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[Chad]

Right, so I took a punt on eBay and bought 2 CA Test 5000s. I received one CA Test 5000, which was labelled as short handle, but was more of a Harrow, and a CA Test/Plus 5000, and here's where things get strange... The sticker on the front says Test, but there is no hologram. The stickers on the edges also say Test, but the sticker on the back is a Plus sticker. The C and the A stickers are too big for the bat, but they all look genuine, and the profile is one which I have seen on a CA before.

Here's pictures of the Test 5000:








And here's some of the Test/Plus 5000:










As you can see, both are of great quality willow, but both are noticeably different in profile. The Test has a fair amount of concaving, high spine and reasonable sized edges. The Test/Plus has minimal concaving and larger edges, with a decent sized spine. I have seen both profiles on CA bats, and here's where it gets even more confusing...






That's the profile of a CA Plus 5000 bat I have repaired for a friend. "Why are you showing us this Chad?" you ask... Well, here's a pic of the Test 5000 and the Plus 5000 next to each other, and both of them have the CA hologram:




They are both the same profile, which makes me wonder if there is a set profile for each of the range, or if they just stick whatever stickers they feel like on their bats! There surely must have been a mistake somewhere! Any of the retailers or CA experts want to share their thoughts? Oh, and I much prefer the Test/Plus stickered bat profile, it weighs 2lb 8.63oz with 33mm and 35mm edges with minimal concaving and is pretty big! (pretty dry I would bet!) I think I remember it to be similar to my friend's CA TRD profile, but now I don't know what to think!

Feel free to ask questions!

Chad

PS. Any tips on how I should prepare it? Just whack a scuff sheet on, or oil 1 coat (since it is so dry) and then scuff it up? 

[mattw]

They look pretty much identical, it would be good to see their whole range.

Apply plenty of oil and prey

[Chad]

They look pretty much identical, it would be good to see their whole range.

Apply plenty of oil and prey

Yeah, that's what I would think, but I reckon that might cause it to lose performance! Maybe I'll just oil and knock it in, and ignore the scuff sheet...  Probably 2 coats max.

It does respond pretty nicely, and is a big bat for the weight. Really impressed by the grading too! I'm just really confused, as I am sure that they are both profiles which CA offer, but I don't know which one is which...

[tushar sehgal]

I am sure its a mistake Chad, when is the sale starting? I need a low middle 2'8 cheap

[Chad]

I am sure its a mistake Chad, when is the sale starting? I need a low middle 2'8 cheap

Haha I am sure it is a mistake, but I am not sure which profile is which now! Where's Asad when you need him?!

I predict the sale will have to start pretty darn soon Tushar! At this rate, I'm going to have a sale every damn month!

[tushar sehgal]

Haha I am sure it is a mistake, but I am not sure which profile is which now! Where's Asad when you need him?!

I predict the sale will have to start pretty darn soon Tushar! At this rate, I'm going to have a sale every damn month!

I think the Plus ones are usually slightly different from non-plus models but I am not sure and what do you mean sale every month, has to be bi-weekly atleast ...lovely bats these, impressed with the JN tomahawk as well...whats the weight and damage on these?

[yvk3103]

I think CA changed from "PLUS" to "TEST" or the UK range when they had a distributor in UK to counter/differentiate non-UK range from UK range. Obviously, they wanted to keep costs down so only the front stickers were changed and the back stickers remained the same. I have seen many UK range CA bats with "TEST" sticker in front and "PLUS" at the back.

Can you measure the width of the blade? Sometimes the blade width is less and this could explain "CA" stickers at the back being slightly bigger and hence trimmed.

I had a TRD which was a genuine CA product but the blade was slightly narrower!!

The best person to answer your puzzle would be Asad as he stocks a lot of CA equipment.

[yvk3103]

Just add, for preparing the bat, give it 1 light coat of oil (1 teaspoon). Roll the edges well as these are the most vulnerable on CA (well, basically on any bat, but more on CA as they as slightly softer pressed and like other Asian bats slightly drier willow).

Does the weight on the bat correspond to the weight sticker on the shoulder?

[Vitas Cricket]

Roll the grip up from the splice and have a look at the binding mate.

I rebind 3-4 CA bats a month that Pakistanis living in Peterborough bring in to me. Most of them are brand new that friends or family have sent over.

[Chad]

Roll the grip up from the splice and have a look at the binding mate.

I rebind 3-4 CA bats a month that Pakistanis living in Peterborough bring in to me. Most of them are brand new that friends or family have sent over.

There's some pictures of the binding. It is okay, not really impressed by it, but I have seen worse!

I think CA changed from "PLUS" to "TEST" or the UK range when they had a distributor in UK to counter/differentiate non-UK range from UK range. Obviously, they wanted to keep costs down so only the front stickers were changed and the back stickers remained the same. I have seen many UK range CA bats with "TEST" sticker in front and "PLUS" at the back.

Can you measure the width of the blade? Sometimes the blade width is less and this could explain "CA" stickers at the back being slightly bigger and hence trimmed.

I had a TRD which was a genuine CA product but the blade was slightly narrower!!

The best person to answer your puzzle would be Asad as he stocks a lot of CA equipment.

Thanks for that Yash! Still doesn't clear up why the profiles vary though!

Yeah, the CA is a little narrower, probably by a mm or 2. I don't know why this is, but I'm assuming it is to make the bat look as big as possible! And the weight sticker says 2lb 8oz, so it's pretty accurate!

[yvk3103]

Chad, I feel that the slight difference in profile might be down to the willow weight. If it a slightly lighter willow then they can leave more wood on and hence one bat looks bigger than the other and may have a slightly longer middle.

All the CA bats hat I have seen, only the 15000 and TRD have a different profile and the rest are pretty similar in profile. Like SS and other companies from the subcontinent the profiles across the range are not very different.

CA 5000, 8000, 10000, 12000 etc is more to do with the willow grading rather than the profiles. Same with SS KP, Gladiator, etc. is all to do with the willow grading rather than profiles.

[Vitas Cricket]

Indeed, it's not the worst i've seen either.

They look like good bats for the money

[yvk3103]

Yeah, the CA is a little narrower, probably by a mm or 2. I don't know why this is, but I'm assuming it is to make the bat look as big as possible! And the weight sticker says 2lb 8oz, so it's pretty accurate!

1-2mm narrower blade would help in reducing the weight by at least 2oz.

As most people are obsessed with big edges, 1-2mm narrower blade really isn't picked up by most buyers. A counter argument could be that 1-2mm narrower blade doesn't make a difference and we are not expected to use edges to play.

[yvk3103]

Indeed, it's not the worst i've seen either.

They look like good bats for the money

Hi Jake!
Dont you feel that the binding on some of the bats made in the subcontinent ends a bit higher than on bat made in the UK or AUS or NZ?

Does this impact the durability of the handle?

As you get same bats each month for handle replacement, have you notices whether the springs also end a bit higher rather than going a bit into the splice?

[Vitas Cricket]

Hi Jake!
Dont you feel that the binding on some of the bats made in the subcontinent ends a bit higher than on bat made in the UK or AUS or NZ?

Does this impact the durability of the handle?

As you get same bats each month for handle replacement, have you notices whether the springs also end a bit higher rather than going a bit into the splice?

Thats exactly it mate. And if the binding has been poorly/lazily secured, it frays and unravels even further up the handle. It guess it does have an impact on strength, i always rebind them lower than the original to be safe.

I've not paid too much attention to the springs but i will have a look next time i get one in mate.