I got in contact with Rob towards the end of last year and described the type of bat i wanted and the weight.
Instead of chasing large edges i wanted something with the highes ridge possible and no concaving in the hope of getting as big and sympathetic middle as possible and with a light and balanced pick up, oh and at 2lb 8 maximum without stickers.
Rob was honest enough to tell me that he didnt have any cleft in for that and as i was not in any hurry we decided together to wait for a new delivery so that he could pick one out for me.
Although looks are not the most important thing for me i did ask for about 8 grains.
Rob, kept me up to date when prompted and even supplied photos and weight measurement along the process and we regulalry spoke about his thoughts on bats and what i wanted in terms of whee to leave wood etc etc and he undoubtably knows pretty much all you need to know to make a good bat.
what arrived i was extremely happy with and you can tell is great workmanship. Rob somehow managed to get a lot of wood in the bat creating a big hitting zone for a bat that cam in at 2lb 7 and three quarters WITH a thick spiral grip, so i decided to get some of the very nice RPC custom sticker with look nice and like something a little different.
The pick up on the bat is sublime, the best i have had and i have had several Redbacks ( which are great by the way) and Laver and wood, Chase , Newbery, Grey Nicks to compare with just to qualify the statement.
Pick up is important to me so it is great to have something so balance in your hands when going out to bat.
The second thing that struck me was the handle, which i asked to be semi oval. I have tiny girls hands and the handle is a little thicker than some, so i was slightly worried i might not get on with it, but i like it very much after using it a few times now. If anything it keeps my bottom hand a bit honest.
God only knows what Rob does when pressing these bats bats, but after the first time i manged to find the middle both the sound and the responce tells you that it was going to perform. You really get value for your shots and this combined with the balance, the amount of wood i have in the hitting zone and the service make this in my mind the best bat o have ever bought.
I woudl thoroughly recommend anyone buying a bat for Rob. I know peopl ethat travel up to see him, which must be a great experience, but you can be Reassured that you will get great service and bat if ordering over the phone.
Pricing is well below what you would get from a main manufacturer. I cant see myself buying a main brand again from a retailer and i woudl seriously doubt you woudl ever be lucky enough to get what i have from a main brand.
Took it out to play with it for the first time yesterday , after our lovely damp start to the season and got a pretty good score with it including a couple of fairly large sixes. I love the feeling of being completely confident in your bat and thanks to Rob and his staff this is exactly the feeling i will have when taking out my new toy. She is a beut!
I will put some pictures up when i can be arsed.