Northern what is he difference between a grade 4 UK English willow bat that is dead as an iron bar and a grade 1 or 2 English willow bat that does 'ping'
It's same wood but one has more elasticity than the other? Or is it all to do wi the pressing?
There's normally cosmetic differences but what else if anything separates the grades.
Something I've always wondered.
I’d say it’s down to who’s pressing it
No ones ?daft enough to run a genuine grade one cleft through a press without checking it etc
Where as the lower grades are probably pushed through the press on a standard setting, hence you might get some decent pressed lower grades, due to the variances in the clefts.
If I was paying for the clefts, I’d be taking extra care with those genuine grade ones, taking care not to over press em
I’m sure there’s plenty of batmakers press each cleft on merit, but I’m fairly sure with others it’s more of a lottery