Print

[ItsJustCricket]

Chris and I went to Butler's Farm today to pick out some Salix and Hits Bard bats.  As you can see, they were all just part-mades, but a lot of these should be finished and in our store by January.  More photos to come later in the week, and on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/itsjustcricket

[ItsJustCricket]

Make that Hits Hard!!! 

[FattusCattus]

Did they not have a toilet Paul?

[petehosk]

I have to say that after seeing Asads Salix bats and Lukey did a visit on Monday, I have only seen and heard fantastic things about the output this year! Can't wait to see some reviews from IJC once some of those stunners arrive fella!!

[ItsJustCricket]

Yes, the new range looks good.  The SLX stickers, in particular, were a highlight for me.  They only had rough samples though, so didn't feel it was right to take photos of those...

They also have some new wicket keeping gloves that are super dooper light - much more PU than other keeping gloves...

[yvk3103]

Yes, the new range looks good.  The SLX stickers, in particular, were a highlight for me.  They only had rough samples though, so didn't feel it was right to take photos of those...

They also have some new wicket keeping gloves that are super dooper light - much more PU than other keeping gloves...

Those WK gloves were fantastic. For once I regretted not being a WK.

[chrisbd]

Hi Guys, Chris from IJC here.

Just thought I'd give you all a flavour of the day as well as the pictures you can see (more to follow soon!) This was only my second visit to a manufacturer, and really my first to a proper factory, since Newbery we only visit the shop, and so don't get to see the bat making process. Naturally I was quite excited and looking forward to meeting Andrew.

Once we'd taken the train and then a short taxi ride out to Butler's farm in Langley, we were met by Andrew and his assistant Ben, and immediately his warmth and hospitality shone through - he put the kettle on and we had a good natter about the cricket industry, equipment and anything to do with the sport in general.

Whilst we were chatting we were casually looking through a few of the part finished bats in that side of the workshop. We picked a few junior bats which particularly struck us, but the selection didn't really start quite yet. Andrew then showed us some samples of the new wicket keeping gloves. Extremely lightweight, and an intelligent and liberal dose of PU has really put them up their with the best in the business for me!

He then went on to show us the Hits Hard range of kit. Safe to say that we discussed this on the train there and had no intention of stocking them, but soon our mind was changed......

We then were shown the two new Salix bats, the Supernatural and the SLX. I liked the Supernatural, but for various reasons I was absolutely blown away with the SLX. This has to be one of my favourite bats for 2014, you'll all agree I'm sure once we have the stock in.

Shortly after this we crossed over to the workshop side of the premises, and this was the bit I was most excited about. Andrew is clearly a very passionate man and he took time and care to explain to us about the process of ,making the bat, and the little insights he gave us were particularly interesting. He showed us how the flat face and round face bats have different bowing procedures done to them, and he also showed us the pressing area. With different faces of the bats comes a slightly different technique.....

Once this chat was over we got to picking the second half of our adult bats, mainly the Torques and the Pods. We found some absolute stunners, and Andrew was very helpful in finding the best they had there. You will have seen from the pictures that we picked some absolute beauties, but that doesn't go half way to doing them justice - the ping on some of them is ridiculous!

I think that you guys can tell a lot from the pictures, but what's difficult to see is the authenticity of the process, of the love and passion that goes into making each and every bat from Salix. You may notice if you look closely in the pictures that Paul and I have our jackets firmly done up in the factory, that is to fight out the cold which has to be such to keep the bats in their best condition. You'll see wood chippings on my jacket in some pictures, that's because this really is a working factory, making bats every single day of the week. We found out a number of bits of information, such as why the Salix bats have their distinctive hole in the bottom of the toe....

Finally, just a big thanks to Andrew Kember for being such a welcoming host. He did everything he could to help us pick out the best bats they had there and also to teach us and try to pass on some of his knowledge. His love for the bat making process was infectious - by the end of the day I found myself wanting to try and make my own sticks! Thankfully, as my Year 7 DT teacher will attest to, Andrew prevented me from doing any disservice to the Salix brand!

Can't wait to get these beauties in stock for you guys soon!

Chris

[trypewriter]

Did they not have a toilet Paul?

I don't know about that mate, but he looks like he needs to stand a bit closer to the razor blade - or is it that trendy designer stubble? 

[ItsJustCricket]

Hi Guys, Chris from IJC here.

Just thought I'd give you all a flavour of the day as well as the pictures you can see (more to follow soon!) This was only my second visit to a manufacturer, and really my first to a proper factory, since Newbery we only visit the shop, and so don't get to see the bat making process. Naturally I was quite excited and looking forward to meeting Andrew.

Once we'd taken the train and then a short taxi ride out to Butler's farm in Langley, we were met by Andrew and his assistant Ben, and immediately his warmth and hospitality shone through - he put the kettle on and we had a good natter about the cricket industry, equipment and anything to do with the sport in general.

Whilst we were chatting we were casually looking through a few of the part finished bats in that side of the workshop. We picked a few junior bats which particularly struck us, but the selection didn't really start quite yet. Andrew then showed us some samples of the new wicket keeping gloves. Extremely lightweight, and an intelligent and liberal dose of PU has really put them up their with the best in the business for me!

He then went on to show us the Hits Hard range of kit. Safe to say that we discussed this on the train there and had no intention of stocking them, but soon our mind was changed......

We then were shown the two new Salix bats, the Supernatural and the SLX. I liked the Supernatural, but for various reasons I was absolutely blown away with the SLX. This has to be one of my favourite bats for 2014, you'll all agree I'm sure once we have the stock in.

Shortly after this we crossed over to the workshop side of the premises, and this was the bit I was most excited about. Andrew is clearly a very passionate man and he took time and care to explain to us about the process of ,making the bat, and the little insights he gave us were particularly interesting. He showed us how the flat face and round face bats have different bowing procedures done to them, and he also showed us the pressing area. With different faces of the bats comes a slightly different technique.....

Once this chat was over we got to picking the second half of our adult bats, mainly the Torques and the Pods. We found some absolute stunners, and Andrew was very helpful in finding the best they had there. You will have seen from the pictures that we picked some absolute beauties, but that doesn't go half way to doing them justice - the ping on some of them is ridiculous!

I think that you guys can tell a lot from the pictures, but what's difficult to see is the authenticity of the process, of the love and passion that goes into making each and every bat from Salix. You may notice if you look closely in the pictures that Paul and I have our jackets firmly done up in the factory, that is to fight out the cold which has to be such to keep the bats in their best condition. You'll see wood chippings on my jacket in some pictures, that's because this really is a working factory, making bats every single day of the week. We found out a number of bits of information, such as why the Salix bats have their distinctive hole in the bottom of the toe....

Finally, just a big thanks to Andrew Kember for being such a welcoming host. He did everything he could to help us pick out the best bats they had there and also to teach us and try to pass on some of his knowledge. His love for the bat making process was infectious - by the end of the day I found myself wanting to try and make my own sticks! Thankfully, as my Year 7 DT teacher will attest to, Andrew prevented me from doing any disservice to the Salix brand!

Can't wait to get these beauties in stock for you guys soon!

Chris

Glad you enjoyed the day, Chris!  To second some of what you've said there, although I've been to most of the manufacturers' places of work now, I must say: the Salix visit is the one I look forward to more than any other.  It really is an incredible experience to see how they operate, and how it differs to the other brands...

It's also great to chat to Andrew, who in my opinion is the fount of all knowledge when it comes to cricket bats and bat making.  You always come away learning something new, and his passion for his art really shines through.  In terms of attention to detail, he is second to none in the industry in my opinion.  He is also one of the most hospitable people you are ever likely to meet, and oozes class, dignity and integrity - he was even kind enough to go out of his way and give Chris and I a lift back to the train station, despite knowing full well that we'd encounter some horrifically narrow - and somewhat treacherous - country lanes along the way! 

As many of you will know, I have used a Salix Praestantia bat the past two seasons (Performance grade).  It has been, without doubt, the best bat I've ever owned, so this has given me a soft spot for the brand as I know from experience that their bats really do perform (I had hardly ever driven a ball for four until I had a Salix, and since then the drive has been one of my main scoring shots!)  My only concern with Salix in the past has been turnaround times, as their manufacturing process, whilst extremely meticulous (really emphasising this attention to detail), is often very slow.  My feelings on this have been well known, and I know I'm not the only retailer to have voiced such concerns.  However, as Salix have recently added new premises, and with additional resource about to be confirmed, I expect that my concerns will soon be a thing of the past, which is very exciting for us, and for Salix as a brand.  I honestly believe it's only a matter of time before we see Salix as a household brand in this country, and indeed the only one of the big boys who make everything by hand (from the raw cleft) here in England...

As for Hits Hard, despite changing our mind on stocking them, as Chris said, I am still not 100% convinced about the brand, but there's no doubting the quality of the bats, and it's great to see some more affordable Salix-made bats hitting the market.  I'm really intrigued to see what the future holds for Hits Hard, and how it will affect the Salix brand, but the bottom line is there is now a Kember made bat for all budgets (in both seniors and juniors), so more and more people worldwide will be able to boost their batting averages without breaking the bank, just like I did with mine! 

More photos to come later today... 

[ItsJustCricket]

23 more photos from our visit are now up on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.590683607634452.1073741832.267632753272874&type=1

[chrisbd]

I think just to echo what Paul said really. Salix seems to be moving in an exciting new direction, Andrew certainly seemed enthused about their new premises. The prospects for growth seem very good for them, all the while maintaining the identity of the brand which they have so successfully built up. The new location will be used for certain stages in the bat manufacturing process and this means that turnaround times for their bats will be much quicker - something we are very pleased about as the bats are so popular!

I also think that Salix are wise to integrate the Hits Hard brand into the market, meaning that even customers with more of a budget are able to own a piece of Andrew Kember hand crafted magic. Id be interested to know any of your guys opinions on the Hits Hard brand and whether you would all consider buying one?

Overall, we at IJC are really excited about the future of Salix as a brand. The new premises, the Hits Hard, the manufacturing processes being so detailed, the passion of the man behind the whole thing all strikes me as a brand poised to break into the top cricket bat brands in the next couple of years!

Chris

[Ayrtek Cricket]

I also think that Salix are wise to integrate the Hits Hard brand into the market, meaning that even customers with more of a budget are able to own a piece of Andrew Kember hand crafted magic. Id be interested to know any of your guys opinions on the Hits Hard brand and whether you would all consider buying one?

It Andrew actually making any of the Hit Hard bats or are these to be fashioned by Ben and any other apprentice batmakers they may have?

[smokem]

Hi guys. I'm actually interested in understanding what makes a Hits Hard less expensive than a Salix equivalent? Is it simply a different marketing angle or is there something in the process where cost (and hence final price) is reduced? I, for one, would be interested in a Hits Hard.

[ItsJustCricket]

In a nutshell, Hits Hard are all made from grade 2 and 3 English willow, which Salix have a lot of, as they can't order their grade 1 clefts without also taking these grades from Wrights.  In fact, they have to order much larger quantities of these grades in order to get sufficient numbers of grade 1 for the Salix bats.  Salix has very much a grade 1 image, and apparently their grade 1 sales far exceed grade 2 and 3, so they need a younger sister, if you like!

[ItsJustCricket]

It Andrew actually making any of the Hit Hard bats or are these to be fashioned by Ben and any other apprentice batmakers they may have?

Ben (and the new apprentices) will do a lot of the work on Hits Hard, but Andrew still works on them too.