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[fasteddie]

Ok, so you're a small bat maker and you get your consignment of clefts from Wrights.

First up is the top grades, then the 1's, all the way down to the ugly ducklings.

You only sell 'pingers, not mingers' (I'm here all week) and don't want the door stops and kindling finding their way into someones kit bag.

What do you do with the clefts which don't 'ping like a nun sings'?

And, how many of your yearly consignment end-up in the log pile?

[Buzz]

if you are buying the wood as crafts and you are pressing it yourself the you only have 1 person to blame if it doesn't at least ping reasonably

[Vulcan Cricket]

grade 1 or 2 or 3 if its pressed right it will go

[Chad]

I have no idea, but I think that the pressing is the most important part. I think that generally, all clefts will eventually perform around the same standard, but you do get some that perform exceptionally, and others which don't quite make it. I know that some which have big defects around the edge are trimmed down to make middling bats at times, but it would be interesting to see what batmakers do with clefts which just turn out to be duds, no matter how well they have been pressed!

[farnham_quins_2]

You should see the Kook that Paul showed me at his store. Taps up horribly with the mallet! Rebound was awful compared to a Wasp he was knocking in for Roco. Pressing is obviously key, and depends whether you want the bat to ping right away or last longer and open up

[fasteddie]

Interesting thoughts.

What is the wastage ratio?

If they are as appealing as a sauna with JClarkson, then is it to the kindling box?

You can't polish poo.

[ItsJustCricket]

Is it just me or are English made bats generally pressed a lot softer?

I knocked in a CA bat for a customer this week.  It was a supposedly their top end bat, but I've heard Kashmir willow bats tap up better off the mallet.  And yes, as Jamie alluded to, these Indian made Kooks are concrete this year too.

In my experience, Salix, M&H, Hammer, Affinity and Newbery produce the best pressed bats on the market.  And they are all English made bats.  Can't be a coincidence, surely?!

[procricket]

I think Indian bats pressed by kg and Ss are the equal to many.

Paul I hate to comment but you only ever seem to praise the items you stock...

Look at your list many of them are from the same place.

There plenty of other great people pressing like b3,kippax,chase...

Looking at newbery bats currently I have not seen many special ones maybe there taking a back seat with the keeleys.

Also tried a few sf there good as well and as for bas well there quality sticks as well.

I quess it about experience with bats but to put the Asian and uk thing to bed the best Asian are as good as the best uk made bats and pressed just as well..

[ItsJustCricket]

That's not true, Dave, I'm judging from bats that I've knocked in and /or used before, which includes brands like CA, Chase, SG, Duck & Run, H4L, Black Cat, SS, Malik, Puma, Adidas and various others that we don't stock.

[procricket]

Well I guess I have had quite a few between my hand over the years Sareen are softer pressed than most I have knocked in.

I guess there never going to win people over as looking at old thread people where complaining there where to softly pressed the Asian brands.

Look which tend to last longer that a good indication to hard pressing


When did you last knock in a chase bat Paul

Most Ss I have used go for ball 1 and do not have the greatest durability

[ItsJustCricket]

Last Chase was a few months ago.  Belonged to a forum member actually.

To be fair, of all the Indian made bats, SS tend to sound the nicest off the mallet, and I certainly think they are pressed better than the likes of CA, Kookaburra etc.

Again this is just based on my experience, and a lot of it is not more than my bashing a bat with a mallet for four hours.  I still think there's a trend there, and I'm not afraid to say that I prefer the pressing on the English-mades...

[procricket]

Nothing wrong at all bud just find it very interesting.

How people interpretations are...

Agree about sg/kook always found them hard and same as rns..

Interesting what a batmaker told me about a few Ss and a kg I showed him but it isolated bats.

I prefer anything no matter where the made I think no matter what cleft as dean put it if the maker has skill he will bring the best out of it.

Only ever had 2 real stinker bats one a navarone and another sg bat

You take all the stickers off and leave them all generic shaped not many could tell the difference between Indian and uk pressed not many at all

Stickers and glue

[Chad]

My friend had an SG bat, which was rock hard in sound and just sounded horrible. I didn't really tell him straight up my thoughts, as it was a present from his girlfriend when they were both in India. I just said, "It is really nice, a little hard pressed and will take a little time to play in, but nice!" If I had bought that bat, I would have sent it back, it sounded rock solid. Much harder pressed than the Kookaburra I bought off Asad, and more than double the price! The bat actually broke on its second use too, he hit a ball near the toe, and there was a split from edge to edge just under the splice. This has put me off SG, as that bat was a complete plank. To think it cost that much! It made my Laver sound soft!

I have tapped up an SS, and they are lovely. There are some CAs which are pressed rock hard, but others which are softer pressed. My friends TRD was really soft sounding. MSR say they press their bats soft, but I actually found that the bat made a really hard sound at start, but dented really easily. Just not pressed quite enough I guess!

I also saw a well used Flare today, and the sound off that was incredible. I wonder if it was a one off, or if a bat just sounds that good after a long period of use. Pressing is a really important, yet strange thing...

[procricket]

Get a ball place it on a hard floor and wallop a ball down on it see the indentations very good,indicator

[tushar sehgal]

I am surpirsed no one mentioned H4L pressing. They some of the best pressed bats out there, No offence to Salix but I like the H4L pressing better.

Also if someone took the stickers off L&W & SG/SS and swapped them would anyone complain? L&W are pressed horribly yet we all love them.

P.s. Dave (Procricketer) just got Uzair's SS in Kohli shape. I have never seen a bat like that or a rebound like that...wow!!