Is that 2 reviews in a day?!
This bat was bought alongside 3 others from Australia. They can be viewed here:
http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=48384.0I didn't include this one in that review, as I felt it would be nicer to keep the Maax's in their own thread, but also because I probably wouldn't do this bat any justice in a batch review, nevermind this standalone review.
This particular bat was bought in Kingsgrove Sydney last year. (I've mentioned numerous times, but fantastic service from a young chap called Hayden there, who showed me around the premises) I walked in, having not really rehearsed on what any of the brands had to offer in Australia, but knew I just loved the Aussie GNs and stumbled across a few of these models. This particular one caught my attention, not because it was the grainiest, but because it felt the nicest off the mallet, and the size throughout the blade impressed me. Now, what I didn't know and only found out after I had purchased was that these actually have a 'hollow core rebound system', ie. a hole drilled through the cleft to reduce some weight, most likely from the handle end. I have no idea if this actually impacts performance, or is purely used for saving weight, but safe to say that it doesn't seem to have affected performance detrimentally.
As far as I'm aware, these were available in pretty limited quantities, around one or two hundred were produced.
Enough blabbering, onto the pics:
@InternalTraining Bow - very subtle
Profile shots:
Gauge as reference:
Check for any narrowing at the back (The sloping was caused mostly by the scuff and edge tape, as back and front were 107mm throughout pretty much)
And some more pictures of those incredible retro style stickers, and the lovely leather case:
As you can see, the bat really is beautifully crafted, with an elegant flow to the profile and the edge, with generous volume of willow throughout the entire blade. I absolutely fell in love with all the aesthetic aspects of this bat, from the labelling, to the 7 - 8 all sapwood grains with slight marbling on the RH outside edge towards the toe and shoulder, to the classical - yet modern - look of the profile.
Specs:
Weight: 2lb 10.2oz
Edge: 33-35mm, some handmade discrepancies/measurement difficulties as edges are round, and had been rounded further by Kingsgrove's knocking service
Shoulder edge - 18mm
Splice into handle - 36mm
Toe edge - 21mm
Toe centre - 29mm
Spine Height - 66-67mm
Face camber - 5 mm
Width: 107mm front and back throughout. (108mm where the scuff and edge tape is)
Handle: Thinner side of medium oval. 38mmx34mm. 3 red rubber inserts.
Pick up: Balanced well, feels just right with a touch of lightness in the pickup. Not bottom heavy or featherlight.
The hitting area of this bat is HUGE. I would say around 7cm from the toe, it starts to wake up, and even up to the stickers, I feel like you would get some purchase for your misjudged shot. This is 34cm up from the toe, and the spine height is still a pretty staggering 56mm. (By no means the largest I've seen at this point I'm sure, but impressive nonetheless) This coupled by the domed shape and respectable 28mm edges at this point makes a large proportion of the blade a playing area. The spine peaks around 19.5cm up from the toe at approximately 66.8mm.
In conclusion... this is how companies should do retro/classic bats. Have a modern take on a classic, maintaining the profile, the labelling style and the key characteristics of the bat, while using modern techniques/standards. (Mainly drying out willow more, and probably not pressing as round a face/compressing as much) Do a limited run, and don't even bother to give it to any sponsored players, just market it as it is - the people who will recognise that bat and want to buy it will want it because their old heroes used it when they were growing up watching cricket. Don't just slap a II next to it and use the graphic-style you're on now and slap them on a profile which doesn't resemble the classic shape at all.
Here's some pictures I plucked off the internet of the GN Ultimate Limited Edition 1000:
Hope you guys read up to this point, and thanks if you have! Again, these take quite the amount of time to take pictures of, take specs of, tap up, and write up my thoughts. (Hence why this one hasn't been done despite purchasing a year ago) Any feedback is welcome, these take a long time to type up, and I'd like to make sure I cover all bases.
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Topic: Gray Nicolls Ultimate 1000 Limited Edition Review - Australian Exclusive Model (Read 6197 times)