Just received my SF Dwayne Smith bat from IJC today after Paul and his team spent the last couple of weeks oiling her and knocking her in (I said to Paul I wasn't in any rush for the bat so could take his time with the knocking in process). Firstly I have to say the service is second to none from IJC, right from the initial email I sent Paul the communication and conversation has been spot on and would recommend in heartbeat anyone wanting a bat from him. I enquired about this particular bat after seeing it in the Black Edition video he posted about a month ago and I asked which out of the SF bats had the best pick-up and ping and trusting Paul's judgment I went for this one.
I've been after an SF bat for a while and having seen the range the Dwayne Smith colours look the best in my opinion and what makes it better than all the rest is the simple Dwayne Smith signature sticker on the front of the bat rather than the other SF stickers like the Triumph or Optimus, the simplicity of the signature just makes it look that bit classy. Now I say colours and not shape as any cricketer who knows SF bats will agree in that the shape of their bats are all quiet similar with little variations between them all. The colours and shape appear to be that of last years model of bat (which I'm not to bothered about) as this year Dwayne's bat appears more yellow than blue and the bat profile has that very much in fashion 'Duck Bill' toe which my bat doesn't have.
I first thing I noticed when I removed her from the bat coffin is just the size of the bat itself, this has to be the biggest bat I've had over the years. The pick up is good for the size (2lb 11oz I believe) however after playing a few strokes and just holding it in the hand I think I'll be putting on another grip as the handle is just a wee bit too narrow plus it should help the pick-up even further. I like the touch of including a good thick bat case with foam inserts, it appears to be the norm for a lot of Asian bat makers.
I've only bounced a ball and hit it with a mallet and have to say its pretty good all over, the middle is tremendous but I think it'll get much much better after having a few games under her belt.
The only gripe with the bat is the marker pen used on the side of the bat (and as you'll see bellow from the pictures) after you oil it the black ink smudges everywhere which kinda spoils the looks but I'm not too bothered about this but I know some people might find this annoying.
Overall I'm very pleased with my purchase and hope shes good to me over the coming months. I'll give an update as well with my thoughts and first impressions after a couple of net sessions but if there's anything you want answering then just give me a shout and I'll do my best to answer.
Once again big thanks to Paul and the staff at ItsJustCricket for providing a top bat with top quality service, I'll be defiantly buying from you guys again!
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Topic: SF Dwayne Smith Edition (Read 5417 times)