Evening all
I asked about these the other day, but as nobody admitted to buying one I decided to be the forum guinea pig!
I ordered a couple of other bits and placed my order, with next day delivery, on Tuesday night and it arrived today.
LooksNot a stunner, but for the price i never expected it to be!
9 grains (not particularly straight or even!) and a knot right in the middle of the face.
There is a strip of heartwood around 1/3 of the blade on the right handers inside edge (just where I like it!)
The stickers are a modern twist on the trademark W made famous by KP and Freddie back in the day.
The blue and white look good together, with hints of black and yellow making them stand out more. No embossing but the stickers are nicely textured.
ShapeA mid-low sweet spot with moderately thick edges.
Has the trademark scoops in the edge, the shape is reminiscent of the old torch!
There is a fair but not excessive amount of concaving present.
Handle and feelThe bat has a thin round handle, and on first taking it out the box I thought "this feels light!"
The handle feels nice enough out of the packet, but it could probably benefit from an additional grip or two.
Quality and finishingNow for a couple of knit picks.
The finishing, while not awful could be better. There are a couple of marks on the back that could have been removed with more sanding.
The handle is has 2 rubber inserts, which revealed it wasn't fitted straight!
If i was being overly critical I'd say that the knob could be neater too...
The specsEdge peak 34mm
Edge at shoulders 11mm
Edge at toe 19mm
Toe peak 23mm
Spine height 56mm
Weight: just under 2lb6
And for those of you who are really OCD!
Width at toe 104mm
Width in middle 107mm
Width at shoulders 105mm
Final thoughtsNot one of the big or fashionable brands, but a well known name none the less.
Not a huge bat by today's standards, but the hitting area looks large enough when you look down the back.
Not the greatest quality or finish, but undeniably a bargain for £30!