Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Your Kit => Topic started by: tim2000s on September 15, 2010, 01:55:17 PM
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Thought I'd share a few pics of some of my hunks of willow.
No. 1 - Gray Nicolls Xiphos PP SH
Well used, went on a tour in Jamaica where it was sadly underused. Got a crack at the bottom of the face where all the tape is, and the toe is somewhat shafted. The middle is huge and it goes like a gun, but then it weighs 3lb, so it should! Nothing special on the edges but you don't always need monsters...
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Bats02.jpg)(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Bats01.jpg)(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Bats03.jpg)(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Bats04.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Bats08.jpg)
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It's funny but cos it weighs in at 3lb, you kind of expect it to have even thicker edges than that.
But I've found the weight of the bat is in the density, and most of the bats that weight will go like a rocket!
Plus who needs bat speed when the bat is that stocky and bulky! ;) Forward push will normally result in great power!
I have a number at that kind of weight and it's going to be fun using them! :D
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Yes, checked straight drive off a quick usually flies off for four. You don't need to do much to get the runs!
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No. 2 - Hunts County Insignia LH 5* - Custom Made, 2lb 11oz
When my old one fell apart :( I had used other bats, but decided that I wanted another of these. This one is now stickerless and undergoing knocking in, but seems to be a lovely piece of wood and I'm looking forward to nets testing! Much more traditional shape than a lot of the monsters in here, with fairly narrow edges, but one hell of a middle and plenty of wood getting to them.
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Bats05.jpg)(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Bats06.jpg)(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Bats07.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Bats09.jpg)
And in comparison to the Xiphos....
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Bats10.jpg)
Very different shape!
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Bat No. 3 - Adding to an old topic...
Millichamp and Hall S6 Grade 1 "Custom"
I got a new job and promised myself that I would get a new M&H S6. There had been one in the local sports shop for ages and I rather liked it but it was a little too heavy, so I decided to opt for the "Get an S6 in the sale" approach. I filled out the form on the M&H website and then over the course of the next week, Nick at M&H and I exchanged many emails before this beauty turned up. I'd asked for it to be fully knocked in, mainly because I am lazy, and that's how it turned up.
Bouncing the mallet off it I was massively impressed. This is a LHLB monster weighing in at 2lb 11oz and I couldn't wait to get it in the nets. Once tested, I had a great deal more respect for M&H. This bat is an absolute beauty and the one against which I measure the performance of all others. It really goes like a train. I don't think I've found a bat that is better suited to front foot play, even the 'goose, and I've played with a few.
This one is an 8 grainer, and seems to fit with the Millichamp thing of 7-10 grains is best for longevity. It's just a pity that the hammer edge is on because you can't see the face properly! Anyway, lovely bat and here are the pics!
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/MH02.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/MH01.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/MH03.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/MH04.jpg)
Getting a little help from one of the cats...
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/MH05.jpg)
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Lovely bat, but whoever put that hammer edge on needs to be shot!
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Yeah, it wasn't my best.....
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Bat No 4: Uzi 50mm
As mentioned in an earlier thread today, this is the Uzi C6+ Laminate. It weighs in at 2lb 15oz and is a bit of a monster. There is no concaving to its back and although weighing in heavy, it picks up about the same as/slightly better than my 2lb 13oz Hunts County Insignia LH, which is quite a result. It's a monster that has been sent back to Newbery for a refurb after a brief few nets last year, and has been provided with a nice new hammer edge + SPS stickers, which hide its origins pretty effectively. I have to say that the refurb although not super cheap has come up wonders. It looks new.
When used in the nets, it surprised me with just how good the rebound is (that can be re-interpreted to scared the bowlers as well), and what I like about it is that it is a little piece of history. With the attention given to bat "modification" and the rule changes, I don't expect that anything like this will be made for some time to come.
The added, unrealised benefit of an Uzi, if you like cats, is that they seem to be rather attracted to it...
Anyhow, here are a number of pictures for your enjoyment and perusal.
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Uzi-50mm03.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Uzi-50mm04.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Uzi-50mm02.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Uzi-50mm01.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Uzi-50mm08.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Uzi-50mm05.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Uzi-50mm07.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Uzi-50mm10.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Uzi-50mm11.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Uzi-50mm12.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Uzi-50mm13.jpg)
And finally, here is the join. Very well hidden, so much so that it's almost invisible.
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/Uzi-50mm15.jpg)
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Looks a beaut mate not the usual Uzi shape as seems lower plus it's a real mans weight same weight as my match bat
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I will second that - 2'15......a real bat weight! ;)
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for people with no finesse or timing pure brutes
blugeners bar ST
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I don't need timing when I have a monster like that in my hand!
Or that's what my missus tells me anyway!! ;)
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I have told you before I am an attacking stroke maker or that's what I tell myself
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The human race is getting taller and heavier, bats will have to follow suit....
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The kind of bat that turns a defensive prod into a boundary... Had a Zeus a few years back that was 3lb2oz. That was a true monster.
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The human race is getting taller and heavier, bats will have to follow suit....
So you are no longer a freak then?
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I'm telling my wife on you, this is cyberbullying...... Admin please ban the Cat.
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Yes - your wife can tell me off - I've seen her in her hat!
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But she had a large bat
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She laughs at your comments Bruce, be aware that always leads to trouble later down the line....
Admin, why isn't he banned yet???????????
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If you ask nicely, she might bring the uniform and a weapon of mass destruction ;)
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Right, I'm off to see if she will play with my pee shooter....
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Oh mike trust you to lower the tone
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Looks a beaut mate not the usual Uzi shape as seems lower plus it's a real mans weight same weight as my match bat
It's an interesting profile. It appears to have ever so slightly offset edges too.
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Yeah I associate the Uzi as a higher middled bat so really like the profile on this one and my tt has offset edges seems to help as I'm sure it does on this one
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No. 5 - Something Old.... Kippax Hydra SH, G1, weighing in at 2lb 14oz
This is a heavier Kippax Hydra from 2007. It's a chunky bat but not one with massive edges or concaving. When you hit the ball with it, it still goes. It's got a fairly low middle, as can be seen from the profile, and while not being spectacular, it's a very good and reliable bat, although against short stuff it's a bit tricky to find the middle. Given its weight it picks up well. My suspicion is that it is an Eric Loxton, given the period in which is was produced, and the shape, but I don't really know, and I'd leave that up to some of you to determine.
One of the things I like about this era of Kippax bats is the stickers. All a bit Lord of the Rings...
Some pictures for your delectation...
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/OldandNew01.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/OldandNew02.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/OldandNew03.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/OldandNew04.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/OldandNew06.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/OldandNew07.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/OldandNew08.jpg)
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No. 6 - Something New.... Hell 4 Leather 666 Monster, LHLB, Weighing in at 2lb10oz and originally made for Suliemann Benn
I've mentioned this beauty a number of times in various posts so I thought that it was time it appeared on the forum somewhere. I asked a question about LHLB bats a few months back, and Matt got in touch saying that he had one that was made to SBs specifications, but due to the wavy grain structure on the blade, wasn't considered good enough to go to SB for use and was being downgraded to 5*. Given its weight I wasn't expecting a massive bat, but it is much bigger than I expected.
It was obtained in the forum offer period and has an amazing pick up and with the very limited bashing it's had with a mallet, appears to have a large and effective middle. When I do get around to knocking it in, I look forward to getting it into a net and giving it a proper going over as my suspicion is that it may well rival my Instinct. We shall see.
The difference, of course, between me and the intended recipient is that I can bat and therefore will not be removing the stickers to save matt's blushes and replacing them with Reebok. The H4L ones are much classier and the brand deserves to be seen.
In the meantime, enjoy the pictures:
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/OldandNew10.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/OldandNew11.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/OldandNew12.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/OldandNew13.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/OldandNew14.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/OldandNew15.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/OldandNew16.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/OldandNew17.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/OldandNew18.jpg)
(http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr293/tim2000s/OldandNew19.jpg)
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Tim
Lovely looking bat i;am growing to the branding on h4l they look stunning and turning into a good all round brand with there new softs
Benn bloody hell the worst batsman in the world does he know which end is which