okay, heres the shoot, everyone on this forum will have varying views, however, we all stand by one thing, and that is that any form sponsor will offer you a quality stick at lower prices than lets say GM GN or Puma. I would shoot a message to any of the sponsors asking about a lower grade bat, for example, Ryan's lower grades are outstanding from what ive heard, as are Aldred's and infact as are most. however, if you are looking to go grade one, look no further than the forum, again cause of the prices, you could get a G1 for 170, and have the assurance of quality customer service, what more could you want? I am not saying that the sponsors are the only guys to offer good bats, but what I am saying is you could not go wrong with a bat from them. What I consider when buying a bat in this order: feel (pick up, handle shape, balance etc) then shape, then looks, then price.