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[Jamieh]

Hi Guys,

Just a quick question as sometimes I get a bit confused by the way people describe companies on here...

What do you consider a custom bat / hand made company? (This isn't about quality, just to help with the definitions).

I'm not talking about the GN's, Kooks, G&M's of the world as we all know where they stand, I'm talking about the English bat makers.

For me this means someone who take a raw cleft, and through the whole process ends up with a bat that is labelled/branded with there own details, I guess the example I would use is Hell 4 Leather? In theory you could go down and get your bat made in front of you, and see the whole process.

I guess I'm just a little dubious about companies who clearly have another manufacturer or bat maker make the bats and simply label them up, and whilst I have no problem with this in itself (at the end of the day most peope buy brands rather than quality anyway) I just think it's a bit cheeky to be calling yourself a custom bat maker without even having a workshop? Personally I'd rather go straight to source (the bat maker) and cut out the middle man with his fancy stickers and website with elaborate claims (I'm not giving examples here I know!).

Anyway, just thought I'd start a discussion on what you consider to be a true bat maker or does it not really matter who makes the bat as long as it looks good and plas well? I guess it would be interesting to hear thoughts on here as I've always thought of this place as a champion for the bat makers rather than big brands.

[procricket]

the best bat makers are not on this forum apprentice and some good ones but not top draw mate all in my opinion of course i have not seen enough of some of them but the bats being talked about around the circles i play are redback

[SillyShilly]

which one's do you mean pro-cricket - who do you rate as the best batmaker/s?

I agree with what you say Jamie-H - true batmakers can take a raw cleft and produce a finished bat - any old mug (myslef included) can take a part-made and shape/sand it down and make a shape - like you say, very few 'batmakers', lots of finishers.

[procricket]

In fact after thinking about it i think anywhere were you can go and choose your own willow your own choose youe own shape choose how you like your handle and only if you know what your looking for i think this is a truely only can be classified as a custom bat if your actual there when the guy is making it.

For this i dont think it matter who you go to as you say there are a lot of good finisher and not to many good batmakers.

I have had 2 experiences of this so far so maybe iam being harsh to makers on here but this is what i feel

i got a Laver Wood Private Bin all the usual stuff cleft choice and what shape but i was not there so i had to relay on his reputation as a masterbat maker to get it done how i wanted it and regards to performance yes it a gun but it was not guaranteed on looks alone.

The other i went to Dan Chase and i picked my cleft checked the willow for rebound qualitys and went ahead with my own shape and handle and did not worry about weight as i picked it up and if i wasnt happy had a little more off. It looked a gun and played like it too. Half the price of a Laver but similar in terms of quality

I gor a plain ss ton grade 1 off Asad yes i took a risk he showed me about 5 made bats and i choose the one i wanted and relied off Asad who advised me off the best for rebound qualitys and i bought accordingly still cheaper. The bat is as good as the other 3.

Verdict

I think for a truly custom bat you need to choose your cleft and choose your shape to call it a custom bat there are plenty off different company who say there custom but how can they be if your not there.

I have fun with all the bats i have got but unless your there its a risk no matter how good they say they are as one great man said NOT EVERY BAT IS THE SAME NO MATTER WHAT STICKERS IT HAS ON.

I Prefer to be there when my main bats are being made
 

[steelcouch]

I thought this post was about confirming the definition of differently made bats?

However, i think what this tells us Pro is that even by being there when the bat is being made etc is no guarantee as to the performance of a bat and the best someone can do is reduce the chances of buying a dud

[Talisman]

A lot of dubious claims are made as to bats and the word "custom" is the most over used and over hyped one of the lot. Some are bought in Kashmir planks, some are true gems, it's very hard to see from the sales talk which is which. Some of the bats being sold by companies are not made by them fully but on the flip side you would not be able to go direct to the maker yourself so it may be the only route to the best quality bat.

It is so not hard here on the forum as it is in essence a place where information is traded and those trading it have good knowledge, but there are still sharks here trying to peddle rubbish so you must always be careful. If you want a custom and the company matches your spec's then be happy, how they do it should not be of major concern, if the bat was made a month earlier or for you there and then it makes no difference if it fits the bill. Just be wary if you are paying more for origin, i.e if the bat was made in UK when in fact it is a cheaper import from India, the bat again may be great but if you are paying for a service which does not take place then be wary, what else will be different.