Charting the movements on the 'bat exchange' on here is an interesting process all to itself. I'm sure someone could log the passage of certain pieces of willow around the site and part of me wonders which is the most 'moved on' bat on here? That is only a passing thought though, I'm not quite into nerdvana yet.
But what does intrigue me is what exactly makes a bat that 'suits you sir'?
I haven't bought as many as some guys on here, but I do know that finding one that really did suit me was more problematic than I thought.
Now in my dotage I eventually saw sense and first went for what some would call 'a wand'.
Nice bat, weighed 2 lb 6 oz good piece of willow, picked up as you would expect at that weight, and I was actually able to hit the ball with it.
However, I did have a nagging feeling that I was having to put a bit too much of me into the shots, rather than letting the bat do the work. I've since moved the bat on and the guy who bought it absolutely loves it.
The next bat that I got was a serious investment even though I got it at a savage discount.
You can't go wrong with a Salix, and I got a Pod Performance from IJC (still have it) that looked a purler. Fully dressed at 2 lb 7 oz and big for that weight I was naturally expecting great things. It picks up well, pings nicely and should hit the ball a mile. But thus far I'm struggling to time my shots with it. I know the bat will be an absolute shotgun in some hands - why not mine? Very frustrating, but I'm going to give it a very, very thorough try before I let it go. But the bottom line is, it might just not suit me for one reason or another.
Now, it's all very well suggesting that a bad workman blames his tools, and in my case I'd certainly agree.
On a whim a bought a bat off this site at what purported to be 2 lb 9 oz (the popular weight) to see if it made any difference to my timing and getting more value for my shots.
When the bat arrived I was pleasantly surprised. It had been refurbed to as new standard. Picking it up it instantly felt 'right'. The pick up was superb and it felt perfectly balanced for me. I must admit I did eventually weigh it and it tipped the scales at 2 lb 8 oz without a scuff sheet. Very happy with that.
Interestingly (well I found it interesting) the bat has almost no bow and quite a flat face. When I used it for the first time in a net session, what started with all good intentions rapidly degenerated into see ball, attempt to hit cover off ball. There was no problem with timing, the ball screamed off the bat and it didn't seem to matter where on the blade I made contact (I'm not foolish enough to believe that I was middling everything).
Was it a flash in the pan? well next time out in very gloomy conditions, the same again. I pulled my horns in a bit, but when I did play a shot the ball stayed hit. I don't know if the flat face or lack of bow (or both) has made a difference, but, the bat definitely seems to suit me.
It really does make me wonder - how? Why?.
Anyway, when I bought the bat I suspected its origin, even though it was stickered up differently. The maker kindly confirmed his work when I asked him, and I sincerely hope that he won't mind me revealing that it was Paul Aldred.
So - what process do you guys go through to find a bat that really suits you? (Well, we've got to talk about something in the close season).
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Topic: suit you sir! (Read 2005 times)