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[tim2000s]

Having started taking photos of the Diamond, it reminded me that back when it first appeared, this was considered a revolutionary, and to some, shocking, bat design. To many it really broke the mould with it's straight faces and diamond faceting, compared to the much more traditional bats such as the Maestro and the Cannon. Compared to the evolutions provided by GN, who took a relatively standard and traditional profile and simply scooped large chunks of wood out of it, the idea of having straight faces was heretical!

This was modern bat design the early 90's way! Fast forward 20 years and modern design is something that Adidas would claim for their Incurza profile. It has "Pro Contours" and a modern scalloped shape, and is considered a big profile with a large middle.

Having a 2lb 7oz of each of the above I thought it would be interesting to take a few photos and make some comparisons. The one thing that I found most interesting was that the Incurs was not significantly bigger than the Diamond and that they both pick up pretty similarly. I guess there are limits as to what you can do with 2lb 7oz of willow after all....

First up the profile. The Diamond has a constant thickness of edge down its length with thicker edges at the shoulder. The Incurza has narrower edges at the shoulder and bigger edges around the middle. The blade on the Incurza also has the mandatory bow, whereas the Diamond has a much straighter blade. The Diamond is designed with a longer spine.





Looking down the blade, we see that the Incurza has a more pointed and slightly higher spine, thanks to the scalloping compared to the flatter spine and straight lines of the Diamond. This will also be impacted by the fact that the spine height on the Diamond is constant for most of it's length, whereas the Incurza reaches a peak. The difference probably also accounts for the thicker edges, but I suspect that there is also a difference in the moisture content of the willow at production time and certainly now, 15-20 years later. I also suspect that the pressing on the two bats is probably quite different, but I'd leave that to Norbs!



I'd be interested to hear other's opinions on this.

[PedalsMcgrew]

It strikes me that the GM bat would have a bigger middle than the Adidas. Certainly going from the profile anyway. I have never been a fan of big, thick edges which seem to be the current vogue. I just don't understand the concept. Surely you want the most wood you can get in the hitting area? Having the mass of the bat spread out to the edges obviously means that mishits will go a little further but surely that comes at the expense of power from the middle?

I actually think the GM bat has a profile very similar to a Redback Surefire and I love the look of those bats.   

[tim2000s]

The Surefire is a very traditional shape. I'd describe the Diamond as an attempt to modernise the traditional shape...