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[trypewriter]

If I go to a shop now and I think the pickup feels good I will then ask what the weight is. If it's above 2'10 I put the bat back. "Shop" pickup is your worst enemy as you end up thinking a bat can be used when in fact 30 minutes at the crease proves otherwise! Another tip is to play a cut shot using the minimal amount of right hand possible. If you right hand has to force the bat through the shot(essentially to keep it up), instead of merely kicking in from the contact point as a final flourish, then it's too heavy.

End of the day, no point having a big bat if you can't hit the ball. Being able to adjust to the moving ball or adapt your shot choice is more important to staying in than smacking it 20 yards further.

I've actually done this with a 2-12 bat, not without a hint of regret as the bat in question had insane response. However, it wasn't going to play the shots itself so it had to go back in the rack, no matter that it had a great pick up too.
Another thing worth considering is that if you waft a bat around in a shop and you are not wearing batting gloves, you are not getting the true picture.

[ajnabi02]

In my experience dead weight is not the most important thing. I generally use 2.11-2.14 bats selected mainly on the basis of bat-speed and pick-up along with performance as most of my productive shots are played on the back-foot.

I use at least 2-3 grips (thick handle), which makes most of my bats more balanced and they feel lighter. Also, my stance or trigger movement is like Eion Morgan, the bat is already in the air when the ball is bowled and it helps time the ball better.

In a same net session but for more than 30 balls in each case, I batted with a 2.7 and a 2.14 bat (made by the same company). The 2.7 felt lighter and smooth but on the other hand I was never late on any back/front foot shots with 2.14 either. That is the reason I buy bats weighing 2.11+ with a single grip and high sweet-spot.

[uknsaunders]

Dead weight isn't the most important thing but it comes a not too distant second. Pickup allows you 2-3oz variation in bat weights imho, possibly an oz more if you have a 2-3 grip setup. What pickup can't do is let you use a 3lb bat when you operate with 2'6 normally. If you can then it's more likely down to your strength as an individual and probably your operating weight is nearer 3lb than 2'6. Most of us can use a light bat and we might be little early on the shots but going the other way is much more difficult.

[amritpremi]

Since using a heavier bat (adding 2-3 Oz) I feel my defense has improved a bit. I sort of get stability with a heavier bat which was missing when I played with a lighter bat (as I would be eager to make contact with the ball). I noticed when playing with the lighter bat and the ball swinging I would play the shot early enough to miss the ball, with heavier bat it feels the bat is coming just in time for me. I have gained few kilos so that could be the difference as well in preferring heavy bats  .

[Blaise]

For me it is funny - I used to use a 2.8 bat - but didn't feel I could connect really well with the ball and hit it as far or hard as others in the team. So I went up in weight. I tried a 2.10, 2.11, 2.12 and now use a 2.13 (2.12 with an extra grip and extratec). But really it hasn't been about weight as much as how the bat speaks to me and how I get on with it.

Everyone is different - but for me I felt a bat from about 2.10 up delivers enough power for me, pretty much no matter the type of bat. From there it was about finding a shape I got along with.

The current bat has good pickup and seems to work with all the shots I play. The extra grip has helped balance the bat out and for some reason I just seem to hit the ball well with the bat. Swapping over to another bat - lighter or same weight doesn't seem to elicit the same response from me - and I do not feel I hit the ball as well.

Could all be mental though :-)

[ajnabi02]

Dead weight isn't the most important thing but it comes a not too distant second. Pickup allows you 2-3oz variation in bat weights imho, possibly an oz more if you have a 2-3 grip setup. What pickup can't do is let you use a 3lb bat when you operate with 2'6 normally. If you can then it's more likely down to your strength as an individual and probably your operating weight is nearer 3lb than 2'6. Most of us can use a light bat and we might be little early on the shots but going the other way is much more difficult.

You are right, dead weight does matter but I am strong enough to carry a 2.14 and that might be a reason why I was not late on the shots. Also, 3 oz or so are from the extra grips, which in turn make the pick-up better. Practically, I went from 2.7 to 2.11 and was able to handle it easily due to my strength.

[Over Gully]

Pickup is far more important than actual dead weight, but it wouldn't go any heavier than 2lb 10oz. My current bat is 2lb 8oz and feels a little lighter than that, even with the scuff sheet on there. Given my game is very much square of the wicket in terms of scoring, if I can't play the cut or pull comfortably then it's not the bat for me. Some of the guys at my club who get bats from Online Stockist, which are all sub-continental, they are cheaply priced and admittedly some of them are great quality for the price, but the balance and the fact they are so bottom-heavy, I just couldn't deal with them...

[Ryan]

For me dead weights should only be used as guide when buying online.  A bats pickup is far more important.

Also consider the type of shots you play and the height of your backswing.

 A lot of people want a bat weighing 2.9oz with a massive spine/ edges and minimal concaving purely because it's the default weight in their head. The truth is if a bat has the middle in the correct place for your style of batting then dead weight becomes less important. 

[Wickets-then-runs]

At GCCC (and most cricket retailers, I would imagine), the bats have a sticker on the face of the bat with the weight. An ounce is 28gms in metric which is almost inconsequential. We all get caught up in "2.8 is my weight, etc", where in reality, most of us couldn't pick the difference. I reckon we should ban the exact weight of a bat on a sticker and just use "light", "medium" or "heavy" and let the person buying the bat actually engage their brain instead of fixating on a weight that has virtually no meaning when it comes to pick up. GM is on the right track with their system!