Print

[SAF Bats]

A quick question....

Do you think Technology is actually making cricket bats perform better?

[Johnny]

Technology? I wouldn't say so, as the best bats are handmade. Style of bats and technique has evolved, which has helped improvement

[SAF Bats]

I meant all this engineering testing that has gone on and the terms that are being used for marketing of bats are based on techie terms

[raymond]

No not really, i have this 5 year old millichamp with tiny edges and no bow and it is much better than every big profiled bat... just feels more solid.

[SillyShilly]

Ditto - i had a similar experience with an old millichamp aswell. As for technology and bats - i think that the two can co-exist but are not necessary to produce the best bats - i think that the willow itself is the most important part, if the willow is poor then a magnificent carbon handle or strategically placed scoop is not going to make the bat any better.
 I think the use of technology jargon is in all sports nowadays - the use of professional language denotes that the item being sold is in someway superior as a result of it's link to science, engineering etc - but at the other end of the scale you have many batmakers using more traditonal methods to sell their items - i think that in cricket their is a real mix between technology and traditionalism and i can see it continuing this way.
 I like the use of technology in cricket - not a fan of carbon handles - but anything to spice up the way the game is played or apprached is not a bad thing. I think that i am less likely, when buying a cricket bat (considering the standard i play) - to make a decision based on perimter weighting or carbon handles etc, i will always go on pick-up and feel - i think that their is a little bit of traditionalism in most people when it comes to buying a bat.

[SAF Bats]

Ok I understand where you are coming from but it you had a poor bit of willow and lets look at in this sense. It is a lower grade piece of willow as per "JS Wright".... Then if you could press it differently and shape differently based on testing it, then the technology aspect would be beneficial. however if those tests were complex it would take up time and money so the offset is price... If you could do some simple tests then I'd say it helps out a lot

[SillyShilly]

you make a good point and i agree with what your saying -do you have in mind any 'simple tests' that would allow this? This sounds like a specialist type of testing that most large companies might be opposed to at first, just as it adds more stages to the process which like you say is surely going to incur certain costs - but on the other end it may get the best usage out of each cleft and be better in the long run. I like the idea that every bit of willow should be treated differently according to the tests rather than basing alot of the criteria on cosmetics.
The only issue with this is that it may allow some unscrupulous companies to buy even poorer willow and dress it up - mutton/lamb scenario according to their own version of these performance 'tests'
Please tell me if i have got the wrong end of the stick!

[SAF Bats]

Yep there are some simple tests you could do on the cleft that requires a laptop and spreadsheet for the maths.... should take about 10-15mins per cleft through the whole of the manufacturing process... i.e from raw cleft to ready for the shops  

It should level out the willow to certain extent so you can provide a consistent product that performs. It may also mean that the willow is ready to play when it leaves the workshop.....

[SillyShilly]

sounds good to me and a perfect example of technology aiding cricket. Is this something you are investing your time into at the moment for your bats? You say that willow may be ready to play when leaving the workshop, do you mean that these tests will be able to determine the bats required pressing depending on it's density etc rather than relying on a one press fits all situation that occurs for a lot of bats (but not all)

[SAF Bats]

SillyShilly great reply by the way...

sounds good to me and a perfect example of technology aiding cricket. Is this something you are investing your time into at the moment for your bats?

Yep I am and already invested the time... I need to get myself a press and varying handles to complete it fully though but I can get by to a certain extent with the various clefts I recieve as they are all different...  

You say that willow may be ready to play when leaving the workshop, do you mean that these tests will be able to determine the bats required pressing depending on it's density etc rather than relying on a one press fits all situation that occurs for a lot of bats (but not all)

Yep pressed to suit the willow and then prepared to play based on performance, durablity, a happy medium etc

[SillyShilly]

I will be interested to see how you get on with this process, it sounds like time well invested and something the larger companies should be looking at aswell - get a patent! Good luck with getting a press, i cant imagine their the type of things that you see just lying around.

[SAF Bats]

Got press designs sorted for 2 types of press just need to find the time to get them sorted...  I'm willing to sell on my ideas for a price or someone employ me as a consultant for 6 months

[Tom]

If you ever get bored go to: http://gb.espacenet.com/search97cgi/s97_cgi.exe?Template=gb/en/quick.hts&Action=FormGen and search Cricket Bats. So many people have tried to make changes and adaptations yet we still come back to a willow blade with cane handle.

[Talisman]

I think there is room for new innovations, but sadly so many like the Mongoose are gimmicks that are treated as innovations. The real improvements are going to be the pressing and knocking of a bat. Apart from my own unique design for a bat of course!!!

[SAF Bats]

Agree with Talisman it isn't bat design I'm thinking of but it does help....  looked at loads of patents