Last weekend was the time planned and off I drove to Swindon. I planned to meet Roco there, and as I was running 30 minutes late, I knew he'd be there already.
The shop is a clean shop unit in an industrial estate close to junction 16 of the M4.
I strolled in and there was a nice downstairs part with lots of sports clothing kit and a friendly smiling lady seated behind the counter - I assume it was Asad's missus.
She pointed me upstairs and off I trundled up to to the first floor where there was masses of kit, bats, pads, gloves, etc, etc!!! Asad welcomed me with a firm handshake and made me feel very welcome. Roco wandered over and was quite excited in the same way as a young kid would be in a sweet shop. We started looking at everything whilst Asad kindly offered us both a mug of tea. We started chatting about bats until the Aero Representative arrived 15 minutes after I arrived - then Asad had to obviously disappear downstairs to see what goods the Aero rep had.
This left myself and Roco to continue to browse around and lots of tapping up with mallets continued. This went on for a long time and every so often Asad escaped got away from the rep for a 10 minute chat. This continued for a couple of hours, but there was so much to look through, tap up, and try on that we rarely felt bored! In fact it was probably after 3 hours or more that we started to realise the time. In these chats with Asad he told us a lot about how he always strives for quality, something that was very clear from some of the bats! It was obvious that he put so much effort and time into ensuring that the bats he chose were the best he could get his hands on, as this is the best way to get a good reputation.
When Roco and I were left alone we kept going through the huge amount of bats and commented that even though there were some top quality sticks for around £200+, there were also some absolute beauties for £100-150 as well!! If I didn’t already have a few net bats, then I could have picked up some great decent net bats for around £100 or less!
Asad usually closes at 2pm but I think it was almost 4pm by the time that Asad asked me to come downstairs and tap up the Nike bats which the Aero rep was showing Asad.
“Pete, would you buy this Nike bat for £350?” So I picked the £350 bat up and started to tap it with the mallet....hmmmm, felt like a plank! So my answer was most definitely a resounding “NO!”
The rep asked me to tap up the £250 Nike and that was no better! All in all, the Nike bats the rep had were very poor, and yet the Aero bat which he had tapped up very nicely in comparison! All in all the Nike bats were the most disappointing bats I’ve ever tapped up! But to be fair, although the Nike bats were not that good, they still do decent quality bags and other gear so not a total waste!
I think the rep decided to leave soon after and we discussed the kit Asad does downstairs. I don’t normally get too excited by the clothing aspect of cricket to be honest, but the amount of different materials, colour variations, light and heaviness of materials, breathability, and different styles was actually really quite interesting when I looked at all the examples. Asad seems to have dismissed what is usually offered, and instead he has asked the question of what the buyers actually want and tried his best to accommodate all their requirements with quality options.
But my love is for the bats so will continue with that! So we went back upstairs where I had put a few bats to one side. It was a hard choice as the only bats which didn’t tap up well were the Nike ones which the rep came in with! I picked a blank bat with a slightly higher middle, similar to the Legend and pretty huge profile, and also a BAS Bow 20/20 which was made by BAS with Asad’s top quality willow and better quality handles! Both bats scored incredibly highly on the ping-o-meter , with the BAS right up there! Heaven knows how they will knock in but it’s going to be fun finding out! And with both myself and Roco also taking a BAS thigh guard each we were sorted.
I just wanted to say a big thank you to Asad and his able assistant/wife for looking after us and letting us loose in his shop! When I arrived I was expecting some good quality gear (in particular bats) but my visit actually surpassed my high expectations!! I will post pics soon so hope you enjoy!
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Topic: Shop Visit (Read 28771 times)