Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Companies => Custom companies => Topic started by: Simmy on July 27, 2010, 08:43:41 AM
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Been Emailing Roger for about a week and yesterday my new bat finally arived...
looks like a fantastic bit of willow! great quality!!
only knocked it in for about 20 mins but ping is very nice
only down side is same as everybody else asked for a light bat between 2.8-2.9 got told it was 2.7 turns out to be 2.12 lol
anyway here are the pics
(http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t118/djsimmy_photos/26072010206.jpg)
(http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t118/djsimmy_photos/26072010203.jpg)
(http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t118/djsimmy_photos/26072010204.jpg)
(http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t118/djsimmy_photos/26072010205.jpg)
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Simmy welcome to the forum :D
Looks like a nice bat but there is a huge difference between 2.7 and 2.12 in my book.....surely a custom service allows you to get the bat to the specification you desire?
If a customer ordered up a helmet that was to be custom sprayed to their design and what turned up wasnt what they wanted and different to what they asked for I dont think we are providing the service we advertise?
Just my opinion after reading that several people all ask for a bat in a certain weight bracket and what arrives is something completely different!
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I think we should all raise money so Roger can get some accurate scales,
Are you happy that its heavier than you requested?
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Hi Mate,
As always with rogers bats looks like a nice bit of wood and I'm sure it will go really nicely even when you don't hit the middle!
But again as always well over the asked for weight, I just don't understand how someone who has made bats for such good players can keep getting it wrong time after time. Its such poor customer service, at the end of the day I like to support the small independant bat makers because not only do you get a nice bat and keep the traditional skills alive but there's just something special about them. But the idea is you get exactly what you want, if you don't get that then whats the point there are many other bat makers out there who would welcome your trade.
I really hope Roger can sort this out and start making somee lighter bats when people ask for them, if he doesn't have the wood theres no issue in saying that you can't provide the bat for a few months.
Does anyone on here know Roger or live near his shop and could ask him what keeps happening?
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cheers for welcome guys :)
was abit disapointed that the bat was so heavy but after picking it up a few times and hitting a softball im not to bothered.
im a big lad so maybe i should be using a heavier bat anyway..
end of day i paid 100 quid for a bat that looks like it should of cost double!
the ping is fantastic and the grains are very nice. but yeah i agree to some extent that it is not right customer serivce but i guess thats the price u pay for getting stuff over the net.
its not worth the trouble of me sending it back etc.. ill just get used to a heavy bat and if i cant ill just take it to Warrior for them to shave as much weight of it as possible and hope it wont ruin the blance/ping. can allways ask roger for some more stickers..
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I would also send it back and ask for a lighter bat, which is what i did, hopefully that way Roger will realise that it's not acceptable to send bats which are different to what people have asked for
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Fair enough decsion mate, still looks a lovely piece of wood hope your score many runs with it!!
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ah Rich so your speaking from experiance?
did you get a lighter bat in the end? did it pick up much better but have the same sort of ping?
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Yes I got a much lighter bat, I asked for 2'8 got 2'13 the first time so I sent it back Roger sent another one back which was about 2'10.5. The lighter was such a nice piece of wood I thought I would try with it, but in the end I still found it two heavy to use but my mate loved it so he brought it off me. I don't think the lighter bat picked up aswell as the first one he sent despite it being lighter. I think this might be because the shape he makes bats only suits the heavier weight, I had taken the first bat to Rob Pack ( a bat maker I really trust) and he said he could only take 1oz or it would wreck the pick up.
It's really a difficult decision and I see your point about only paying £100, I would ask around the forum for some advice and see what other users have done.
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It makes you wonder if he doesn't actually make them himself but has a container full of medium/heavy bats that he stickers up. The weight of a bat is fundamental in a purchase... send it back and take your money elsewhere
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I agree with Aytrek - the weight of a bat is so important (well to me, anyway) that if a bat came back even a couple of ounces over and above what I had asked for I would return it. Surely when you specified the weight you wanted when you ordered it he should have known whether the wood he had available would be suitable for such a weight of bat? I would recommend returning it as it is not what you asked for.
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It makes you wonder if he doesn't actually make them himself but has a container full of medium/heavy bats that he stickers up. The weight of a bat is fundamental in a purchase... send it back and take your money elsewhere
i think you could have hit the nail on the head?? maybe....
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end of day i dont wanna do what rich did return it and then get sent one thats just as heavy. and return it and go else where? im never gonna find a bat to the same quality for 100 quid! im just gonna keep it get used to the weight and see how i get on with it!
i just wish Richard Wensley(warrior) was still making bats :( as i wouldnt of even looked at purchasing something else.
am sure once i get used to it it will be one of the better bats ive had :)
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you must be happy with it in fairness as i believe there is an empty box of tissues hiding in the 2nd pic ;)
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haha funny guy!
well i cant say (No Swearing Please) really till ive used it propa got a 20/20 game 2night but i defo wont be using it just yet. i will stick to my 2.8 g2 indian banana shaped weapon lol
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well i smashed a few soft balls with it yesterday when i went to club and it went like a monster! very very nice bat!
gonna use it tomoro againts bowling machine with the hard rubber balls
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Hi guys, I dont know Roger, but in his defence weights can be a nightmare for batmakers. There is no industry standard on what stage a bat is weighed, some might weigh them once the bat is binded but before stickers/grips/scuff sheets & toe guards are applied. Some might weigh them after everything is on, some might weight them inbetween.... it makes a huge differance. Grips themselvs can vary in weight by as much as 2oz which makes the same bat either 2-8 on the scales or 2-10.
so for example, a bat weighs 2-7 on the scales when binded.
+ upto 3 oz for a grip
+ upto 1/2 oz for stickers
+ upto 1 oz for a scuff sheet
+ upto 1 oz for a toe guard
That 2-7 is now 2-12 1/2 on the scales.
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Gary if I asked for a 2lb 7 and you couldn't contact me/didnt have the time what would you send me?
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Gary( if i may call you this)
if i asked for a 2lb 7oz bat from you in my hands would you end up giving me a 2lb 12oz.......
i suspect you would not......
i not saying he does not make good bats the one i had was good but that service is not acceptable and if any batmaker tried to palm off a 2lb 12oz as a 2lb 7oz unless the pick up was 1 in a 1000 i would return in without doubt
..it leaves me to think he is working with limited number of clefts and all roughly simillar density and weight clefts
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but the weight of the grips,stickers etc are not unknown variables are they? Its not the first bat Roger has made..you know they are going on the bat before you pick up your tools and have a butchers at the cleft ( you chose to make the bat at the requested weight)
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I hate this bs about not being able to make light bats... have batmakers become sacred of making a bat that doesnt have huge edges? Seems mad to me.
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im just stating fact, it depends at what stage roger weighs the bats - thats all, im not saying what bat has been received is right or wrong. Its really upto him if he chooses to tell the customer how he does it, that is none of my business, I was just explaining how this might happen on a regular basis?
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well i smashed a few soft balls with it yesterday when i went to club and it went like a monster! very very nice bat!
gonna use it tomoro againts bowling machine with the hard rubber balls
At the end of the day i know there is an issue with weight but we really need to be reading what the customer is saying, its a great bat!!!
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Whilst to a certain extent I agree with Redback Cricket in that there is no industry standard for when he bat is weighed and this does cause a problem for bat makers.
However when I ask for a bat at a certain weight that is the weight I expect it to be when it's completely finished and ready to use. I don't see the value in having a 2'8 bat adding weight with grips etc making it weight 2'11 and then selling the bat as a 2'8 bat which by then it isn't.
In addition to this the bat Roger sent me was huge 6oz overwith only one grip, that I'm afraid is just poor customer service.
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i have a solitaire bat ordered which i expect to recieve in the next couple of days, asked for a 2lb 10oz..... wonder what i recieve?! will let you know if roger gets it right!
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i have a solitaire bat ordered which i expect to recieve in the next couple of days, asked for a 2lb 10oz..... wonder what i recieve?! will let you know if roger gets it right!
I would expect you to get a 2lb 12oz if the recent purchases are anything to go by
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Just to revert back to what Gary was saying....when stating a bats weight surely the weight of the bat has to be once it's fully finished with stickers and a grip as this is how it will be used by the customer?
If the customer then wants to add a toe guard and antiscuff sheet then it will obviously increase the weight further.
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Personally, I would always expect the weight of a bat to include a single grip and the bat stickers.
I would expect a scuff sheet to be included but that would be an option I guess.
But if a bat maker sent me something 4 or 5oz too heavy, and then tried to tell me that it would be the correct weight if it didn't have any grips, stickers, toe guard, or scuff sheet on.....then I know what my response would be and it's not a response I would care to state on this forum!!
I think that it's an important aspect of the cricket bats we use. Especially as the batmakers reputation is built partly on word of mouth!!! I actually don't doubt that Roger would make an excellent bat...and the quality of willow always looks very good!
BUT he really needs to ensure that he's looking after the requirement of the customer!
If he could get that part right, then I'm sure he would get more custom from people on this forum!
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Guess I was lucky then as the one I got was 2lb12 as asked ha
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Like I said, im not saying if its right or wrong, just stating what may have happened.
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Gary....out of interest at what stage do you take the weight of ur bats to quote to ur customers?
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Binded, stickered +1oz for a standard single thickness grip. This is because i actually tend to use the ribbed grips which are thicker and vary in weight quite a bit (from 1 & 1/2 oz to 3 oz).
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Gary, I pm'd you.
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"Binded"...... Bound surely???
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You knew what he meant Mike!
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Guys i didnt want this thread to turn into a massive argument about bats being to heavy etc or slagging roger off.
used the bat for the 1st time yesterday in then nets againts the bowling machine and ive proberly just hit the 2 biggest 6's of my whole career.
a few of my mates used the bat as well just to knock up some catches and every single one of them loved it! was defo the talk of the traning session yesterday!
will be using it 2moro in a match.
lovely bat the best bat ive had with out a doutbe and for £100 quid no body can complain
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Simmy - Far from everyone arguing and slagging Roger off, I actually feel that most people have been very restrained!
And it's a relevant and interesting topic to discuss! This is why this forum exists....to discuss issues like this!
there are two issues here - obviously the review of how good the Solitaire bat is. And the concern about what is ordered matching up with what is delivered!
Where the bat review is concerned, it looks as though the quality is absolutely top notch and real value for money.
But the concern about the "order weight v delivery weight" looks to be a real issue as this looks to have happened several times. and happens when someone requests a lighter weight bat below 2'10?
If you don't think it's a concern, then think about it another way.........
If I was selling a bat on here, and described it as 2'9. And you thought it's an ideal weight for you so you purchased it from me - but when it arrived it was actually 2'14, then what would you do? I know that if I wanted a bat of 2'13/14 which I use these days, and the bat turned out to be 3'3, then I wouldn't be pleased! So it's a relevant talking point for people to discuss and understand. And if it leads to improvements being made in the way that Roger weighs the bats and leads to a better service with customers happier with their Solitaire bats, then surely that's better for Roger and his customers?
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yeah your right...
tbh if the bat wasnt as good as it is. i would be defo sending it back.
and i agree bats should be weighed after thay are stickered up with grips etc.
ready to be purchased.
maybe roger just has some scales that are wayyyyy off lol
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Well - hopefully he will get the message relayed to him somehow?
There looks to be no question mark about the quality of his bats from the recent posts!
But could do with addressing the weight issue urgently. I think it would be acceptable if the bat stickers, a single grip and the tow guard were taken into consideration when the bat is weighed?
If he could do this, then I'm sure his credibility would be on the way up.
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i was thinking about getting a solitaire but i really want a 2.8 bat,maybe i should ask for 2.6 and i may get it around the 2.8 mark.
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i was thinking about getting a solitaire but i really want a 2.8 bat,maybe i should ask for 2.6 and i may get it around the 2.8 mark.
Just ask for the weight you want after it has been stickered and gripped ect. Then if you get a bat back and it's over then send it back.
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Just check with Solitaire that they can do you that weight with a grip, stickers and toe guard on.
From recent topics, it looks as though the quality of willow and quality of batmaking is excellent. So just check the weight and you will hopefully be sorted!
And don't forget the review! ;)
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well my mate has also been in touch with roger and has requested a bat making at about 2.8-2.9.
he has clearly stated tho that he will wait for the right cleff to be soruced so he can have it at the right weight.
hes also spoken to roger on the phone etc about it!
so guess we will ahve to see what turns up this time round!
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To be fair, when I requested a 2'8 Venom Pro from Warsop, they had to wait a couple of weeks for the right cleft to come along as well! I got one in the correct weight in the end but was just delayed.
So Solitaire are not the only ones who only do a standard model over 2'10.
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SIMMY. ROGER HAS BEEN BACK IN TOUCH WITH ME TODAY PAL AND I HAVE SPECIFICALLY ASKED FOR A BAT WEIGHT OF 2.9 MAX AFTER STICKERS AND RUBBER HAVE BEEN APPLIED.
I ALSO SENT HIM SOME IMAGES OF THE REQUIRED PROFILE ETC. HE SAID IT WOULD BE NO PROBLEM AND HE WILL BE IN TOUCH AS SOON AS CLEFT HAS BEEN PROFESSIONALLY MOLESTED INTO A WEAPON! ;)
FINGERS CROSSED ITS THE CORRECT WEIGHT. AND IF SO DONT GET ANGRY... I'LL LET YOU HAVE A GO MATE HAHA
IF ITS A 3LB MONSTER ITS GOING BACK NO QUESTION.
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Welcome to the forum mate, 1st tip is remove the Caps Lock. Its not too pleasing on the eye!
Will be interesting to see how this one turns out now you have specifically asked for that weight after its been completely finished.
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apologies for the shouting mate, didnt realise until i'd typed the message and there was no way i was writing it again :)
well, all i can do now is sit with my fingers and thumbs crossed that the bat weight is as requested.
simmy's bat was the first i've seen from roger since the fearnley days and in all honesty it's an absolute Monster!
but i said the same as everyone else. 2.7 - 2.12?????? Massive difference and theres no way i could bat a long innings with it. Ive never purchased bespoke online and for £100 it wont hurt the pockt to give one a go.
will be getting the review on (probably this thread) as soon as royal mail squeeze it through the letter box 8)
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nice to see u actually posting now liam instead of just reading lol
just hope yours is as nice as mine but half the weight..
now what do you think group by on Ayrtek helmets?
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haha funny guy! i cant help reading theres so many posts on here.
just been looking over petehosks bat collection.. i had a twitch in my pants. that guy is my new Hero!!
i'll be impressed if its half as good as yours Si, but the weight i asked for. my prediction is the Solitaire will weigh in at about 2.10 - 2.13 and knowing my luck will pick up like a soggy beach towel.
group purchase, there will only be me and you that buy one, custom colours, logo and names. haha we will get some right stick until they turned up and everyone wanted one. just been scanning Ayrtek site and bats look nice as well. hmmmmm more money the mrs wont want me spending :D
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im on hold with any new kit now untill the new car comes!
i fancy blackcat joker for 20/20 lol
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Might be one on eBay soon or so I've heard lol.
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Bats are shifting as quickly as the helmets at the moment! must be bonus time in payday this month lol
Well if you both buy a lid together could sort you out a deal im sure ;)
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buy one get one free? lol
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where do you play simmy?
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we are in the Pontefract and District Cricket League
West Yorkshire
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buy one get one free? lol
Yeah why not ;) lol im generous but its not Xmas just yet :D could sort you both out with the custom helmets that were sprayed up the other day though ;)
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profile pics from first page its very similar to CA 10000, any one feel so ? :)
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the bat is huge and yes profile is very similar to CA. its niiiice 8)
been informed of these crazy spray jobs. the crazier the better.
will get some grief from the numpties but after smashing plenty of runs with the New Solitaire (weight depending) the lid will soon be old news lol!
fancy doing me a custom candy pink and purple with ti grill Ayrtek??? ;)
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If you want to order one up you can have whatever you like!
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haha let me think about it mate. just priced it all up on web and £200 for a lid might just have the mrs out the door.
fingers crossed lol!!
she knows what comes first though (cricket) obviously :D
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well 1st time i used the bat properly forr a full inings where im now used to the weight etc.
went in 4 yesterday and smashed a 81 not out.. the whole front of the bat is just like all middle! i hit a massive 6 got a bit under it and i was thinking dam im out but it just kept going and going and going lol!
i love it!
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mmm
Tried mine last week
1st ball smashed to cover - first golden duck of the season :-[
mind you it went pretty hard :D
hopefully can give proper review soon ;)
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Simmy that six was Huge on saturday pal. Big Big hit! i thought it was in the church spire when it left the bat. :o
good knock though buddy. was nice to watch. The New lightweight blade i have will be changing me into a stylish stroke player now, rather than a pinch hitting opener haha ;)
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haha well i must say u batted on sat and i didnt see u go over the top once? not like me lol
cultured filth :D
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haha it must be the superlight new bat i used ;)
Ayrtek by name Ayrtek by nature.
give it a few week in the nets and i'll be back to my usual 'over the infield' self haha
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maybe if i had a light bat i wouldnt go over the top??? ???
hahah
if i come for a net later lets get bowling machine on 80mph with big in swing!
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in swing?? why in swing? unlesss your wanting to replicate left hand noby bowls 80mph in swing lol away swing maybe
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we have ackworth on sat (No Swearing Please) face! and kev bowls in swing! yes not at 80mph maybe 70-75mph. but my thinking is we get used to 80mph playing it at 70-75 will be easy man! i dont want to lose to them again!
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thats why i said replicate a lefty lol. youd set it up for a right hander and rip me up with an inswinging yorker at 80moh lol. plus i dont want to smash the new bat to pieces :(
i dont want to lose to those (No Swearing Please) bandits again mate, not now were only 4 points off top.
god if we took the league this year there would be hell on with the big money clubs hahaha
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Guys can we keep this a bit more on topic please!
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sorry Buzz.
keeping with topic... We saw another solitaire on saturday.
Same pink graphics but was absolutely massive. easily 3lb i reckon. wasnt as nice as yours tho sim
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i was just gonna put the same thing.. yeah he said he had 2 solitaires.
won at 3lb 1 and other at 3lb 4.
didnt sound or seem to ping as nice as mine tho.
and i dont think he was overly pleased with it when i asked him about it.
i really cant belive the ping on this bat!
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it did sound like a bit of a plank. and hardly went for such a huge bat.
i'm tempted to order one again but now i have that Ayrtek i think i'll stick with it.
Gorgeous bat just needs a bit of ball time 8)
when i get chance i'll get some pics up etc on the Ayrtek boards.
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You must of been keen knocking it in that quickly! at least you played this weekend, we played 7 overs on sat before it got rained off and i hardly played yesterday in our game either :(
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as soon as it came through the door it was immediately put to the sword (or hammer i should say) :D
felt sweet as a nut after two hours so i decided to give it a go, had my old bat waiting in the wings but never needed it. a) because i hit everything barring an edge out of the middle and b) i was only in 18 overs haha
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pidge start a new thread with the review of yours mate we can get some picks up later etc