03 November 2011 - That is the date I will never forget because on that day I spoke with
'Godfather' of podshaving and that is no other than
Julian Millichamp. As we started our conversation I told Julian about my batting style that how I bat and how are the pitches here in Canada. So after explaining him everything Julian had put two options infront of me which were -
Series One and
Series Three. I am very picky when it comes to pickup because I feel that most important aspect for a batsman is pickup and I told Julian I want with very good pickup
but on the other hand want a bat that will be good for our pitches in Canada. So Julian further went on and explain me so at last he said that for me
Series One.
After selecting the shape we came to weight, the weight I wanted and I use is around 2.8ish, however, Julian said the lowest weight for Series One is 2.10 where Julian further explained me how 2 ounces won't make any difference. So obviously I would have looked and sounded like an idiot if I would have went on and argued with Julian over the weight as he is complete dictionary when it comes to batmaking. However, Julian did tell me how he has two type of handles which are of 7 ounces and 10 ounces. He said if I still wanted 2.8 lbs bat then he can use 7 ounces handle
but I wanted a thick oval handle so I said please use 10 ounce handle. Julian without any hesitation said no problem.
So everything was then sorted out and I hung the phone after talking to Julian for fifty or so minutes, so later during that day I fired an email to Julian with my specifications and sent him payment via PayPal which was eCheque
(which takes seven to ten days to clear) but Julian said that he will be sending the bat after five business days and he trust me with the payment. I must say I was very impressed with this gesture because it was not a small sum so that was another great thing from a top man.
Everything was sorted out then it was game of patience
). Julian was man of his words and he took exactly five business days to make the bat and on sixth day which was 11 November 2011 bat was shipped from Australia. Now for me it was just tracking number and Canada Posts website which was being abused by me like no tomorrow
). Anyways, so time went by and I was suppose to get bat delivered at my house on 17th of November but the mailman left delivery notice in my mailbox so I had to pick it up from Post Office on next day after 13:00 EST. 17th of November night was probably one of those nights where I could not sleep, I was literally awake and dream of Screaming Cat. So after Friday Prayer and all of my work I went to post office at around 17:30 EST to receive the parcel so when I went there the lady was not able to find my parcel so I had easily spotted bat box being on other side of the counter and I got it. So as soon I got it and signed off I went on side of the store and opened the box right there on the stop because it was very hard for me to control myself. So after seeing the bat this is what I said to myself
''I have failed to find any bat better than this''.
Feel of the bat - Pickup and BalanceNow coming onto the bat I quickly drove to my house and worn batting gloves which Julian had sent for free
(another great gesture of top man) to check the pickup first because that is what I cared about the most and when I held the bat in my bats I said this to myself
''No way this bat is 2.10''. I did shadow batting for a bit to see how is the pickup of the bat along balance and after seven to ten minutes I was assured the feel is
exactly the way I wanted and it was
just like how I wanted a bat to feel. It really didn't take me very long to say to myself that the feel is perfect because a top man made the bat who have made bats for hundreds and hundreds of players so what was I infront of them?
One thing I noticed was that the bat was absolutely flat and it had
no bow whatsoever. I am not too sure if that makes a difference in pickup but I am definitely not bothered with it as it doesn't really make a difference to me.
So the feel box was ticked and the bat passed that.
Rebound of the bat - PingSince I don't have a mallet so I couldn't test the ping with it so I had a Dukes ball. So I brought the ball and went in open to check the ping of the bat and after seeing the ping I said to myself
''This is the best ping my eyes have ever witnessed on a bat''. My
Laver & Wood Pro bat has impeccable ping but believe me infront of Screaming Cat it was nothing really, there was a significant difference between both and it was clearly visible. I also compared the ping of my other bats with this Screaming Cat and still they were no where close to Julian Millichamp made Screaming Cat Series One. While bouncing the ball one thing I noticed was that the ping throughout the face was marvellous and the sound was brilliant too! Obviously around splice region ping was not as good as the middle but that is understandable. Although the bat requires knocking and it is not fully knocked but if a unprepared bat was rebounding so well then one can wonder how a fully knocked Screaming Cat would perform. Seeing the bat face with light the dents on face were clearly visible which was proof that master of podshaving had himself tested the ping of the bat and there was no chance it would disappoint me.
Final words - Finishing etcOut of all the bats I have the best finishing I have ever seen on a bat was of this Screaming Cat, Salix, Newbery and MB Malik Limited Edition I got have very good finishing
but the finishing of Screaming Cat was impeccable and better than all three mentioned above.
The handle was thick oval but top of handle was a bit thinner than my preference but then it is single gripped and I can make top of handle thicker with use of different grip system etc. So that is really not a worry but the bottom hand feels very good as it is exactly what I wanted. Along Laver & Wood, Millichamp and Hall I would say Screaming Cat handles are my favourite - well both Laver & Wood and Millichamp and Hall obviously got the idea from Julian Millichamp as he was founder of one of the company and 'teacher' of other companies owner.
My experience throughout this deal was perfect and if I were to rate out of ten then it would be easily
ten out of ten because of Julian's impeccable service, craftsmanship etc from the first minute we spoke till I got my hands on the bat
everything was as I wanted and I couldn't ask for anything else. Julian had thrown a free pair of batting gloves, few grips and impressive bat cover which looks amazing for a bat.
So out of all bats I can
easily say that Screaming Cat is the best bat I have ever owned in my life I don't think I will find anything better than a Screaming Cat in my life ever. I am sure in future I will be getting another Screaming Cat but this is too early to say right now.
I would like to give special thanks to Julian Millichamp for his impeccable service and throughout deal he was perfect person for the job. I have bought loads of stuff but never had this sort of experience with anyone really. So Julian Millichamp is top man and his service was top as well. My words really don't describe much of the experience, I highly recommend Julian if anyone wants to deal with him. Both Julian and his bats are out of world really
.
I hope you guys liked this review as I do believe I took your precious time so enjoy the pictures now.
If you have any question please don't hesitate to ask me.
Enjoy!
Here are the pictures..
Second part..
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Topic: Screaming Cat Series One Review (Read 31812 times)