Discontinued Flare?! :O that was a surprise!
I agree, Uzair! I don't think they gave the Halo a fair shot either (just one year!)
It was no real surprise that the Flare was discontinued to be honest, it had been out for a few years - especially as watson wasn't using it anymore I guess sales dropped a bit.
A few people I knew who were going to get flares opted for icons instead since they pick up so well.
Not sure its purely about the concaving issue, its just that the Icon does pick up exceptionally well whereas the Flare picks up like a lump of wood (which, to be fair, is pretty much what it is!)
Thats cleared that up!
I have a pet theory that bats with higher spines pickup better. The Flare is a fairly chunky edged bat, similar to a higher middled Tendulkar bat. Whereas your standard Icon has more modest edges but a little more of a spine thanks to the concaving.