Hi guys, quick and simple review here of two bats I picked out myself at the local retailer. Had finished all of my coursework for University forever, so decided to walk in to unwind, and walked out with 2 bats.
I have to say, despite there not being a huge amount being said about GM here for this season, I feel they still have the highest quality offering out of all the large manufacturers. Kookaburra have really worked hard on their quality though and are churning out some consistent and quality bats, so are closely behind. I have to say though I've not been massively impressed by Gray Nicolls, with their thin handles and seemingly poor balancing on the Supernova. (Could have just been the selection I saw, and how I like a bat to feel)
First up, we have the Mana:
Specs:
Weight - 2lb 11.3oz
Edge - 32mm (Rounded)
Spine - Approx 62-63mm
Shoulder - 14mm
Toe Edge - 17mm
Toe - 23mm
Handle - Oval
Concaving - minimal/moderate
I swear both these bats have put on weight, I remember both being around 0.3oz lighter at first. Must have been the slightly higher humidity here over the past week!
Anyways, the GM Mana is a shorter blade and longer handle bat, kind of like the H4L Warbird! It is shorter than your typical SH length blade by about 1.5cm, so the difference isn't really that noticable. The pick up on this particular one is great, I wasn't expecting it to be a 2.11 when I first picked it up. Although it is a lower grade, it is not far off in terms of feel and quality from the 808s, however there were some 404s which had quite a distinctly different feel to the 808s in display, in particular with the vibration felt, and the higher pitch and harder feel.
The stickers and colourway on the Mana range are really nice, much nicer in flesh than in pictures. I like the slightly smaller edge and higher spine combo with this one, and I feel the higher spine does give the bat a bit more punch, especially slightly higher up the blade. Would probably recommend this one for people who like to play cuts and pulls, or hit the ball slightly higher up the blade. The swell position of the Mana is around 8.5-9 inches above the toe, so quite high! The spine running into the handle and the slim toe probably help with making the pick up quite light, although there were some in stock which did feel a tad bottom heavy. In terms of looks, the bat has 8 straight and well spaced grains, which you can just about make out. It's a real shame they bleach this grade, as this would have looked lovely even with discolouration I reckon. Excellent value for money!
Next up, the Six6:
Specs:
Weight - 2lb 8.77oz
Edge - 38mm (Rounded)
Spine - Approx 57mm
Shoulder - 12mm
Toe Edge - 15mm
Toe - 23mm
Handle - Oval
Concaving - minimal/moderate
This bat came with a pick up index of 2, and just felt so nice in the hands. No matter which other bat I picked up in the store, this one was always the one I came back to. It just felt incredible to pick up, and the response is excellent too. (Had a good bounce with it with a new Dukes ball, almost couldn't stop!) The quality of this one was exceptional, probably the most stand out bat of the entire selection. The sound it made was really good, definitely not the soft sounding thud you get from some SS bats, but a good solid sound without any jarring to the ears or through the handle.
The looks also caught my attention, 13 evenly spaced and straight grains, and not any real blemishes of note on the face - an absolute beauty of a bat! Even though the spine isn't very high, it does extend very far, and the shaping is a very even distribution of willow along the entire blade. The thicker edges coupled with the gentle concave give it a pretty stable and even playing area, and this particular one flies! I've never been a huge fan of the Six6, but this particular one has changed my mind! The colourway was not to my tasting in photos, but it does look much nicer in flesh, but maybe the grains and the pick up all swayed my opinion!
All in all, a happy way to end my University days! Of note are the other 2 bats in the range, Paragon and Maxi. If I remember correctly, both of these (or at least the Maxi) have a thicker handle. The Paragon is similar, yet quite different to the Icon. I'm still not sure about whether I like it or not. The swell positions are similar, but the mass seems to extend further down, with it having a thicker toe, but a smaller swell overall. The Maxi caters to the front foot drivers, with a low swell, not my favourite in the range, but quite a practical profile. It does seem like GM are transitioning and settling with 4.5mm face cambers, and not aiming for 40mm edges anymore, with the Paragon, Mana and Maxi having a slightly more modest edge size.
A final comment regarding the GM grading, from what I've seen throughout GM, their consistency is excellent throughout the grades. However, I am convinced that 808s are on a different level to 404-606s in terms of feel - almost all the 404s and 606s had a bit more vibration and jarring pitch than the 808 grades when tapping up with mallet or ball.
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Topic: GM Mana 404 and GM Six6 808 (Read 3529 times)