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[Number4]

Have to be honest here in my 30 years of cricket I have never come across the term "performance willow" until I discovered this forum. I have only come across sellers on here claiming to be selling bats called performance clefts. i.e ugly willow that performs. Can't say I have ever tried to buy a big brand bat and been told "look mate this bat isn't pretty but it's a performance cleft"

Not saying big brands don't upgrade as I am sure they do but never been sold one as a performance bat.

I'd put my neck out and say 99% of big brand LE graded bats will perform. All the ones I have bought over the years I never had a bad one.

[steelcouch]

LE's are by definition Limited Editiions and will 99% of the time graded by performance and looks i.e lots and straight grains. Most of them i woudl guess will perform to a good level, but i would think that manufacturers will throw in a couple of clefts for LE bats that look nice but will not have quite the rebound of other clefts. the general public will equate performance and LE's with lots of grains as well so... looks is probably more important that performance. Only a very few clefts genuinely offer both say something like 3% ( very small number anyway)

"performance clefts" and there is a bit of a myth about these are either on here are usually
1) those normally reserved for sponsored players. Those that look nice and also have  over average performance, or rebound
2) those that are not as pretty, but have better than average performance off the mallet.
3) There are also bats that are made from overdried wood meaning it will come up lighter and generally have a shorter life. You can therefore put more wood behind the bat and it will therefore will probably have more performance than a normal bat at the same weight. I.e Performance cleft

Final note on this, and of course this is just my opinion. That some people on here have access to good and very occasionally great willow. However the number of " performance" or special bats coming up on here is well over what is normal. The cynic in me suggests that not all that glitters is gold. However f you are prepared to filter the wheat from the chaff then i think this forum gets you access to some really good sticks, particularly if you are prepared to use second hand bats.
These guy buy bats for fun and then soon tire of them after only pretty much knocking in the bat for the next buyer, and you know what some of then really are performance clefts!

[mad_abt_cricket]

I have three exceptional bats from different manufacturers :

1. SS Custom made ( directly from SS, and Jatin mentioned he himself selected the willow for the bat.)

Around 14 Grains, 50% heartwood.

Scored pretty heavily last year with this bat.

Weight - 2.10 with one grip, scuff and toe guard.

This is how it sounds with the mallet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IDES9HYJBs&feature=channel

2. Black Cat ( Pro) : Using this term 'Pro' as described by charlie.

Around 7 grains ( not really straight) and not the best looking willow.

Weight -- 2.9 with one grip, scuff and toe guard.

Used in last few games last season and it seems to be a very good bat.

This is how it sounds with the mallet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mycOm9i0WMw&feature=youtu.be

Finally,

Screaming Cat, Series 1 :

10 dead straight grains.
weight : 2.10.8 with scuff sheet and toe guard ( handle is heavier than the other two ).

Knocking almost done, had some catching practice with the bat and the ball really flies off.

This is how it sounds with the mallet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8NgEnQa2Ec&feature=channel

Must say they all sound different, SS sounds bit heavy, Black cat dull and Screaming cat crisp. Not sure though how to translate that into judging a performance based on a mallet test.

[Number4]

LE's are by definition Limited Editiions and will 99% of the time graded by performance and looks i.e lots and straight grains. Most of them i woudl guess will perform to a good level, but i would think that manufacturers will throw in a couple of clefts for LE bats that look nice but will not have quite the rebound of other clefts. the general public will equate performance and LE's with lots of grains as well so... looks is probably more important that performance. Only a very few clefts genuinely offer both say something like 3% ( very small number anyway)

"performance clefts" and there is a bit of a myth about these are either on here are usually
1) those normally reserved for sponsored players. Those that look nice and also have  over average performance, or rebound
2) those that are not as pretty, but have better than average performance off the mallet.
3) There are also bats that are made from overdried wood meaning it will come up lighter and generally have a shorter life. You can therefore put more wood behind the bat and it will therefore will probably have more performance than a normal bat at the same weight. I.e Performance cleft

Final note on this, and of course this is just my opinion. That some people on here have access to good and very occasionally great willow. However the number of " performance" or special bats coming up on here is well over what is normal. The cynic in me suggests that not all that glitters is gold. However f you are prepared to filter the wheat from the chaff then i think this forum gets you access to some really good sticks, particularly if you are prepared to use second hand bats.
These guy buy bats for fun and then soon tire of them after only pretty much knocking in the bat for the next buyer, and you know what some of then really are performance clefts!

So where does my 20 year old Limited Edition with 6 grains fit in here considering it is/was the equal best performing bat I have ever owned?

Were bats graded differently in the past?

[praguetaz]

I have three exceptional bats from different manufacturers :

1. SS Custom made ( directly from SS, and Jatin mentioned he himself selected the willow for the bat.)

Around 14 Grains, 50% heartwood.

Scored pretty heavily last year with this bat.

Weight - 2.10 with one grip, scuff and toe guard.

This is how it sounds with the mallet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IDES9HYJBs&feature=channel

2. Black Cat ( Pro) : Using this term 'Pro' as described by charlie.

Around 7 grains ( not really straight) and not the best looking willow.

Weight -- 2.9 with one grip, scuff and toe guard.

Used in last few games last season and it seems to be a very good bat.

This is how it sounds with the mallet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mycOm9i0WMw&feature=youtu.be

Finally,

Screaming Cat, Series 1 :

10 dead straight grains.
weight : 2.10.8 with scuff sheet and toe guard ( handle is heavier than the other two ).

Knocking almost done, had some catching practice with the bat and the ball really flies off.

This is how it sounds with the mallet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8NgEnQa2Ec&feature=channel

Must say they all sound different, SS sounds bit heavy, Black cat dull and Screaming cat crisp. Not sure though how to translate that into judging a performance based on a mallet test.

Priceless! I've just spent the last 5 mins listening to all 3 youtube videos and getting some very funny looks from my girlfriend!?!

I've read the whole topic with great interest as I'm in the middle of trying to decide which of my 5 bats this season will perform best for which format i.e. t20 v 40 over before nets (starting this week) and purely from knocking in at the mo with my ball mallet rather than bat mallet.

So firstly thanks to you all.

I personally love the science part with the low density aspect and the better rebound due to larger air pockets and have further surmised that:

a. beauty is in the eye of the beholder - yes straight(ish) grains (6-12) and staining in the toe/shoulder where there's a risk of damage.
b. weight and pick-up in my wrists which are not as big or strong as I would like
c. you can pick up great bats off this forum that don't live up to the expectations of the original owner but fulfil the dreams of others so long may that continue
d. bat sellers whether mass producers or family based businesses are in the business of 1. selling bats for profit and 2. at the mercy of the natural willow stocks they can get hold of at the time as it's a natural process. The bigger companies should have the ability to hand pick the best from wherever in the World but then they are mass producers so having to supply far and wide (so don't always believe the hype) and as i'm not a Pro I doubt i'd ever get near one of their 'best performing' bats and you know what.. I don't mind - see c. again. I love the idea of finding the perfect bat(s) for me from another's cast-off as they are on the same quest themselves and looking to finance/order perhaps a custom made perfect bat for them or just recoup money for whatever. That's the next leap for me too but I'm having too much fun making my way through all the quality brands (many of which are on this forum) and looking for a bargain too. Unfortunately I don't play enough cricket so it'll be a long journey. I also sell on bats to my teammates to refinance new purchases which I enjoy as I see first hand the pleasure and performance of a bat perhaps not quite right for me.
e. I was under the impression that Pro's get blank handmade bats from their preferred manufacturers and put on their sponsors stickers e.g. nike, reebok etc Is that true or hype again? and is there a list of manufaturer's that supply different brands e.g. SG supply Kookaburra and Adidas.. is that correct and who else???

I may have gone off topic slightly as this subject has evolved but I'm looking at my 5 bats very closely now.. and listening very closely to the sounds due to the density and feel off the ball mallet...the funny looks from my girlfriend will continue as the season has truly started.... nets this week.. yipeee! I might have to stop wearing my helmet around the flat though as I think it freaks her out a bit when she gets home from work...

[Talisman]

I have to agree with Steelcouch that far too many low grade bats are upgraded to "performance" grade to either increase the price or to shift the slower moving bats.

When judging performance of any bat you are not just subjected to the natural potential of the willow but the pressing, handle type, shaping and fitting, bat shape, weight, moisture content, knocking in and many more factors. Also you might have a low middled bat that during a damp summer is supreme on slow low tracks and the following scorching summer feels heavy and hard to score with on quicker bouncier tracks. There are so many variables that we need to look at each area in detail and isolation to understand it.

[steelcouch]

number 4
There have been trends over the years as to what is desirable.
less grains were more desirable about 30 years ago rather than 20 and i doubt you woudl see anything less than a seven grainer sold as an LE these days.

[norbs]

Not read this thread fully so not sure if this has been written or not, but is LE or G1+++++++++ a product of peoples current obsession with lots of grains and big edges?

[Number4]

Not read this thread fully so not sure if this has been written or not, but is LE or G1+++++++++ a product of peoples current obsession with lots of grains and big edges?

I would say it is more a term that bat makers use, and has used for years. A way of making more money???

[norbs]

I would say it is more a term that bat makers use, and has used for years. A way of making more money???

Straight grain light willow is quite rare, sometimes there are smoke and mirrors involved in getting there I'd agree with you