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[fasteddie]

Ok, I was thinking of experimenting. I've got a bit of a budget to try something new.

If we take a good cleft, chosen for performance and weight, and press it less what would the outcome be?

1) More performance
2) Shorter shelf life

I'd like to get a bigger cleft for the same weight.

Over to you for more answers.

[smilley792]

Would it not be too soft and spongy? Offering little performance?



Or just take longer to knock in?

[tim2000s]

I think you need to take care with this. It needs to be optimally pressed for performance rather than longevity. Having tried to knock in a very softly pressed bat (buzz knows the one I mean), you'll take days of consecutive hammering, and actually having it pressed properly will be better! I had to send that one off to have it additionally pressed. And until it had had the additional pressing, it felt like a dead badger off both the mallet and balls...

So 'soft' pressing isn't really an option. Good pressing is the answer.


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[Chad]

You can't really determine performance from an unpressed cleft... At least I don't think you can! All clefts need pressing, some less than others. If you don't press it enough, you need to knock it in for longer. Just get a low density cleft pressed by one of the best, and it should start off very well get better as you use it.

[Manormanic]

got to agree witht hat - I got a TK bat a few years ago which I asked to have lightly pressed- the man himself called me something unprintable but kindly offered to give it an extra run throught he presses when I accepted that I was...well...something unprintable.  He was, unsurprisingly, right.

[ItsJustCricket]

Just talk to Matt from H4L.  He is the master of a lightly pressed bat!

[fasteddie]

Just talk to Matt from H4L.  He is the master of a lightly pressed bat!

I'm off down that way on a few weeks to pick some bats for my team mates. I'll ask the man himself then (and then probably come away with another bat!).

I used to live just down the road from H4L, if I was still there I'd have no qualms in working for the man. He's a true gent.

[procricket]

You will be very lucky to get a very light cleft there at a premium currently as more and more people are purely grading on weight of cleft.

Better option would be buy a cleft and dry the hell out of it...

Then send to be made into something now thats a idea.....

[Overdrive]

He did say press it less...not at all. I think we have established that the willow makes the biggest difference.
Therefore top cleft, pressed less than a normal bat = performance.

[fasteddie]

You will be very lucky to get a very light cleft there at a premium currently as more and more people are purely grading on weight of cleft.

Better option would be buy a cleft and dry the hell out of it...

Then send to be made into something now thats a idea.....

If I'm honest I don't know what is the weight of a light-weight cleft. The one I chose was one of the lightest Matt had at the time. The fact that it had 12 nigh on perfect grains was a bonus (if you like that sort of thing). You'll see it at the Vitas event.

I was reading the linseed oil thread, thinking, hang-on a minute, why don't I do that. Over-dry a cleft, get Matt to make it up and if it blows-up after 10 games then what the heck! You may have answered my question. Cheers Dave!

[swamidude]

I have some bats which are fairly firmly pressed (two Lavers and a Millichamp) as well as a soft pressed SG. I would honestly say that pressing has minimal impact on performance, we as batsmen have much more influence with timing and technique. IMO it's not worth sacrificing lifespan for a bit more 'ping' since I think it's sort of in our heads that we have to trust the bat rather than our ability or technique.

Just my opinion, I think the pressing should be left to the batmaker as they know their trade well enough to decide where the balance lies between soft and firm.