Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: TheFlipper on March 11, 2021, 05:43:44 AM
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Very interesting to see if you lot will go down b3, keeley, Salix route or will it be Indian/pakistani made bat or dare I say Aussie/NZ (Laver). I do expect to see a variety of answers so please reply with pictures if you can with weight😈.
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My Newbury GT 5 Star with the Cadbury stickers.
Still going strong after 7/8 years - although i haven't played for the last 2 seasons.
Great pick up and ping and it looks great.
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Very interesting to see if you lot will go down b3, keeley, Salix route or will it be Indian/pakistani made bat or dare I say Aussie/NZ (Laver). I do expect to see a variety of answers so please reply with pictures if you can with weight😈.
My best adult bat was my Original (no Mk II rubbish) Newbury Mjolnir from circa 20 years ago.
I actually think you will get a lot of forumites talk about bats from a while ago that they have loved and lost as a trend.
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Warsop Marlin. Great in the hands, just felt right. Touch the ball and it went for four.
For pure nostalgia - my original GN Elite. I cannot remember exactly how it played but, despite being a left hander, I thought I was robin Smith 🤦
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Had the Black/Orange DC New Balance 2.10lb a couple of seasons ago and the thing was like a trampoline in your hands! Felt great all winter but my first ball faced in a game was a sneaky-quick bouncer which i was not expecting so I ended up closing my eyes and swinging in hope but the result was a six that cleared the fence by miles. Ended up 59 off 17 balls. Still to this day I blame the bat and take no personal credit whatsoever :D :D
Ended up snapping the handle and it never felt the same with the new one. :(
My latest Keeley feels like it could be on the way to beating this...
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My RNS Larsons Uniq. Have it for 2 years now, good middle. Fantastic profile and great balance altogether. Like that one quite a bit.
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Mine has to be a toss up between puma iridium 6000 GT (Indian made) or my puma iridium (rob pack made/given to by Ian Blackwell) they were both amazing bats ! Both bats were massive for the weight, were pressed perfectly and went like rockets
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I've got three I'm torn between.
My first B3 was frankly far too good for me, picked up like a feather and absolutely flew out the middle.
My first senior bat, Kooka Ice Sub Zero which again absolutely flew. I'd like to say it was down to me that I averaged 80 in age group cricket that first season but it was probably the bat. Got me a trial for Bucks u16s, but as a bowler rather than a bat for some reason.
My current Neon Green is a fantastic bat, as soon as I first used it I knew it was my number one.
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I haven't played long enough to give long term review on a bat and in short period changed few bats to make it worse.
But last shortened season I used kookaburra charge that I loved. Weigh 2.11 ugly with 5 grains but scored me some runs
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Overall a B3 DB1 3 Stripe that lasted 4 seasons being used for everything but for peak performance either a Chase FLC, Woodstock Tour de Force or a Laver Reserve, all too long ago to be able to remember which was best.
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Mine was an SS TON smasher which I had bought from OLS. The bat was on the heavier side (1220 gms) but OLS assured me of its performance and pickup. I decided it was worth the risk at the time for £105 posted. I remember hitting some really big sixes with that bat! Sadly I did the mistake of lending it to team mates and it ended up with a bad crack :(.
The other one has to be the GN Xiphos which I had borrowed from a friend. Those bats were guns. Hope GN revives the Xiphos range and stay true to the original shape.
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I had a Hunts County Insignia that I could straight six for days with, all it needed was a little push and it flew, I dug out a nasty yorker in one game and it cracked the toe, when I sent it for repair Sol @ Boundary sports lent me a boundary sports bat and that was an absolute gun too! never quite been able to replicate that love for my Insignia since (in my nephews kit bag now, still going strong)
Just bought one from @jonny77 at Scott and tapping up with a old ball feels like this could be my new love, I just adore it!
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Newbury Krakatoa SPS I got off @Chad
That or my first adult bat, slazenger sxi classic (base model) lovely shape long middle and flew
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A Gray Nicolls Xiphos, was only a 4 star but was an absolute weapon
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best bat i have ever used, tough choices.
the first edition of the Kookaburra ghost was pretty epic, i still have 2 of them but one is now very well used.
couldnt tell you which model it was but about 15 or more years ago one of my team mates brought a load of railway sleepers back from pakistan, was an ishan with pink stickers. felt absolutely huge and went like a train. probaby way too heavy for a 16 year old but more than made up for a complete last of any touch or finesse
i think the best bat i ever owned was a Kookaburra recoil players, was an incredible bat. destroyed along with a lot of other kit in a shed fire though :(
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A Hits Hard Super Power was by far the best bat iv ever owned and used for prolonged period of time. For those unfamiliar this was a side company that Salix ran for a few years in and around 2010 I think from memory. Was a grade 2 and i used it for 2 seasons scoring over 2000 runs and it was just superb in every aspect.
Others that stick in my mind were a New Balance DC10 540 that was a good time but a short time bat had more handles that Triggers brooms and eventually i gave up on it and finally a GM noir that i used in 2017/2018 was an amazing bat that again i had a fantastic season with.
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Tough call, best bats Ive ever owned are probably:
An SS TON made for an IPL pro sourced off Pete Hosk - this is still probably the best bat ive ever used out of the 3 (incidentally had a nail in the handle as all SS bats/handles seem to!)
A Keeley bat made for Sam Northeast
My current Match bat that I made for myself that was a copy of the aforementioned two bats.
all of them are absolute cannons, and really big bats for the weight too.
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A Hits Hard Super Power was by far the best bat iv ever owned and used for prolonged period of time. For those unfamiliar this was a side company that Salix ran for a few years in and around 2010 I think from memory. Was a grade 2 and i used it for 2 seasons scoring over 2000 runs and it was just superb in every aspect.
Others that stick in my mind were a New Balance DC10 540 that was a good time but a short time bat had more handles that Triggers brooms and eventually i gave up on it and finally a GM noir that i used in 2017/2018 was an amazing bat that again i had a fantastic season with.
Did they give up with Hits Hard in the end? A guy from my club was working for Salix at the time and he sold a few to players. From memory, it was their Grade 2/3 willow that they were using for Hits Hard
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Mines a dead-heat.
As per @SOULMAN1012 post, he sourced me a Hits Hard Super Power and it was indeed, fantastic
Tied with my current @Northern monkey bat - a Tulwar shoulderless number, which picks up better than any bat I have ever had, and has superbly pingy edges.
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Did they give up with Hits Hard in the end? A guy from my club was working for Salix at the time and he sold a few to players. From memory, it was their Grade 2/3 willow that they were using for Hits Hard
It was something that was started when i was there along with Ben, as was a chance for Ben mainly to start making some bats under that brand although Andrew & Ian were very much involved in the HH brand element as well. I then moved away and a little while after Ben left to pursue a career in the military and after that it seemed to fade away but I don’t know the exacts of why.
Who was it that was involved at your club as there was another person back then but i cant for the life of me remember his name, he did a little bit of selling as opposed to time in the workshop and lived and played Maidstone way,
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It was something that was started when i was there along with Ben, as was a chance for Ben mainly to start making some bats under that brand although Andrew & Ian were very much involved in the HH brand element as well. I then moved away and a little while after Ben left to pursue a career in the military and after that it seemed to fade away but I don’t know the exacts of why.
Who was it that was involved at your club as there was another person back then but i cant for the life of me remember his name, he did a little bit of selling as opposed to time in the workshop and lived and played Maidstone way,
It was Ben that played with me at The Mote about 2013. I had a good hits hard from him, lent it to someone who left it in the changing room for me to collect, never saw it again! The only other person about that time I can think of might have been Max Aitken possibly as I think he spent some time working at Salix. He subsequently briefly got involved with Bradbury in 2015 when they tried to make a go of making bats in the UK - didn't last long before they gave up and stuck to making in Aus.
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the two best bats i've ever had both came from the forum. the first was a Gray Nicolls evo carbo which i bought on here - it was an absolute gun and i still reminisce about it
however the number one bat was a petehosk special - a GM Neon L540. even though i'm a taller guy i find the slightly shorter blade really suits me and this bat feels like a wand in my hands!
i also have a lovely Salix in a similar shape to the GM but it hasn't quite opened up yet ;)
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Canterbury 500 think they were made by Warsop. And now i'm old Bradbury Sterling super light pick up
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splits into 3 for me:
1. SS jumbo International i used as a teenager around 1994ish - massive, absolute cannon and somehow stupidly light - unfortunately it only lasted about 18 months - felt invincible with it in my hand :D :D (i don't think i was!!)
2. Salix praestantia circa 2010 - lovely light bat that i adored - lasted 2 full seasons and a tour to sri lanka - before getting damaged and never being the same again
3. my current bat - ebay unknown brand (there is a picture of it in the 2021 kit section) - again stupidly light and really love it - unfortunately i don't expect it to last that much longer as it is held together with tape and the handle feels like it is about to go :( :(
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Hands down blank bat purple. Took a while to open up, but boy does it go. Into it 9th season and still going strong
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1) Current RPC Match Bat
2) 2013 RPC Match Bat
3) 2012 top end Kook picked out from the back room in Corby... was a weapon at 2.8
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Tough call, best bats Ive ever owned are probably:
An SS TON made for an IPL pro sourced off Pete Hosk - this is still probably the best bat ive ever used out of the 3 (incidentally had a nail in the handle as all SS bats/handles seem to!)
A Keeley bat made for Sam Northeast
My current Match bat that I made for myself that was a copy of the aforementioned two bats.
all of them are absolute cannons, and really big bats for the weight too.
A real good bat is one that lasts in my opinion because we aren't pros who get given bats, we have to buy with our own money so it is important there is good balance between longevity and performance.
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GM Shane Watson Players Edition. Never liked GM''s until this beast. Picks up like a feather and hits the ball long.
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A real good bat is one that lasts in my opinion because we aren't pros who get given bats, we have to buy with our own money so it is important there is good balance between longevity and performance.
Couldn’t agree more mate - the more you use a bat the better it gets.
I’m very lucky, in that I have all the tools and means necessary to repair my bats endlessly, and as such my keeley and SS lasted me a number of seasons - in fact, I still have one of them!
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Gm hero 909
Current H4l pro
Aldred supreme
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My bat best, after all the years of forum trades back in the day, running Crossbat and my recent collection building, has to be my first ever bat.
I had a paper round at 14 years old and I saved for 2 months to purchase a Kookaburra Kahuna Warrior, which was the fibreglass version. I went to my local sports shop and paid £99.99 for the bat. I have vivid memories of it being my pride and joy, leaning next to my TV and VHS player when I wasn't playing and missing air shots. I had a brand new white grip added to it before my first game with it which made it look even better.
The bat lasted 3 seasons (playing 3 times a week in my youth) and was the bat I had my first ever adult 50 with. It was still going strong until the handle went. Due to the fibreglass backing, they could not repair it, so they ended up sending me a Kahuna Carnage which I thought was strange due to the age of the bat.
I miss it!
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Hunts County Caerulex was my first adult bat and was magnificent.
Blank bats Hulk/tour profile beast
And the two bats I have now are pretty good, a Keeley and a Chase.
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Kookaburra “Binga” Beast from eBay. 99% sure it wasn’t genuine. £39.99 from eBay for my first ever bat. Went like the clappers, was made from grade 1++++++ English willow nurtured in Kashmir according to the listing and I’ve never found anything on par with it performance wise.
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Was, (ahem, cough) Lekka Big Hitter which was bought from the forum then for some unfathomable reason sold via the forum.
Is, L&W Ultra. It is a SSH and too heavy but it some how works.
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Kookaburra ridgeback in the mid 1990s.
More recently a grade 3 SS Blast ( I think it was called) was like a trampoline on a handle around 2015
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Back when I spent more than 50 quid on a bat it was Salix Pod grade 1 with the black and silver stickers. I still believe they make the best bats..or did I dunno if they still do.
Also I had two 'pro' bats...we'll sort of....I bought 2 from the ex pro David Milins, he was def not a batsman.
One was a hunts county Spirit, the other also Hunts County but can't remember the model. Both looked the same just with different stickers and surprisingly lightweight considering David Milins was a huge nasty fast bowler.
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Purist 606 (Size 4) An original from 2005? Loved this bat.
Rob Pack New Wave - it was so light and had a big (if not powerful middle). I wish I still had it now.
I've had a few bats that have been good but I've never really stuck with. GM Diamond 909, H4L Fifty50, Salix Pod.
I regret selling all of them 😭
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Bellingham and Smith Supreme which I got on here from Sivlar13. Probably 3 or 4 years ago now. Has been used for around 2000 runs so far and not a crack to be seen.
Had a low full toss last season which went back past the bowler and through the sight screen!
‘I don’t think many people have done that before’ said the keeper. The bat is indeed Supreme.
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Is, L&W Ultra. It is a SSH and too heavy but it some how works.
I should have kept that one!
Mine is a Blank Bats TK Lam as recetnly seen on CricketbatInfo's YT channel. It's like cheating, oh it is cheating.
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Christ, I’m old!
My fav ever was a Duncan Fearnley VR 5 Star. Circa 1985ish I reckon.
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Stuart Surridge Jumbo 2lb 6 oz purchased from the factory in 1984. Spent 5 hours going through hundreds of unstickered bats until they kicked me out. Only last one season which was fine by me.
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@Hoover - you did well to get a Jumbo that light - it's a bit Unicorn poo that!
Imagine a bat-nerd sniffing round your workshop / factory (cue a stampede from forum members)
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Not an easy choice to make. I've had fantastic bats from Bradbury, Salix and Newbery that performed amazingly well. I had a STAC black prince that was just about the best bat I've owned. It was in the shape of an old Newbery Mjolnir and just flew.
But the best bat for me has to be my GN F18, which was £150 from IJC. It effortlessly hit the ball for 6 and seems to be all middle. Will always have full profile bats from now on after that. Soulman kindly repaired it for me last season, when it seemed beyond repair. Having only hit 1 fifty in 2 seasons without it, I managed 67* and 89* in the 2 games I used it in at the end of last year.
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Not an easy choice to make. I've had fantastic bats from Bradbury, Salix and Newbery that performed amazingly well. I had a STAC black prince that was just about the best bat I've owned. It was in the shape of an old Newbery Mjolnir and just flew.
But the best bat for me has to be my GN F18, which was £150 from IJC. It effortlessly hit the ball for 6 and seems to be all middle. Will always have full profile bats from now on after that. Soulman kindly repaired it for me last season, when it seemed beyond repair. Having only hit 1 fifty in 2 seasons without it, I managed 67* and 89* in the 2 games I used it in at the end of last year.
What league do you play if you don’t mind me asking?
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I should have kept that one!
Mine is a Blank Bats TK Lam as recetnly seen on CricketbatInfo's YT channel. It's like cheating, oh it is cheating.
How much will u sell it for😉
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This blank bat was my fav
http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=18922.msg298743#msg298743 (http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=18922.msg298743#msg298743)
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This blank bat was my fav
[url]http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=18922.msg298743#msg298743[/url] ([url]http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=18922.msg298743#msg298743[/url])
That’s one sexy stick
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What league do you play if you don’t mind me asking?
Worcester League
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GN Diamond Sir Ben Stokes Edition.
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Worcester League
Yeah am staffs mate so we are both feeder leagues to birm prem
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My trusty old CA, that once belonged to an international player, has to be my best bat to date. A close second is a Keeley (unstickered and Newbery Blitz shaped) . The only reason I rate my CA higher is because of the toe/low area ping which is just phenomenal!
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H4L Hattori that I bought back in 2012, still going (just about) after a new handle and some minor repairs. Hoping it will get me through another season.
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GN Diamond Sir Ben Stokes Edition.
Which one of the 15? Lol.