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[tim2000s]

Going through my usual early season thinking about having too many bats and not doing all of them justice, I thought I'd put my Hades and B3 side by side and see how similar they really are, with a view to using the B3 as a net/wet bat and the Hades as a match bat. Having put them side by side, it is remarkable how similar they are. It seems like a really good idea and then why would I need my other bats. But why is it so hard to get rid of any of them?

[Blazer]

Which one out of these two picks up better Tim ?. Lovely shape !

[Alvaro]

More of a bow in the B3 maybe.
an interesting comparison. Do they have similar amounts of concaving? I presume they're the same weight, so would be interesting to see a shot from toe up on both...

[tim2000s]

There is actually more bow in the Hades. They both pick up well. Both were originally specced to be 2lb 10oz. The Hades has lost half an ounce over winter, and the B3 started at  2lb 9oz and has lost half an ounce. They got the willow density wrong when making it. Will get toe pics up soon.

[Alvaro]

Thanks Tim.
My bats seem to be gaining weight and then losing it in the space of a day! Funny how the B3 seems more bowed to my tired eyes.
I have also been trying to rationalise my bat collection, but there is a silly pang when trying to sort out which will have to go.

[tim2000s]

Thanks Tim.
My bats seem to be gaining weight and then losing it in the space of a day! Funny how the B3 seems more bowed to my tired eyes.
I have also been trying to rationalise my bat collection, but there is a silly pang when trying to sort out which will have to go.

Tell me about it. I have four I will use regularly, and two that I won't.

[tim2000s]

Toe up shots.

[mussaduq]

I like the B3 more then the hades. Which one pings better ?

[tim2000s]

I like the B3 more then the hades. Which one pings better ?

why do you prefer the B3?

[Chad]

The Hades does it for me, the middle is positioned nearer to where I normally hit the ball compared to the B3. I do prefer the slightly lighter concaving on the B3 though, which one of the two picks up and works better for you Tim?

[mussaduq]

It has a better spine height.

[Cys1]

Hi Tim, lovely looking blades these and indeed twins since the shapes are so similar.
I do see some minor differences and was interested to find out if it made any difference in pick up and performance.

To my eyes the Hades shows a smidgen more concaving than than the B3. I also noted that the Hades has the spine running down to the toe whereas the B3 has a flat toe.
Would you say that this impacts on the pick up? Does the Hades pick up a bit more bottom heavy?
Secondly, do you think that this has an impact on the sweet spot? Does the Hades have a lower middle than the B3?

Would really like to know since it is not often that you get bats so similar in profile with these dp minor differences and it presents an ideal opportunity to disuse the merits of flat vs diamond shaped toes etc.

Thanks
Andrew

[Cys1]

Just saw the poor spelling! Sorry, this iPad makes typing difficult sometimes.

[tim2000s]

And so to answer some of your questions. The Hades weighs in at 2lb 9.9oz. The B3 weighs in at 2lb 8.9oz. The spine peak on the B3 is roughly half an inch further away from the toe than the Hades. The middle according to where I hit the ball is large enough to be roughly the same on both, although I'd say that the SAF's is slightly lower.

They both pick up really well, although the B3 is marginally better, due to weight distribution and of course lower dead weight.

The SAF toe is way better than the B3, which has one of the worst toes on any bat I have used, as any ball hitting the bottom inch or so causes one to drop the bat due to the pain of the vibration.

The reality, though, is that both pick up very, very well, and you couldn't describe the SAF as being bottom heavy. Both have very good, long middles, however, the SAF middle extends slightly lower than the B3.

[Cys1]

Thank you very much for the answers. I have also noticed from my experience that bats with a diamond shaped toes seem to have slightly lower middles and less vibration when striking a ball low down.