Hey guys, just been on a bat buying spree... I think project work drove me nuts, so I either succumbed to insanity and bought so many, or I bought so many to avoid going insane.
Since I have now completed my project and submitted, I figured I should post these up and review them!
So I have recently been on the lookout for more mainstream brands, especially Gray Nicolls. I felt that of the biggest brands, they offered the best looking bats, although GM offered arguably nicer profiles. I wasn't too keen on Kookaburra, simply because they seemed a little too similar, and the concaving on the bats were just a little too much for my liking! After having a play around with the GMs and the GNs, I really wish GM used the Zona handle across their whole range. The Argon handle is extremely thin and almost round, and the Octane, although feeling much better since it is thicker and more oval, isn't too different. The Zona handle is similar to the Flare handle last year, which is slightly thinner in the middle, but comfortable for the bottom and top hands.
This thread is about GNs though, which were far better in terms of feel, pick up and response. (of the selection I saw!) I picked up all of the range, except from the e41s, and was most impressed by the A61 400, and not massively impressed by the Maverick. The A61 was a little over my budget though, so I decided to go for something different.
First up, a GN Oblivion 5 Star I got from eBay!
Not the prettiest willow, but not too ugly. It picks up really nicely, and weighs 2lb 8.48oz. A fair amount of concaving, and the edges aren't massive at 33mm, but a good size. The sweetspot is mid placed I would say, and there is good response off the mallet and ball on this one! The toe is slightly rounded off at the back, which is probably what gives it the lighter pick up, and the finishing on this is great! The handle actually feels nice in the hands, slightly more oval than most of the GNs I picked up at my retailer which is a bonus! Downside is the blemishes, but with 8 pretty straight grains, I'm not complaining!
Next up, my Powerbow Strike, which I got from my local cricket retailer. They used to sponsor our club and sell things at RRP, but since I am a regular, the manager gives me 10% off, even though our club isn't sponsored by them anymore, which is quite nice! So for £108, I got:
Not the prettiest willow, again, but I wasn't expecting one to look quite this nice! Some of the Strikes I saw were covered with a horrible grain sheet, but this and another were left natural (with a helicopter scuff). It has 10 grains, with quite a few marks, including 2 pin marks, but they didn't seem to affect the performance around that area when smacking with a mallet and knocking up a ball. It weighs 2lb 10.35oz, and picks up pretty nicely too, maybe just a touch heavier than the oblivion. The edges are larger on this one, at around 36mm, and the bat itself is just larger overall, but less bowed than the oblivion. The spine actually runs down to the toe on this one, which explains why it is more responsive lower down the bat compared to the Oblivion.
Here's the issue I have though, I didn't actually buy the Oblivion for myself, I just saw it for a good price so jumped on it... I have somehow managed to talk myself into perhaps keeping it with this review, it really is a top notch bat! Hard to say which of the two will perform better, but currently, the Powerbow is ahead, but only because I have spent a few hours knocking it in! I don't think I have spent that long knocking in a bat before using it, but definitely worth the time and effort! (Although I should start knocking in with the left hand so I don't become anymore bottom hand dominant!) I would say the Powerbow is better for players who like driving on the front foot because it has more mass low down on the bat, and the Oblivion is more for the people who cut and pull, as the middle extends up the blade quite nicely and has a slightly lighter pick up.
All in all, very happy with my puchases, and I think that out of the 4 biggest brands, GN is probably the one I would always go for now. I haven't seen the new Slazenger range though, so I can't say for certain. I am pretty pleased with my first ever brand new GN bats though!
Feel free to ask any questions!
Chad
Author
Topic: Gray Nicolls Oblivion 5 Star and Powerbow Strike (Read 9364 times)