Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: Jimbo on November 15, 2020, 12:36:27 PM
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Anybody had any recent experience with getting a butterfly bat made up to custom specs? Not looking for a new bat at the moment (see how long that lasts...) but interested to see what options there are and what people have had success with.
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I can help you out with one mate. Made up three so far for people from
Butterfly. I class it as G3 so my lowest price point and had some lovely pieces of Butterly so far with nice staining along with nice grains.
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It's been said that there's a knack with it. Maybe it was just someone trying to corner the market?
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It's been said that there's a knack with it. Maybe it was just someone trying to corner the market?
Butterly is a funny one I think for a lot of players away from the forum, 90% of people at my club are not kit badgers or particularly clued up on kit or bats and mist own one bat and have done for many a season and unless it snaps they don’t replace them.
However show them a Butterly cleft or bat and they just assume it won’t play very well especially if it’s within the playing area. I guess to the mass majority they will go on looks first off unless they use it or see someone playing with one and then maybe there View will change.
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Whats the advice on butterfly bats? Normally we are advised to look for nice straight grains, without blemishes and as many as possible. Despite being an Old Git (should know better) I still am a sucker for a nice looking bat and know club mates are the same. But to be fair with recent bat prices I haven't invested in anything higher than a G2 and most have been great ; M&H, Chase, Puma, Jedi ( didnt last long) and now hopefully the B&S I have.
Tempted to get hold of a butterfly though to compare ( thinking Birthday in April )
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Can feel harder on the stain and tends to be more clefts on the heavy side, so can affect the ability to get lifhter weight 'big bats' if that's your thing.
If you don't mind the looks though they're a decent option, but no better than a well pressed bat in any other grade imo.
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I was under the impression they're supposed to be more durable than the average non-butterfly willow?
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I had one made by Aldred and it is a good bat. I didn't persist with it because other bats felt better striking the ball with. So, it is becoming more durable by the day since I don't use it. :D
On a side note, like any other bat, butterfly bats needs time to open up to that "amazing" level. A good regular sapwood bat could get you there as well if you persist with it. Persisting with a bat has a lot to do with psychological factors than the butterfly, sapwood, or heartwood bat. Bat has to feel good in your hands when you strike a ball. It is that simple. If you want a butterfly bat, make sure that the feel, weight, handle, and shape are as you prefer in a bat. Otherwise, you won't use it for long enough to make it sing.
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I was under the impression they're supposed to be more durable than the average non-butterfly willow?
They're reported to be. But then durability can be affected by so many variables, i think it's hard to say.
It wouldn't matter to most CBF buyers tho, as they wouldn't keep the bat long enough to find out! 😆
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I was under the impression they're supposed to be more durable than the average non-butterfly willow?
This comes from the fact the stain is harder and tougher wood than sap wood. Heartwood is said to be more brittle and Butterly is the opposite.
Makes no odds if you okay against cheap balls mind. To be it’s all open to opinion as they sound or feel from the stain of a Butterly gives a header or more of a dull sound. To compare it’s very similar to how a GM may sound or feel when it’s brand new but the rebound quality is still just as good.
I remember Dean from Vulcan cricket had a Butterly bat for years as his match bat and would have had thousands of runs through it, a lad at my club actually my opening partner has a all sapwood M&H which will be in its 5th season this coming one and again must have had 4000 runs from it plus nets.
What I know is that both of these bats were well looked after and used against good quality balls and were prepared before going to the crease for the first time.
By and large most on here don’t use a bat long enough. I had a horrible season with the bat last year but despite using in 7 games last summer I know mine was certainly better at game 7 than it was at game 1.
As Jonny says you just don’t get many light Butterly clefts and from my limited knowledge of making a bat so far it’s hard to get below 2.11 with the demands of a “big bat” ie 35mm plus edges and toe and shoulders around 20mm
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Whats the advice on butterfly bats? Normally we are advised to look for nice straight grains, without blemishes and as many as possible. Despite being an Old Git (should know better) I still am a sucker for a nice looking bat and know club mates are the same. But to be fair with recent bat prices I haven't invested in anything higher than a G2 and most have been great ; M&H, Chase, Puma, Jedi ( didnt last long) and now hopefully the B&S I have.
Tempted to get hold of a butterfly though to compare ( thinking Birthday in April )
As far as grains etc are concerned, don't look at a butterfly any differently than a normal cleft - ignore the stain and look at the grains, are they straight etc, are there knots, same as usual. It's often a mistake to think of butterfly as a grade - butterfly is just a stain in the wood, some butterfly clefts would be top G1 without the stain and some would still look terrible without the stain. If you can, it's better to try and get hold of the former! Ideally I look for the stain to be just off the middle to make the most of the slightly harder wood, but that is a bit picky.
I'm a big fan of butterfly willow and make pretty much all my bats out of it - the value is hard to ignore compared to an unstained cleft and in my experience there is a good bit of truth to the durability, so it's ideal for amateur players.
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For anyone who isn't fussy on looks, I always direct them towards whatever butterfly graded bats I have in (especially when visiting in person) - with the supplier relationship I have I get some extremely good bats through and for the price point they simply can't be bettered in my opinion.
I've been using one myself as a net bat for 2 seasons now and it definitely appears to be more durable than a standard bit of willow (although as @jonny77 says there's no end of variables so could purely be coincidence!). The only minor downside I'd say is they do tend to be heavier but not by anything significant.
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As has been said if you look past the butterfly stain at the grains would be a G1 cleft but with the stain it’s half the price of a G1.
(https://i.postimg.cc/tgdyy9Sp/B855-E4-FA-D064-436-F-B024-9-B8-C5-C4606-E7.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/QBMvJZZy)
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Adds some character as well, love the look of butterfly stained willow!
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(https://i.postimg.cc/DyLGw8N6/IMG_20191231_172351.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/dLQ3WtwZ)
(https://i.postimg.cc/HWJ5FS4f/IMG_20191231_172340.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/HjgVy9N2)
Butterfly bats...
If you know what to look for and have some patience (and plenty of oil) you will get a fabulous bat.
See also... http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=48359.0 (http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=48359.0)
http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=47040.0 (http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=47040.0)
And for help knocking in a butterfly bat
http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=48103.0 (http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=48103.0)
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I've had some SS Butterfly bats, some ping incredibly, some not so much. I know Aldred makes a lot of Butterfly bats and some people seem to like them - but the person I'd go to for information on Butterfly is @Vulcan Cricket . I haven't had much interaction with Dean, I believe I've only bought a bat a few times from him, none of which were Butterfly. I bought 2 Vulcans from eBay that are Butterfly - hands down some of the best bats I've seen in the £150 mark. Were I to go to anyone regarding butterfly, it'd be him. :)
Also, @Buzz those look incredible. All this talk about Butterfly makes me want to dig out all those stained bats in the collection for review...
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We have some Butterfly clefts in stock.
Do you have anything shape and weight in mind?
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We have some Butterfly clefts in stock.
Do you have anything shape and weight in mind?
Have dropped you a PM @Butterfingerz.
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Have dropped you a PM @Butterfingerz.
Hey mate, I’ve got some beautiful butterfly bats made up, all around the 2.10 mark and huge for the weight.
Give me a shout on WhatsApp at +447584091101 if you are interested and I’ll send some pictures over.
Cheers
Jake
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Hey mate, I’ve got some beautiful butterfly bats made up, all around the 2.10 mark and huge for the weight.
Give me a shout on WhatsApp at +447584091101 if you are interested and I’ll send some pictures over.
Cheers
Jake
Appreciate it mate but a bit on the heavy side for me.
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Had several over the last few years from Aldred, and Hell4leather. All good and have lasted.