I have had a few (Marlin, 2 x Platinums and a venom) and never a real dud. As has been said on here before, they can take a while to open up - it is worth persevering and knocking in for a long time to start. I also think it is worth the effort of going to the Farm to go through their selection - they used to have a good side room full of bats and didn't mind you looking for as long as you liked to find the right bat. Good value for most of the range. Not a massive fan of the Inspire 152's stickers.
On a side note, took a lot of sledging for the stickers on the Marlin.