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[e4sby]

Seen as my cricket was called off i was thinking about bat profiles.

The new trend is for highly concaved bats with high splines and thick edges.  These style of bats i feel benefit players of a high standard who consistently find the middle of the bat.  Players like myself with lesser ability would find that the bat has little forgiveness but would like to have the latest design bat away from the traditional shape.

A compromise between the two would be the ideal shape for a player who is looking for a bat with a big profile which a concaved bat gives but with the forgiveness which will give him the confidence and shot value from strikes towards the edge of the bat.

When i produce a bat i try to give it enough concaving to enable larger profiles but try and leave a little more wood away from the striking zone of the bat so that balls struck in the area reacts a better than a ball struck in the same area on a concaved bat.

I'm using a Fusion SB at present which is my first concaved bat and have noticed that balls hit off centre have not raced off the bat like bats i've owned previous.

When i get round to it i will make a bat for myself so that has a mixture of the two profiles to see if my theory is correct.  Would be interesting to hear other peoples opinions on all profiles of bat.

[Richie]

That is exactly the same as what happens with my SB, if I don't middle the ball it hardly goes at all.  I felt much more confident in attacking the bowling last season with my Salix as even if you didn't middle it the bat was still quite forgiving, I think that would be the difference in Fusion being a great brand than being an exceptional brand...

[Howzat]

Same - Im useless with the superbest because i cant find the middle! Change to the redback and im fine!

[stevie]

I have noticed a few people recently saying that if the ball comes of anything other than the middle it doesn't go anywhere. Is this a recent occurance on the new bats or has it been happening on the older type bats as well?

[Johnny]

I fine with my laver that if I hit it right out of the screws, it does absolutely fly, but even if I don't entirely middle it, it still goes pretty well. Mine is supposed to be the new style profile, though I don't know how concaved it is compared to a fusion. I'll try and get some pics up soon

[Sambo]

mate it will happen to any bat that is 'mainstream' concave. the only way i can see this problem being fixed is having more wood wider on the bat. or having a convex bat.

[Brownie]

Theres always been one profile that i've loved. I think the bat was called the Puma "Millichamp" and it was just amazing. It was a profile very similar to what Bevan used during his career.

[Sheeno]

Im not sure, your theory is probably correct because the middle has a bit of meat and strength behind it that all the power goes through the ball. But i think it is more general feeling as bats have a centre where you can swing through the ball and come sof nicely but when you hit on the inner or outside of the bat you have less control and power going through the ball if that makes sense.

I've had no problems with concaved bats but wuld be interested what results come up. An nteresting thing for the bat makers is trying to reduce the width of the bat as much as you can to get more wood in it, I have been tempted to try one but wouldnt be completely sure what width I should go for to see if there is a better performance

Any bat makers know how what to do to stop toes on bats breaking that the only problems ive been having over the last few years

[Howzat]

[quote author=Sheeno link=topic=312.msg4017#msg4017 date=1216319321
Any bat makers know how what to do to stop toes on bats breaking that the only problems ive been having over the last few years
[/quote]
Companies such as laver,chase and redback are putting lamitoes into bats to try and prevent toe cracks from splitting all the way through. Also try not to hit the ball on the toe haha?!

[SAF Bats]

I don't think reducing the width size would do a huge amount.  It would be two fold really a confidence thing as you look down the blade you will see a noticeable difference in the size, even though it is only a few mm .  Also you'll still be after middling the bat as you are with any bat really concaved on not.

The trick I think is to get a compromise on weight and balance.  If you can balance a bat so that it feel lighter but is in fact heavier then bats that you normally use.  Then you have the mass in the hitting area but haven't compromised on swing speed. 

The decision really on a Classic [suit a lower weight bat] or New style bat is up to you, if buying off the shelf or an honest discussion with the bat maker about how you play.



As for the Toe a quote from Zoombats:

Apply a bit of marine varnish thinned about twenty percent for good penetration into the end grain of the toe. When that has dried apply a coat of the same marine varnish full strength. This will seal the end grain and stop any water wicking up the previously open cells of the willow at the toe.You can still oil the back of the blade if need be.I have been experimenting with a really cool product that is a two part epoxy that is viscous enough to penetrate into the toe when applied and then hardens like a rock. Makes the toe bullet proof and when used in conjunction with a spline is showing good resistance against splitting.

[Sambo]

hey brownie those bats were guns.  i picked one up the other day and if felt as good as anything

[Tom]

I'm fine with my Fusion for middling and hitting it off centre. Get a few 4's when I've not hit it bang on, just depends on how quick the outfield is.

Not sure what my favourite profile type is really though, I do like the Impala Redback ones though.

[Howzat]

Good image that shows conacaving here

Thanks to CraigyBoy for the image