Rough Specs
6 Grains.
Shoulders 15mm
Edges 30mm
Round toe
Toe middle 22mm
Spine 54mm
Trad Rounded face
As
@Thamesvalley asked what we’ve all been buying recently I thought Id oblige with my Black Friday review self Christmas present.
Everyone is aware of Chase and what they offer but I think sometimes their non-fuss, does exactly what it says on the tin, type image makes us forget to investigate just how good they really are. Particularly if you can find one heavily discounted.
I notice that I like my bats how I like my restaurants. Locally sourced ingredients, made with love and a passion for the industry and 2 fingers up to the seduction of commercialism.
I have followed Chase since they started as they are local to me. And I also started my small business around the same time so its nice to see them grow into the success they are today.
I had a lovely visit to Serious Cricket & Chase one random Sunday and even bumped into Director Dan Swaine who was lovely to chat to and let me browse around the workshop. By the way, if you time your visit perfectly you can partake in the local brewery beer festival on site. So I left extremely happy 🍺🍺😁.
Alot of my teammates use the impressive quality Chase softs & bats so I get to try before I buy type thing.
I have to admit whenever I had been in a shop and picked up a Chase bat its disappointed me and I couldnt understand why my teammates bought them or theirs felt so different.
I think in the past 2 years Chase have stickered the bat weight on the bats and thats allowed me to suss out exactly what my teammates have been using (They are always buying new bats each year).
So whilst padded up waiting to bat in the scorching heatwave or the drizzling rain, not only did I try these bats but see them in action. These bats were clearing ropes and denting cars by teenagers!
30 years ago I remember barely getting it off the square let alone making a fielder jump the fence into the next field. Amazing!
But just like 30 years ago I don’t seem to have grown out of my entry level adult
bat feel of 2,7-2,9. 🙄
Perhaps I play too much racquet sports so I want my bat to feel like a tennis racquet.
So that is the background of my chase for a Chase bat. 😁
I always said when 1 of my bats eventually died I would get a Chase R1.
Huge value for money, strong butterfly willow and virtually similar performance as a G1 so ive heard. Plus the cost of them is virtually 2 for 1 compared to a G2 upwards.
Black Friday comes and I convince myself that due to the wet summer we just had I need a lower middle bat as mine are mid-high. Naturally it’s nothing to do with the user of course.
So I wondered if you can get BF discount off a Chase R1? No you can’t. And rightly so. There has to be a limit and if that’s what they cost then that’s the price.
So what is discounted before I buy a R1 anyway.
Talent cricket Volante R4 was £175 Now £145, less a 10%BF discount =£130 with Free Delivery. No brainer!
An R1 was £116 so an R4 for £130 must be barely above cost price! So I went for it. Mainly because I decided that more sap would probably suit my desired lightweight style better. I’m clearly not bothered about looks or grains as I was already considering a butterfly.
I knew what I was potentially getting with the Volante but I was still genuinely surprised how good it was out the box.
First impressions, a beautifully made finished and polished stick.
Felt slightly bottom heavy but not half as much as I was expecting and balanced very well considering where the meat is.
In my eyes a very thin semi-oval handle, needlessly thin in my opinion for such a fat & bottom weighted bat.
Decent toe thickness and importantly good thick shoulders which hopefully support that silly skinny handle.
Nice honest traditional bat width, so no nasty narrowing tricks there.
Good thick edges & good spine height
with a few mil of sharp concaving to help the balance but overall still a nice convex shape. Perhaps 2,12+ would be a little more convex but for 2,8 I think they’ve given you a bit of a mix of the finback.
A VolanBack if you will.
I have no issue with it as the ping is superb. A ceiling buster for sure when bounced a ball all along it. I thought this bat would take some playing in and only feel that real ping in the very centre but it’s as good if not better as some of my bats double the money played in.
Chase machine knocked the bat FOC but I have spent 2 hours malleting the toe and edges just for my own assurance. Very light seam marks appeared initially in some places but I actually thought it was denting the scuff sheet more than the actual wood.
A nice thick quality grip came with the bat and I’ve added a 2nd grip underneath it which has made all the difference to handle thickness and has really balanced the bat beautifully now.
I have a few blemishes on the bat but a clean middle. A handy butterfly stain just above the centre of the toe to add strength is lucky. A few pin knots and speck on the edges of the bat. And a character of a large knot on the back of the bat above the toe on the RH outside edge. But this has nothing to do with the face of the bat. A little heartwood is on the face in that RH outside edge area which adds strength if looked after well.
Correct me if I’m wrong but are knots a strength benefit on a cricket bat? Or vibration dampener?
Live knots particularly perhaps?
The moral of that long tale hopefully is that it’s the bat maker and pressing thatll give you the best tools for the job.
And for youngsters or enthusiasts there are some real bargains out there to prove you dont need a limited edition G1 bat.
So give the top willow a rest for a while and consider a lower grade made with love.
Author
Topic: Black Friday Chase R4 Volante 2023 Xmas Present (Read 409 times)