Custom Bats Cricket Forum

Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: Bats_Entertainment on November 20, 2023, 01:28:38 PM

Title: Duncan Fearnley in 1974.
Post by: Bats_Entertainment on November 20, 2023, 01:28:38 PM
https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-cricket-bats-1974-online (https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-cricket-bats-1974-online)
Title: Re: Duncan Fearnley in 1974.
Post by: The Cricket Boutique on November 20, 2023, 02:09:17 PM
great little piece that, did enjoy how small the edges were on those part made compared to today's models.
Title: Re: Duncan Fearnley in 1974.
Post by: mo_town on November 20, 2023, 05:28:05 PM
A ping test where the ball doesnt hit the ceiling and its deemed as a good bat?? :O...

Such an iconic brand in the old days. Anyone know why they just disappeared?
Title: Re: Duncan Fearnley in 1974.
Post by: ppccopener on November 20, 2023, 05:57:30 PM
If the skill is in the pressing, and balance by the skill of the bat maker…how do mass produced bats get pressed.

If it’s mostly machine made do they all get pressed the same regardless of grains or moisture.

It’s something I’ve wondered and in the video the legendary Duncan is saying no two pieces of wood are the same, if it’s mass produced someone cannot be checking which weight is suitable for which bat you would not think.

Title: Re: Duncan Fearnley in 1974.
Post by: jonny77 on November 20, 2023, 06:46:11 PM
I know some batmakers will press at a certain pressure regardless when producing en masse. Whether that's the same in India or not, I don't know.
Title: Re: Duncan Fearnley in 1974.
Post by: The Cricket Boutique on November 20, 2023, 07:40:45 PM
If the skill is in the pressing, and balance by the skill of the bat maker…how do mass produced bats get pressed.

If it’s mostly machine made do they all get pressed the same regardless of grains or moisture.

It’s something I’ve wondered and in the video the legendary Duncan is saying no two pieces of wood are the same, if it’s mass produced someone cannot be checking which weight is suitable for which bat you would not think.

That’s the key dilemma, how do you manufacture big numbers whilst still individually pressing each bat to extract maximum performance from each cleft?

In reality you can’t when making hundreds per day vs smaller numbers. This is why some bats from the bigger brands who are making larger numbers may end up being duds as they’ve been over/under pressed rather than having more time spent over them.

It’s a tricky one where brands want to sell higher numbers of bats but reach a ceiling limit where they have to sacrifice something to yield the larger numbers.
Title: Re: Duncan Fearnley in 1974.
Post by: Bats_Entertainment on November 20, 2023, 08:41:29 PM
If the skill is in the pressing, and balance by the skill of the bat maker…how do mass produced bats get pressed.

If it’s mostly machine made do they all get pressed the same regardless of grains or moisture.

It’s something I’ve wondered and in the video the legendary Duncan is saying no two pieces of wood are the same, if it’s mass produced someone cannot be checking which weight is suitable for which bat you would not think.

Isn't this why we're here?
Title: Re: Duncan Fearnley in 1974.
Post by: SD on November 20, 2023, 10:21:33 PM
A decent article on the history of Duncan Fearnley

https://huwzat.wordpress.com/2021/05/05/the-duncan-fearnley-story/

Two of the first three bats I purchased were Duncan Fearnley bats.
Title: Re: Duncan Fearnley in 1974.
Post by: SD on November 20, 2023, 10:24:02 PM
If the skill is in the pressing, and balance by the skill of the bat maker…how do mass produced bats get pressed.

If it’s mostly machine made do they all get pressed the same regardless of grains or moisture.

It’s something I’ve wondered and in the video the legendary Duncan is saying no two pieces of wood are the same, if it’s mass produced someone cannot be checking which weight is suitable for which bat you would not think.

I have always thought in principle a big operation should be better at each stage of the process since volume would allow people to specialise in only one part of bat making.
Title: Re: Duncan Fearnley in 1974.
Post by: willmau5 on November 21, 2023, 07:16:35 AM
A decent article on the history of Duncan Fearnley

https://huwzat.wordpress.com/2021/05/05/the-duncan-fearnley-story/

Two of the first three bats I purchased were Duncan Fearnley bats.

Great article. As a Worcestershire boy all I ever asked for at Christmas was a new DF. I had a 1995 Willow King with all the ridiculous 90s graphics on the back when I was an u13. Loved it.

Does anyone know what DFs are like these days? The bats look great on their website but they look expensive compared to most other brands.
Title: Re: Duncan Fearnley in 1974.
Post by: 100 not out on November 21, 2023, 11:32:55 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4vJgeM_Ju0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4vJgeM_Ju0)
Title: Re: Duncan Fearnley in 1974.
Post by: The Cricket Boutique on November 21, 2023, 12:10:56 PM
Great article. As a Worcestershire boy all I ever asked for at Christmas was a new DF. I had a 1995 Willow King with all the ridiculous 90s graphics on the back when I was an u13. Loved it.

Does anyone know what DFs are like these days? The bats look great on their website but they look expensive compared to most other brands.

Dont they usually run a DFS type sale that 40-50% off of RRP? making them a bit more in line with what you'd expect.

I mean £700 for a bat is very ambitious IMO, £140 for pads and £100 for gloves puts them up there with the top end kit from the big boys for what id consider quite a niche brand on the equipment front.
Title: Re: Duncan Fearnley in 1974.
Post by: jonny77 on November 21, 2023, 12:50:47 PM
Either ambitious or a lot of us smaller brands are seriously under charging for our kit! Doesn't seem to be there little extra touches on what I'd expect on top ends pads.
Title: Re: Duncan Fearnley in 1974.
Post by: ppccopener on November 21, 2023, 03:03:02 PM
I have always thought in principle a big operation should be better at each stage of the process since volume would allow people to specialise in only one part of bat making.

I do not know enough about the exact process myself gut feeling would be the opposite view to yours where limited numbers are treated more like individual pieces of wood.

A lot would depend how you view the importance of pressing in the process. I know a bat press is an expensive bit of kit to buy so as The cricket boutique mentions at some point the older Companies outsource production or part of it elsewhere, normally overseas.

The brands from my teenage cricket days have all gone the same way. With traditional methods still used in batmaking it may well be inevitable when they grow.

Personally my gut instinct is a small Company is likely to produce a better bat but there are of course many opinions on this
Title: Re: Duncan Fearnley in 1974.
Post by: willmau5 on November 21, 2023, 04:41:34 PM
Dont they usually run a DFS type sale that 40-50% off of RRP? making them a bit more in line with what you'd expect.

I mean £700 for a bat is very ambitious IMO, £140 for pads and £100 for gloves puts them up there with the top end kit from the big boys for what id consider quite a niche brand on the equipment front.

Yes, but even dropping £350 on a bat is pushing it if it's not in line with what you'd sell at that price, or what some of the makers on here could produce for the money. I'm incredibly bought into the idea of walking out to the middle with a 2020s spec bat in 80s DF Magnum clothing (even more if it was a 405) but not if the stick itself is below par.
Title: Re: Duncan Fearnley in 1974.
Post by: Bats_Entertainment on November 21, 2023, 04:45:40 PM
A decent article on the history of Duncan Fearnley

https://huwzat.wordpress.com/2021/05/05/the-duncan-fearnley-story/

Two of the first three bats I purchased were Duncan Fearnley bats.


Ian Botham suggesting light pressing and air-drying are the secrets of creating big bats, if memory serves?

(Good luck to anyone trying to tell him he's wrong.)