I don't think this has changed for quite a few years. It does fluctuate between manufacturers (Gray Nichols grading for me is terrible compared to others around the same price bracket) but chances are, it's not going to be a plank, it's not going to be the prettiest either but will almost certainly be a quality performer that given a bit of time will help me score runs.
I kind of mostly agree to this but you have to consider barring GM, most of the big brands now manufacturer in asia. Have you seen the price tags on some of those New balance limited editions and gray nics legend bats? Absolutely ridiculous and all indian made! The labor and production costs in that part of the world are incomparable to the west. There are companies there that sell the same quality of bats at quarter of the price. Take Protos for example. Same factory as NB, fraction of the price
-
The more I read this thread the more I realise I like a bargain way more than I like a “top end” bat.
Having owned and played with oodles of brands there is no direct correlation between price & performance that I can find
I’ve hit runs with £50 bats & made a run of poor scores with some really expensive sticks and vice versa
For me the fun is in picking up a second hand bargain - I do enjoy a play with the sander & stickers, grips & scuffs, then having a go in the nets or for a few games and move it on. Every now and then I keep one that I really get on with.
So the question of price is anything under £100, preferably pre-owned, that looks like it’s got potential to be fun to use & not lose too much money when sold on.
That said I still can’t bring myself to go down to one set of kit and a couple of bats, even though I know I’d be perfectly happy with my £65 Chases & unbranded pads & gloves
-
If someone wants to point me towards some of these good quality £65 bats that'd be ideal 😅
@Jimbo check out chase R1 Bats, there is some pics and reviews in the bat section under reviews, Black Friday bargains section and at least one other. Certainly wont all be the prettiest bats ( some however have been superb) but consensus is that they all have decent initial performance.
-
Cheers @SOULMAN1012 someone had mentioned them the other day. Will have a look but I got the impression you couldn't choose any kind of specification (weight, etc) so slightly concerned it will end up as a very expensive doorstop not a bargain bat!
-
Cheers @SOULMAN1012 someone had mentioned them the other day. Will have a look but I got the impression you couldn't choose any kind of specification (weight, etc) so slightly concerned it will end up as a very expensive doorstop not a bargain bat!
@Jimbo. As far as I know you can request weight but you can’t start requesting custom shapes or set grains etc. I think as long as you are reasonable i.e request a weight between 2.8-2.10 for example that will be fine. I think what happened was once a few bargain bats were posted here, people started messaging, calling Chase etc with specific requests and kind of forgot they are £65 clearance bats basically
-
@SOULMAN1012 Ah right, cheers. If that's the case then definitely worth a punt!
-
Having been to chase to pick one of these bats, there are a few left, but they are all the low middle shape.
The bats all have weights written on the handles. There are some ok ones and some fugly ones. It is pot luck. Unless you can pick one...
(https://i.postimg.cc/GmfC20pQ/IMG_20191223_122022.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/Xr9hHzdG)
-
Hmmm... Given I play most of my cricket on artificial wickets I might give them a miss then. Had absolutely zero joy with low middle bats in the past.