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[Chad]

Hey guys, just been having a few chats recently about grading of cricket bats, and how there seems to be very inconsistent grading. I figured it would be a good idea to set up a topic, and see what other people view as their G1s, etc etc.

Grades of bats - Here are my grades and criteria:

Cenkos - 12+ grains with absolutely no blemishes ANYWHERE on the bat. I mean anywhere!

G1 - 6+ grains, straight and relatively evenly spaced. No more than 1/3 heartwood and only a very small speck in terms of blemishes.

G2 - 6+ grains, relatively straight and relatively evenly spaced. Blemish wise, not too many.

G3 - 4+ grains, blemished bat and not too attractive, but not too ugly. Wavy grains.

G4 - Really ugly bat!

Here are pictures of bats I have, and what I would grade them:





Newbery Tour SPS - Grade 1 (Sold as Grade 1)






Vantage LE - (High) Grade 1 (Sold as Grade 1 LE) Possibly the best of the bunch, being all sapwood and evenly spaced grains.






H4L Hattori Devil - Grade 3 (Sold as Grade 3/4)






Woodworm Torch Premier - Grade 1 (Sold as Grade 1)






MSR blemished bat - Grade 3 (Sold as Grade 3/4)






Helios Atlas Reserve - Grade 1 (Sold as Grade 1)






Laver & Wood Private Bin - Grade 1/2 (Sold as Grade 1) Reason it may be downgraded to a two is because of the blemish/pin knot.






Hunts County Cyclone - Grade 2 (Sold as Grade 3) One of two bats I would grade higher than it was.






Vantage LE - Grade 1 (Sold as Grade 1 LE)






Kookaburra Ricochet 250 - Grade 2 (Sold as Grade 3) The other bat that was graded higher. Lovely looking bat, just some pin marks a little too much heartwood.






Salix Pod Players - Grade 1 (Sold as Grade 1 LE)






Bulldog Pedigree Plus - Grade 2/3 (Sold as Grade 1) Quite a nice looking bat, but grains don't really run parallel and the odd bit of heartwood down at the toe area looks a little strange.






Vantage Volt (Ayrtek Stickers) - (High) Grade 2 (Sold as Grade 1) Grains are very nicely defined and straight, but that big blemish downgrades it!






Mongoose TorQ Premium - borderline Grade 2/3 (Sold as Grade 2)






Red Ink LE X1 - Grade 3, perhaps even 4! (Sold as Grade 1) slightly curved grains, along with a prominent orange grain. Plays really nicely though!






Blaze Dragon - Grade 1 (unsure of what it was sold as) Lovely grains!






Aldred Supreme - (High) Grade 2 (Sold as Grade 1) Lovely grains again, just a shame about that blemish!






Laver and Wood Special Reserve - (High) Grade 3 (Sold as Performance Grade 1) Not a blemish in sight, but the grains are a little uneven and there are only 5!




Post your thoughts on grading, what criteria you look for and post pics of your bats and what you would actually grade them compared to what you were sold!

[Pendles10]

For me G1 has to have a bit more than six grains (8+) with no blemishes on the face of the bat, but apart from that your pretty much spot on (with my opinion) .

[Six Sixes Cricket]

My personal thoughts are, if you are buying your supply of willow from Wrights then grade your bats by wrights, if its kippax then likewise and so on. If you supply your own trees/willow then you can grade how you like.

[petehosk]

Pendles - I'm sure that Wrights say that it must be more than 6 grains to be G1?
And Chad - I am sure the willow guys say that any heartwood brings it down to G2!

To me it is partly about cosmetics. But the bottom line is always how the bat performs!!!
Performance (along with feel and balance) is everything 

Nice collection of grainage by the way Chad 

[Vitas Cricket]

Chad, that Blaze bat is one of a few plain bats that we got in, a few we sold plain, a few we jazzed up as Blazes. They were sold as grade 2/3. Your one performs very well if i remember correctly.

[tim2000s]

I have a slight issue with the description of the way Laver grade their special reserve. To paraphrase their description, it's ugly willow that goes. The only time they mention grading is when they say:

"If we were grading our bats solely on performance, as a lot of bat manufactures do, then the Special Reserve would be 100% Grade 1!"

From this, you can take it that it is a much lower grade...

[Chad]

Pendles - I'm sure that Wrights say that it must be more than 6 grains to be G1?
And Chad - I am sure the willow guys say that any heartwood brings it down to G2!

To me it is partly about cosmetics. But the bottom line is always how the bat performs!!!
Performance (along with feel and balance) is everything 

Nice collection of grainage by the way Chad 

Haha in that case, I only have 3/4 true grade 1s! I think I have seen a Cenkos with a little heartwood though, so I'll allow a little heartwood for G1. I do prefer a bat with no sapwood though!

I agree about the performance and pick-up too, as you get some ugly bats which go like absolute weapons! The ultimate performer in this bunch has to be the Helios, and the best in terms of pick up is a toss up between the Hunts County and the Red Ink!

Thanks Pete, I hear you have quite the collection of nice bats!

Chad, that Blaze bat is one of a few plain bats that we got in, a few we sold plain, a few we jazzed up as Blazes. They were sold as grade 2/3. Your one performs very well if i remember correctly.

Yeah, it taps up really nicely. It does look stunning too, the grains aren't quite evenly spaced, but it is tighter grained in the middle, so it should go like an absolute train!

I have a slight issue with the description of the way Laver grade their special reserve. To paraphrase their description, it's ugly willow that goes. The only time they mention grading is when they say:

"If we were grading our bats solely on performance, as a lot of bat manufactures do, then the Special Reserve would be 100% Grade 1!"

From this, you can take it that it is a much lower grade...

Yeah, it is a little bit of an issue, but I guess that their Special Reserves have to meet some kind of density and resonance requirements. I just don't know quite how you would grade on performance, especially since people say that a lot of G3 clefts will perform as well as G1 clefts... I did get a really nice looking Special Reserve though, which I had to sell on as playing in 1 Laver is hard enough!




It is probably the best looking Special Reserve I have seen yet, although I'm sure someone has a nicer looking one!

[tim2000s]

It is probably the best looking Special Reserve I have seen yet, although I'm sure someone has a nicer looking one!

I don't disagree!

[tushar sehgal]

I think every one woudl grade their bats differently but there will be a few bats that everyone would agree are a grade that they were sold as...

Having purchased a few myself i wouldn`t rate 80% of them as grade 1 even though they were sold as one on just looks. I can be a little harsh in my assesment of bats but I also believe when I am paying lots of my hard earned money then I should get the quality that is expected and promised...

P.s. watched the bowling vid, good work and i see what you mean by slower inswinger...

[Viper Cricket]

Grade 1+ must be a blemish free face with at least 10 grains which are straight and evenly spaced

Grade 1 as above but grains not straight or evenly spaced

Any blemish on the face even under top sticker is grade 2 for me.

Blemish or knot on playing area is grade 3

[Tomm92]

How on earth did that red ink sell as grade 1?!